Posted on October 31st, 2008 by admin

There are a variety of choices you can make, depending on your mood. The big chain bookstores have the latest and most popular books; there are used and secondhand bookstores for those who want something rarer; academic bookstores cater to people who are interested in intellectual pursuits; and, often, your city or town will have specialty bookstores—poetry, mystery, metaphysics, science fiction, or children’s books.

As soon as you cross the threshold of the store, you enter into a new world, one in which information, knowledge, even wisdom, reside. Try to feel the atmosphere of the store. Can you easily pick up a book and flip through it without feeling pressured to buy? Are the shelves organized so that books are easy to find? Are the employees helpful? Do they know books and are they willing to look up titles to help you locate something?

If you are browsing in a bookstore that sells popular books, see what is on the minds of writers—and readers—today. What are the themes or general interests of writers? Is there something that unites them, or are the books in the stores moving in many directions? Look at the design of the covers. Do some draw you in, while others discourage you from picking them up? What about titles? Do they reveal the meaning of the books and make you want to read them, or do they seem inappropriate and lackluster?

Wander around. Saunter up and down the aisles. Look at a picture of the author on a book jacket and see if you’re attracted to this person, if you’d like to have a conversation with him or her. If you would, you might also like to read the book he or she has written.

If a book keeps jumping out at you, or you find yourself returning to it, chances are there’s something in its pages that is speaking to you and from which you might benefit.

Tags: spend your time