I love finding a gem (i.e. an awesome book) at Homesense. It is not a bookstore. It is a bed, bath, kitchen and other home-stuff store which i enjoy visiting on my day off. In addition to numerous beautiful things for homes, this store has a small section dedicated to books. Once in a while, I score a really good book that I didn’t know about, that I didn’t add to my Goodreads, that I didn’t plan to read. Most books I read are “planned reads”. I learn about them from somewhere - recommended by friends and colleagues, mentioned in a book or article, etc. They then get added to Goodreads and I purchase them - a paper copy, digital copy, or audio copy. I know what I’m getting myself into because I research about them before I purchase them. On the other hand, those books I discover at the home-stuff store are random finds. I buy them just after reading first few pages without doing further research.
I thought about why I like buying books at Homesense.
Unlike an actual bookstore, they have limited number of books. I don't experience choice-overload.
I tend to plan everything. Having something completely unplanned like this, once in a while, is… fun!
I love reading. Finding a gem on my day off and having an expected “date” with the book is lovely.
The book I bought today is Undaunted by Kara Goldin. I went straight to the cashier after reading the first page. Here are few of the sentences on that first page that hooked me:
"I never thought I would become a leader, run a company, or do anything particularly great for that matter. But when an executive at one of the world’s largest beverage companies told me no one would want my unsweetened flavoured water, something clicked. I decided to prove him wrong.
And I did.
This is the story of how I overcame a seemingly endless series of no and you can’t and it’s impossible to create a unique product, build a thriving company, compete with some of the biggest beverage companies on the planet and live a life filled with rich experience and constant learning."
What can I say? I was completely hooked.