The Scent of New Books

Many people stop in and ask if we can take their old books. We wish we could (we don’t) and we are absolutely sure that someone else will enjoy them. Then there are others who don’t want to buy new books. They have enough books. They have no space for new books.

Gratefully, I grew up believing one can never have enough books. I suppose this same lesson went with “there are no stupid questions” and “knowledge is power.” My mother didn’t let me ‘do more things’ unless I first cleaned my room. This meant ordering the massive bookshelf in my little girl’s room. Luckily, she also taught me how to gently let go of the books I no longer had use for (some call it spring cleaning). This meant we could go to Books ‘n Things down the road and I could add new books to my ever evolving collection. And although I feel safe and comfortable in libraries, I love owning books more, taking responsibility by eventually passing them onto friends and family and/or giving them away wisely.

“It smells great in here!” People say this when they stop into BoP. I hope this scent is also that of the indelible power inherent in owning a new book.