Slipping drowsily under the surface of a page...

I came across this wonderful quote in the pages of a marketing newsletter (seriously) this morning, and it's been on my mind the whole day. I am a terrible night-time reader, in that no matter how late it is, how tired I am, I've got to turn a few pages (even if all I can manage is an emergency Woodhouse, or in extremis, Calvin & Hobbes).

Anyway, here's the quote, the legendary poet Billy Collins and what he has to say on the matter:

"Is there a more gentle way to go into the night than to follow an endless rope of sentences and then to slip drowsily under the surface of a page into the first tentative flicker of a dream? All late readers know this sinking feeling of falling into the liquid of sleep and then rising again to the call of a voice that you are holding in your hands, as if pulled from the sea back into a boat...

Is there is a better method of departure by night than this quiet bon voyage with an open book, the sole companion who has come to see you off, to wave you into the dark waters beyond language?"
 - Billy Collins, from Reading Myself to Sleep

Apparently (and this is anecdotally from talking to users) you don't get the same effect from an eReader - something to do with using a different part of the brain. Which is fascinating (and reassuring) I think...

Billy Collins is a wonderful poet, warm, wise and witty, and I noticed today we had nothing of his in stock (which I will remedy tomorrow). If you are new to him, I recommend "Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes".

Night night everyone...

Make time for books

We know what it's like.

An ever-rising tide of information threatening to overwhelm you. Electronic buzz and chatter, tweets, posts, TXTs, calls, emails and a deluge of marketing messages everywhere you look. There is hardly time to think.

What we say is: shut out the noise and create some space. Turn off the gadgets, turn down the chatter and drop off the grid for an hour or so.

Make time for books.

You'll be amazed at the result. When you make time for books - real books - you create space to think, to process information and ideas, and there is good evidence that your body and mind respond to this to. It's the best relaxation there is.

Seek out your local independent bookshop. Discover a sanctuary of stories, ideas and knowledge, with friendly staff who can find you just the right book for you.