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The Book Addict's Life
Sep. 19th, 2019 06:33 pmThe first thing I've done, every time I've sat down at my computer the past two days, is check my AOL account to see if my book has been shipped.
But if the compulsion to do this, mornings, afternoons, nights, has been maddening, seeing that they hadn't even processed the order yet has been infinitely more so.
I NEED that stream of words running past my eyes. I need the thoughts, feelings, actions, of someone else's imagined life, to take me somewhere far away from my own.
And so, as I was wandering through Walmart this afternoon, I made my way to the back of the store where their three or four rows of books, mostly children's and YA, is located.
And there, on a lower shelf, I found a single paperback copy of Kristin Hannah's 1999 novel On Mystic Lake. The book I'd ordered online, two days ago, from B&N.
I picked it up, read the back cover, hesitated, and then put it back on the shelf.
At first, I was able to rationalize my decision financially. The Walmart book was $14 and change, before taxes. The B&N copy would be delivered to my door for less than $10, shipping and taxes included.
That got me to my car and West Genesee Street got me home. With a little help from the nice folks at Subaru. Because, you know, love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
However, when I walked into my house, the urge hit me again. I went upstairs and checked my AOL account. The message from B&N now said delivery by Monday. Which didn't help. As anyone who's ever been addicted to anything knows, four days is four lifetimes.
After a bit more searching, I determined that, once it arrived, my B&N copy could be returned, without prejudice, to the nearest Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Economics be damned, I jumped in my car and drove back to Walmart hoping that "my" book had not been sold in the meantime. And it hadn't.
It's now Thursday evening and I'm 150 pages into it, a blistering pace for one who took 3 months to read a Steinbeck biography.
But every so often, when I look up, a panicked thought crosses my mind. Where am I gonna get my next fix?
If I were living at home, I'd be plotting to steal my parents' TV. To, you know, pay for the next one...
LPK
Dreamwidth
9.19.2019
But if the compulsion to do this, mornings, afternoons, nights, has been maddening, seeing that they hadn't even processed the order yet has been infinitely more so.
I NEED that stream of words running past my eyes. I need the thoughts, feelings, actions, of someone else's imagined life, to take me somewhere far away from my own.
And so, as I was wandering through Walmart this afternoon, I made my way to the back of the store where their three or four rows of books, mostly children's and YA, is located.
And there, on a lower shelf, I found a single paperback copy of Kristin Hannah's 1999 novel On Mystic Lake. The book I'd ordered online, two days ago, from B&N.
I picked it up, read the back cover, hesitated, and then put it back on the shelf.
At first, I was able to rationalize my decision financially. The Walmart book was $14 and change, before taxes. The B&N copy would be delivered to my door for less than $10, shipping and taxes included.
That got me to my car and West Genesee Street got me home. With a little help from the nice folks at Subaru. Because, you know, love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
However, when I walked into my house, the urge hit me again. I went upstairs and checked my AOL account. The message from B&N now said delivery by Monday. Which didn't help. As anyone who's ever been addicted to anything knows, four days is four lifetimes.
After a bit more searching, I determined that, once it arrived, my B&N copy could be returned, without prejudice, to the nearest Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Economics be damned, I jumped in my car and drove back to Walmart hoping that "my" book had not been sold in the meantime. And it hadn't.
It's now Thursday evening and I'm 150 pages into it, a blistering pace for one who took 3 months to read a Steinbeck biography.
But every so often, when I look up, a panicked thought crosses my mind. Where am I gonna get my next fix?
If I were living at home, I'd be plotting to steal my parents' TV. To, you know, pay for the next one...
LPK
Dreamwidth
9.19.2019
