By Tabitha Bozeman
August is full of fun, weird and tasty national days.
Some of the ones that caught my attention include National Rice Pudding Day (Aug. 9), National Lazy Day (Aug. 10), National Vinyl Album Day (Aug. 12), National Middle Child Day (Aug. 12), Find Your Inner Nerd Day (Aug. 23), National Dog Day (Aug. 26), and National Power Rangers Day (Aug. 28), just to name a few.
My favorite day is August 9, partly because it is my husband’s birthday (Happy birthday, honey!), and partly because it is also National Book Lovers Day!
I do not remember life before reading. Stories and characters and the books themselves have always had a special place in my heart. They have entertained me, comforted me, taught me valuable lessons and helped me understand people and ideas I might never have encountered otherwise. I am incredibly grateful for the ways books have enriched my life.
As a kid, I read a lot of classics, as well as whatever looked interesting on the shelves of the Gadsden Public Library. As a student, I read many books (or, at least, large chunks of books) I would not have read if they had not been assigned. Some of those books I will probably never read again (Looking at You, Portrait of an Artist and Weiland), but I am grateful that I did read them.
One of my favorite quotes about writing says something like “most of us don’t really want to write; we want to have written.” I think the same can be said for many readers. It is easy to like the idea of being well-read, but the act of reading requires time and attention that are, quite honestly, difficult to commit to at times. There have been many periods in my life during which I was busy surviving or working or doing homework or chasing babies and elusive sleep. Reading was a luxury. These days, I have a little more time for reading, but I have to remind myself to put my phone down, turn off the TV and pick up a book.
Sometimes scheduling has nothing to do with it; my attention is too fractured for a lengthy dive into a story. Other times, I’m busy reading everything besides what I’d like to read. When I find myself in these situations, I reach for flash fiction, short stories or poetry. These pack a big punch while requiring very little time.
I don’t just love books for what is inside them. I also love the different materials used to cover hardbacks, the feel of various paperbacks, and how different decades have leaned into different textiles, colors, paper types and cover art. I love the colors and shapes and patterns on the books themselves. I love walking into a bookstore filled with antique hardbacks and brand-new paperbacks. I love hearing people share book suggestions with strangers or ask questions about an author.
I love how creative minds have used books to create other works of art through page-folding, embroidering covers and painting page edges. I love that there are so many people out there who love books that technology has been created to make the contents of books more accessible, and that these advancements have introduced more people to books, stories, poems and writers they might not have otherwise encountered. I love that there is such a thing as “BookTok” and online writing contests; that there are entire websites devoted to selling book-inpired perfumes and scarves and socks; and that I can find teas inspired by some of my favorite books. I love that there are more books than I could possibly ever read.
I remember when e-books were first released. There was panic and wringing of hands because it could be the end of books as we know them. But that hasn’t happened. As a friend pointed out the other day, newspapers, books and newsletters have existed since ancient times and show no signs of disappearing. First animal skins, then vellum and then paper. Now we have added digital pages, as well. But people still want to hold a book, flip the pages, and, as one popular online meme says, “stare at pieces of a tree while vividly hallucinating.”
We want to experience stories and talk about them. We want to find out what other experiences and ideas are out there in a low-stakes way. We want to know our human experience is valid and that we are not alone. Books provide the perfect, portable way to accomplish this, and I am so glad to live in a world that has them – all of them.
Happy National Book Lovers Day!
Tabitha Bozeman teaches English at Gadsden State Community College and is the editor-in-chief of the Cardinal Arts Journal. The opinions expressed are her own. She may be reached at tabithabozeman@gmail.com.