No package full of fun yet, but it was a very eventful day.
There was a thing at work where we had the option of wearing jeans, so I did just enough to look like I was participating. We had pizza for lunch, courtesy of the company, and then I went with my friend Emy to her sonogram. Our manager wanted to go with her, just because, but she couldn't so I went instead. I got to see the baby's big head (Emy is now even more nervous about the whole pushing out a baby thing), and her heartbeat and stomach, and her little leg. I am still convinced I'm not even remotely interested in having a baby at this point. Just in case you were wondering.
Then more work, which was boring, but luckily didn't last long.
Then to the library! I was a shelving machine today. For which they were very grateful, because Library-Boss-Man (Hi, Bill) said they'd gotten a talking to about being behind on shelving. So I was going as fast as I could, just shelving everything in sight. I like shelving juvenile fiction best. There's just so many of them that I remember reading, and remember fondly. So it makes me happy to go back through them. So many of those books meant so much to me, and a lot of them still do. I checked out Alices's Adventures in Wonderland, because I've been wanting to read it again before Tim Burton's movie comes out. I want to see how faithful he'll be to the original. Plus, I haven't read it in so long, and I've been in the mood for strange stories lately.
Anyway, tomorrow should be good, too. We're going to see "Wicked" tomorrow night, and I'm hugely looking forward to it. All this time and I've still never seen it. Yay!
Showing posts with label promiscuous reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promiscuous reading. Show all posts
August 12, 2009
July 18, 2009
Introducing: Booklove Saturdays
While there has been a tremendous lack of blogging lately, I have still been doing a lot of thinking about blogging, and what I want to do with it. I have some ideas. Mainly, to blog more. So I am tearing myself away from the fantastic book I'm reading to type a bit.
One of those ideas I had is that I want to start doing some weekly things, to trick myself into at least doing that much (anyone who struggles with their creative processes will know the value of tricking oneself. Bribes work, too). One for books, and one for knits.
It's been a good weeks for books, so I'll start there.
I finished The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear, by Walter Moers. And it was ok. I don't think it quite measured up to the critic's quote on the cover comparing it in one go to J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, and Shel Silverstein. I don't think Mr. Moers is quite in their class, but then again, how many people can be? Those are some big literary shoes to fill.
Anyway, it was largely enjoyable and it went by fast, so I'm mostly happy with it, in all its fluff. I did like the pictures. Especially the one of the dragon that went on for eight or nine pages. That was a good one.
I also finished Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World. And of course I liked it. It was about books. Really nice books, which the two writers, Nancy and Larry Goldstone, collect. As one who is happy with the beat-up old library discards that cost a dollar or less, I don't anticipate ever becoming a serious book collector (never say never, though). My strategy with buying books is to get as many as possible for as little as possible (Yay for Half Price Books, my favorite bookstores yet). Where I found three lovely and well-loved copies of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books (Blue, Red, and Green, the first three in the collection), a boxed set of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy, and once a signed copy of Stardust, which I'm still sort of kicking myself for not getting. So Used and Rare was an interesting look at how people get started down that road of spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a single book at a time. I tend to like my books about books with a little more history, like in Nicholas Basbanes' stuff, but it was a nice read.
I'm almost done with Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, by Dava Sobel. I have Galileo's Daughter, which is probably her best-known work, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. The giant Half Price Books in Dallas has their cartography books shelved right next to the genetics, and I was looking for Richard Dawkins when I came across Longitude and picked it up on impulse. And it sounded interesting, and it is. I started reading it while I was still visiting in Texas, one night when the time-change had me up later than everyone else. And then I didn't want to go to sleep, because it was so interesting. It's only in recent years that I've started really branching out into more non-fiction, especially into science and history writing, but this has been one of my more successful forays. Who knew men puttering around their workshops, inventing clocks that changed the world would make for such lovely reading?
