Tsundoku

Browsing in a hardware store is high on my list of fun activities. Who knew there were so many gizmos and gadgets holding my world together!

Stepping across the threshold on a mission to find a particular widget highlights a frustrating challenge for folks like me who lack basic understandings of how mechanical contraptions work. It’s easier to find answers to “Whaddya call that thing that…?” if you can complete the question intelligibly.

When I can’t, I take my browsing to a new level so as to appear nonchalantly meandering when I’m really highly focused on finding a thingamajig that remotely resembles what I imagine I need without blatantly exposing my ignorance.

Searching for just the right word - outside the hardware universe - is also high on my list of fun stuff. It’s not unusual for me, an early reader turned word nerd, to excitedly discuss variations in meaning and usage that make one word fit better than another in a particular scenario. What an exciting treasure hunt!

As a bibliophile, I love extolling the special significance of this day - August 9. It is National Book Lovers Day! I have a ton of books all shelved in no apparent system. Some are neatly arranged, some are every whichaway among photos and collectibles, some are in cabinets or piled atop them, some are stacked waiting to claim the next empty shelf.

I don’t consider my trove of books a collection since I don’t add to my stacks like some folks collect salt-n-pepper shakers, classic cars or art. My acquisitions are made after hearing intriguing interviews or reading compelling reviews.

I’ve read most of the books around me, but occasionally I come across one I haven’t opened yet, though I can usually recall why I bought it and when. Our language did not have a word for a collection of unread books until 2007 when Nassim Nicholas Taleb coined antilibrary. I prefer the Japanese word for it - tsundoku.

Not everyone will see a need to celebrate Book Lovers Day, but I bet everyone knows a few who do. Ask them about their favorites!