Book Advice from Haruki Murakami

This month, our resident canine biblio-expert will address two burning book-related questions. The first is, "What do I do with a moldy or musty book?" Haruki says, "There are several things you can do. One is to put it in the freezer, in a sealed plastic bag, for several days; that should kill the active mold. Also, if it is not a really valuable book, or is more sentimental in value, baking soda liberally applied can help get rid of that distinctive rotten-book smell. Sunlight will also slow the mold and mustiness, but long exposure to sun and heat will warp the boards of a hardback and cause browning and curling in paperbacks.
Rubbing alcohol will also slow mold and must growth, but again, this will discolor and stain the book, so be careful how much and where you apply it. It's fine on a plastic cover, but applying it to raw paper will damage the material.

The second question of the day is, "Why on earth did I so much enjoy that book that I know is horrible and trashy and totally beneath my usually high standards of literary excellence?"
Haruki says, "I would say it came along at the right time, and you were in the right mood to read it. Books come to us at right times and wrong times, and when someone really connects with a book, it is sometimes because that is exactly the story one is needing to read at that moment. Also, you should never discount the value of good escapism. You should always remember that you are not the only intelligent person who loves Pillars of the Earth, or has a secret undying passion for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series- no matter what your clandestine literary indulgence is, you are in good company!