Here are some silly things I would like to say about books:
Books are my friends. They make me laugh, cry, think, wonder, question, learn. Sometimes, they make me do all of these things and more; books like Small Island, and I Capture the Castle.
Books help me make friends. When you read a book, you share an experience with hundreds of other people who have read the same book. But the beauty of a book is that, while sharing the experience, you still have your own, completely personal experience of the book at the same time. Like looking through your own lens, you see things that no-one has seen, or find something laugh-out-loud funny which no-one else even notices. And then you can talk about it, or disagree about it, or laugh about it, or argue about it, or discuss it, with other readers.
Books smell great. There is nothing like the smell of a new book, or the smell of an old book. We have two huge bookshelves in our Dining Room, and they perfume the whole room with that papery, musty smell that, to me, means comfort, relaxation, happiness. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to bottle it.
Books are the cornerstone of a civilised society. I don't think there's much that can't be learnt from extensive reading (Mr Darcy would agree). There's a lot of terrible books out there, but I believe if a new civilisation set itself up somewhere, it could be well shaped and well informed by having a stack of decent books to consult, learn from, imitate, aspire to (books such as Emma, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Bible, The Kite Runner, and Anne of Green Gables).
To spend an evening reading is bliss. I need to make time for this more often.
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