Books I Need to Read

When I need to buy a particular book for researching what I’m writing or wondering about, I order it online. Sometimes new, usually used. But when I go into a bookstore whether it’s for new or used books, I like to just meander the aisles in the sections I like. Letting my eyes roam over the book titles and dust jackets is like looking at a menu in an upscale restaurant. I don’t enter that kind of eating establishment with a preset mind. I enjoy seeing what is offered and reading the descriptions of each selection.

I rarely choose the familiar entrée, opting instead for something with a pairing of ingredients that tweaks my curious palate. In the bookshop it seems an invisible hand reaches out, grabbing me to select the book my mind cries out to read. Any book I’ve bought this way has left me happy with my choice.

Oftentimes it’s been a book that I absolutely loved. I wonder if the title I plucked has sparked a memory or some kind of connection that’s telling me “you need the contents of this book.” With my passion for history, I ask myself if the book I chose is a link to a past life. Maybe it’s a tie that nourishes a memory lying beneath my surface needing to be built on. The more I learn in this lifetime, the less demands the next lifetime will be.