Personalizing 2016

Did you notice that our local bookstores have seemingly forgotten what they should sell more of?

It used to be that when you enter one, you will be greeted with books only -- bestsellers printed in hardbound, mass paperback, and trade paperback. Nowadays, it's not primarily books that entice you to stroll inside a bookshop but other countless paper products and their 'accessories.'

I'm referring to endless rows of customized notebooks, planners, personal/work memo pads, and coloring books -- the last clearly suffering from mainstream fatigue (read: something nice, cute and interesting when only few people do/know about it). Additionally, there are sketch/drawing pads and packs of color pencils, watercolors, fine liners, and other amateur and professional coloring materials easily found near or around the counters.

Take a look at these:

Notebooks and notepads for every mood (or the lack of it)

'Fake it 'til you make it' checklists for work and school

Busy? Not an excuse not to try these custom-design coloring pads

50 Shades of 'Kaartehan' with these coloring/drawing/sketching materials

There's surely no harm in planning 2016 with your favorite cartoon/fictional character as a companion

While they may serve well for bookshops to entice more customers, they can also serve as distractions to bookworms who go to bookstores for its namesake -- books.

Perhaps bookshop owners think, "Let's entice young consumers with something cute, colorful, and reflective of their personality from the windows and entrance of our store. Maybe once they're in, they will realize that they also need a book for academic or leisurely purposes."

Meanwhile, it dawned on me that labeling one's self has truly evolved as a need these days. It's not just enough that you show people your identity and personality through your choice of clothing and mannerisms (that people usually judge you by) but also for the things that just stay inside your bag and through thoughts that remain mostly inside your head.

Nowadays, we have coloring book for adults (who have no time and have probably forgotten how it feels to be children again); customized notebooks and pads for one's moods, observations, positive reinforcement, and scribbles; and planners for travelers, cartoon addicts, posh college students, and the free-spirited, just to name a few. 

I'm not saying that patronizing these products are bad. I just hope I can see more books in bookshops and more of the ones above inside specialty stores. 

While these products bring the "never thought I needed you 'til I saw you" moment, they steal the show from books which are the real time-tested instruments for searching, defining, and reinforcing one's self.