Thursday, June 12, 2014

Book Lovers Make Fast Friends

photo credit: aurelio.asiain via photopin cc

I was browsing in a bookstore today, when the lady next to me struck up a conversation. "I'm from out of town," she says, "and I can't get my favorite books in the small town where I live."  She was here stocking up on titles to haul home to somewhere back east.

I looked at the books already in her hand and asked if she'd ever read any of Josi Kilpack's culinary mystery series.  She said no, and I led her over to Lemon Tart.  We chatted about her love for Mary Higgins Clark and the lady down the row came over.  "I like mysteries, too!"  So, of course I had to tell them about Stephanie Black and her amazing mysteries.  We chatted about romantic suspense, historical romance, straight action books, our favorite authors, and what books we considered a must-read this summer.

It was SO. FUN.

As I stood there chatting with Iris and Jan it felt like I'd been friends with these ladies forever, even though we'd barely met.  We laughed as we went from shelf to shelf, pulling out books, deciding which ones would be leaving with us today, and which ones would have to wait to fit in the book budget for next month.  We talked about Kindles, and husbands, and living far away from family.

And when I waved goodbye to them today, I thought to myself how awesome it is that just because I'm a book-lover, I made two new friends today.

Books connect people. They just do.  And that fact makes me happy.

2 comments:

Jon Spell said...

I feel like this isn't the first time you've had such an experience. Didn't you have something similar at some kind of swim class?

I tend to read in private and thus deprive people a chance to strike up a conversation with me about what I'm reading. And then I go looking online when I'm done to see what other people are saying about it. Gone Girl anyone?

But I'm not complaining. I've met some fabulous people involved in writing. ;)

Debra Erfert said...

Did you happen to tell those ladies that you were a novelist too? I bet you didn't. I, too, love books stores.