I am so often side tracked by books. For example, if I walk past a bookshop I feel like I almost have to go inside and browse for some time, ranging from 10 minutes to two hours (depends on the size of the shop!).
I’ve been known to spend entire afternoons at libraries, and there have been events I’ve not attended because I am too consumed in a book. And as us readers know, it’s almost always worth it!
Even where I work, books are fairly close at hand. It’s a university, so naturally.
My responsibilities cover five different sites. Many of the books you would come across are very specialist, and for academic purposes. Most of these are not something I would read, but some are very interesting.
Just before Christmas I came across a BBC pronunciation guide from about 1970. Doesn’t sound interesting, but the introduction gave quite an insight into the social attitudes of the time. Let’s just say the language and gender stereotypes used would rightly be considered unacceptable now.
But if there’s somewhere at the university where we have ‘proper’ (I mean non-academic) books, look no further than the home of the student union.
In the entrance hall there is a small bookshop which also sells useful stationery and souvenirs. Across the hall, there is the door that leads into the bar.
This area is a very chilled out. So far i have never paid much attention to the bar and what is served there. Instead I have only ever had eyes for the bookcase at the back of the room.
Thanks to this bookcase I have added several books to my reading list. It is a perfect distraction, so I always need to make sure I don’t spend too long skimming through, as after all I am at work!
The bookcase has a Take a Book, Leave a Book policy, so in order to actually take a book from there, I need to lose one from my collection. That’s a choice I still have to make…
So basically the story of this post is that I get distracted or diverted by books. A lot. Is it the same for you? If it is, I’d love to hear an example!
Stephen Reads Books 