We went to dinner at a pub in Tacoma with my brother and sister-in-law on Saturday night. We drove the back roads to get there, which are thickly lined with trees that part every so often to allow a beautiful view of Puget Sound. We drove down at dusk, and splatters of rain hit the windshield while winds tossed the trees, showering us with leaves bright against the grey sky. The leaves were so thick in the air at one point -- but falling in slow swirls -- that it looked as though they were coming from the sky as well. That moment changed everything about my day, somehow, in that small way that moments can.
And now, a list of books I bought at Powell's:
Paper Towns, by John Green -- I read the uncorrected galley proof in September and loved it. And yes, I still have to own this one. I'm pretty sure you understand this if you're a John Green fan.
Making Certain It Goes On: The Collected Poems of Richard Hugo -- it's a completely beautiful book, one I probably won't find in the skimpy poetry sections at Borders or Barnes and Noble. I'd probably find it at The Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, because I always think of him as a Montana poet -- but I won't be there until December, and this one grabbed me now. I love his work and owning the full collection makes me...so happy.
The Little Friend, by Donna Tartt -- because it was only five dollars for a nice hardcover edition, and because I loved The Secret History. Matt spilled some of his pretentious Oregon beer on the spine and it smells a little beery now, but otherwise it's still in pretty good shape.
The Stories of Doris Lessing -- because I was seduced by the gorgeous copy, because I need to read more short stories, and because she's a brilliant and -- in my opinion -- incredibly important writer, even if she was less than gracious when she was first informed that she'd won the Nobel Prize earlier this year.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer -- because a friend of mine insisted it would "destroy" me, because I need to get over my irritation at his existence and read something he's written already before I write him off as over-hyped, because I've almost bought this book about a hundred times so far, and because I found a very nice, very cheap hardcover. I do like hardcover editions if they're not too bulky and I think they're a book I'm going to want to read and "use" again.
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon -- because the new English teacher, who reads as voraciously as I do and used to work at the Elliott Bay Book Company, said I just had to read it. And everything I've read about it suggests that it'll be an over-the-top but completely gorgeous reading experience. (Also, it was a discounted copy -- still in great shape, though.)
The Discomfort Zone, by Jonathan Franzen -- another cheap (but slender and attractive) hardcover. Because The Corrections is one of my favorite books, and because this is nonfiction and broken into easily-readable sections -- a book like this is something I can insert into my day, read a little here and a little there, and have it finished in no time.
A completely gorgeous collection of John Steinbeck's later novels: Travels With Charley, Sweet Thursday, The Wayward Bus, Burning Bright, The Winter of Our Discontent. I bought the Library of America version -- those are often really expensive, but they're gorgeous and sturdy and, despite being hardcover editions, they're surprisingly easy to cart around, unlike the typical bulky editions of new releases. It's been too long since I've read Steinbeck and he cracks my heart wide open.
I also bought my Moleskine Weekly Planner for 2009. I am severely addicted to those.
We bought Suzannah several Little Golden Books, including some classic favorites: The Poky Little Puppy, Scuffy the Tugboat, Dan the Bandage Man, and The Little Red Hen. There's one about Grover from Sesame Street that I find hilarious, and a few others, I think, that I can't immediately recall.
I don't remember what Matt came home with, because my brain has shut down. I'm going to go snuggle my stack of books now.
2 comments:
Powell's goodness!
"Pretentious Oregon beer"? Okay, so what kind of beer do you like?
I'm actually not much of a beer drinker at all. Matt, however, is a total beer snob. And to be fair, the stuff he buys is GOOD, and I do actually LIKE it -- I just don't ever drink much of it myself. I'm a wine girl.
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