Books
I could sit in a bookstore or library for hours. Making my way up and down the aisles, browsing titles, finding books that catch my eye, flipping through various sections of a book to see if it's really as interesting as the spine or cover makes it out to be. I read books all the time, and I have absolutely no problem rereading a book. Sometimes I reread a book and don't realize it until I'm about halfway or 3/4 of the way through it. I suppose some authors would be offended by this, but I'm always amused by it. And I find it curious that I'm still interested in the same type of literature that caught my eye a few years ago. I mean, my taste in food and drink has changed over the years. But books I loved stay the same.
Malia was looking for Vegan Cookbooks Saturday, and I started going through the vegetarian section, yanking vegan books out, and adding them to the pile on the floor. That's how I shop for clothes. Go through the racks, add clothes to a pile. Why should book shopping be any different? You need to do a comparison of them. How can you do that if they're neatly placed on the shelf? If I go to the store or library for a particular book in mind, I make my way to the right section, pick it up, and scan the other books in the area to see what catches my eye. But if I go there just to get a book, I have no strategy. Sometimes I make my way from section to section, pulling down books that catch my eye and adding them to my pile. Sometimes I pull down one book, decide if I'm interested, and put it back if I'm not. I've been known to start reading a book in the store/library, and to get a decent amount of the way into it.
I think going to a bookstore/library would be a great date. At least, if you slightly know the person and know they wouldn't be offended if you stopped paying attention to them and started reading a book. Perhaps you'd have to go somewhere that served food so you could attempt to have a conversation over coffee and pastries. I'd have to remember that I was there to be with that particular guy, and not to find a new book. With my luck I'd forget I was there with someone, get about halfway through a book, go buy it, and walk into the parking lot before realizing I was with someone. Ah, that'd be funny and horrible.
Malia was looking for Vegan Cookbooks Saturday, and I started going through the vegetarian section, yanking vegan books out, and adding them to the pile on the floor. That's how I shop for clothes. Go through the racks, add clothes to a pile. Why should book shopping be any different? You need to do a comparison of them. How can you do that if they're neatly placed on the shelf? If I go to the store or library for a particular book in mind, I make my way to the right section, pick it up, and scan the other books in the area to see what catches my eye. But if I go there just to get a book, I have no strategy. Sometimes I make my way from section to section, pulling down books that catch my eye and adding them to my pile. Sometimes I pull down one book, decide if I'm interested, and put it back if I'm not. I've been known to start reading a book in the store/library, and to get a decent amount of the way into it.
I think going to a bookstore/library would be a great date. At least, if you slightly know the person and know they wouldn't be offended if you stopped paying attention to them and started reading a book. Perhaps you'd have to go somewhere that served food so you could attempt to have a conversation over coffee and pastries. I'd have to remember that I was there to be with that particular guy, and not to find a new book. With my luck I'd forget I was there with someone, get about halfway through a book, go buy it, and walk into the parking lot before realizing I was with someone. Ah, that'd be funny and horrible.