Brick and Mortar vs. The Online World
Featuring the Best Bookstores inTexas
Despite being an Amazon.com affiliate, I truly believe in being a patron of a brick and mortar bookstore. In my mind, online sales are a necessary evil for the true bibliophile who cannot afford to travel toWalesfrom theUnited Statesto pick up a copy of the next book in the Scarlet Pimpernel series. (I shop abebooks.com every three or four months for this exact purpose.) Online sales are for that student looking for the cheapest textbook because its that or don’t eat for a month, and where not eating for a day or two is fathomable, not eating for a whole month would counter the act of trying to improve your mind. I shop online if I’m gravely ill and cannot expose my disgusting germs to the outside world for a few weeks and am dying to read that biography that is just obscure enough that my favorite stores wont have it in stock for months anyway. I shop Amazon.com for Paul Collins books on the regular, because they are readily available there, but most his stuff is out of print and isn’t carried by Barnes & Noble (I really like the one at the Woodlands mall) and rarely seen at most used stores.
For this reason, I am signing paperwork on Tuesday to be an Event Coordinator at my local Half Price Books (Humble), my favorite family owned bookstore in the country and the easiest store to shop inTexas. I’d like nothing more than to generate traffic at a place I love while mostly still being a stay at home mom, as this job is only 20 hrs. a month and is a bit like a consulting gig.
That being said, Half Price Books isn’t the only great bookstore inTexas. I’m also a huge fan of Murder By the Book inHouston, mostly for the fact that they have become world famous and still manage to be the coziest place in the world. Murder By the Book is right around the corner from a Half Price Books, and though I stop at HPB first, if they don’t have the latest and greatest in stock yet, I have no problem popping over and buying a current pub if I have to. The real life story to this hypothetical scenario being when Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Angel Game was first released.
Murder By the Book is great, but they are a bit of a drive for me. So when I want the same cozy atmosphere, comfy chairs, and intimate shelving units, but not the drive, another favorite place for me is Good Books in the Woods in Spring, off Oak Ridge, almost to the Woodlands. It’s a quiet little gem tucked away literally in the woods, a house turned bookstore. They have their own book clubs and writing workshops. They specialize in first editions, signed copies, and all that is old and interesting, but there are some run of the mill things you can find there too. It’s a bit more expensive than HPB on most days, but sometimes worth it if HPB doesn’t happen to have what you’re looking for and you’re too impatient to wait for it to be shipped to you. I say “a bit more expensive,” but their prices are always reasonable, I’m just used to my beloved HPB clearance section. (Visit Good Books in the Woods here: http://www.goodbooksinthewoods.com/)
As I’m headed back home, often severely hungry because I’m always hungry, on the southbound side of 45 you can also find Once and Again Books, often mistaken as an HPB because its quite similar. Honestly, I only shop there because its next to my favorite food joint: The Olive Oil, fabulous Greek Food. And it’s on the way home. But its nice, its clean, and in good order.
Now for myDallaspeeps:
I’m absolutely, positively in love with the Recycled Bookstore inDenton. The entire shopping experience happens, literally, in layers. There are stairs and cubbies and closets, all brimming with organized, clean, lovely used books. They also function in an old school fashion and will negotiate prices with you, something most stores just can’t do anymore. For my every day Dallas shopping, I stick to all the near by Half Price Books locations peppered all over the city, but on special day trips up the highway, a bookstore in an old Opera House is just the thing.
As for Dallas Half Price Books locations (and there are quite a few!), my favorites are of course the flagship for its enormity and coffee shop, and the Cedar Hill location for having been my college haunt and my first introduction to Half Price Books at all.
Now, Texans, really… with all these just moments away, why would you go online to shop unless you absolutely had to? Amazon.com, abebooks.com, hpbmarketplace.com, all those fabulous .com bookstore – are tools when you need them, not your first go to.
Inner Voices and Elizabeth Kostova
Title: The Swan Thieves
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Publisher: Little, Brown
Genre: Fiction
Length: 561 pages
There are writers whose voices fall in step with some inner voice of my own. They have a seamless and perfect tambour that has no problem intertwining and conversing with the language of my soul. F.Scott Fitzgerald
Elizabeth Kostova is not one those writers.
Her stories are so fascinating. I have every desire to read everything she’s ever written. But making that desire a reality is a struggle. I find myself saying “Just get through this chapter so you can find out what happens next,” both in The Historian and The Swan Thieves.
