Books and Browsing

Book and Game, Downtown Walla Walla       © Diane B. Reed

On mornings when I awake to rain on the pond, or it's too hot (or cold) to work outside, I figure I might as well embrace the weather and curl up with a good book. I already have stacks of books to read, but I still feel the need to browse the bookstores before I settle in with my first selection—just in case there’s something even more interesting out there. This is, of course, ridiculous because I already have enough books to keep me busy until I’m 120!

Earthlight Books, Walla Walla © Diane B. Reed

You can tell a lot about an area by the variety of its bookstores, and we’re lucky to have so many. What could be more welcoming on a cold day than an inviting bookstore? I love them all—used books at Earthlight and Just Right Books, new books at Book and Game, Hastings and the Whitman College bookstore, to name a few. I always try to stop by SkyeBook and Brew when I’m in Dayton. Then there’s the annual AAUW book sale, yard sales and thrift shops and … Oh dear, I guess I’m a bookaholic!

It’s not like I go out looking for a certain book. In fact, I’m never quite sure how to respond if a bookstore proprietor asks me if I’m looking for a particular title. Most of the time I have no idea what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it. I’ve found there’s a certain Zen to browsing. I wander to my favorite subject areas—nature, history, poetry or a good mystery . . . I settle in and let my eyes roam over the titles, pulling out ones that intrigue me. Often I find titles I’ve never heard of, particularly in used bookstores. I might browse through a dozen books or more and find one or two that draw me in. I’ve found that talking to bookstore folks—particularly if they’re avid readers themselves—often results in suggestions about wonderful books that I would have otherwise missed.

© Diane B. Reed

An added dimension to my search is the design and craftsmanship of many vintage books. I recently found a 1909 copy of Our National Parks written by John Muir that is printed on high-quality paper and has a stunning image embossed on the cloth cover, complete with gold leafing. The book was Muir’s pitch for preserving the wilderness through the creation of more National Parks (there were only 13 at the time the book was written). It combines extraordinary writing with a volume that’s intrinsically beautiful, a combination difficult to find in today’s mass-market books.

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology and use it regularly, but I rarely order books online and (for now) I don’t own a Kindle. I treasure the decadence of browsing, the sociability of interacting with book people, the art of the book and the satisfaction of finding a volume that I can’t wait to read. Life is good in the Walla Walla Valley!