Friday, January 30, 2009

Clothes vs. Books

Filed Under:

Also titled: Yes, I am a dork, why do you ask? :P

If I could spend an entire day buying clothes OR buying books, I'd probably choose the latter. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping for clothing, but I could never spend 5 hours at a clothing store the way I can at a book store. (Plus, book stores usually have really awesome stationery :P )

Here are some reasons why I like buying books more than clothes:


  • Books can be reread dozens of times, and if you're like me, then the plot never really gets boring for you if the book is genuinely good. Unlike books, clothing gets old fast.

  • With age, good books become classics while clothes become ... rags?

  • In relation to the previous point, GOOD books have the ability to transport you to any time period. If you read a book from the seventies (with the exception of books by Judy Blume), it'll feel like you're actually there - experiencing what the characters are experiencing. In comparison, if you wear a piece of clothing from the seventies... let's just say nothing from that decade should ever make a comeback.


Like I said before, I do enjoy clothes shopping, but I prefer going to a book store rather than the nearest clothing store. How about you, clothes or books?




 

16 comments so far.

  1. Unknown on January 30, 2009 at 10:12 PM

    Definitely books. Clothes I can take or leave but books last longer and are better remembered.

    I'm actually taking a break from going to the book store because I tend to buy and that sort of spending can lead to poverty. :P

  2. Anonymous on January 30, 2009 at 10:16 PM

    I don't buy books because how do I know if they're good or not? Libraries, ftw!

    Oh, and I (used to) read so much that it was unfeasible to actually buy even a tenth of the books I read xD

  3. Anonymous on January 30, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    yo, you are either crazy or freakishly impressive, you can spend five hours in book store. I can't stay in a bookstore for more than like twenty minutes.

    It's not that I don't like books, I love books, I just find the prospect of shopping for them extremely over-wellming. Same thing in libraries, I can't stand the idea that I might spend the time reasing something and not like it; thus, having wasted a lot of time. i know, I know, read the back read the first couple pages...etc. that doesn't work for me.
    I can never get a good idea of whether I'll like it in any of those ways. I need people to recommend books to me, for them to say hey this is good you should read it.
    books=good presents,in my mind.

    so as for your points here are my thoughts

    - yes you can read a book more than once but you can wear clothes dozens of times as well, good clothing doesn't get old that fast, unless you buy stupid trendy pieces that actually look silly.

    Though i do reread frequently, I feel that after a while, when you know exactly what each character is gonna say, it starts to get a little dull no matter how much you enjoy what they're saying.

    -You apparently aren't a good shopper then, because good clothes after time also become classic timeless pieces or wardrobe staples, like a little black dress, or good jeans.

    -In relation to your third point, Judy Blume doesn't transport you to a time period because Judy Blume is timeless, no Judy Blume hate. Also if you wear clothes from the seventies you might feel like you're in the seventies, or like it's halloween which is fun too. And i think that clothes from the seventies would be a much better idea than the eighties flash back we've been experiencing for a while now.

    In conclusion, shop smart not trendy. Read books, look stylish, if you feel like it read books about clothes.

    -Me (this was a nice long one)

  4. lyrical charlatan on January 30, 2009 at 10:23 PM

    @Kaylee: Well, if I had an entire day, I'd have plenty of time to read a bit of a book that looked interesting before I decide whether or not to buy it. :P Libraries are awesome, I agree, but there are some books that I want to have for a long time, and not just three weeks (and I'm talking about the ones that I've already read, obviously :P ).

  5. lyrical charlatan on January 30, 2009 at 10:51 PM

    @"Third" : What do most stores sell now-a-days? Everything looks the same to me and every store has basically the same style. Trendy doesn't necessarily mean "silly"; it might be decent, but once that trend passes, you're not likely going to wear it. And I wasn't saying that good clothes can't become "classics"; I agree that everyone needs wardrobe staples, but how many little black dresses can you buy? If you compare today's "little black dress" to one 4 decades ago, you'd notice a difference too.

    Lastly, woot, I love long commments!

  6. Anonymous on January 30, 2009 at 10:57 PM

    my comment number #2

    way to forget the question mark after third. I know they do, I find myself telling my mother that all the time. Hey if it doesn't still look cute when it's not at the height of fashion anymore it is silly. Also many many many LBD's are acceptable, in vaying styles, one of them will have to stick.

    Finally, i know you do that's why I write them

  7. Anonymous on January 31, 2009 at 3:42 AM

    I would prefer shopping for books because there are comfortable chairs (: Plus, we don't have to spend a lot of money to read the books, we can read it for free, hehe.

    I don't really enjoy shopping for clothes because I can't seem to find the clothes I want.

  8. Emsz on January 31, 2009 at 8:48 AM

    I definitely prefer books, though I do not like shopping for them very much, because book-stores are always so busy :P

    I prefer the library, because it's nice and very quiet, and you can hide behind the shelves :) (Which is not really possible in my favourite book store, everything is open plan there :P)

  9. Anonymous on January 31, 2009 at 10:24 AM

    Oh, I am the same way. I do love clothes, but books are my (not so) secret lover. And, like you said, book stores sell stationery, and I am a total stationery geek. :P

  10. Mimi on January 31, 2009 at 11:01 AM

    Ahhh, I don't think I'd be able to decide, I'm a lover of both! But as of the moment, I'd probably pick books over clothes, just because I've already done some major clothe shopping over the winter break.

    Lol at your second reason :P

  11. Anonymous on January 31, 2009 at 12:56 PM

    I prefer shopping for books over shopping for clothes. Because I'm obsessed with reading, not because I believe that books are somehow comparable to, better to have than, and worth spending more money on than clothes.

    That's why, I'm sorry, but I don't really agree with your three points comparing books with clothes. They are too different. I could easily say that I prefer shopping for clothes because I can wear clothes but can't wear books, I can customise my clothes to my tastes but I can't customise books, and I can recycle clothes fabrics to make new clothes but can't recycle pages of a book to make new novels. Get my drift? ;)

  12. setsanto on January 31, 2009 at 1:46 PM

    Is this a serious question? Clothes, duh. I mean, books are great and all, but clothes shopping is just one of those things that I really love. I mean what's better than walking around the same shopping mall for hours while not wanting to be there. :P.

  13. Anonymous on January 31, 2009 at 6:11 PM

    Yeeeeeeeeeeeees! Books FTW, I never understood the whole "going to the mall for hours and look at the trampy clothes" thing; I can't be around clothing stores too long, only when I have something to buy. And even then, I look for it, try it on, buy it, and GTFO. I can spend hours upon hours at Borders =)

  14. Anonymous on January 31, 2009 at 11:39 PM

    When I go to the shopping mall, I most probably will stop by a bookstore. The chances of me doing that is higher as compared to the chances of me going into a clothing store. For clothing store, I will usually just look at the clothes on display and will only go in if there is any that catches my attention.

  15. Anonymous on February 1, 2009 at 1:02 AM

    Comparing books and clothes, I'll go for books. I love reading and don't mind spending on good books. I can spend hours in the book store any day but I only shop for clothes when I'm in the "correct mood". :p

  16. Anonymous on February 1, 2009 at 2:41 PM

    I am amazed that you can spend five hours in a book store, that's impressive. I always wish I read more, but for some reason I never seem to think to myself "Lets read a book". I'd rather turn on the television or whack on some music.

    Any authors you highly recommend?

Something to say?