Why book shops make me feel strange

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Every time I walk into a bookshop I'm filled with a strange feeling. There are so many possible avenues to explore. The books hold information, they aren't always that interesting but they are symbols of where life can go. The drama of a classic novel like Oliver Twist or the comedy of a stand up comedian's autobiography. The enticing delights of cookbooks, ones by MasterChefs, ones sorted by world region like Indian and Mexican, healthy ones to get you trim, dessert ones to host dinner parties.

I saw a book with 1000 thoughts that everyone should know before they die, thoughts that changed the world. I was tempted to get it but I've barely got through the first part of a big history book I'm reading. Another had the best 1000 examples od architecture in the world. I saw books on learning the guitar, also tempting. Ones about how to build a successful business. Travel books with colourful photos.

History books about famous people and particular countries like Abraham Lincoln and Russia. Ones about wars, revolutions and social upheavals. Geography booms about how the world was formed in the way we know it. Astronomy books looking at the universe, ones about physics and chemistry to explain the building blocks or the essence of life itself. Books about learning computer programs - economically sound, these days, perhaps. Do it yourself guides - well, who doesn't want to save money? Books with interesting quotes. Spirituality books - is there another realm beyond the scientific, physical one? I see books about psychology, how to train your brain to overcome this situation or to thrive in that situation.

Fantasy tales and science fiction sagas. Books by journalists full of their opinions, whether they write about cars, politics or economics. Ones advising you what to wear. Ones full of photographs that show things in a beautiful or thought provoking way. Booms about contemporary art, ones about older art, ones telling you to create your own art. Books asking what is the point of life. Ones with money saving tips. Ones full of jokes. Books with film reviews and ones about gardening and arranging flowers.

I feel so weird surrounded by all these choices. Maybe most people don't get this but I tend to want to know about and do a lot of things. I wonder if this feeling is normal. And the other thing is going in a bookshop can make me reassess what my priorities are. I might go in looking for cooking inspiration in the pages of cookbooks but come out with a thought I read in a philosophy book running through my mind. Anyone else experience this?

I actually dream about bookshops and libraries. Often I wake up delighted to have discovered some rare and exotic book that doesn't actually exist...

Me too! I dream about going to the library and getting some interesting books, and then wake up disappointed when I realize those books don't really exist.

Same here! Books are brilliant things and I can't imagine life without them. The opportunities, choices, and knowledge they offer are amazing. I can easily spend a day in a book shop - time just seems to stand still for me when I'm there. My husband and I have been slowing working on building our own library in the house (current count is 2,624 books), mostly about our special interests, but we have a huge range from other subject areas as well. The pursuit of knowledge will never end!

I got to work for a publisher for 6 months (temp work), and it was the best job I've ever had. Getting to see new books before they are published and having some input into the process was great. The significant discount on employee purchases was also amazing. I would do almost anything go back to that job.

I feel drawn by information even when it is more diffuse, as well as by the opportunity to increase it. However, you remind me of the story of an African boy who had always read every piece of paper that came to his village. When he eventually got to a library, it slowly dawned upon him that there was more than a lifetime's worth of reading there.

I love book shops and libraries. There's a wonderful old library near by and I love visiting it.

Last edited by EzraS on 13 Dec 2017, 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

There's good stuff in bookstores. It takes us away from our Mundane existence.

This is one of my favorite movie scenes. Someday I'd like to be Mr. Coriander.

You must have a lot of interests which is great in my opinion. To be able to explore so many things.



It does seem like that. The possibilities out there are almost endless. It hammers home a thought in my brain, that since there is more to learn than can ever be learned (unless we enhance ourselves by becoming human-robot hybrids) I need to get focusing on achieving more of what I am actually capable of.

I wish I had an entire library in my head......

That would make your job a bit easier.

Indeed....and it would imbue me with all sorts of knowledge which I don't have at present.

I often feel feel overwhelmed by it. That no matter how much I read, I'll only read a tiny fraction of what's available.

It's good to know I'm not alone in the feeling. I hope whatever I focus my mind on, is the right choice.

It’s healthy to know that you don’t know everything about everything.

I have always been a bit choosy, since my generation was expected to learn how to avoid war, which could now go atomic. Thus, I ignored "the classics." My education in philosophy started with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I wouldn't go to engineering school, because they were still teaching inefficient methods. I flunked out of Gr. 12 with a general knowledge level above college grad levels. I got my engineering, carefully selected, at the library. I've lectured to graduating engineers and won awards.
I don't study books, I hunt for bits of information that I think I can re-use, and remember those. I'm not good at remembering facts in isolation, but I do have various constants at hand. I prefer learning about things as part of a pattern, so that they cross-check with others.