Books and Serendipity
The accidental discovery of adventure, solace, and knowledge
If I were to have the good fortune to own a bookstore (and earn lots of money from it!), I would name it Books & Serendipity. Because that is what the experience of buying and readings books has been for me — a serendipitous journey.
I learned the word “serendipity” from my youngest sister when she was in early grade school. One day, she declared that it was her favorite word. It meant to find or discover something that you were not looking for. That struck me, and since then, serendipity has also been one of my favorite words.
Some fifteen years ago, a local mall regularly held a used book sale at their atrium. In front of an empty water fountain were dozens of shelves stacked with books from top to bottom. The shelves formed a square that acted as walls around the sale.
The books were organized according to fiction, non-fiction, children, and reference. There were old magazines too. I would spend an entire afternoon at the sale. I had no qualms craning my neck to scan the titles, or squatting to look at the books at the lowest portion of a shelf.
Each sale ran for about two weeks, and I visited at least twice to see if there was something interesting again. Most of the books were priced from half a dollar to less than two dollars, cheap enough for me to try different titles and authors.
Beloved finds
With so many books, I’d just scan the titles and pick the ones that interested me. I was open to anything, and I bought a lot.
From among these books count my most beloved finds.
“Gods, Graves, and Scholars,” by C.W. Ceram, an exciting account of the greatest archaeological finds in the world, started my interest in archaeology.
On a later visit to the book sale, I picked up a book called “Crocodile on the Sandbank” by Elizabeth Peters about the adventures of a fictional amateur Egyptologist. Thus began my love for Amelia Peabody. Over many visits, I was lucky to find most of the books in the series. I found another version of “Crocodile,” its cover white with a pencil drawing of Amelia and her Emerson. I regret not buying it, but console myself that I gave someone else a chance to discover the great Amelia Peabody. These books planted in me a desire for my ultimate travel: to visit Egypt someday and cruise the River Nile aboard a dahabeeyah.
Another enjoyable series I found was the Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman, about a retired lady who finds an unlikely second career as a CIA agent. I realized mystery novels can be fun and don’t have to be serious.
A serious mystery author that I discovered was Josephine Tey. After reading one of her books, I’d buy her other titles when I’d see them.
There was fun in discovering “new” titles and collecting a series, book by book. Somehow, I found most of what I was looking for. I completed the Anne of Green Gables series this way.
Finding solace
At the time I started meditating, I found more books that guided me.
Viktor Frankl’s “A Man’s Search for Meaning” uplifted me with its powerful message that we are not bound by our circumstances but by our attitude towards it, by the purpose and meaning we give to it.
When I felt heartbroken, I went to a used books store and saw “If You Want to Write.” You are what you write, wrote Brenda Ueland. Your words reveal your character. That kept me moving and writing.
I loved these books and later bought new copies. Two years ago, when I went to New York and visited The Strand, I saw a copy of “If You Want to Write” with a dedication by Ueland herself to a dear Larry. I held the book tight and bought it. It was my most precious find that day. Last month, I read the book again and found it as inspiring as it was the first time.
Books finding us
I believe that one finds and reads certain books at a particular time because they call out to something within the reader at that moment of his life. We attract what’s in our mind and our intention.
We unconsciously gravitate towards those books, whether we find them ourselves or someone recommends it and we listen. Serendipity, coincidence, or law of attraction? As Maisie Dobbs, my new favorite sleuth, said,
“Coincidence is a messenger sent by truth.”
And the truth inside us reveals itself by the words we choose.
At particular periods of my life, I have found solace and guidance in the books that called out to me to be read. These are the books that I needed to read, and I am all the better for it.
This year, those books have been “Designing Your Life,” “The Bullet Journal Method,” and “If You Want to Write.” Some aspirations led me to these books. Thanks to their guidance and wisdom, I’ve found that some of the things I wanted to do, such as writing consistently, I am steadily accomplishing.
Serendipity is also defined as good fortune or luck. Especially for me, ordinary situations like scanning book titles to buy or read have the potential to bring about serendipitous discoveries.
I look forward to visiting book sales again. There I’ll find new books and discover something about myself too. Books and serendipity.
