I have a problem.

You see, whenever I go to a library, or a bookstore, even a thrift shop, I find myself forgetting something very important.  Well, actually two things: one, time. And two, I'm a poor student.

What is it that causes this lapse in reality?  The written word.  Bound in many different shapes and colours, spines straight and prim or curved with age, names stamped on the cover and the top of each page.  I want to meet these characters, get to know them inside and out, part good friends.  Most times I find myself overwhelmed by a stack of ten or more books before I've made it through one aisle.

Like I said, I forget time.  That I won't have time to read all these, that I should be studying for the exam the next morning, that I have a stack of books at home already waiting to be read.  And that I'm a student with a tight bugdet often doesn't click in until I'm getting ready to go through the checkout.  Sometimes I manage to part with some, knowing I'll meet them in other places at other times.  But I rarely escape without at least one book in my arm.

This is my burden as an English student.  What about you? You're in your favorite kind of store: what is something you couldn't leave without?  Leave a comment!