So, what would your fantasy work be, if you could choose?
I have a fantasy of opening up a small bookstore. It has been my fantasy all of my adult life. The bookstore is the kind of place I find here in a locally owned store, in my part of town. My store would be a little bit different but she has the same thoughts as me.
What brought the fantasy bookstore to mind again was reading Elizabeth Berg's "The Year of Pleasures" recently. Berg never disappoints me and this book was not an exception. She captures me and keeps my attention throughout her books.
In "The Year of Pleasures" the main character is widowed and she moves from Boston to a small community outside of Chicago to begin a new life. She is not bothered by financial insecurity so she is able to decide to open her own store. Her store is a place for women and it would stock items women love, like fancy soap, flowing scarves, good books, fine paper goods, etc. Her place would have a wine and cheese bar with homemade desserts and would be available to rent out for retreats. It was such a wonderful fantasy place for me to envision.
I was on one of my favorite websites earlier this morning, www.bookreporter.com, and a question they pose in a poll is, have you ever dreamed of opening up a bookstore? What authors would you bring to your bookstore? I loved both questions.
My little place would have a couple of cozy, overstuffed chairs for leasurely browsing through a book or magazine, a coffee corner with homemade goodies, a section of fine stationary and quality paper as that is my other favorite thing, and I would hold frequent evenings with authors. The authors I would most like to bring in would be unknown locals or those I have stumbled upon and wish to call to the attention to other readers. I would book more widely known authors to bring in traffic to the store. I would begin two or three book clubs that would meet once a month to discuss the previous month's selection. Each book club would focus on a different genre of book.
It would be so fun. I love a good fantasy. The fantasy is always better than the reality.
"Oh, nobody understands anything. We're all just here, blinking in the light like kittens. The older I get, the more I see that nothing makes sense but to try to learn true compassion." - Elizabeth Berg
5 comments:
I kept thinking about the Ellen Degenerese Show the whole time I read your post. LOL.
I would not want to open a book shop/store. Although I devour books and love reading.
I am not sure what my fantasy job would be. Hmmmmm.
1. Bed and Breakfast on the coast of Maine?
2. Restaurant - I have a very different idea for a restaurant which I'm pretty sure would be a huge hit but I've not shared with anyone but hubby because really - I don't want to work that hard to make it happen. LOL.
3. If it were just me - no kids or hubby to be concerned about I might just move to Jamaica and live in a hut on the beach and sell homemade jewelry to tourists.
If financial worries were not around and I could live a bit of life over, I would be a vet. I love animals and most of their problems are either simply nature or man-made. They rarely bring things on themselves on purpose as man does. They don't do drugs, or smoke, or drink alcohol and often they are abused and hurt by man.
Now, in your bookstore... you will have coffee won't you.... it just couldn't be your store without coffee.
I love Elizabeth Berg.
My fantasy job, if I'm honest with myself?
Hers.
My fantasy job would to have my own photography shop and to be able to go around and take shots.
I would be a regular patron of your shop, Karen.
ELizabeth Berg is probably my favorite writer. Whenever I have a new novel of hers in my hands my heart beats faster, I'm that anticipatory. Sometimes when I am finished with a story I almost wish I had never read it so as to have it to look forward to.
My dream job would be to grow beautiful cut flowers and have a (successful) farm stand selling bouquets - not have to go into town with them or keep store hours.
Another -- to be a traveling restaurant reviewer. Something more along the lines of $40 a Day as I work best in the daylight hours and prefer the less pricey - more unusual places. I would have to have a no-gain weight guarantee though.
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