READING

Get Comfortable and Feast on an Interesting Book

Take time to visit a mom-and-pop book store. Screw Amazon

I’ve always loved reading. I can tear through a 400-500-page book in a day. While visiting my daughters in Kansas when they were still young, my ex-wife gave me a book as a going-away gift. It was “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” by J.K. Rowling.

I think I watched the first movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” long before I started reading the series. When I finally read the first book, I knew I had to read the entire series. And I did.

I started reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” around 6 a.m. before flying out of Wichita National Airport. There were two layovers; Chicago, for about an hour, and Memphis, for six hours. I used to love flying cheap and dealing with layovers.

I never put the book down. I finished reading it just as the plane was putting its wheels down to land at Logan Airport in Boston.

I don’t own a vast array of books. But I do own a first edition of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code,” complete with dust cover. Oddly enough, I bought it at a library book sale. It’s not worth a fortune. But it was certainly unexpected.

I like the library in our little community. There’s so much to do and numerous opportunities to learn as much as possible. But they are not comfortable. The second floor of our library provides a lot of reading space — on hard, straight-back chairs.

Years ago, while in a long-distance relationship (don’t ask), I discovered Borders, a chain bookstore similar to Barnes and Noble. The chairs were overstuffed and welcoming. People would grab a book off the shelf, kick off their shoes, and chill. Allowing customers to read the same books they’re trying to sell probably wasn’t beneficial to the company’s bottom line. OK, it wasn’t. The chain closed in 2011.

Barnes and Noble is somewhat similar to Borders. The chain offers coffee, food, magazines, and books. While I like the atmosphere, the tables are small, and the chairs are hard. There are a few benches and chairs placed throughout the store, but they’re less than inviting. Maybe that’s why Barnes and Noble is still in business.

We almost had a locally-owned bookstore open. The plan was to sell books, vinyl records, and other sundry items — until it never opened.

Yelp listed the top 10 bookstores in my area. But clicking the link showed results for seven local bookstores, but none where I live.

Back to Harry Potter. Years ago, I covered Uxbridge, Mass. as a reporter. There was a small bookstore in town that was always busy. The coffee was hot, and the proprietor was genial and willing to find any book a customer might like.

I can’t recall which Potter book was on sale, but the store owner held a midnight opening for its debut. The joint was packed — at freaking midnight! Parents dutifully brought their children dressed as Harry, Hermione, and even Hagrid. It was a fantastic sight to see.

I wonder who will be the next writer to delight children with a beautifully composed web of words, enticing them to read and then read some more. Maybe such a writer will result from a local bookstore encouraging children to read with books of magic and midnight openings.

That effort alone will be a bestseller.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for stopping by.

I accept tips, which go directly to Dining for Hunger, a recognized 501(c)(3) organization that looks to end food insecurity. If you can spare a dollar or two, I’d be grateful.

More stories from Bruce Coulter.