Additions to my Library

I have to first say: I do want bookstores to stay afloat, and I really (in most cases) believe the authors and everyone else in the publishing world should get paid well. However, I must admit: there’s something exhilarating about finding and buying a book that’s been lingering on my wishlist at a significant discount. Furthermore, I feel grumpy and jealous when I see a book I paid full price for on sale. For example, I paid full price for the hardcover copy of Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Issacson (alright alright, I made my dad buy me that one). I have now seen it in the Bargain Books section of Barnes & Noble a couple of times for less than ten dollars. Ugh, I feel upset. More weirdly, I find myself having to restrain myself from buying the book again just to feel great about having gotten the book on sale. When I find myself making a list of reasons for owning more than one copy of a book I like, I have to force myself to turn around and walk away. Oh but I have to admit—when the cover is different, it’s not that easy to do although I’ve been pretty much successful at not owning multiple copies of the same title.

In any case, made all the more special because it was on Christmas eve, I found a couple of great books at the Bargain Books section of Barnes & Noble (which doesn’t always happen).

One is a book I’ve been wanting to read for awhile:

Special topics in calamity physics: a novel... by Marisha Pessl.

Oh and it was autographed!

I also bought a book that might shed some light on the elusive world of publishing. It also seems like the kind of book I can read when concentration is a challenge:

How I got published: Famous authors tell you in their own words edited  by Ray White and Duane Lindsay.

Although it bothers me that a part of the front cover is obscured, I never peel off the pricing sticker. I like to see and reminisce the time I got a great deal on the book… but more importantly, I like the little affixed memento of the bookstore, the situation, and the point of my mental development when I got the book. I reminisce about the Seminary Coop Bookstore back in college when I see their distinct price label in a book I got for a class or for a weekend reading in Burton Judson. Strand bookstore labels I especially like because they have a date imprinted on them. I am not exactly sure what the date signifies, but I find that I purchase most books pretty close to the date on the label. So I time travel with the labels.

This year is off to a sluggish reading start… but I am excited with so many books on my bookshelf. Have a happy reading year!