Friday, July 08, 2005
Wrapped up in books
Earlier tonight, I was checking out Technorati to see which blogs link to this site. Most of what I found was exactly as I expected, with one exception. Paul of More Chains Than Clank links to my site as well. So I spent a few minutes perusing his site tonight. He loves books, and it reminded me that I rarely write about what I'm reading.
I've always been an avid reader, starting with my Speak & Spell and Speak & Read. In kindergarten, I used to read stories to my friends during playtime. I was always the girl with her nose in a book. I've been collecting books for a long time, and there are currently five big bookshelves in our apartment overflowing with books of all sort. I'll read just about anything, but some of the authors I love are Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Daphne DuMaurier, A. J. Cronin... as you can tell, I love the classics and older books. Modern writers I like include David Sedaris, Donna Tartt, Dave Eggers (sorry, Kris), and Jonathan Safran Foer. I just finished JSF's latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close this week while on the train. On our weekend trip to Barbados, I read Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, and now I'm in the middle of The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq. So lately it's been mostly contemporary stuff.
However, before this slew of modern literature, I did read Trilby by George DuMaurier... and that one is pretty old. I have a beautiful hardcover copy of it, dating from 1895 (it was first published in 1894), which I found at the Brattle Book Shop in Boston last year. It was a bit worn, so I got it super cheap. By the way, I highly recommend this book shop if you are ever in Boston. I have bought a lot of books there. Heck, if you're ever in Rogers, Arkansas, check out The Friendly Bookstore, which is a block or two from where I used to live. They sell used books for super cheap, and they have a great sale once a year. Another great NW Arkansas find is Bunches A Books, housed in a metal barn right outside of Springdale (no book over $1.50!). Anyone who has lived in Fayetteville knows The Dickson Street Bookshop, which is a lovely place to lose yourself. And I guess if I'm doing shout-outs to bookstores, I can't forget Book People in Austin, which is not only the largest bookstore in Texas, but it's independant too!
One of my 43 Things this year was to read more books. I think I've got that one covered.
Earlier tonight, I was checking out Technorati to see which blogs link to this site. Most of what I found was exactly as I expected, with one exception. Paul of More Chains Than Clank links to my site as well. So I spent a few minutes perusing his site tonight. He loves books, and it reminded me that I rarely write about what I'm reading.
I've always been an avid reader, starting with my Speak & Spell and Speak & Read. In kindergarten, I used to read stories to my friends during playtime. I was always the girl with her nose in a book. I've been collecting books for a long time, and there are currently five big bookshelves in our apartment overflowing with books of all sort. I'll read just about anything, but some of the authors I love are Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Daphne DuMaurier, A. J. Cronin... as you can tell, I love the classics and older books. Modern writers I like include David Sedaris, Donna Tartt, Dave Eggers (sorry, Kris), and Jonathan Safran Foer. I just finished JSF's latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close this week while on the train. On our weekend trip to Barbados, I read Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, and now I'm in the middle of The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq. So lately it's been mostly contemporary stuff.
However, before this slew of modern literature, I did read Trilby by George DuMaurier... and that one is pretty old. I have a beautiful hardcover copy of it, dating from 1895 (it was first published in 1894), which I found at the Brattle Book Shop in Boston last year. It was a bit worn, so I got it super cheap. By the way, I highly recommend this book shop if you are ever in Boston. I have bought a lot of books there. Heck, if you're ever in Rogers, Arkansas, check out The Friendly Bookstore, which is a block or two from where I used to live. They sell used books for super cheap, and they have a great sale once a year. Another great NW Arkansas find is Bunches A Books, housed in a metal barn right outside of Springdale (no book over $1.50!). Anyone who has lived in Fayetteville knows The Dickson Street Bookshop, which is a lovely place to lose yourself. And I guess if I'm doing shout-outs to bookstores, I can't forget Book People in Austin, which is not only the largest bookstore in Texas, but it's independant too!
One of my 43 Things this year was to read more books. I think I've got that one covered.
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