Why I love Books

(how you can too)

September 25, 2006

Joel Akin

 Among the qualifications of a book reader is curiosity. A while back I went to a movie called Curious George. It was about a monkey who was curious about everything. He finds his way to the big city where he meets up with the tour guide for a museum. There’s a girl who likes the guy but he’s oblivious to anything but the facts. It takes George the monkey to bring the guy out of his little world.

Curious George was probably one of those movies that most of you skipped. Yet I loved it. Not just the music but the idea behind it. That one chance encounter can change our viewpoint on life and open our eyes to the possibilities.

Its hard to say where my love for books began. At a young age I was looking at books, reading the newspaper and beginning the path towards being a dreamer. I made a choice to look beyond earth towards the stars because I was curious. Being raised in a Christian home helped me to understand that there was a God out there somewhere who had created all things. I spent my youth with a nose in a book or my eyes pointed towards the heavens. I was curious about everything.

I plotted my course towards Journalism in college but it was a small liberal arts Christian college which at that time only had a minor in communications so I focussed on English. It was a tough draw for me. I loved books but I was one of those who sought out the excitement of the book and like some passages of scripture many of the older poets and writers were hard to understand. I was curious but not so much as some. I wanted to learn more and instead of deep subjects I delved into everything that came my way.

After getting my degree in English I worked in radio and worked in a Christian book store. I wrote articles for the local paper occasionally and other things on rare moments. My true book collection began when I found nearly 20 boxes of antique books at a garage sale for $300 and I got them for half price and I was off into the journeys of collecting. I worked for another books store and learned the art of selling books and then opened my own store which I operated for 3 years until a series of unfortunate decisions lead to the closure. During my years I collected the occasional book and had fun doing so. I read as often as I could but with an emphasis on Science Fiction or Spiritual or Geological.

In 1997 after a neck injury at work I ended my regular working days. My health declined due to various ailments related to brain disorders and yet I never gave my dream up of collecting and reading books.

A few years ago I found a really neat bookstore out of Ontario Canada. It was called Book Closeouts. They were the emporium of end stock books. Probably a quarter million books on various subjects. I joined up as an affiliate which earned you 5% in cash and a percentage in trade. Frankly I think its a great deal and they are wonderful in keeping their site updated. For me its a great way to collect books and for you its a great place to save. They have a great shipping plan to pretty much any country. The books are in good shape, unless you buy dented or torn. Discounts of 50% are normal and some are as high as 80%.

I love books. They are a source of joy for me. They also will provide you with titles of great interest especially in the area of home and garden. Try them out and help support me and help yourself at the same time. Visit them today and have fun.

yours truly

Joel Akin

Visit Today www.bookcloseouts.com