Over the years when I am stressed, did I turn to retail therapy for relief?
Yes.
But not to buy shoes, pocketbooks, or yet another black knit top.
Nope.
I headed for the nearest neighborhood bookstore to buy hardback books – mainly novels – in order to escape reality and lose myself in a mind-gripping story line.
I bought a lot of books – especially after my fifth son was born and I had five boys to raise and care for. I needed an escape route.
Now? It’s still not a pair of earrings or yet another pair of yoga pants that lowers my blood pressure. It’s book buying. I just flip open my Mac Book Air and type in those six magic letters: AMAZON. And, away we go! My book of choice appears on my doorstep within days – sometimes even just hours. Or, since I am unencumbered with little ones, I often choose to simply jump into the car and head for the local bookstore to browse, buy and sniff in that delicious aroma of brand new books.
If you walk into my house for the first time, you will instantly know I am a book lover.
Books in the living room
Books in the family room
Books on the floor of the hall leading to the family room
Books precariously stacked up on my old fashioned scale in my bedroom
Books
Books
Books
They’re everywhere
The other day it dawned on me that though my books are eye candy to me, a perpetual worshipper of the physical book, what purpose are they serving lined up on my shelves? I’ll never re-read them again.
I began looking for a home for my approximate 1000 hard cover novels – which can be classified as women’s fiction. (Chick lit is a demeaning and misleading term, usually reserved for lighter or more humorous narratives. Women’s fiction focuses on women’s experiences, relationships and personal growth.)
I know access to women’s fiction books can provide many benefits:
Provide an emotional escapefrom current stressful situations
Promote empathy and compassion
Serve as role models that inspire hope and self-reflection
Foster connection with others
Improve literacy
Help the reader see the world from another perspective.
So I have decided:
It’s time to find a new home for my novels.Not just any home, but a home that provides hope, solace and comfort to all who dwell there.
I am looking for a facility that supports the emotional and psychological well-being of women during difficult and challenging times in their lives.
A women’s prison
A battered women’s shelter or
A home for homeless teenage girls
If you know of any particular place that would be willing to take my collection, please let me know. I would be happy to bear the expense of transport and the building of shelves to house my volumes.
What do I want in a return? A sign posted nearby that reads as follows:
Engaging with literature
improves critical thinking skills,
enhances personal development and
offers a mental and emotional reprieve during difficult times.
Help yourself to a book
and Keep Preserving Your Bloom,
Iris Ruth Pastor