Therefore, as I’m reading The Swan Thieves, I feel as though I am not the right person to review her books. Kostova is talented and inspiring: such captivating stories! such a high word count for a debut novel! (The Historian was a little over 241k words) such interesting ideas! But she just doesn’t speak to me.
When I come across books like these I become exceptionally curious. I’d like to know who she does speak to, what’s the difference in our brains? Is it a geographical dialect issue? Do I not follow her phrasing because my inner voice is either southern, British, or some indistinguishable ‘Yankee’ and she speaksMichigan? I don’t know, I’ve never been toMichigan. Please read it yourself and come discuss with me, I’d like to find out!
The Weekly Low Down on Kid’s Books
Where to, Little Wombat?
This title was actually added to the previous Low Down on Kid’s Books post in an edit before I decided to make this a weekly ritual, but it belongs in this grouping.
Ayla wasn’t sure about sitting through the first page, but by the second she was hooked. The first time we read this she made me read it three times in a row and carried it around the house for an hour after that. The illustrations are fun and she loved being introduced to new animals she hadn’t seen before: wombat, emu, and koala. Plus, the story is super cute too.
Busy Penguins
So I totally thought this rocked, despite the page dedicated to penguins pooping. But I love penguins. Ayla, on the other hand was not so interested. It didn’t matter how cool or cute the penguins were being, she was 100% focused on Where to, Little Wombat by Charles Fuge. Therefore, no matter how cool I thought it was, I can’t give it higher than a 3 out of 5 stars because kids books really should *mostly* be for the kids.
Jon’s Moon
Oddly spiritual in a creepy way for a kid’s book. Didn’t care for it. We had originally picked it up thinking the title would be fun for her because its got her daddy’s name in it, but you can’t judge a book solely on its title. The illustrations are beautiful though. Could be useful for teaching personification to a small child.
The Tickle Tree
“A phantasmagorical flight of fantasy at your fingertips…” is no misconception! We adore this one at our house. The writing is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, if Seuss were more soothing and less rambunctious. The illustrations are worthy of being compared to Bryan Collins (of bacstudio.com) and if you follow me on anything, you know how much I love his work. The Tickle Tree should be part of every child’s bookcase, and maybe a few adults’ as well if you are a collector of poetry and art.
Click on the titles to see the books on Amazon.com.
The Still Great Gatsby
Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publisher: Collins Classics/ HarperPress
Genre: Fiction
Length: 140 pages
“I hate The Great Gatsby, it’s so boring,” my husband exclaimed when he saw me re-reading Fitzgerald’s novel.
“Boring!? How can you say that? Something happens in every sentence!”
Since I first read The Great Gatsby in my high school English class, I was enamored by Fitzgerald and the magical world of symbolism he weaves. I dreamed of writing something that had as much depth, as many layers. As a 16 year old, I was blinded by that symbolism, all I saw was the green light, the yellow car, the envy, the American Dream. I was caught up in the use of the names Daisy and Myrtle. I was dazzled by the colors and the literary devices.
As an adult with a husband, daughter, and home, for the first time I see the simplicity of the story. I see the story no one talks about, the one beyond the green light and the yellow car. This time I see the beauty of a narrator who is sucked into a world and is omniscient in that world, but is never quite a part of it – like William Miller in Almost Famous. This time I see the epic, but typical, sadness in a story about greed, love, and regret.
If you’re in your late twenties or early thirties and haven’t read The Great Gatsby since high school, I recommend that you do. It looks so different, but still great, from here.
*About this edition: The Collins Classics edition is a dandy little pocket paperback, and actually would serve well for students. There are definitions of words and phrases that are used differently than what is typical. I’d recommend it to teachers who require their kid’s to all have the same edition.
Books I Read in 2011
Found on Pinterest via herlibraryadventures.blogspot.com
Once a year I pass on my completed list for the year before. Kind of a little “Hey world, this is what I read!” – as if I didn’t keep you posted on that year round anyway as reviews for most are available somewhere on my blog. You’ll notice I included a lot of kid’s titles, as I have one now. For other parents, I hope my kid’s reviews are helpful; for those of you who don’t have children, I hope they inspire you to revisit your childhood.
BOOKS I READ IN 2011 (in order of completion date)
- Christians and the Fall of Rome – Edward Gibb (January)
- McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern Issue #1 (January)
- The Laughing Cavalier – Baroness Orczy (January)
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle (all the time, repeatedly)
- Legends of the Fall – Jim Harrison (January)
- The Portrait of a Lady – Henry James (January)
- When Elephants Weep – Masson and McCarthy (January)
- Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane (February)
- Humphrey’s Bedtime and Humphrey’s Playtime – Sally Hunter (Feb.)
- Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire – Amanda Foreman (February)
- The Catwings Collection – Ursula LeGuin (February)
- The Professor and the Madman – Simon Winchester (February)
- High Marks for Murder – Rebecca Kent (February)
- Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad (March)
- Finished Off – Rebecca Kent (March)
- How the Irish Saved Civilization – Thomas Cahill (March)
- Humphrey’s Mealtime – Sally Hunter (March)
- The Clumsy Click Beetle – Eric Carle (all the time!)
- From Head to Toe – Eric Carle (March)
- Her Little Majesty: the Life of Queen Victoria – Carolly Erickson (April)
- Murder Has No Class – Rebecca Kent (April)
- Drood – Dan Simmons (May)
- Dead and Gone – Charlaine Harris (May)
- Dead in the Family – Charlaine Harris (May)
- Bella Tuscany – Frances Mayes (June)
- Mary Poppins – P.L. Tavers (June)
- The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street – Helene Hanff (July)
- The Woodlanders – Thomas Hardy (July)
- The Rainbow Fish books – Marcus Pfister (all the time!)
- Punctuation Celebration – Elsie Knight (all the time!)
- Lots of Brian P. Cleary Books (repeatedly – we are collecting all the titles)
- Gossie and Friends Collection – Olivier Dunrea (July)
- The Crack in the Edge of the World – Simon Winchester (July)
- The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield (July)
- Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson (July)
- The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton (August)
- Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (August)
- Outlander – Diana Gabaldon (August)
- Queen Isabella – Alison Weir (September)
- Sociopath Next Door – Stout (October)
- Homicide in Hardcover – Carlisle (October)
- Vampire Diaries Vol. 1 & 2 (Books 1-4) – L.J. Smith (November)
- The Brownie and the Princess – Louisa May Alcott (December)
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King (December)
For the record, in the last few months, I didn’t stop reading to my kid, we just kept reading all the same titles over and over again (as you will do with board and picture books). The titles place in line on the list represent the first time she heard the story.
I’d love to discuss anything I’ve already read with you if you are interested.
Buy From Amazon.com
Every year I make plans for what I will read and goals for things to accomplish in my literary life. This year I hope to double the number of adult books I get a chance to read, now that I am a stay at home mom I’m able to make a bit more time for that (Ayla just gets a bit more adult lit read to her than I think she bargained for at birth).
2010 List can be found here:
https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/books-i-read-in-2010/
Authors & Publishers: I’d love to receive review copies. In the past, I have been very punctual in my reading and in posting a review. I aim to be honest, but kind. I am a dedicated bibliophile that happens to hold a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing; being an emotional yet studious reader, I’d like to think I’m good at creating buzz.
House of Mirth a House of Love, Scruples, or Selfishness?
Title: The House of Mirth
Gillian Anderson in the 2000 Major Motion Picture of The House of Mirth
Author: Edith Wharton
Publisher: Barnes & Noble
Genre: Classic Literature
Length: 277 pages
My all time favorite questions when reading literature are: What is this character’s perception of love? What is the author telling us their own view of love is? And after reading this how do you view love? To quote Moulin Rouge: “Always this ridiculous obsession with love!” But it drives so much, and please forgive the pun, it is truly at the heart of every matter. So in reading The House of Mirth, my driving questions throughout the book have been: What is Lily Bart’s perception of love? What is Wharton trying to tell me about her own worldview concerning love?
Truth be told, I’m not sure what the answer is. She and Selden seem to have this constrained but meant-to-be-doomed-so-impossible love affair. “Ah, love me, love me—but don’t tell me so “? she tells him. She refuses Rosedale and all his money because she doesn’t love him. A lesson in morality from the beautiful Lily Bart? I’d say yes, except that she doesn’t run into the sunset with Selden when offered because he can’t support her lifestyle and she also seems to enjoy stringing Rosedale along, “the first sincere words she had ever spoken to him” not being voiced until very near the end of the book. So what is it Miss Bart? Money or love?
In the end, I have to say I think Lily is truly attempting to stand her moral ground but endlessly falls short via her own selfishness. Wharton would have you believe that this is an early stage of love, as she described Selden’s “impassioned self-absorption that the first surrender to love produces.” However, by the definition taught to me, selfishness is the direct opposite of love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 tells us,
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Neither Lily nor Selden seem to manage to maintain, much less attempt, these characteristics.
