Book Day

Among the many "International Day of Something" (because it's like everyday is the International Day of Something, like "Today is the International Day of BLT Sandwiches"), and sometime this week (probably yesterday) was the Book Day. I was informed of this day through copious e-mails from some of the bookstores I belong to (as others rather want to flood me with Mom&Motherhood&Mother's Day books. Will they ever learn!), as well as some sort of flyers distributed at the office by some department that calls itself "Direction" and allegedly has to do with "Communication", with some "activities" that were so anemic, you couldn't really noticed as they literally (literally-book day, hehehehe! ^_^) developed before you. They had these activities like... um... I've no idea, but they were held at different locations, and then there was a "book fair" at the work diner of the building I work at. Dude, they held like 20-30 books, which held a compilation of commercial encyclopedias (I call "commercial encyclopedias" those books that are filled with pictures and advertisement, but the information on each topic is dry and very basic and even wrong) and self-help books. So, a little pile of crap.

A more substantial fair was the one of my favorite bookstore, where they gave discounts on all books, based on the amount you spent on books. This bookstore is like a chain, so you can visit several stores, and though they have the same prices, and often the same titles, some are bigger, some are smaller, and some hold more books in foreing language, which is my little warm, comfy pool, as I get to revel in books in French ^_^. I wanted to go looting to the biggest store, but due to other errands my lovely boyfriend and I had to run, I ended up at a smaller shop, but nonetheless productive spring. With a tequila shot to start the shopping spree, and a calm environment, I roamed the shelves and picked up a hefty armful of books. I looooooooove these promos! ^_^ I love them particularly because otherwise this particular batch of goodies would have costed me and eye and an ear.

Book Day, like other "International Days of Something" seems to be a day created mainly to sell something (books in this case) rather than celebrating something. Books are indeed a thing to celebrate, but celebrate only as mean, a tool to access to the contents poured in them. Book reading isn't simply about reading books, but it's about reading what was put in the book. It's not the mean, it's the content. Not like many mind that, as all they want is to sell books or pretend they are so intellectual because they have books and they read books. It's not the same to read Books for Dummies, as to read philosophy, serious literature and other serious topics. On this line, the other day I was zapping and found by chance that reality show of Kimora Lee - who seems to love being called KLS - and there she was, being Kimora, and behind her there was a bookshelve FULL of Books for Dummies! Hahahaha! It certainly put things in proportion. (I do have one to those books for dummies, but I don't have loads of it, and display them as part of my famelic library, so... top model, right? Figures. Hihihi!)

Anyway, back to books and their content and so on, it is interesting the way books are related to in these days. Though there are a lot of people who like to read, really like to read and will do it anywhere they can (like when I lock myself in the bathroom, or sit aside at lunch, or escape to a park to read and not be disturbed by other people), but then a lot of people just don't read, not because they can't read, but because they don't read and consider reading a tedious chore rather than a hobby. There's also people who buy books but only buy them, but don't read them, and display them, treating them as decoration or an accesory to pretend to be something they are not. There's also people who "read anything that fall in their hands". Undiscriminative readers, so to say. As I've voiced it before, I don't think particularly highly of them, as I believe someone with no discriminative system or taste in reading is like people with no personality. It's not absolute tolerance or absolute acceptance or open to learn everything, as though this might be right the first time, as you read more and more you should be forming, shaping your tastes and interests and so start casting out the titles that do not suit you and prefering those that do. The titles you pick make a picture of you, your soul, your heart, your believes. They can go all over the place, with some kiddy books of bedtime tales and teenie novels, some fact books about the planet, sci-fi, and then several books of Idealist Philosophy and some on accounting.

I wrote last time about people having several sides or faces, and the books you pick tell you about those faces, so it's okay to have an eclectic library, but not a personality-less, shapeless, hoard-in-everything, or bestsellers-only-no-matter-what-they-are. It's not just the book, it's the content. ^_^

If, by the way, you do know when is really the Book Day, please drop me an e-mail or something.