a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies
bookstores are so regulating to my nervous system
a few weeks ago…i went on a solo date to the last bookstore.
it’s this massive, eclectic bookstore housed in a former bank building in downtown la. it is one of the oldest bookstores in california, and not only is it a cool place to just shop for books (as one does at a bookstore) but also just such a cinematic place to walk through.
the first floor looks like your standard, regular-degular bookstore with bookshelves covered in books…nothing too crazy. but then you go upstairs… and there’s a whole labyrinth of books…like this extensive maze looking ass shit. it’s hard to describe in words…so for you to pick up what i’m putting down here are some pics…as well as this little video i made for the nudge app (a lifestyle + travel app where i post curated recs and low-effort itineraries for things to do in los angeles).
how neat is this place?
you can’t tell me that this isn’t crazy as fuck. it’s on some harry potter shit. there are also a lot of really cool shops that are on that second floor, and a super cute cafe.
this place is literally every single bookworm's dream.
i walked through here for about an hour and a half just skimming through all of these different books with my cute little tote bag and my flowy maxi skirt and my airpod maxes in tapping into my inner manic pixie dream girl (i mean what else do you expect from me walking around a library on my own in a cute ass outfit?).
while i was there, i couldn't help but feel overwhelmed thinking about the amount of different perspectives, stories and worldviews, all housed in one place. this bookstore has at least 30k books minimum all written by so many different people from so many different walks of life.
i don't discriminate when it comes to reading books. however, i am an autobiography / memoir kind of girl. i love reading books about other people's lives. i am very interested in taking a peek inside somebody else's psyche and learning about the different experiences that have made them them…especially considering that the authors of these books are usually people on the older side with a shit ton of wisdom from living a fulfilling enough life that can be fleshed out in 500+ pages.
it's a shame that bookstores are becoming less and less frequent of a thing as it's so easy to just get an audiobook or buy something off your phone. and as technology advances there's going to be less of a reason for bookstores to even be a thing. and don’t get me wrong…i love consuming writing content digitally. i mean, i love a good substack essay. i like to read articles on my phone.
but the thing that makes me the saddest about the rapid digital advancement of literally…everything is the fact that it is (arguably) impossible to fully connect with the author’s story and perspective digitally. there is something about holding a physical piece of media: whether it be a book, a magazine, even an old zine…that makes you feel closer to whoever made it. like, someone touched this…printed it…edited it…obsessed over the margins and fonts and spacing…the care that comes with the presentation of physical media is an art form itself and an extension of the author’s perspective.
this doesn’t just go for autobiographies or memoirs. this goes for any kind of print media as a whole, whether it be a textbook or a photo book or a young adult novel…you’re not getting the full experience reading a book on your phone.
now if you’re reading this and are like “ryan… you do realize you can just buy books online?”
yes…i know…you don’t have to physically go to a bookstore to get a book.
but there’s something about the experience of going to a bookstore! walking through the aisles! skimming through books and finding some shit that sparks your interest… and (maybe) coming across something you never would’ve thought about getting if you hadn’t aimlessly wandered around. it’s so much more exciting than looking up book recs on google.
i feel like i sound like a fucking grandma saying all this shit, “back in my day, all we had were real books! kindles were just making their breakthrough!” and as much as i hate sounding like a god damn boomer…it’s true! and as more bookstores drop off the face of the earth, we are being robbed of the full experience of holding someone else’s thoughts in our hands.
because no matter how fast the algorithm gets, it’ll never beat the feeling of flipping a page and finding yourself in someone else’s sentence.
*the title is a quote by george r.r. martin*
if you enjoyed this piece…here are some others i’d recommend:
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thx, enjoyable read. It is a strange feeling reading a book or post, and then getting that feeling that you are in someone else's head, just reading or listening to their thoughts. It's a little encouraging when I notice similarities in their way of thinking :) I don't feel like such an outcast when that happens.
That's a great bookstore. Also try "Stories" in Echo Park.