National Book Lovers Day is celebrated August 9 each year. What are you reading today?
I wandered into a bookstore recently where the characters did not look like me. Most of the pages were in languages I couldn’t read. Regardless of the foreign characters dancing beneath my fingertips, the familiar scent of crisp pages, the thunk of a novel hitting the back of a shelf—those were solid. I knew when I walked in that I wouldn’t “match” in this store, which is why I went in.
In a world with chaos swirling and sides rising against each other in the darkest of places, uncertainty clawing at every open door of our conscience, books—books are still safe. They are a welcoming world of words and characters that beckon us outside of ourselves and taunt us with imagination and discovery.
I pulled a familiar cover off of the shelf and “read” the entire book even though it was in a different language. I probably missed some words, but I knew it from memory—The Giving Tree. As tears pooled in my eyes, I felt connected through the pages of Shel Silverstein’s classic tale to an entire group of people who were altogether different than me, but read the same words, felt the same tug. And isn’t that what book lovers celebrate every day? Words.
With a little help from my friends, we’ve compiled some of our favorites for all types of word lovers out there. Celebrate Book Lovers Day by filling up your cart, maybe read something you normally wouldn’t, and better yet—pass along a rec to a stranger, and accept one in return.
For the Romantic
Is it too much to ask for a girl to get a little romance? We don’t think so.
For the Historian
Need a few facts with your fiction? Time travel with a side of mystery and fantasy coming up.
For the Mastermind
We recommend reading these chillers with the lights on. Or at least a flashlight nearby.
For the Realist
Life is stranger than fiction right now—and you need a little refreshing honesty. Crack open these brutally honest prose.
For the Classical Charmer
Whether you cheated and read the CliffsNotes in high school or it’s just been a while since Orwell confused you, there are some literary gems everyone should read at least once.
For the Fantasist
Forget this noise. We bet you’re ready to stamp your passport with a one-way ticket to another world. Much obliged.
For the Fad Reader
You look so hot right now—and so does your reading list. You’ll probably blaze right through these.
For the Beach Bagger
The kids need a break and so do you! Load up that beach bag with some of these page-turners.
For the Digital Diva
Maybe you’re not as obsessed with paper as some of us book lovers {*cough*}. Or maybe you got swept up in the green movement. Either way, here are some Kindle fires you’ll enjoy.
For the Eclectic Mind
Aren’t sure what you want to read next? Find yourselves simultaneously reading a few books at a time? We get it.
Happy Book Lovers Day and Happy Reading!
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