Expanding Empathy

I find it odd that people who like to read are so often pigeonholed (by fellow bibliophiles as much as non-readers) as being antisocial, solitary, and awkward. Not to say it isn’t true in some cases, but the idea that readers don’t know how to deal with reality or connect with other humans is flawed, in my opinion.

If anything, I think it's possible that readers may possess an even greater capacity for empathy and understanding the world around them, simply because books require the exercise of this ability.

There’s Nothing Quite Like a Book Sale

One always can tell the change of seasons by when the used book sales start up in early summer.

That is, almost always.

In recent years I thought I’d gotten somewhat desensitized to the allure of the words BOOK SALE. After all, for several years when I have attended book sales the majority of the “finds” are books I already own. While there’s nothing wrong with swapping out a trade paperback for a hardcover edition with gilt pages, the joy is a bit dampened compared to that of finding a book one doesn’t own. (Janine is French, I’m thinking of you.)

Yet this year, as book sale season sails by uncelebrated, I find myself feeling empty, like a certain vital part of my existence is missing.