Book Love is true love

I've always said that if the "big one" comes as everyone seems to think it will and Benicia shimmies and shakes, I'll probably be buried under a mountain of books. I'm not kidding. I have thousands of books, not only on my dozen bookshelves, but under my bed and in piles and boxes all over my townhouse. I'm a book hoarder. I admit that without shame- in fact, I have a great sense of pride that I have such good taste as to collect books. Books contain magic, and never has such magic been so accessible as it is right now to the general public. Libraries, e-books, reading devices; opportunities abound for those of us that are helpless bibliophiles, and also for those that wouldn't normally be big readers. Now, that being said, allow me to make clear how I feel about REAL books, the ones that are comprised of pages, a spine, and a cover. I not only prefer a physical book, but trying to read on my device drove me nearly to madness. After scanning the "pages" of my downloaded book, playing with the font and text size, and attempting to read the screen with the glare of the sun on its surface to contend with, I went running back to my first love faster than you can download an e-book. Let me share some of my book-obsessed history with you, dear reader. I have worked at Bookshop Benicia for more than 8 years, and if you come by the store Monday through Thursday before 4ish, my face will most likely be the one you see behind the counter. I love my job. That's an understatement. I LOVE MY JOB! To be surrounded by the items I love more than any other inanimate object is a dream come true for me. I have always been a big reader, and to have the ability to recommend my favorite books to people and have them listen to me? Are you kidding? Best. Thing. Ever. The purpose of this rant is not to tell you everything about me. My purpose is to share with you everything you're missing if you're not reading. My purpose is to tell you that if you come down to the bookstore, I will do everything within my power to send you home with a book that will speak to you, stir your soul, and maybe help you escape from your life for a little while. Today I'll highlight one that I recently read in less than 24 hours. The title is "The Year of Wonders", by Geraldine Brooks. This is my first time reading one of her books (it came highly recommended to me by a coworker), and it made me hungry to read more of her work. It is one of the most compelling, fascinating works of historical fiction that I've read thus far. Brooks works literary magic to transport the reader to a small, isolated town in England it the year of 1666, the plague year. Sound too grim to you? Believe me, this is a book so well written and stirring, it's worth setting aside your misgivings for. Brooks draws from real historical figures and events to bring you a story that jumps off the page at you, inspiring you to abandon your need for sleep or to get the laundry done. From the first word to the last, I was enchanted, horrified, enlightened. It would be a great pick for book groups- the author provides so much fodder for discussion. I'm not going to tell you any more about this 336 page masterpiece, but you are welcome to come down to Bookshop Benicia and find out for yourself. After you read it, I'd love to hear your take on it. I'm all about reciprocal recommendations. Now, onward and bookward, fellow (or soon to be) bibliophiles!