From Homer's The Odyssey by way of Wikipedia, Odysseus's men "went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their return."
If you aren't familiar with this reference, remember in the movie version of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief how they enter the Lotus hotel in Las Vegas, eat the flowers, and eventually realize they have lost all sense of time and really don't want to leave?
That is exactly how I feel when I go into a bookstore. I walk in with an intended purpose, but once I'm through the door, all sense of purpose drains. My eyes can't move fast enough and my brain can't process everything. I'm mesmerized by all that is before me. Why am I here? What did I want? A book, a magazine? Let me wander around for awhile... Oh, look, there's coffee, snacks, and a bathroom... Why don't I grab one of the books and just rest and read while I wait for whatever it is I wanted to come back to mind?
"Can I help you find something?" a salesperson snaps me back to reality.
"Uh, no, thank you. I'm just browsing," I say as I pull my phone from my purse. WHAT?! I've been here for an hour already? How did that happen? Was I actually here to buy something? Not really. Crap. Head for the door. Head for the door, now!
But, ooh, look at that cover... That looks interesting...
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