Bookstore Magic

When I was child one of my favorite places to explore used to be the bookstore. Dancing from one story to another, I buried my mind in colorful lands and dark mysteries. I loved the old smell that would wrap around my shoulders like the softest coat. Something about the slightly dusty shelves had a sense of magic to them that radiated curiosity. I loved the fact that you could never fully predict what the ending behind the fantastical covers would look like.

Over the years, this love for books and bookstores has become solidified. I still find myself curling up in the corner of bookshops with stacks of literature by my side, exploring other people's minds through the words they put on paper for my eyes to devour. I often lose myself spending hours soaking up their words and wisdom.

To me, knowledge is the most powerful tool you could arm yourself with. Many of my peers however, are gathering all their knowledge from the same 5 websites. They let Facebook show them the latest news of what's happening in the world. And while that is a gift in some ways, it is also a curse in others. I see young girls all buying the same 3-4 poetry books over and over again because they are trendy. Where has the curiosity gone for the classics, the new contemporary, the fictional, and even the scientific papers? If there is something you feel strongly about or are truly interested in, then why not find the academic essays and studies that experts have spents months researching and writing? Arm yourself with facts & the desire to find out true information instead of just reading through an endless row of online opinions. 

Let's not forget fiction and fairytales either as they too are important to us as humans. They teach us lessons and show parallels to the human condition that are just as valuable as that new self-help book that screams in bright colors and bold text from the store window's front shelf. Even Albert Einstein once said that if you want smart kids, have them read fairytales - if you wanted smarter kids even more fairytales. As for the adults, there are some amazing stories hidden in all those original non-Disney fairytales if you only give them a chance.

Give your brain a treat and let it expand in ways you forgot it could. Because with reading there is always more to learn.  

Photographer: Shelby Eckerty @shelbyeckerty

Model: Megan McHugh @modelmeganmchugh

Location: Recycled Books and West Oak Coffee, Denver, TX @westoakcoffee