But Then Again

In the moment of fragility, there is one place that can offer real comfort to me.

Bookstore.

You heard it loud and clear, folks. You name it: I've been to all major bookstores I could possibly reach. I normally hang around in MPH Mid Valley Megamall every time I have the chance, simply because it is the nearest bookstore that I can easily locate via the train all the way from Shah Alam. I always joke around with my friends that should I lose my way from them, all they have to do is to find the nearest bookstore and there shall they find me.

But I love Kinokuniya KLCC above all, though I seldom be there. I know that they say that the books are more expensive as compared to the others, but the feeling is different, you see - It's the time when few ringgit difference doesn't really matter. Not that I always purchase any books, anyway. But I love the atmosphere. I find it rather tranquilizing, and being in it lifts all my sorrow up to heaven. For once, all the things that weight me down lifted off my shoulder, and I am immersed in the world of my own.

Why do I love bookstores in general?

I love the smell of new books! Oh, it is a smell like no others. You just pick up any books from your left, right and center, quickly flip through the pages and oh! You're fully recovered from your supposedly terminal illnesses (if you have any!). Then we could probably save many doctors from their misery (for they have been complaining about workloads and what not!).

But what gives me the most solace is, being in a bookstore assures me that for once, I can find the answers to all the questions in my life - It's just a matter of finding the right shelves. Being surrounded by books gives the assurance that the answers are there - within this very compound and I am not alone in this search. there are other people around me who are looking for answers in their lives, too - and you're never alone.

I find a special kind of happiness in bookstores that I am not accomplished enough to articulate with words. It's just there. Maybe that explains a great deal why I can stay for hours in one bookstore. It's just a very special place.

There are a few inspiring quotations about book. they say that book is a gift you can open again and again. And there is this one thought-provoking remark by Austin Phelps that says 'wear the old coat and buy the new book'.

But I love this one the most by Paul Sweeney. He says 'you know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend'.

A friend.

That could explain why I find solace in a bookstore. Imagine how many friends in there - and not just ordinary friends. They are the storytellers of the stories of the world that teach you genuine emotions - happiness, sadness, empathy, hope and inspiration.

And the moment you walk out from a bookstore, you know you are born anew, all set to take on the vicious world with different insights and perspectives.