“There is nothing like the smell of books, both new and old. If someone ever bottled the smell, I would be all over it’ – Tiffany King

Today I am going to the Book Fair in Antwerp!!! This is absolutely one of fall’s highlights. In last weeks’ quote you could read all about my love for books (especially those written by Maeve Binchy 🙂 )… but I also like the smell of books and that is what this week’s quote is about…

Now in the beauty section of my blog, there are a couple of posts about my favorite fragrances. But one smell that can’t be bottled is the smell of books…

Don’t you just love that smell ?! Now there are two possible answers : yay or nay… The ‘nays’ are probably those who don’t particularly like to read books, especially not those you can find in a second hand bookstore… the ‘yays’ are those who, at this very moment, have a little grin around their lips, sparkles in their eyes and think of all the times they put their nose in a book…

Some may think the smell of books is a bit musty and that it is definitely a bit weird to put your nose in a book (especially in public !), but to me it has become such a habit… I do it without even noticing it myself ! I have been smelling books like forever and I passed this habit on to two of three kids (I haven’t been able to convert my youngest daughter to become a book-lover… yet ! My son also had a late calling, so I’m still putting my hopes up…). Now I’ve got a funny little story about sniffing books that I want to share with you…

Let me take you back several years ago (don’t ask me how many as I haven’t got a clue…). As you already know from last weeks’ post, I go to the bookfair in Antwerp every year. Now this particular year I went with my good friend Katrien, my three kids (yes also the one that doesn’t like reading…) and a friend of my eldest daughter Charlotte. Charlotte and her friend visited the book fair separately and at the end of our visit we met at the cloakroom. Of course, book-lovers as we are,  the first thing Charlotte and I did, was checking out eachothers’ books… at one point my daughter opened one of my books, put her nose in it, sniffed and I immediately saw a disappointed look on her face… ‘oh mum’, she said, ‘your books smell so much better than mine !’… now this goes to show how much of a book addict she is… and this goes to show that there is nothing like the smell of books…

Do you smell your books or do you think it is a weird habit ? Let me know !

Love, Kathleen

(The little boy in the photo is Lars, the son of my friend Katrien… Thank you Lars that you let me use the photo!)

Read my thoughts on last week’s quote from Maeve Binchy, one of my favorite novel writers!