The dichotomy of Lily Bart is a fascinating one, probably one of the many reasons this book has been deemed a classic. One essayist wrote: “Lily’s distinction lies precisely in her ability to transcend such crude ambitions” as using her beauty to marry for money (Lahoucine Ouzgane). Wharton herself writes,
And was it her fault that the purely decorative mission is less easily and harmoniously fulfilled among social beings than in the world of nature? That it is apt to be hampered by material necessities or complicated by moral scruples?
Many believe this to be a tragic love triangle between Selden, Lily, and the nature of capitalism. Some people believe the work is Wharton making a statement about love, the nature of her own marriage, and the internal struggles she herself felt during the age. But what is The House of Mirth to you? Read it and find out. No matter what you discover of Lily, you won’t regret the experience, Wharton’s prose is lovely.
The Low Down on Kid’s Books
How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms – Yolen
This is Ayla’s first dinosaur book and the first thing we’ve read by Jane Yolen. Cute, clever, and rhyming this is great board book for a 14 month old learning to put her toys away before she leaves a room and goes to another. Its quickly becoming an afternoon favorite.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – Barrett
Ayla and I read this recently for the first time. She seemed to enjoy it when I made the action loud enough, but its definitely going to be more exciting when she’s a little older. All in all, though, it does not live up to its hype.
Punctuation Station – Bryan P. Cleary
Ayla and I love Bryan P. Cleary books and are trying to collect them all. We checked this one out of the library this week, and as usual she found the rhymes exciting, even if she doesn’t quite know what they mean yet!
The Sea of Bath – Bob Logan
Ayla loves this one. She’s really into the illustrations and there’s the perfect amount of story per page, so she is able to sit still for just the right amount of time before she turns the page for you. We checked this copy out of the library, but I think I’ll have to go buy a copy soon.
Where to, Little Wombat – Charles Fuge
Ayla wasn’t sure about sitting through the first page, but by the second she was hooked. The first time we read this she made me read it three times in a row and carried it around the house for an hour after that. The illustrations are fun and she loved being introduced to new animals she hadn’t seen before: wombat, emu, and koala. Plus, the story is super cute too.
Shop Kid’s Books
Christie the Queen of Mystery
Title: Mysterious Affair at Styles
Author: Agatha Christie
Join Hercule Poirot in Christie’s classic whodunit series, starting with the first! The lady of the house of Styles is poisoned and it’s up to Poirot and the narrator to uncover the culprit.
I’m sure you’ve heard that Christie is the mother of all mystery, and after reading my second Christie mystery ever, I must say I understand where that idea comes from. I was reading another blog today (http://resolution52.com/adventures-in-resolution52) and the writers really summed my thoughts on Agatha Christie and the mystery world up well when they wrote:
Agatha does it better – but, without Doyle, she probably wouldn’t have done it at all.
You can feel the cornerstone in the structure politely put in place by Doyle’s existence as a writer, but despite my deep love for Sherlock Holmes, you can tell Christie really mastered the whodunit art.
I’m on a mission to read all of Agatha Christie’s crime collection and starting at the beginning did not disappoint. Christie’s cozy mysteries make for pleasant little “FridayReads” (if you’re a twitter follower you know how much I love those) and I look forward to continue my year with Poirot! And soon after following with Miss Marple and the rest.
The goal is to finish the entire crime collection in 23 months, starting now. I’ll be reading three titles a month, so feel free to join me for some or all: http://www.shelfari.com/groups/79392/discussions/418226/Agatha-Christie
How to Buy a Love of Reading… Just buy Gibson’s book
Title: How to Buy a Love of Reading
Author: Tanya Egan Gibson
Publisher: Dutton, a member of Penguin group
Genre: Fiction
Length: 389 pages
I cannot begin to count, honestly, the number of times I was brought to tears by this book. Something that was supposed to be light and fun proved to be something beautiful and amazing, something that moved me more than words can express.
I cannot begin to count, honestly, the number I times I fell in love with Hunter. Over and over again, reminding me of boys I fell in love with in real life. Stranger still, reminding me of myself.
I found Carly amazing, and brave, and beautiful, a character who reminded me of people I both love and hate.
I found Gibson reminding me why I fell in love with Fitzgerald in high school and how I cherish every blessed word of Gatsby and every word written about it.
I found myself wanting to share this jewel with a dear friend who has already left this world and lonely because of all the disappointment in his missing it.
I sit here writing the most incoherent review in the immediate moment of completion because I’m blown away, dazed, and I don’t want it to end, even though the ending is so perfectly final.
Anakalian Whims 