Monday, April 6, 2015

Booklovers and Bookstores by Patricia Forsythe

Every writer I know was first a booklover.  Writers are people who were early and voracious readers, enthralled by picture books, then chapter books. 

I was born and raised in a small mining town in Arizona by parents who were determined that their children would go to college.  I didn’t appreciate the importance of that in my younger years, but it helped that I had a mother who was a dedicated booklover.  There were always books in our home, but most of the books I read came from the school library or from the public library, or were borrowed from friends.  My best friend was also a voracious reader and we used to entertain each other by relating the plots of our favorite books.  I don’t recall what mine was at the time, but hers was The Wahoo Bobcat by Joseph W. Lippincott.  As I grew up, I was for many years, a Book-A-Day reader – at least until I had kids. 

 Bookstores were unknown in our corner of southeastern Arizona, but they were among my favorite haunts when I went to college.  It’s been interesting and emotional to watch the changes in bookstores over the years.  It was emotional because small, family-run bookstores gave way to big box stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble, which gave way to Amazon and other online retailers.  Now it seems to have come full circle back to small, neighborhood bookstores.  I find this encouraging because I love to walk into a bookstore, talk to knowledgeable staff members, and buy books for myself or others.       Libraries and bookstores are vital because they are repositories of information on all kinds of topics, and guardians of the stories we humans tell ourselves, the ones that help us make sense of the world. 

Patricia Forsythe is the author of many romances, both traditionally and electronically published.  Her next book will be Her Lone Cowboy, a Harlequin Heartwarming novel available in June 2015.  Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.

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6 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, Patricia! Growing up we didn't have bookstores in our small town, but we had a library. I loved to walk in the doors and smell the welcoming aroma of old books.

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    1. The anticipation is so much fun -- walking in and knowing you're going to find a really great book.

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  2. We live in a small town in central California. I miss the library (ours is small and always crowded with chattering children/teens - who can read there?). I miss the bookstore (we used to have Borders, B&N is a 45 minute drive away). And I miss the smell of old books (although I think I could go to a bookshelf and sniff...it might be the same smell, but it wouldn't be the same as the atmosphere of a really great library or a really great bookstore). Now I feel whiny.

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    1. I know what you mean. There have been times when I couldn't get to a library for extended periods and I was so unhappy.

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  3. I've loved books since first grade. I lived in the library during elementary school and that is where I learned to love Laura Ingalls Wilder. I always had a book with me and I still pack more than I can read when I go on vacation. There is just something about having a book with you all the time that makes life more interesting.

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    1. Yes, always having a book is important because it's satisfying and you're never bored.

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