I Can Go Anywhere...

Reading Rainbow taught me that “I can go anywhere” as long as I open up a book. So for many years I did just that. Escaping into lands that I’d never known until I could finally explore outside of my four walls. Now, when I get the chance, I hop on a plane and explore cities I’ve never been to. But I always remember that I can escape to that city again if I just open up the right book. For years I have chosen to visit one bookshop in every city I visit and purchase a book while I am there. 

I focus on purchasing a book that is set in that city or reminds me of that city. One of my greatest purchases was my first out of the US book. It was Lead On Snoopy by Charles M Schulz. Of course this is personal to me, but the idea of seeing so many Snoopy mementos in Japan encouraged me to buy a Charles M Shulz collection of comic strips. It didn’t matter that the book could probably be found back home in SoCal where we have a literal theme park dedicated to Snoopy. I just cared that it reminded me of my time in Japan. Early on I defined some special circumstances that would fit into my definition of keeping books even if I don’t read them and I think these feelings of escaping to beautiful memories is completely worth having souvenirs as part of my criteria.

 Another reason to keep this criteria in my goal is that I get to contribute to the literary community anywhere I step foot in. Purchasing a book as a souvenir is an easy way to support local bookstores. Plus it’s easy to estimate how much luggage space I’ll need to save for the return flight.