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Heeding the call of the book siren

I lost. It’s been a while since I’ve lost against the urge, oh that evil temptation – to buy a book.

I lost.

It’s been a while since I’ve lost against the urge, oh that evil temptation.

It began with walking past it several times; but it’s hard not to notice, just sitting on that shelf, innocently, begging for attention.

After a while, you just stand in front of it, staring longingly.

Then the cashiers start to notice the eye flicking glances and raise their eyebrows in amusement.

One day, fingers twitching, you reach out, but you know, deep down, you shouldn’t – it’s bad for you and your thin wallet.

“Bad!” your brain cries. But you do it anyway.

Your arm stretches out, grasps the evil, evil villain softly and you break.

Yes, I bought a book yesterday, and I really shouldn’t have.

Part of me yells in triumph, the other chides cruelly at how there is a perfectly good library not two feet away and you should buy actual food for the stomach instead of the brain.

I have a love affair with books.

You may not think loving books as much as I do is bad, after all, books are educational tools that should be embraced by youth – get off those computers.

But books to me have a crippling effect that will keep me locked up in solitary isolation for days on end.

OK, plus my wallet does take quite the hit.

Where some girls would prefer hitting the malls and shopping till they drop, the moment I see a bookstore I’m a goner.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge supporter of the public library and borrowing books.

After all, that’s how I first got hooked on the written word and that’s how every child expands their brilliant imagination.

But when I find myself picking up the same book time after time, the next natural progression for me is to simply buy the book and add it to my towering collection.

Books are a technology in itself and the smell of a freshly bound book is simply riveting.

I believe there is a book for everyone and while it may take some time to find, there’s a book with your name written on it.

For me, it’s just more than one, three…30 books.

– Cassandra Chin is a reporter at the Grand Forks Gazette