And finally, the mailman rang my doorbell this morning to hand me my copy of I Capture the Castle, which I've been waiting impatiently for all week. I actually visited four bookstores last weekend without finding it, and then finally came home and ordered it off Amazon, along with the newest B-52s CD, "Funplex", which I still have yet to listen to, because I can't seem to stop listening to the newest Regina Spektor CD, "Far".
Nevertheless, I am already four chapters into it, and adoring every word. I wanted to read it after Brenda Dayne talked about it during her Audible spot on her brilliant podcast, Cast On. She mentioned that she fell in love from the first sentence: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." It's about a genteel British family, post WWII, living in a crumbling, centuries-old castle on less and less money every year, and that's about all I know so far. But it's very charming, and I'm dying to get on with it. I fear it'll be another weekend in which I don't even leave the apartment.
I must say, as well (and this should make you happy, Mama), reading about how they get by in a castle that's falling apart around them, only reminds me just a little bit of how it's always been in our house, with one unfinished project or another going on. I still wonder if the wall in living room will ever be finished, or if it'll just be studs and drywall until someone buys it as-is. I'm not even going to mention how many of the self-appointed deadlines have gone by on when the house in Louisiana was supposed to be done.
The other literary thing going on this week, is that I started volunteering at the public library. Since I've not only decided to go to grad school for library sciences, but have started narrowing down which schools I'll apply to I figured I ought to get a little experience. So far I like it. They had me start with re-shelving children's books, which was nice. And then they had me throw a bunch of out-dated reference books in the dumpster, which was a little bit traumatic. I did not expect to start my library career by trashing good books. But such is life, I guess. Out with the old. Although, I now know the combination to the padlock at the library's dumpster, and don't think I didn't seriously consider going back to rescue some of those books.
My triumph for the evening was when I sent The Hundred Dresses home with a little girl, just by telling her how much I loved it when I was her age. I hope she loves it too.
And then that was overshadowed by almost getting myself locked in the library and setting off the alarm. I thought the staff would stay a little while after closing to finish up what they're doing, but it turns out they run for the door at closing time. So while I was in the stacks, straightening books and whatnot, I was forgotten, and I didn't come out until they had almost turned the alarm on.
That's a mistake I'll only make once.
One of those ideas I had is that I want to start doing some weekly things, to trick myself into at least doing that much (anyone who struggles with their creative processes will know the value of tricking oneself. Bribes work, too). One for books, and one for knits.
It's been a good weeks for books, so I'll start there.
I finished The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear, by Walter Moers. And it was ok. I don't think it quite measured up to the critic's quote on the cover comparing it in one go to J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, and Shel Silverstein. I don't think Mr. Moers is quite in their class, but then again, how many people can be? Those are some big literary shoes to fill.
Anyway, it was largely enjoyable and it went by fast, so I'm mostly happy with it, in all its fluff. I did like the pictures. Especially the one of the dragon that went on for eight or nine pages. That was a good one.
I also finished Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World. And of course I liked it. It was about books. Really nice books, which the two writers, Nancy and Larry Goldstone, collect. As one who is happy with the beat-up old library discards that cost a dollar or less, I don't anticipate ever becoming a serious book collector (never say never, though). My strategy with buying books is to get as many as possible for as little as possible (Yay for Half Price Books, my favorite bookstores yet). Where I found three lovely and well-loved copies of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books (Blue, Red, and Green, the first three in the collection), a boxed set of the Griffin and Sabine trilogy, and once a signed copy of Stardust, which I'm still sort of kicking myself for not getting. So Used and Rare was an interesting look at how people get started down that road of spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a single book at a time. I tend to like my books about books with a little more history, like in Nicholas Basbanes' stuff, but it was a nice read.
I'm almost done with Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, by Dava Sobel. I have Galileo's Daughter, which is probably her best-known work, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. The giant Half Price Books in Dallas has their cartography books shelved right next to the genetics, and I was looking for Richard Dawkins when I came across Longitude and picked it up on impulse. And it sounded interesting, and it is. I started reading it while I was still visiting in Texas, one night when the time-change had me up later than everyone else. And then I didn't want to go to sleep, because it was so interesting. It's only in recent years that I've started really branching out into more non-fiction, especially into science and history writing, but this has been one of my more successful forays. Who knew men puttering around their workshops, inventing clocks that changed the world would make for such lovely reading?
