Called by Books, Meeting People

There is a feeling of being "called by a book."

A book in a bookstore that, for some reason, catches your eye.
Words that seem to have been exactly what you needed at that moment.
A book you didn't intend to pick up, but before you knew it, you were taking it home.

I have experienced such encounters many times before.

Looking back on the encounters since this spring,
the phrase "called by books, meeting people" truly comes to mind.

I discovered a shared bookshelf, became a shelf owner,
placed books there, left a notebook,
and then, at a social gathering, an opportunity arose to talk with people who love books just as much as I do.

At today's gathering, even though I was meeting everyone for the first time,
the conversation flowed naturally just because we shared the same favorite books and series.

There were people of the same generation,
and I was able to get excited talking about the same series with young students,
and there were even encounters that made me think we might have actually crossed paths somewhere before.

Even though our ages, positions, and the places we usually spend our time are different,
I realized that when we share the same "likes," words come out so easily.

At first, I felt like I had been called by a book.

But beyond being called by that book,
there was a bookshelf, a place, and people.

Connecting through books.
That might have been exactly what I wanted to do with Connect BOOKS.

Called by books, meeting people.

I want to continue to cherish the encounters that began this spring.

#Reading
#ConnectingThroughBooks
#ILoveBooks
#LifeWithBooks
#Essay
#SharedBookshelf
#TheHeartTravelsThroughBooks
#ConnectBOOKS