Summer Reading

I wasn't intending on posting a blog today, but just finished another book this morning on the ride in. Last week I had finally broken down and stopped by my local used bookstore. It's been over a year and a half since I moved to this town, and I walk to the grocery store, and I walk to the hardware store, and I walk to the library and the toy store and the bank and you get the idea. I try to shop locally, I try to not use the car, but yet I wouldn't go near the bookstore. And the reason being - last week case in point.

The bus that brings me to town, but doesn't go by my house was there when I got off the subway, so I decided instead of waiting for the more direct bus, I would hop on this one and walk the extra 3 blocks (really, it's a lazy life, when 3 blocks seems out of your way). And as I was getting off, I realized that I wanted to get the book, Life of Pi that a friend was just talking about earlier that week. It dawned on me that perhaps this was the day to visit the bookstore. I wanted to read the book and didn't want to wait until later in the week to make it to one of the mega stores downtown (i.e. Borders). Plus I like to buy books used. Besides the lower cost, the idea that the story has been shared with someone else is inticing. So, to appease the need for immediate gratification, I headed over to the bookstore, just yards away from the bus stop.

Now, let me set the scene. It was a nice summer afternoon, the sun at it's wonderful angle that time of day coming in through the store windows. I wasn't in a rush. It wasn't too hot, I had a good selection of new songs on the mp3 player and the store wasn't crowded nor vacant. A nice buzz of a few people parusing the stacks, a few other mothers looking for school designated summer reading books for the kids. And there I was looking through the books. I asked straight off for the Life of Pi, and they had one copy - task accomplished. But, since I was here, I might as well look around, right?

Well an hour later, I came to the conclusion it was a descent bookstore, not too dangerous - they seemed to have a lot of paperbacks in the sci fi, romance and grisham genre. The trades were fun to look through, but were weighted in the category of chick lit. Some classics, and my favorite was the spinning rack of selected books of interest. It contained several David Sedaris books, which I passed up, I much prefer to hear him read his books rather than read them myself (same for Garrison Keillor). I did find a book I had started reading several years ago while in a Borders in Michigan, called, Nickel and Dimed, that is about a journalist/writer who takes a year to try to live on minimum wage. A fast read.

In the end I walked away with 6 books for under $40. Not bad. And in the last week I've gobbled up three. Life of Pi is a fairly quick read - good summer book. And the last book that I liked called, Safekeeping: some true stories from a life, I picked up in the memoir/biography section. It was filled with poigent moments. Literally, the book composed of chapters that were quite often just a paragraph or two, less than a page.

And that is that. Good books. Would recommend all three. I wouldn't necessarily say any was my favorite (Life of Pi was my friends favorite). But than again I don't know if I have favorites. And they pass the test, that they get put onto the bookshelf and will not be sold back to the used bookstore for partial store credit. I've started another book about the life of doctors - I think the residency section of their career. And well, I've started the three remaining books, but will post them when completed. It's a nice break from listening to mp3s and knitting, to reading while commuting. I do enjoy the commutes - not too long enough to be a hassel, and just long enough to get something accomplished.