bookstores Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

A Peculiar Attitude Toward Books

I’ve only got a few minutes to jot down some thoughts. I was drawing a total blank as to what to write about this evening, because most of my day was spent in a session.

I started flicking through recent photos I’ve taken with my iPhone hoping to snag some inspiration from them.

Lo and behold, I came upon the photo of the notice we discovered in one of the other bookstores in Asheville (not linked in yesterday’s post).

I took the photo because the attitude just felt astonishingly unwelcoming and, well, snooty.

This was photo was taken in a bookstore. This bookstore featured an abundance of chairs and tables, even tables with empty champagne flutes (which I assume get filled on occasion, although we certainly didn’t wait to find out if and when). On many levels, this purveyor of pages seemed to be the quintessentially chill, abundantly decadent version of a Barnes & Noble or long-demised Borders.

And then we saw the sign photographed above. All over the place. I honestly wonder if the vibe of this place could have been less reader-friendly.

I’m guessing that, in spite of their signs, this establishment is not primarily in the business of selling books. Or maybe I just misunderstand their target audience.

Perhaps they serve people who traffic in rare, out of print, or one-of-a-kind tomes that never get read and prefer champagne to a rich cup of coffee and a book with which they can curl up and get lost in another world for a while…

I know when I’ve found where I’m wanted and welcomed. It wasn’t this place.

(T-926)

Just some of the evidence – Photo: L. Weikel

Bookstores

You know, if Karl and I only had $100 left to our names, we’d probably spend half of it on books. OK, maybe $75 on food and $25 on books. But still…

Notice that doesn’t include anything else. All we need is food for our bodies and food for our souls.

When my dear friend Luz (one of the owners and caretakers of Amadell) told me she wanted to show us some bookstores in Asheville, I tried to feign indifference, or at the most, mild enthusiasm. That’s because I was latching on to my denial.

The Last Thing I Need is More Books

I don’t know about you, but I occasionally find myself embracing an attitude within myself that eschews visiting bookstores, especially when I’m writing (or when the desire to create something bigger and longer lasting than a journal entry starts brewing). It’s a skittish place that rings of the self-talk, “I’ve got six books backed up on my inner tarmac, waiting for clearance, while I’m fully immersed in the act of cruising with my current indulgence. And that’s not even counting the thing that’s starting to taxi on its own from within.”

Yeah, OK. I’m mixing metaphors and making a freaking mess of this post.

But really. Who the hell was I kidding?

I’m going to blame Luz for the carnage that happened next. Not only did we go to a wonderful place called Malaprop’s, where I dutifully snagged a couple delicious finds, but we also went to Mr. K’s, a place I thought for sure I wouldn’t buy anything, because, let’s face it, as this post, this one, and this one would prove, I could probably provide them with half their inventory from my own home.

Darn it if I didn’t walk out of there with something like seven used books. Gah!

I Blame Luz

So yes. We saw all sorts of great places in downtown Asheville today. Eclectic shops, rock, gem and mineral stores, funky antique stores, and a plethora of places where we could indulge all our senses, gastronomic and otherwise. But where did we drop down and settle in?

The bookstores.

And if there’s one sure sign of an amazing place to be, whether on vacation, on retreat, or to settle in full time – it’s the quality of the bookstores. I can attest, Asheville passes with flying colors in that regard.

Being cradled by the Appalachian mountains doesn’t hurt either.

Hmm. Yeah… I’m starting to sense a plot. I think Luz knew exactly what she was doing.

(T-927)