And finally, the mailman rang my doorbell this morning to hand me my copy of I Capture the Castle, which I've been waiting impatiently for all week. I actually visited four bookstores last weekend without finding it, and then finally came home and ordered it off Amazon, along with the newest B-52s CD, "Funplex", which I still have yet to listen to, because I can't seem to stop listening to the newest Regina Spektor CD, "Far".
Nevertheless, I am already four chapters into it, and adoring every word. I wanted to read it after Brenda Dayne talked about it during her Audible spot on her brilliant podcast, Cast On. She mentioned that she fell in love from the first sentence: "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink." It's about a genteel British family, post WWII, living in a crumbling, centuries-old castle on less and less money every year, and that's about all I know so far. But it's very charming, and I'm dying to get on with it. I fear it'll be another weekend in which I don't even leave the apartment.
I must say, as well (and this should make you happy, Mama), reading about how they get by in a castle that's falling apart around them, only reminds me just a little bit of how it's always been in our house, with one unfinished project or another going on. I still wonder if the wall in living room will ever be finished, or if it'll just be studs and drywall until someone buys it as-is. I'm not even going to mention how many of the self-appointed deadlines have gone by on when the house in Louisiana was supposed to be done.
The other literary thing going on this week, is that I started volunteering at the public library. Since I've not only decided to go to grad school for library sciences, but have started narrowing down which schools I'll apply to I figured I ought to get a little experience. So far I like it. They had me start with re-shelving children's books, which was nice. And then they had me throw a bunch of out-dated reference books in the dumpster, which was a little bit traumatic. I did not expect to start my library career by trashing good books. But such is life, I guess. Out with the old. Although, I now know the combination to the padlock at the library's dumpster, and don't think I didn't seriously consider going back to rescue some of those books.
My triumph for the evening was when I sent The Hundred Dresses home with a little girl, just by telling her how much I loved it when I was her age. I hope she loves it too.
And then that was overshadowed by almost getting myself locked in the library and setting off the alarm. I thought the staff would stay a little while after closing to finish up what they're doing, but it turns out they run for the door at closing time. So while I was in the stacks, straightening books and whatnot, I was forgotten, and I didn't come out until they had almost turned the alarm on.
That's a mistake I'll only make once.
June 15, 2009
Playing catch up
The last week has been a largely wasted one. I blame Boy-Creature, because last Monday he brought home games for the PS2 that's been sitting ignored on the shelf below our TV. I had been fine with it sitting there, inert, for the two months since our friend gave it to us, but suddenly there was Lego Indiana Jones, and Kingdom Hearts, and just like that the week imploded.
Luckily, the novelty has already worn off, so I'm back to getting things done.
I was reading The Prestige, but I finished it on Saturday morning. It was weird, and while I appreciate some of the differences between the two, I think the movie was way, waaay better. For one thing, the movie has more than two characters. It got kind of boring after awhile. Anyway, I finished that, and then read Alice Hoffman's Local Girls, all in one day.
It felt good to finish a book that fast. I used to get one of my parents to take me to the library on a Friday night, and I'd check out six or seven chapbooks from the young adult section and read as many of them as I could in that one weekend. You'd think I wouldn't have retained a single thing, going at that speed, but it's surprising how many of those books stuck with me. Patrice Kindl's Woman in the Wall, and this strange book called Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, and anything by Patricia Wrede or John Bellairs. And Douglas Adams. It used to be a ritual I'd perform every summer, that I'd steal my brother's copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and read through the whole thing, lying on a beach towel in the backyard and drinking cherry 7Up and eating E.L. Fudge cookies and cherry Twizzlers.
