Saturday, July 30, 2011

July 2011: Book (Nook) Buying


So much to confess this month!  This isn't chronological order, but I'll get the big purchase out of the way first:  I went into Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago and bought a Nook.  I'm totally charmed with it (I mean charmed with her, for she is a girl and her name is Dorothy as in Parker, Gale, Hughes and Thompson).  There's something so close to magic about sitting in Starbucks, McDonald's or Taco Bell (places with wi-fi in this particular town) and suddenly getting a desire to read something and being able to make it appear within a couple of minutes. 

Dorothy came into my life bearing three books: Little Women, Pride and Prejudice and Dracula and the capacity for so many more.  Of course, I had to test that out immediately.  Over a marvelous tea lemonade in Sedalia's Starbucks store, I made my first e-book purchase:  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  It arrived so quickly that I nearly squeeeeeed in public.

After a few days, I wanted to do the magic again.  I'd just been to Hannibal, Mark Twain's hometown, and had a hankering to read Life on the Mississippi.  Off I went to McDonald's to nurse a $1.00 sweet tea and shop.  By the time I got down to the ice at the bottom of the cup, I not only had LOTM (for 99 cents!), but I had also bought The Autobiography of Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  I was supposed to read that last one over 25 years ago in Mr. Shanahan's American Novel class, but didn't get around to it, and still felt a little guilty about blowing off the assignment.  Never too late.  (In a related note, I nearly named Dorothy Larry after McMurtry and Shanahan.)

I am slightly touched with new techie fervor, but  I could not let the sweet paper bundles be.  Here's what I toted out of Real Live Bookstores during July:

1. Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand.  Still mourning my lost-on-the-subway copy, I purchased another as soon as my plane landed in Dallas.

2. The Wilder Life - Wendy McClure.  Purchased at my local indie bookstore because I am a big fat Bonnethead and proud of it.

3. Here If You Need Me - Kate Braestrup.  I found this treasure at the local used bookstore.

4. Please Don't Shoot My Dog - Jackie Cooper. I love books about Old Hollywood.  This one also came from the used bookstore.  Smells so good. The store, I mean.

5. A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard.  My mom wanted to read this book after she saw the interview with Dugard on 20/20, so I found it for her at Wal-Mart.

6. Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann.  This one is my friend Doreen's fault.  It's her favorite campy movie, so she urged Katie and me to watch it right before my trip to the States.  That damn theme song by Dionne Warwick is turning out to be a forever earworm.  I don't take Doreen's cruelty to heart though; every bookworm summer should feature at least one Classic Trashy Read.

7. Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder.  After Mom found out that Laura and her family lived for a short time in the same county she was born and brought up in, she decided that perhaps there was merit in my being a Bonnethead.   I used the opportunity to run back to the used bookstore and introduce her to the series.  I wanted to start with Little House in the Big Woods, but it wasn't there.  I toyed with the idea of getting my favorite, The Long Winter, but settled on the one with the same name as the TV show.

10 comments:

A Library Girl said...

Embarrassingly, this is not a comment about the books you bought. I was actually wondering about your Nook cover. When I was trying to choose a cover for my Nook, I saw that most of the covers were of that particular style, with the bit that seems to cover the entire bottom edge of the Nook. In your picture, though, it looks like the little port where you plug in the USB cable/outlet charger is accessible even with the cover on. Is that the case? If so, I might look into another cover for my Nook - I'd love a cover that had a pocket I could keep notes in.

Bybee said...

Yes, the little port is accessible with the cover on. I was glad since I really want to keep Dorothy protected as much as possible.

Unknown said...

I enjoyed Valley of the Dolls myself. It is classic trash. The movie is also fun, especially if you watch it with martinis.

Next summer you should go for the mother of all classic trash, Peyton Place. It's actually a very good book in spite of being classic trash reading. The movie is just okay.

Kathleen said...

I recently received a Nook for my birthday and really love it too! It is scary how easy it is to buy books!

Unruly Reader said...

When I read that Dorothy almost was named Larry, I burst out laughing. Glad she's proving to be a good companion! Also -- glad you got a Bonnethead fix. I believe in indulging in such stuff.

Alyce said...

I loved the Henrietta Lacks book and Unbroken. Have you read Alison Arngrim's memoir about playing Nellie? It was very good.

susan said...

The only thing about the ebooks they can be very compulsive, at a virtual book store it gives you a chance to think about it. With my nook,I can be very dangerous and just buying without thinking, and then hit yourself. What am I doing. But, I love the nook especially for travel.

What a great choice of books with your new nook

Anonymous said...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the perfect first purchase for an ereader!

Anonymous said...

Well, hello Dorothy. I'm so glad you're a Dorothy and not a Larry. :-D I hope you and Bybee will be very happy together. It sounds like you two are off to a fabulous start!

Carrie#K said...

Valley of the Dolls is pretty much a compulsive campy read. I liked CT Yankee in King Arthur's Court way back when too.

Dorothy is a great name!! So much better than Larry. /scoffs. (Sry, any Larry's reading this!)