““In my head, owning a bookstore meant I could hide in the back reading all day, while other bookworms came and went without a sound, resembling almost a library or, better yet, a convent. People never talked to me or to each other, we were just a secret society of readers, alone but together in silent unity. In reality though, owning a bookstore meant that I never actually had time to read a book myself. And being a newer bookstore, meant that I was broke and couldn’t actually afford staff so I had to do most things myself. Alone. In front of people. With my face showing. And sometimes having to make eye contact. It was awful.””
![“[Books] were the world I could lose myself in when the one I was actually living in became too lonely or harsh or difficult to bear.” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/52e/cheryl-strayed-605_books_books-were-the-world-i-could-lose-myself_2993751.jpg)
![“[Books] were the world I could lose myself in when the one I was actually in became too lonely or harsh or difficult to bear.” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f8f/cheryl-strayed-605_book_books-were-the-world-i-could-lose-myself_724903.jpg)
