"On the Experience of Entering a Bookstore in Your Forties (vs. Your Twenties)" by Steve Edwards https://lithub.com/on-the-experience-of-entering-a-bookstore-in-your-forties-vs-your-twenties/
"In my twenties the question was never 'What do I want to read?' but rather 'Who do I want to be?' — and bookstores were shrines I pilgrimaged to for answers."