I'd give just about anything to be able to read that quickly and that deeply now. I realize a big part of what's slowing me down is that I'm reading more substantial books, but I still miss the days of the pages flying past. But at least I'm still reading. So like I said, I've finished those two, and now I'm on The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear. It's a little bit insane, but pretty funny. Plus it's a pretty quick read. I'm already on life number six. Which is much farther than I've gotten in Kingdom Hearts.
Speaking of how far I've gotten, I'm finally nearing the end of the Blue Angel Sweater. I finished the right sleeve, and I'm through the cap sleeve and onto the decreases on the left. Then all I'll have left is the neck, and a little bit of weaving in ends, and it'll be done!
One of my short row wraps went a little wonky on the sleeve cap, though, so I'm contemplating ripping it back and redoing it. I most likely will, just not tonight. I don't have the strength for frogging tonight. But I'm sure I will. After all the time and effort I've already put into this thing, I want it to be as perfect as possible. Besides, the weird spot makes a little hole, and it's right in front. So I'll fix it tomorrow.
Luckily, the novelty has already worn off, so I'm back to getting things done.
I was reading The Prestige, but I finished it on Saturday morning. It was weird, and while I appreciate some of the differences between the two, I think the movie was way, waaay better. For one thing, the movie has more than two characters. It got kind of boring after awhile. Anyway, I finished that, and then read Alice Hoffman's Local Girls, all in one day.
It felt good to finish a book that fast. I used to get one of my parents to take me to the library on a Friday night, and I'd check out six or seven chapbooks from the young adult section and read as many of them as I could in that one weekend. You'd think I wouldn't have retained a single thing, going at that speed, but it's surprising how many of those books stuck with me. Patrice Kindl's Woman in the Wall, and this strange book called Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, and anything by Patricia Wrede or John Bellairs. And Douglas Adams. It used to be a ritual I'd perform every summer, that I'd steal my brother's copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and read through the whole thing, lying on a beach towel in the backyard and drinking cherry 7Up and eating E.L. Fudge cookies and cherry Twizzlers.
I'd give just about anything to be able to read that quickly and that deeply now. I realize a big part of what's slowing me down is that I'm reading more substantial books, but I still miss the days of the pages flying past. But at least I'm still reading. So like I said, I've finished those two, and now I'm on The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear. It's a little bit insane, but pretty funny. Plus it's a pretty quick read. I'm already on life number six. Which is much farther than I've gotten in Kingdom Hearts.
Speaking of how far I've gotten, I'm finally nearing the end of the Blue Angel Sweater. I finished the right sleeve, and I'm through the cap sleeve and onto the decreases on the left. Then all I'll have left is the neck, and a little bit of weaving in ends, and it'll be done!
One of my short row wraps went a little wonky on the sleeve cap, though, so I'm contemplating ripping it back and redoing it. I most likely will, just not tonight. I don't have the strength for frogging tonight. But I'm sure I will. After all the time and effort I've already put into this thing, I want it to be as perfect as possible. Besides, the weird spot makes a little hole, and it's right in front. So I'll fix it tomorrow.
May 30, 2009
Excuse my dust
Sorry about the weird layout. I'm renovating the blog. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out by the end of the weekend.
I'd have worked on it earlier today, but I got held up by a book. I'm reading Tales of the City, and it goes so fast, it's kinda hard to put down. Which is why I'll be done with it tonight, and onto something new tomorrow. Just how I like it.
I'd have worked on it earlier today, but I got held up by a book. I'm reading Tales of the City, and it goes so fast, it's kinda hard to put down. Which is why I'll be done with it tonight, and onto something new tomorrow. Just how I like it.
March 14, 2009
Books are now trying to lure me across state lines
One of my three favorite living writers is at a book festival this weekend in Tucson, doing readings and signings, and playing music with his wife. Tucson is about six hours from me. If I had left this morning, like I seriously thought about doing, I'd be past halfway there by now.
I've seen my other two favorites within the last six months, both at the same bookstore, so I was thinking it would be really cool to get to see all three within the same year. But alas, I did not go. And I guess that's ok. I don't know what else I'd do by myself in Tucson all weekend, anyway.
But don't think I won't be thinking about it, in the back of my mind.
I've seen my other two favorites within the last six months, both at the same bookstore, so I was thinking it would be really cool to get to see all three within the same year. But alas, I did not go. And I guess that's ok. I don't know what else I'd do by myself in Tucson all weekend, anyway.
But don't think I won't be thinking about it, in the back of my mind.
February 25, 2009
Kill your television
I told the Boy-Creature not to take too long in following me from his parents' house to the apartment, because we need to go to the grocery. We're not quite to the desperate point yet, but it would be a really good idea to go, if only because there's no more of the good Pasta-Roni, and no cereal. But now it's after eight, and I don't want to go anymore. And he's still not back. I've ceased caring, and instead am enjoying my time alone. Not that I don't love having him around, but this means I get to enjoy some of the new music I downloaded (Ingrid Michaelson, Sufjan Stevens, and Rufus Wainwright! Yay!). And the TV is off.
Boy-Creature is one of those people who likes to have the TV on all the time. If it weren't for the movies I so like to watch all the time (and DVDs of Firefly, and Pushing Daisies, and Home Movies), I'd be happy to not have a TV. Just not interested, really. Especially since Pushing Daisies got cancelled. Bastards.
During the summer of 2007, the summer before my last year of school, I lived alone at Mama's house. I was working and taking dance classes at the community college, so I'd spend the weekdays rushing from one place to the other from eight in the morning until nine at night. It was exhausting. So on the weekends, I'd flop into my favorite chair by the big window and read and nap and listen to music all day. It rained a ton that summer, too, which only made it better. But since I was so busy, and paying the bills by myself, I didn't have a lot of money to waste, so I had no cable and no internet. I liked it.
It was always so quiet, and I felt so productive, even if all I was doing was finishing books. I still miss that feeling, and that chair. I don't have a good little perch yet for sitting and reading. Got a good coffeehouse for that, but nowhere really good to sit in the apartment. There is a little niche in the bedroom where I'm thinking about sticking a little chair, but it hasn't happened just yet. We'll see.
Boy-Creature is one of those people who likes to have the TV on all the time. If it weren't for the movies I so like to watch all the time (and DVDs of Firefly, and Pushing Daisies, and Home Movies), I'd be happy to not have a TV. Just not interested, really. Especially since Pushing Daisies got cancelled. Bastards.
During the summer of 2007, the summer before my last year of school, I lived alone at Mama's house. I was working and taking dance classes at the community college, so I'd spend the weekdays rushing from one place to the other from eight in the morning until nine at night. It was exhausting. So on the weekends, I'd flop into my favorite chair by the big window and read and nap and listen to music all day. It rained a ton that summer, too, which only made it better. But since I was so busy, and paying the bills by myself, I didn't have a lot of money to waste, so I had no cable and no internet. I liked it.
It was always so quiet, and I felt so productive, even if all I was doing was finishing books. I still miss that feeling, and that chair. I don't have a good little perch yet for sitting and reading. Got a good coffeehouse for that, but nowhere really good to sit in the apartment. There is a little niche in the bedroom where I'm thinking about sticking a little chair, but it hasn't happened just yet. We'll see.
February 11, 2009
A literary-themed life
Remember that thing I said I had planned for the blog? It was tragically quashed when I left my camera at my best friend's house, and to add insult to injury, it has now apparently found its merry way into a black hole. We know it's somewhere in her house, there's just no telling where. It's a big house, with lots of busy, somewhat absent-minded, distracted people. So that thing I had planned has been unforeseeably postponed. Sorry.
Anyway.
I heard about this book somewhere last week, and completely loved the idea. But I didn't think much of it at the time. Then today at work, I was listening to the "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" podcast for this week, and it was the answer to one of their questions, which made me very happy, just because it meant that it was an actual book, and not just a joke. I mentioned it to a couple of girls at work, who share my odd sense of humor and a running zombie-emoticon joke on our office instant messenger. One of them was just as excited as I am, and the other one just made fun of me for listening to NPR, and called me a dork.
Tip of the iceberg.
This is how I know they're still getting to know me at the office, because she clearly doesn't even begin to understand the depths of my dorkiness (although I prefer the term nerd, thank you). In the spectrum of podcasts that I listen to, that's pretty tame. The slew of knitting podcasts alone says enough. But by far my favorite (sorry, Lime 'n' Violet) is Mister Stephen Fry's Podgrams. The only downside is how few of them there are, which is why I'm rationing them, instead of listening to all of them in one go and then having nothing left to look forward to. The first one I listened to, I actually watched. It's the one video podcast he's done, and it was about Oscar Wilde's fairy tales. And I love Oscar Wilde almost as much as I love Stephen Fry. The second one I listened to was about language, and I listened to it again today, because it's just so damn good. He's lovely. Most girls my age are still swooning over Edward Cullen, but I much prefer Stephen. He makes me go all giggly.
It's turning out to be a very literary week, too. Saturday morning, I went to an author appearance at my favorite store, The Grove. Saturday and Sunday, I actually got some writing done, including one whole short fiction. I doubt I'll really do anything with it, but just to feel the pen moving across the page was worth it. It's been too long. On Monday the Boy-Creature and I saw Coraline in 3D, which was wonderful. And tomorrow, I get to see this hilarious Author-Guy at this fantastic bookstore. And I'm only number 20 in line for the signing! I'm incredibly happy, and inordinately excited about that. Can't freaking wait.
I only hope the literary-ness continues. And that the best friend can find my camera.
Anyway.
I heard about this book somewhere last week, and completely loved the idea. But I didn't think much of it at the time. Then today at work, I was listening to the "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" podcast for this week, and it was the answer to one of their questions, which made me very happy, just because it meant that it was an actual book, and not just a joke. I mentioned it to a couple of girls at work, who share my odd sense of humor and a running zombie-emoticon joke on our office instant messenger. One of them was just as excited as I am, and the other one just made fun of me for listening to NPR, and called me a dork.
Tip of the iceberg.
This is how I know they're still getting to know me at the office, because she clearly doesn't even begin to understand the depths of my dorkiness (although I prefer the term nerd, thank you). In the spectrum of podcasts that I listen to, that's pretty tame. The slew of knitting podcasts alone says enough. But by far my favorite (sorry, Lime 'n' Violet) is Mister Stephen Fry's Podgrams. The only downside is how few of them there are, which is why I'm rationing them, instead of listening to all of them in one go and then having nothing left to look forward to. The first one I listened to, I actually watched. It's the one video podcast he's done, and it was about Oscar Wilde's fairy tales. And I love Oscar Wilde almost as much as I love Stephen Fry. The second one I listened to was about language, and I listened to it again today, because it's just so damn good. He's lovely. Most girls my age are still swooning over Edward Cullen, but I much prefer Stephen. He makes me go all giggly.
It's turning out to be a very literary week, too. Saturday morning, I went to an author appearance at my favorite store, The Grove. Saturday and Sunday, I actually got some writing done, including one whole short fiction. I doubt I'll really do anything with it, but just to feel the pen moving across the page was worth it. It's been too long. On Monday the Boy-Creature and I saw Coraline in 3D, which was wonderful. And tomorrow, I get to see this hilarious Author-Guy at this fantastic bookstore. And I'm only number 20 in line for the signing! I'm incredibly happy, and inordinately excited about that. Can't freaking wait.
I only hope the literary-ness continues. And that the best friend can find my camera.
December 28, 2008
Fatally attracted to books
Two weeks ago I exacerbated my problem of deciding what to read next by buying more books. In the last twenty four hours, I solved the problem. Once I finished the book I was reading, I started three new ones! Both of the books I bought that day, and one of the books I bought today.
I bought more books today.
But I also did laundry and picked up a little around the apartment, so it wasn't an entirely pointless day.
