Books

The sight of a book always warms the heart. The sight of a book just sitting there teasing you until you open it and read it. Oh the temptation! The book just lying there waiting to share its knowledge with you, threatening to swallow you into a world of fantasy where your only worries are who will save the princess and what will happen next? The book with all its printed words smiling back at you makes you itch to read it and to discover the depth of the issue discussed and how well written the story is. 

A book that has not yet been read whispers to you, tickles your ears, makes you feel restless until you have read it and delve into the contents of the book. It sparks your curiosity, desire and creates a unsatisfiable hunger for information. 

The sound of rustling papers as you turn each page in a book is usually accompanied by the absolute feeling of desire to know what happens next as it chokes you, leading you on with each turning page. 

The smell of a brand new book has the smell of the bookshop it was stored it. The smell of an old book has the smell of the house and shelve it has sat on. Either way these smells makes the book more pleasurable to read. Nothing beats the smell of books as it heightens your senses and creates this feeling of pure happiness within you. 

The tingling feeling you get when you touch a book, whether old or new makes the heart soar. The smooth, glossy paper to be stroked softly and the paper quality to be enjoyed while the old yellowing coarse paper to be handled with love, care and much tenderness. The spine of the book to be stroked and not to be decorated with bent lines, the pages to be turned softly and not to be dog-eared. The cover of the book to make you smile as you look at it and to think of the joy and wonders the book holds, just waiting for you to be drawn into the realm created by the author. 

A book is like a person. It smiles with you, weeps with you, laughs with you, go through happy and sad moments and yet it does not judge you nor your actions. A book only holds advises and words of wisdom but not a single shred of criticism. It teaches you to love, to give second chances, and to believe in miracles and in God. It teaches you to be weary, to be cautious, to be firm, to be strict and to be flexible. It teaches the beholder many many things and projects the ideal characteristics of man. The books shows us where greed will leads us, how we must never give in to the dark side and to stay true to our principles in life.  It welcomes you even when no one else does. It never deserts you and always remains by your side. A book is as though when you turn the last page, you feel a little as if you have lost a friend ~ Paul Sweeney

Books hold memories. When you look at a book, a million things rushes through your mind. You remember where you read it last, who you were with, where it went with you, what you were doing, how life was then, the smell of the air around you, the sounds, the feeling of the wind blowing on your face and the list goes on. To think something as insignificant as a stack of papers with printed words bind together can hold so much memories, some of which we have forgotten and some of which we choose to forget. Oh the wonder!

A book keeps your secrets. It tells no one. A book can be read anywhere and be taken everywhere. But every time it journeys with you, it collects a little bit more of you and stores it, just waiting for the moment when you wish to relive them. A book is your most loyal friend and companion. It is always there to listen to you, to guide you and it will never steer you wrong nor will it ever back stab you. As Charles W. Eloit puts it ,' Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.'

A book can teach us so many things. It has great words of wisdom, lessons from other people,   and different perspectives from people from all walks of life. It is a collection of the knowledge of people out there and their desire to spread awareness and share this wonderful discovery they have made about life and its simplicity. 

The intimacy shared with the book, the quiet moments and the calming effect of the book are moments that can hardly be shared with any other being. The book understand you, challenges you, guides you and opens your heart and mind to the possibilities that we have yet seen with our own eyes and experience with our heart. It instills hope and faith to those who need it most. 

The wonders of a book cannot be describe in a few measly words. It is a feeling that stirs within one's soul when he or she connects with a book and finds inspiration and healing. A book plays many roles, subjected to each individual, but for me I find that this quote by Kenko Yoshida says it best, 'To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare.'