Reading is fundamental.

Books are as essential as breathing.

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The choice of what we curl up with is important.

photo: Lisa Warninger

It can mean the difference between learning something new or uncovering long lost stories from the past.  

photo: Laurie Frankel

Speaking of stories, being read to is like good medicine. Stories have such power, they do not require that you do, be, or act anything.  All you do is listen.

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Good books provide comfort, consolation and the companionship that we all crave.

photo: Debbie Treloar

For some, a magazine can be a source of inspiration. Boy, don't we know that!

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On a chaise in the garden, under a beach umbrella, or in a wingback by the fire, books can be an escape.

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The best books are passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps an old favorite that you loved as a child.

photo: Claire Richardson

There are many other ways to enjoy books besides reading them. We all know that too!

photo: Lisa Warninger

Our blogger friend Brooke Giannetti once bought 1050 leather books, from a friend's house sale.  Some for at home and some for the store.

Searching for that next irresistible volume in which to lose yourself can turn book browsing into a meditative art.

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Everyone should have 3 well-paved roads to finding a good page-turner.

A proper bookstore,

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a choice secondhand haunt,

 

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and a civilized lending library.

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I like my library, I mean it's kind of ok.  I'm funny, I like to be the only one on my isle. So many times I have really weird people who always seem to be looking at the same section as me!

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Visiting a secondhand-book store is almost like a religious experience. It is a place where time stands still, hours become minutes and I am literally lost in time. These old places I love!

They are filled with leather-bound and tattered jackets, and the musty scent of dog-eared pages.

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Some secondhand stores are old ramshackle haunts with vague subject categories stacked to the rafters.

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They are certainly worth wandering into though because you never know what you will find.

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The choice secondhand stores have entire rooms devoted to subject categories. Alphabetized according to the author and occasionally in their original jackets.

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Cooking, classics, gardening, art, history, and mystery to name a few. Speaking of cooking, I am loving this cookbook library located in The Tyler Florence Shop in Mill Valley California.

The Tyler Florence Shop

And "check out" this old theatre turned into a bookstore.  I wonder if they show movies too?

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Your not so typical espresso bar in New York City.

Cush Design Studios

Put finding a fabulous book on your list this week and always remember to pick one out for a friend. 

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  We all know about Amazon but I wanted to mention another great online source for books, Abe Books.  At Abe, you can pick up this first edition signed copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's for only $6,500 (i know)+ $4.50 shipping.

Their inventory of books for sale from different booksellers includes the world’s finest antiquarian books dating back to the 15th century, countless out-of-print gems, millions of signed books, millions of used copies, a vast selection of college textbooks and new books too. 

Have you read a good book lately?