One of my personal goals this year is to make time to read more. I love to read and have a queue of books sitting on a makeshift bookshelf in my apartment. Weathered crates that once held grapes now house dozens of undiscovered adventures. I’ve been so busy with business related “to-do’s” that I’ve hardly made a dent.

Over the summer, I visited a bookstore in Park Slope, although it looked like a scholarly hoarder’s attic filled with dusty, prized literature. Immediately upon entering, I came across literary towers topped with empty packs of cigarettes and forgotten coffee cups. I was fascinated. This place smelled like old books. The further I walked into the store, the quieter it became until eventually the silence was deafening. The books swallowed up the smallest flicker of sound and I found myself getting lost in my own thoughts.

I left the store with a copy of Galleria Comunale di Prato. It’s written in Italian, which will undoubtedly encourage me to reach another goal of mine. With any luck, I’ll make it through this “to read” pile before wedding season begins. Here’s to reading books (and not becoming a hoarder)!