I think I may have just found the best smell in the world

A bit weird for a post I know but bear with me.

I am currently reading a book that I received as a gift from my family for my birthday. This year was a fantastic birthday - I got exactly what I wanted from my family (which is quite surprising): books. It was surprising because my mom usually never buys books for us and never really appreciates books as gifts. She usually tells us we should save our money and go to the library instead. I, on the other hand, love getting books as gifts and I also love giving books as gifts. I have, on occasion, given my mother a book as a gift and although she (usually) enjoys reading them thought it would have been wiser to journey to the library. My mom loves the library, as do I, but I also love to buy books for various reasons:

1. If I know the book is going to take me a long time to read. I.e. "Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene

2. If the book will make me laugh hysterically and I know I will read passages over and over. I.e. "Why Girls Are Weird" by Pamela Ribbon

3. If the book is so fantastic I want to read it and then loan it to my family and friends. I.e. "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions" by Ben Mezrich

4. The book is bought cheaply from a yard sale, book swap or the like.

Books are a very personal gift. They say a lot about both the giver and the receiver. I especially love when someone makes an inscription in a book and gives it as a gift. To get the gift of a truly wonderful book that you enjoy so much not only indicates the thoughtfulness of the giver, but also indicates a closeness, almost an intimacy, between the two of you.

Anyway, what was the point of this post about anyway? Oh yes, of course, the best smell in the world. Well I love smelling books. New books have a fantastic smell to them and that is usually the second thing I do when I get a book, open it to somewhere in the middle, hold it up to my nose and take in the smell. My family thinks I'm weird. Old books have a unique smell as well. And while smelling an old book, I try to place the various smells, and imagine the journey the book had taken before it got to me.

I had the new book that I am reading in my bag I brought to work. Also inside the bag is an apple. When I pulled the book out today to read during my lunch break (I am just discovering those!) the smell of the new book had mixed with the apple producing a gorgeous scent that I just had to write about.