Saturday, March 03, 2007

Why books are like potato chips:

You can't have just one. Nossir, you can't.

For I tried.

I meandered over to Borders last night as part of a long list of errands I assigned myself, consisting mainly of things that I wanted to get but didn't really need. Typical.

I went to get a copy of Mitch Albom's For One More Day and ended up with a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife as well.

And it's because when I had the first book in hand, I couldn't conceive of just getting one. It was...impossible to wrap my mind around it, as though opportuntites to come to a bookstore were so rare that I couldn't pass up this opportunity to grab just one more book.

Nevermind that I already have shelf-fulls of books that I haven't read yet. Nevermind that I've already spent way too much money this week on non-essentials (like plane tickets & tickets to go see a local production of Hamlet (my absolutely favorite Shakespeare play) and, like, gasoline & stuff). Nevermind that those books will just sit on my shelf until I 'have time' (a non-existent yet hopeful-sounding imaginary future period of my life).

I bought them anyway.

And you know what? I still got a thrill from buying them. Yeah. Books just do that to me.

5 comments:

Andrea -- Just One More Book!! Podcast said...

We know what you mean about collecting books!

Hear about ours on our children's book podcast "Just One More Book!" at JustOneMoreBook.com

Andrea

Lizardbreath McGee said...

That. Is an awesome site. I plan to spend some serious time there! :^)

Debbie Barr said...

Bwahaha. Me too, Beth, me too.

Lindsay said...

I'm such a sucker in a bookstore. Especially those used bookstores...because for some reason it's easier to justify my armloads of desired purchases when it's all dirt cheap. Only then the poor, married-to -a-grad-student part of me gets a visit from my bank account shoulder devil and I have to put most of them back. Man, though, if I had a million dollars....

Kimberly Bluestocking said...

That's why Borders gift cards are my favorite kind of present. That way the fun's already paid for, and I can walk in and get any darn book I want. Or two. :)

Oh, and Beth, Hamlet's my favorite, too.