Friday Find: Companion Book

I feel like one of those people on a game show who has to describe their idea of the perfect date. Except what my perfect Thursday afternoon lacks in long walks on the beach and meaningful-turned-uncomfortable (because where does one draw the line, exactly?) eye contact, it more than makes up for in sunshine, used books and overweight cats. Sound like your kind of day? It's mean to be.

I spent my afternoon exploring Companion Book, a cozy little used bookstore tucked away on Hastings in Burnaby. It's been so long since I've been in a bookstore, I embarrassed everyone by taking a good long whiff of every book I picked up. Oh yeah, that smells like literature. That's the stuff.

I don't know whether it's just because my brain is torturing me or because my university classes are just so gosh darn inspiring (or a delightfully painful combination of the two - yeah, that sounds about right) but my sudden lack of free time has made me want to read more than ever. I picked up three new books and I can't wait till winter break to finally be able to read them.

1. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
2. The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) by Lemony Snicket
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I've been wanting to read Burroughs for a long time, my first year English class made me fall in love with Dickens's quiet humor and astounding eloquence, and what the heck, it's nearly Halloween, might as well throw in something a little sinister. Companion Book reminds me about why I love bookstores. Everywhere I looked there were books that I couldn't wait to read - familiar titles, brand new authors, books so well-loved that the spines were lined and the pages bent from generations of dog-earring a passage that made you remember that you are not alone. The staff are friendly, the prices are reasonable, the shelves are packed and THERE WAS A CAT.

He's rather large and aloof and goes by Buddha. 

Companion Book was a lovely place to spend my Thursday afternoon--it's friendly and peaceful and I could easily spend many happy hours reading (though the one downside of being so packed with books is not having any comfy seats). If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit.