Denton boasts a great used book store that Jonathan knew I would enjoy: Recycled Books.With Annie & Ellie in tow, we had limited time to browse, but perhaps that was for the best. It took only ten minutes to find 15 books I would love to own!
I loved the homemade wooden shelves, the steep stairs, the hand-lettered signs ("No leaning on the stair rail please!"), the green shag carpeting, the whole vibe.
We have a Half-Price Books here, and I am a frequent visitor, but this had an even more 'independent' vibe. The salespeople had facial hair art OR multiple piercings OR funky glasses (or all three!), and were very helpful ("Are you an educator? If you are, I'll give you a 10% discount.")
My selections?
1. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje - I loved The English Patient, and my friends Jennifer & Todd have recommended this book more than once. I've looked in multiple book stores, and this is the first time I've ever found a copy. Even Jennifer & Todd couldn't find their copy when they first made the recommendation. I was starting to think that this memoir of his family life in Sri Lanka did not exist. Yay!
2. Netherland by Joseph O'Neill - If I'm not mistaken (and I hope I'm not because I keep spouting off this ranking), this was the New York Times' recommendation for best fiction of 2008. (I could doublecheck that, but oh well...)
Any novel that focuses on a niche group or subgroup of the larger population, whether it be spelling bee champions or goat rodeo riders, already has my interest. In this case, the subgroup is Trinidadian cricket players in New York City.
The dust jacket had me at 'Chuck Ramkissoon evokes The Great Gatsby.'
3.The Really Wicked Droning Wasp And Other Things That Bite and Sting for Graham. It's a DK book, and to me, that's all I need to see. I would check out Sewage: A Water Treatment Journey if it had that DK logo in the corner. But it doesn't hurt that Graham is fascinated/terrified by stinging, flying bugs.
I let Annie choose her book. It's called The Easter Bunny. Its cover is wrapped in pink faux fur. It does not have a Dorling Kindersley logo in the corner. No surprise - there's no image available.And Jonathan found this for himself. Fun nightstand reading! :)
9 comments:
I love the new design (so pretty) and your bookstore adventure sounds awesome.
My very favorite books store is Powell's books in Portland, Oregon. That is walking into heaven. Any store that requires a map, provides you with your own personal mini book cart, and has an awesome cafe where they encourage you to read their magazines, is pure bliss.
My dream vacation is to go on a Used/Independent bookstore road trip across the USA. I'll put Recycled Books on my must-stop list.
Wow. I love the picture of the bookstore! I admit I am feeling some jealousy pangs.
"I would check out Sewage: A Water Treatment Journey if it had that DK logo in the corner" So funny, Erin . . . and so true.
Oh, Dickson Street Bookstore, how I long to magically move you to a certain book-deprived town in the Northwest.
Erin,
I totally wanted to copy your blog background with the yellow and flowers but thought that would be tacky. But since you don't have it anymore where did you find it and are there other designs?
I just found a great bookstore in our area. The used books are so well organized it is a joy to shop in and they have a HUGE room filled literally floor to ceiling with beads. Totally awesome! Thankfully the long drive into town keeps my book budget reasonable but I did get Brian's books for Christmas there.
Where is Debbie Macomber on your list (:
HAHAHA.
Marni - don't mock Debbie Macomber. I love her fluffy books, especially her 5,000 Christmas ones. Now Erin is a different matter entirely - the are probably below Erin's English Professor standards but hey, I'm not an English professor so my standards can be low and I'm proud of them.
Hey, at least I haven't read The Twilight Series! :)
Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters!
The twilight series are an interesting read to understand the teenage mind (abstract thinking without full frontal lobe development).
(:
I spent many hours at Recycled Books when I was at school in Denton. One of my favorite places. I miss Denton.
I cannot begin to calculate the amount of money we have spent at Recycled over the years. I wonder why I didn't think to recommend it to you? We love that place.
Hooray for Running in the Family! I can't wait to talk to you about it (and can I borrow it when you're done?).
Ditto on the DK Press thing.
(I'm trying to catch up -- it's going to take me ages!)
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