I also grabbed a list of independent bookstores around the city, which I will use to not only (no doubt) further pad my already stuffed bookshelves, but I will also surreptitiously (and maybe overtly) job hunt.
I bought more books today.
But I also did laundry and picked up a little around the apartment, so it wasn't an entirely pointless day.
I also grabbed a list of independent bookstores around the city, which I will use to not only (no doubt) further pad my already stuffed bookshelves, but I will also surreptitiously (and maybe overtly) job hunt.
December 14, 2008
The siren song. It calls to me.
My dad and stepmom came to see me, but they left this morning. I had a pretty uneventful day of holiday commercialism planned, but I spent five minutes driving around the crammed parking lot and decided I really didn't want to be at the mall. I nearly never want to be at the mall, so no big surprise there. Regardless of how much I need a new pair of jeans.
Back when Boy-Creature and I moved into our humble abode, there was one time when we ended up aimlessly driving around the neighborhood. We came across a children's bookstore that I always meant to go check out. A couple years back, I found the first three of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books for a dollar each at my favorite Half Price Books in Dallas. They weren't terribly special. Actually, they're old library discards. Not first editions or anything. But they were old, and I love them.
Now every time I find a used bookstore, I wander through the kids' section, to see if I can add to my collection. I haven't found any yet, so today I thought I'd go back to that bookstore.
Long story short, I couldn't find it. It was months ago, and I'm not even sure what road they were actually on, or how far down it was. But I found another used bookstore. Adams Avenue Bookstore. I browsed every single shelf. I looked at everything, just because I love bookstores so much. This one was great. It's in an old house, with shelves in every room and closet, even all along the stairs. And I left with two new books, because I don't have enough trouble figuring out what to read next. Should I finally get around to One Hundred Years of Solitude, or my big, fancy copy of The Illustrated Brief History of Time and the Universe in a Nutshell? (I was seriously geeking out when I bought that.)
And these two new books are serious contenders. Miles Harvey's The Island of Lost Maps and Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon. They both seem like they'll be fabulous. But at the same time, so do the other books waiting patiently on my shelf. There's a Charles de Lint I bought months ago, and two Umberto Ecos! But once again I have no idea what to read.
I wish I could read them all at once. Can I quit my job and read now? I seriously thought about asking the bookstore guy if he needed any help around the store. I think about that every time I enter any bookstore. And I will continue to do so until I quit my job. Maybe one of these days I'll find a better option. Fingers crossed.
Back when Boy-Creature and I moved into our humble abode, there was one time when we ended up aimlessly driving around the neighborhood. We came across a children's bookstore that I always meant to go check out. A couple years back, I found the first three of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books for a dollar each at my favorite Half Price Books in Dallas. They weren't terribly special. Actually, they're old library discards. Not first editions or anything. But they were old, and I love them.
Now every time I find a used bookstore, I wander through the kids' section, to see if I can add to my collection. I haven't found any yet, so today I thought I'd go back to that bookstore.
Long story short, I couldn't find it. It was months ago, and I'm not even sure what road they were actually on, or how far down it was. But I found another used bookstore. Adams Avenue Bookstore. I browsed every single shelf. I looked at everything, just because I love bookstores so much. This one was great. It's in an old house, with shelves in every room and closet, even all along the stairs. And I left with two new books, because I don't have enough trouble figuring out what to read next. Should I finally get around to One Hundred Years of Solitude, or my big, fancy copy of The Illustrated Brief History of Time and the Universe in a Nutshell? (I was seriously geeking out when I bought that.)
And these two new books are serious contenders. Miles Harvey's The Island of Lost Maps and Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon. They both seem like they'll be fabulous. But at the same time, so do the other books waiting patiently on my shelf. There's a Charles de Lint I bought months ago, and two Umberto Ecos! But once again I have no idea what to read.
I wish I could read them all at once. Can I quit my job and read now? I seriously thought about asking the bookstore guy if he needed any help around the store. I think about that every time I enter any bookstore. And I will continue to do so until I quit my job. Maybe one of these days I'll find a better option. Fingers crossed.
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