My Bookman and I celebrated 17 years of wedded bookish bliss yesterday. Our celebrations actually extended over three days as we both took Friday off. Our celebrations included the four cornerstones of our successful marriage: books, ballroom dancing, food and of course, love.
We took a trip to Half Price Books on Saturday. I was only looking for the next Slaves of Golconda book, but somehow I managed to walk out with four books:
- Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson. This is the next Slaves read. Discussion is set for January 31st so if you’d like to join in you have plenty of time to get yourself a copy, enjoy the holidays and still read the book.
- Sartor Resartus by Thomas Carlyle. This will be on hand when I decide to dive in and see what Emerson’s friend is all about.
- Thinks… by David Lodge. I have never read Lodge before but have wanted to. Earlier in the day before our trip to the bookstore we heard him talking on NPR. So when this book turned up on the clearance shelf, well, we were primed to buy.
- Only Revolutions by Mark Danielewski. I have yet to read House of Leaves but I expect to like it so it is good to have this book on hand too.
Those aren’t my only recent acquisitions. Week before last we found ourselves browsing at Barnes and Noble while sharing a soy mocha. We had a 15% off one item coupon so picked up a copy of an already discounted Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago. It was practically free so it had to come home with us!
From Bookmooch has come Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit. I really enjoyed A Field Guide to Getting Lost and I am hoping this book might provide me a mental vacation in the middle of winter when I’d like to be elsewhere but am frozen in.
A gift from the author, a copy of The Last Free Cat by Jon Blake. It is a young adult book I plan to reward myself with after finishing my midterm this week.
And finally, Toward a Recognition of Androgyny by Carolyn G. Heilbrun. This book I found on lunchroom “library” shelf at work last week. I haven’t looked at the shelves in ages because I stocked it with most of its books. But last week I was caught at lunch in an empty lunchroom without a book. I spied this book immediately and snatched it up. I love Heilbrun and I confess that I will not be returning this book to the lunchroom library. Sometimes a girl just has to be bad.
Sharing a soy mocha? That is so cute!! Congratulations! 🙂
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I can’t wait to read your review on Death Without Interruptions!
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Nice time of year for a celebration! … My wife’s birthday is tomorrow and mine is the day after.
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Congratulations! Wedded bookish bliss…
We just recently got a new bookshelf and we are ALREADY stacking books on the stairs, etc. Precisely the reason we got the new bookshelf. Oh well. Books are my favorite kind of decor, anyway.
Have fun with your new acquisitions!
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Congrats!
“Wanderlust: A History of Walking” sounds interesting…
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Oh congratulations! It sounds like the perfect wedding anniversary, and lovely, lovely books.
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Sylvia, a soy mocha with some pumpkin spice in it even 🙂 Thank you!
Vasilly, I can’t wait to read the book!
Okie, definitely a wonderful time of year to celebrate. Happy birthday to you and your wife!
Daphne, thank you. Isn’t that the way it goes with bookshelves? Somehow there are always more books than shelf space.
wil, thank you. There are many bloggers who have mentioned loving this book. I am looking forward to reading it.
Litlove, thanks. We go in for simple celebrations 🙂
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Congratulations on the anniversary. Sounds like the ideal way to celebrate . . . Mr. Inkslinger and I did something similar this year. Yay for booklovers and ballroom dance addicts! 🙂
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Congratulations on your anniversary Stefanie! I love your celebration.
And, see, I knew I forgot something at HPB… I was supposed to look for Sexing the Cherry. Oh rats, I guess I’ll just have to go back 😉
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Sounds like the perfect celebration. It’s also making me want to peruse your shelves, possibly while toting a tasteful yet enormous satchel.
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Congratulations! I’m glad to hear you enjoy Heilbrun so much; I’ve never read her, but I own at least one of her books. And Wanderlust — what a great book! I adore it. Solnit is a wonderful writer and thinker. I’m positive you will like it.
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Congratulations – I love your phrase, wedded bookish bliss! Sounds lovely and I can’t wait til the Swiss man and I can say 17 years – what an accomplishment!
Your book finds sound perfectly wonderful. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Carlyle and Solnit.
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Happy anniversary a couple days late!
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Inkslinger, thank you. Books and dancing are a great way to celebrate 🙂
Iliana, thanks! Too bad you will have to go back to HPB. Are you sure you didn’t do that on purpose? 😀
Carrie, all bags must be checked at the door 😉
Dorothy, thank you. I am surprised you haven’t read Heilbrun. I think you will like her. I put Wanderlust on my mooch list after you wrote about it. I am sure I will enjoy it!
Verbivore, thanks! 17 years will come around before you know it. I am looking forward to both the Carlyle and the Solnit.
Susan, thank you!
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I’m late commenting, as usual. I hope you find something in “Wanderlust” that you can keep with you. It is a wonderful book. But I’m a Rebecca Solnit fan, so I’m bias.
Good luck with “Sexing the Cherry” – it’s one of her earlier books that I did not quite love – but it’s probably because I didn’t “understand” it. But it’s full of lyrical beauty, and it has her characteristic playfulness with storytelling and lies and non-linear narrative.
I re-read The Four Quartet just so that I could understand “Sexing the Cherry” better. It’s didn’t help that much, but after a while, I found the T.S. Eliot echoes in the novel quite soothing.
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