Hello Reader,

There are a few books in this world that I will always buy when I visit a book store. Three or four books that I actively hunt for among the shelves full of loved, sold, re-purchased, and re-loved books. And I usually don’t find them. In fact, I’ve probably only found these books a handful of times in my whole life, but this only makes it that much more satisfying when I do find them, hidden in a section I hadn’t thought to hunt in before, or in a shop I’d walked past a few dozen times. And when I find one of these books, it’s like greeting an old friend. Maybe even better.

There is one of these books sitting in my cubby at work, waiting to be picked up by its recipient. And another two taking up a little bit of counter space at my home until I find the right person to give them to. Two copies of the same book, same printing and everything, that I found for a price I couldn’t pass up on. They’re one of my favorites, too, and I can’t wait to find the right person for them.

Of course, while the books are with me, between the time I buy them and the time I give them away, I do wonder what it would be like to start my adventure over. I could slip into that well-appreciated world one more time, just on a whim and maybe only for a few pages. It’s awfully tempting, really, and sometimes I succumb.

There’s one that has become a “bus book”, as prescribed by its new owner. A mystery book about murder and a new job. It’s difficult to not ask how the book is getting on in its new home, and it gets only harder each time I see the person I gave it to. I have to make a conscious effort not to bother them about it, because I know that pestering someone about a book can completely taint the flavor of a book. I try very hard not to let my tongue slip too often. Again, I do sometimes succumb.

These are my gifts. I do not loan out books or sell them. Books are something that I value more if I can give them away and intend to never see them again. Sometimes, someone will insist they return a book once they’ve finished, and I tell them that if they are so intent upon giving it back, they should give it away to someone new when they’ve finished.

These books are just books that I appreciate, and find used and abandoned. Books that I give to people that I love, when it means the most or when I manage to find the exact right person for the exact right book. They’re just books, but when I see the look in their eyes when they receive a book I’ve chosen just for them, these books become so much more.

And with that, I wish you good night, reader. And welcome back.