Thursday, August 10, 2006

no food, but books!

I apologize for the lack of posting on my part lately, but it's been a busy week! Another week of working late/eating dinner at work with the kids, so I have no culinary adventures to tell you about. (I guess this is a good thing, because my kitchen's a mess again, of course! No room to cook right now.)

I'm leaving town in a week, and went to Magers and Quinn, this great used bookstore in uptown, to pick up some books for the trip. I wanted at least four new books, but six would be better, because I tend to read A LOT when I travel -- especially when travelling with other people (it's a nice escape. Hard to argue with "I'm going to bed!") I did find six! Here's what I got:

Summer Sisters (Judy Blume)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers)
Every Boy's Got One (Meg Cabot)
Saul and Patsy (Charles Baxter)
Bodily Harm (Margaret Atwood)
Surfacing (Margaret Atwood)

Now, I usually prefer to go to the library, but I don't like taking library books with me when I travel -- they are often too heavy and take up too much space in my luggage, and there's always that fear that they will get lost and I'll have to pay for them anyway in the end! Also, if I finish a book and need space in my luggage for something else, I can always leave it behind somewhere -- all of the books were pretty cheap and thus, slightly disposeable.

Hopefully, six books will keep me plenty busy!

7 comments:

Crystal said...

I love reading and I love books...can't get enough of them and they are slowly taking over my house!

You need to hit up the garage sales if you get a chance. I get good finds there. Speaking of, I should head out to some right now.

Later,

Crystal

Harmonia said...

I answered your question in comments on my blog.

I wish I could have the atttention span to read 6 books...or even 1 lol

Anonymous said...

Summer Sisters is a good, quick read. It is the perfect read for a trip. I think I read it in about a day or so.

Anonymous said...

I have read both Summer Sisters and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius--Summer Sisters is a great book! A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is good too--it is one of those books that I was glad I read, but wouldn't read again, you know? Summer Sisters I have read more than once, though--it is a quick read, like Michelle said, and pretty good.

I'll have to check out Magers and Quinn, I have never been there before but I love used book stores!

Courtney

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

great book & travel philosophy -- you must be well read. i'm more of a magazine & short read person... have a wonderful trip, catherine! :o)

Catherine Weber said...

Crystal, I wish garage-saleing was easier for me -- there aren't many in the cities, and I can't justify the drive out to the burbs and maybe not finding anything! An awesome suggestion, regardless. :)

Harmonia, my favorite thing in the whole wide world to do is sit down and read a book cover to cover. We all have our own talents though, right? I come from a family of readers and writers -- it's in my blood. My mom's favorite place is the library, and we went weekly as children, from infancy onward.

Michelle, yay! I was hoping for a few quick reads. The Meg Cabot book should be speedy, too, and Margaret Atwood books are always quick for me, because I get so engrossed in the stories I can't put them down!

Courtney, definitely check out Magers and Quinn -- it is this crazy, winding, hole-in-the-wall bookstore that is confusing and befuddling, but absolutely charming. If you are looking for something specific, ask for help, otherwise you'll get frustrated. Otherwise, it's the best place EVER for browsing!

Vicki, what's funny is, I wouldn't consider myself "well read." I think "well read" = having read lots of the classics. (My friend Michelle is definitely well-read, but then again, she was an English major!) I read lots of contemporary fiction, and am getting into humor, memoirs, and some nonfiction. I also read lots of children's literature, and books for educators/parents. I keep track of every book I read, though -- title, author, and the date I finished it. Interestingly enough, I've only read twelve books in 2006 -- but I think I've started and put down at least 10 others after some "suffering." :) I read 36 books in 2005, though.

Oh, and Vicki, have you always been a magazine/quick read person? Or is this since becoming a parent? ;-)

MeloMeals said...

Lovely list.. I LOVE used books.. I love any book actually... I adore Judy Blume.. she was one of my fav authors as a kid, as I lover her adult books.
I'm a super fast reader and love to escape for an afternoon into a book. I used to skip school as a kid and goto the library.! I used to ride my bike and read at the same time.. oy..