Sitting Amongst the Books

I usually spend time in Barnes and Nobles because I'm looking for a book. That seems reasonable, right? Why else would I make the long trek all the way across campus? I could get coffee or pastries at any of the millions of cafes on the ave. I could listen to basically whatever music I want on my mp3 player. No, I don't personally travel to Barnes and Nobles for the atmosphere... I come for the books.

As I sat in one of the plush, worn-in lounge chairs at the top of the escalator reading the assigment for today, I couldn't help but get distracted by two things: the music and the books. Literally as soon as I opened the webpage to do the reading for today, the music in the store switched from motown hits to mariachi music. There has to be some irony in that (perhaps the Chicano community would not appreciate my associating mariachi music with their culture... but in my ignorance, I do). And when I looked up from my reading long enough to get distracted by the books on the wall across from me I noticed a few things:

1. Jack Kerouac's new book was the book sitting on the shelf directly across from me. Its called The Dharma Bums. Life is full of coincidence.

2. There were at least 150 "New Fiction" books (I counted) on just the shelves at the top of the escalator. Each had its own unique piece of cover art adorning its pages and each had a different author's name plastered across that cover art.

3. The featured tables at the top of the escalator had the following labels: "Noteworthy paperbacks", "New Fiction" and "Irish Fiction." Then on the wall it read: "New Fiction New Fiction New Fiction New Fiction New Fiction". First of all, how did they choose Irish Fiction (although admittedly I'm intrigued) and why do they feel it necessary to inform me a total of SIX times that there is "New Fiction" on the opposite wall. I understood what they meant the first time.

I know I said this last time I wrote, but I just can't get over how much this store is a symbol of prosperity. There are just a ton of authors represented in this place, many of whom make their entire living on their writing. That is a lot of money that consumers are spending.

Not that I'm complaining. I am one of them. I love books.

I spent the rest of my time in the children's section of the store just browsing and spending time with memories of my childhood. Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Berenstein Bears, American Girl, Rainbow Fish, Madeline, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, If you give a mouse a cookie, Stuart Little, The Trumpeter Swan, Charlotte's Web... the list goes on. What a joy it will be to sit down one day with my kids and read with them. Those are some of my favorite memories from my childhood: my parents reading me my favorite books.

Yea, books are where its at.