Paperback Writer

I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours in Waterstones bookshop yesterday (other bookshops are available though they are few and far between these days).

I love buying books. I get the same buzz as I do when buying CD's. Walking into Waterstones and seeing shelf upon shelf of fresh spines waiting to be creased fills me with pleasure.

I love browsing. I like to just stand back and glance at the books on the table top displays, allowing my eyes to be drawn to the font of the title or the picture on the cover. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but sometimes that's just what I do. I have many literary gems in my collection that were picked up purely because the front cover caught my eye and held it.

The title is equally important. Long winded titles or anything with pretentious tendencies is generally ignored. I like the titles to tell me something, or have a meaning (even if that meaning is somewhat different from what the author intended). Using song titles is a very good way to entice me into actually picking up a book and reading the blurb.

Ah yes, the blurb. This is essential. If a book can't even hold my attention for the duration of the blurb it's going to struggle to convince me to start on chapter 1. And yet some books have truly awful blurbs that don't in any way do justice to the contents.

But let's return to the shelves full of books. I wandered around, looking at covers, reading blurbs, opening pages, reading the first sentences, reading comments from critics and finally loaded up the desk with my purchases.

And very happy I am too. There is mix of historical, favourite authors, pot luck and whimsical choices. I go to France next week and the only problem will be selecting which ones will definitely be included in the packing. I can't wait, a week in the beautiful French countryside, with good company, fine food and wine and some cracking books. It's what summer is all about!

Go on, lose yourself in a book, you know it makes sense.