A "Haunting" Experience.

[Choatecav]

Well, I started something today that I have been wanting to try for a while. I just checked out an Audiobooks copy of Christopher Morley's, "The Haunted Bookshop." While listening to the first couple of chapters I was smoking a bowl of C & D's "Haunted Bookshop." It was a very pleasant experience and plan to have a bowl while listening, on other occasions.

The book is a natural for pipe smokers as it weaves the practice of pipe smoking through the writing and it calls back a simpler, less regulated time when folks would come into a bookshop, and other places, and freely light up a pipe. They even have a weekly gathering that is dedicated to smoking cob pipes as the clientele comes in, light up their cobs and discuss old books. It was written in 1919 during the post WWI era as people were struggling to gain more from the wisdom of books of the past.

I look forward to seeing how the story develops as I read (listen) and puff.....

 

[Sig]

I never read it but I have wanted to. Maybe soon....
There is a cigar shop/lounge near me, about 30 miles away.
Thats close, I live in the boonies.
A couple years ago he added a small shelf of books for customers to read.
As I saw his collection of books grow, I asked if I could bring some in, he said absolutely.
I have a LOT of books from the last few decades. I brought in about 15 books so far. It has become custom in the shop to read a book while smoking a cigar or pipe, then just put a bookmark in the book and put it back. The next time you are there, just continue your book.
Most of the books I brought in are history books, non fiction with lots of pictures and coffee table type books. One with the history and pictures of a the national parks in the US is popular.
At first it seemed silly, but several customers think its fantastic.
They get to relax, smoke a cigar/pipe and read in peace. Many cannot, or do not smoke in their own homes.
The problem now is that at certain times there are 4-5 guys reading a book, so you feel obligated to not talk or make noise.
The owner put out a sign that says something like, "this is NOT a library, its a place to talk, laugh, relax, smoke, tell a few naughty jokes, and read a book if you care to."........or something like that.

 

[dottlejockey]

Sounds like my kind of reading. If you haven't read "My Lady Nicotine," I would highly recommend that as well.

 

[trouttimes]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

 

[irishearl]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

Each to their own. I happen to like the burley/perique genre. OJK is my favorite, but HB is also a fine smoke to me.

 

[seanv]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

That's a low bar lol
I'm a fan of HB. I think it was a love at first puff moment for me. It was at one point a near daily smoke but after a while it got to be too much for me as a daily smoke. I should add it to the list of "need to circle back to after I smoke through way too many open jars blends" and try to rekindle the love

 

[Sgetz]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

It's the only tobacco that I've thrown away! Ever.

 

[Choatecav]

Each to their own. I happen to like the burley/perique genre. OJK is my favorite, but HB is also a fine smoke to me.

Well, I have to admit that my favorite blends are very Virginia forward, but in my efforts to broaden my scope of tobaccos, I tried HB. Is it my favorite? No... but I do enjoy it now and again as I develop my appreciation for burley and perique blends. I do know that there are a ton of fans of HB out there so as Irishearl said, "Each to their own."

 

[agnosticpipe]

Reading about haunting is good, but smoking about haunting along with the reading is better. This is my go to along the haunted lines... A cigar leaf based blend that really hits the mark!

 

[Choatecav]

Reading about haunting is good, but smoking about haunting along with the reading is better. This is my go to along the haunted lines... A cigar leaf based blend that really hits the mark!
View attachment 317012

Hey there, Agnosticpipe, that looks interesting. What, other than cigar leaf, is in this blend?? Can we get a brief review? I'm not familiar with it.

 

[kcghost]

It is always fun to read as you smoke your pipe!! I would suggest any of the great Civil War trilogy by your avatar.

 

[Choatecav]

It is always fun to read as you smoke your pipe!! I would suggest any of the great Civil War trilogy by your avatar.

Excellent suggestion and reading material. I have read Mr. Foote's trilogy a couple of times and it is my personal favorite overview of the war. I always recommend it to new readers of the war, but with the caveat that it is very long but also very clear and concise.
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Sig]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

I agree, HB and Bayou Morning......and a couple others have WAY too much Perique for me. I absolutely love Perique.....in moderarion.

 

[MartyA]

It is always fun to read as you smoke your pipe!! I would suggest any of the great Civil War trilogy by your avatar.

I almost always read as I smoke. Always with a churchwarden on my swinging chair outside, and almost always an historical book, usually an old dusty one. The best for me are biographies, with lots of letters and personal correspondence. I get to feel like I KNOW those people, but then I realize they've been dead for a century or two...

 

[LOREN]

The book has to be better than the tobacco. That bar is so low a worm can’t crawl under it. HB is by far the worst smoke I’ve ever tried.

But how do you REALLY feel about it?

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Well, I started something today that I have been wanting to try for a while. I just checked out an Audiobooks copy of Christopher Morley's, "The Haunted Bookshop." While listening to the first couple of chapters I was smoking a bowl of C & D's "Haunted Bookshop." It was a very pleasant experience and plan to have a bowl while listening, on other occasions.

The book is a natural for pipe smokers as it weaves the practice of pipe smoking through the writing and it calls back a simpler, less regulated time when folks would come into a bookshop, and other places, and freely light up a pipe. They even have a weekly gathering that is dedicated to smoking cob pipes as the clientele comes in, light up their cobs and discuss old books. It was written in 1919 during the post WWI era as people were struggling to gain more from the wisdom of books of the past.

I look forward to seeing how the story develops as I read (listen) and puff.....

Thanks for the inspiration! It never occurred to me to listen to audiobooks while pipe smoking.
Now I am listening to THE ILLIAD, which is a great choice because it is a classic which is meant to be heard, not read.
The Penguin edition is great. I'm using Spotify on my cell.
I may try a book of poetry next.

 

[bullet08]

Never had one. Unless you count that time a snake of unknown venomosity slid across my shoes in a pine forest when I was 8 or so.

 

[Choatecav]

Thanks for the inspiration! It never occurred to me to listen to audiobooks while pipe smoking.
Now I am listening to THE ILLIAD, which is a great choice because it is a classic which is meant to be heard, not read.
The Penguin edition is great. I'm using Spotify on my cell.
I may try a book of poetry next.

You're welcome. Audiobooks are one of the great pleasures in life, for me. I download them from the public library, for free and listen to them when convenient. They shorten long drives, remove the monotony of cleaning out the barn or whatever. Great way to multi-task. As to your listening to the Illiad, I once did Edward Gibbons' "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" on Audiobooks. That was a long one, ha.