I Haunt used bookstores. Not with any regularity, or even frequency; I’m a binge and starve kind of shopper. Generally I pin the receipts up by my desk, staring in an awe that borders on horror at the total I spent.
Shopping itself is a ritual; I move from ‘used books’ store to ‘used books’ store, with a hastily-scribbled list of author’s names tucked into my purse or pocket. Scanning the shelves, I’m whispering a mantra of those names, usually mangling one, spelling it in my head, trying desperately to remember what letters go in what order in the alphabet. (Yes, I’ve even had to sing the alphabet under my breath in order to find out where the book I’m looking for should be.)
Today, however, I was struck by the realisation this little ritual has changed. I still wander through the Fantasy aisles, greeting old friends along the way: oh hello, Terry Goodkind; three more in your series? Why I think I will, thank you. And you, sir Guy Gavriel Kay, please write more soon, as I own everything you’ve ever written; but want more. Hrm. Charles DeLint; space keeper with your name on it, no books. And no wonder; I wouldn’t part with any of them either.
But now, too, I wandered through the romance section. Eschewing Nora, who has shelves at the library I haven’t read, I ran my hand along names like Penny Vicenzi, Sidney Sheldon, marvelling at the pretty fonts, colours, and hunky men. None of the names on my list, though, so I move on.
After four used bookstores, we made it, my oldest son and I, to Indigo, a division of Chapters. Situated at the top of a hill, we have climbed our way here, earning our way inside a bibliophile’s paradise. Stepping inside we are both struck dumb, the smell of new paper washing over us; the rows of books candy for our eyes. We have reached our Mecca.
My son finds, immediately, the three Artemis Fowl books he needs to finish his collection, and bats the long lashes that fringe his turquoise eyes. I put two back on the shelf, hand him just one, placing the others on the shelf. I wink, and remind him “We’ll be shopping again next week, love.”
Then I completely avoid the stairs. My feet and legs hurt, and the romance section is on the main floor. Omg! Gena Showalter; there she is! “I’ve been in workshops with her,”I tell my son. “What a very nice lady she is.” I pick up three of her books, leaving three ‘for next time’. JR Ward! Ooh…find the first one, yeah…it goes onto the pile. Ack. Sherrilyn Kenyon or Christine Feehan? Damn. *Check the wallet* damn. (Dayna rule of shopping: When torn: buy both. Unless you can’t afford it. I can’t. Dangitall. (Keep it PG, Dayna, littleman is listening.) Okay…if I put BACK one of Gena’s, I could afford one of the Kenyon…
As I leave the store, I see the books I didn’t buy beckoning from their shalves. “It’s okay,” I tell them. “I’ll be back.”
An hour later, in the van with my husband, cruising at machspeed to get to the daycare in time to pick up the youngest two, I pull the mangled list from my pocket. “VIEHL!” I cry, causing my poor husband to whiten, his knuckles tightening on the wheel. SHaking my head, despite the excess in bags littered throughout the van, I circle the name. Apologetically, I explain to poor hubby: “I forgot to look for Lynn Viehl’s books.” I sigh melodramatically. He rolls his eyes.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to myself. “Next week we’re out of town and there’s a HUGE Chapters just blocks from the hotel…”
So now it’s your turn. What rituals do you have when you’re bookshopping? Do you make a day of it? Go with someone who is equally smitten with reading? Or do you, like I’m occasionally able, sneak away from everyone you know, grab a coffee, and wander the aisles, wondering why they don’t have shopping carts?
August 12th, 2006 at 12:27 am
I am so wondering why they don’t have shopping carts! LOL
I love go alone, and I’m one of those nuts who wanders the entire store, browsing, carressing, picking up anything that grabs my eye (no lists LOL)–well except for non-fiction but that’s still half a store.
August 12th, 2006 at 1:33 am
I hit the new releases/sale tables at Borders. If I see a cover that catches my eye, I pick it up and read the back blurb. If I like it after that, I write the title/author in my little notebook. From there, I either check the public library or the used bookstore.
August 12th, 2006 at 2:14 am
Totally MISSED the sale table…well, except to snag a Laurell K. for $4, (hardcover) on the way to the cash. I hate shopping on a deadline.
August 12th, 2006 at 2:42 am
I’m shop more on-line than I actually go to the bookstore, used or regular. And I do have lists of every book I want to purchase in the future. But when I do actually go into a bookstore, I look for my favorite authors first, then venture out to find others.
August 12th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
There are carts at the on-line bookstore!
I do most of my book shopping on the big 2 because I get to see and read things that bookstores just don’t have the room to carry.
There are a couple of reasons I like the on-line bookstores. There are just so many more books available on-line. Old books, new books, authors and subjects I never knew about. By using the search engine I get to see what other people who like what I like are reading. The reading lists and reader reviews are really interesting and helpful in finding new things
Another really fun aspect of on-line shopping is the reading lists and the list of books that other purchasers of this book bought. I get to see what other people who like what I like are reading. It’s a conversation between book lovers. On-line shopping lets me wander the virtual aisles of a world wide bookstore.
The only thing that is missing is actually touching the books and the latte. Sometimes I just have to go to BN or a local bookstore to get the feeling.
August 12th, 2006 at 9:40 pm
I love going to the bookstore and just browsing. Usually I have a list and my kids. My girls would happily spend hours at Books A Million. Unfortunately they rarely have what I’m looking for and the used bookstore is worse as for as romance and fantasy selection go. I’ve picked up some great mainstream and cool old cookbooks there though so it’s always on the list of stops! Otherwise, I’m all about Amazon lol.
August 14th, 2006 at 5:36 am
I love used bookstores…you can find the best things there…I love going with my sister, mostly because she knows everything about authors and books and has a pretty good eye for good stuff and trash. She also can spend hours in awe of the many books on the bookshelves and doesn’t get mad when i take too long…usually because she is taking just as long. And theres nothing like walking into Chapters/indigo/borders and seeing fresh books lining the shelves just begging for the bindings to be cracked and the pages to be dogeared and the story to be loved. hmmm, now I want to go bookshopping.