July 5, 2012
-
book covers
I’ve been in rant mode for days now. I’m going to decide not to be frustrated/annoyed/angry about one of my rant issues. I can’t think or talk about it anymore. I need to be done. I’ve discovered that I’m not exactly rational about it anymore. I can’t see other sides or points of view and so I need to be done with it. Whew. Thank goodness.
I could easily start another rant subject because some people appear to be completely off their nut. But I can’t do anything about that either, and so I think I’ll just skip that as well.
And talk instead of completely unimportant things. I took Spawn to Barnes and Noble today. Mostly because I wanted just a few minutes in comfortable air conditioning and I wanted an overpriced Starbucks deliciousness. I took her along because.. I have no idea. Probably because she has become antisocial or the fact that I haven’t spoken with her in days (except for yesterday and that doesn’t count because she was cranky too). Or maybe I wanted to buy her an overpriced Starbucks deliciousness and her love. In any case, I was on a quest for a book I don’t have time to read for a book discussion I don’t have the brain power for. I decided to look for it on my very own, since I actually know where the Psychology department is in my B & N. Unfortunately, there is a very comfy chair right by those books. Uncomfortably close to those books. Like if a person is sitting in the chair, it is awkward to look in that department. And if the person sitting in that chair suddenly gets a phone call… it’s pretty much impossible to avoid eavesdropping because she’s practically talking directly into the shopper’s ear. I just wanted to find my book and get the heck out of there. But no, all I can concentrate on is how she wouldn’t trust the convicts who are applying to work with autistic children in the middle of nowhere. I do not want to know this. Why do I have to know this??? Anyhow so I finally found my book and might have exclaimed something out loud. Then went in search of Spawn who is a prize winning dawdler. I remembered why I don’t take her shopping with me. It’s not good for me to have extra time at the book store and I’m an impatient shopper anyhow. (hurry up, kid so I can get my overpriced Starbucks deliciousness.) Anyhow, so you can clearly see that the following rant is her fault.
I happened to run across this book.
This book was probably the best book I read last year. (I think it was last year. In any case, it was an excellent book.) And I saw a bunch of other books by Markus Zuzak and I kinda pondered the idea of trying out another one. (again, I should not have extra time in the book store) So I picked up this book.
And it sounded pretty interesting. Now I think I over-reacted. Because the reason I decided not to get it was that I looked at those two covers in Barnes and Noble and thought that the newer book cover was very similar to The Book Thief. (It doesn’t seem quite so similar now. Sigh.) This bothered me because it seems to me the only reason to have a similar cover on a book is to ride on the success of the previous book. The other book by this author had a completely different style of cover. Oh well. I didn’t buy it. Maybe it’s wonderful as well and I’ve kept this young man from making his fortune.
And speaking of fortune, on the opposite aisle was a book I’ve been eyeballing for a while. This one.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I wondered why she was collaborating. Turns out Samantha Van Leer is her daughter. Also turns out that Spawn thought this book sounded pretty great. I’m perfectly happy to spend too much on a book for her. So we snagged it. (Now we’re negotiating who gets to read it first, but since we both are in the middle of other things, we’ve both been very polite about it. Unlike the last time we shared a book- Twilight.
) In any case, we had a discussion about this cover too. Spawn wanted to know why Jodi Picoult’s name is so much larger than the title of the book. We had a lovely chitchat about what sells and who has power and an author like that could probably tell her publisher than her daughter’s name needs to be pretty big as well even though she is probably not a big name in writing.Then we did the quiz of Picoult’s other books in which she named the book and I had to identify something about the plot. I did pretty good for an old lady.
And then she wanted to tell me all about some show on tv and my brain shut down.
Rant mode. It’s not good.
By the way, I chose not to order the frothy chocolate cookie concoction that god himself would come down from heaven to get and instead got an iced tea which was delightful the last time i got it, but not so much today. Probably because I said sweetened and she didn’t hear that. I guess. It was dullsville. Next time I’m going for the cookies.
Comments (37)
I’m reading one of Jodi Picoult’s books right now, actually. She’s an amazing author.
@xdeelynnx - well, clearly i need to know which one?
@promisesunshine - It’s called Mercy. I can’t explain what it’s about, but it’s good so far.
Conversation overhearings can be very disturbing.
I never dawdlein bookstores. I just make sure that I don’t miss anything. And yes, that does require that I need the title, author, and possibly the synopsis of every single book.
@xdeelynnx - that’s an old one. i haven’t read it, but it sounds very good. i like how she takes her readers along as she explores a controversial topic. there have been characters that i’ve wanting to shout at.
anyhow. enjoy.
@lanney - was this perhaps a conversation to have somewhere else? clearly this woman is in a position of hiring people. it bothered me on all kinds of levels. (but mostly in that i couldn’t concentrate on my purpose because her chair and conversation were too close!!) i’m going to write a letter. move that chair. there’s always someone sitting in that chair. is it part of candid camera?
i’m still spewing today. all day long. constant stream of chatter. what is the matter with me.
Since you didn’t use a question mark at the end of that last sentence, I’m going to assume you don’t actually want me to tell you. : P
Also, yes, it was inappropriate of her, but it seems that discretion and manners vanished from our society some time ago, Also shame — I overheard a woman in Wal-Mart discussing where would be the best place for her to be picked up on her outstanding warrant.
i find it awesome if not endearing you and spawn share books.
and this is well told
@bonmots - it is awesome. we had a lovely bonding afternoon, just the two of us. we don’t do that kind of thing often enough.
is everything ok?
@lanney - where indeed. should it customer service or hardware or what. i believe we are seeing the unintended consequences of cell phones. perhaps tomorrow’s rant.
@promisesunshine - thank you for asking. things could be better, could be worse. you know…
@bonmots - sometimes that’s the best we can do. tomorrow is another day.
I’ve heard The Book Thief and I Am The Messenger are both good books. I haven’t read them though.
Love your rants. Until one of my favorite authors new book comes out, going to re-read The Hunger Games books… Or the next library sale…
@Shining_Garnet - i’m going to ask the person who recommended book thief about messenger. i’m sure she’s read it. i hope you’ll put book thief on your reading list.
@Zoz36 - i so rarely reread. but hunger games i would. and should. spill. favorite author. (i’m sorry if you’ve already said.) i don’t know when i got this B & N habit. i need to kick it. books are way too expensive (and so is starbucks)
You caused me to spew my drink when you were talkin about the person in the chair chattin it up. I tell you, lately, I’ve been going to the library to get a book because I don’t feel so intimidated by that “person in the chair”.
I’m going to have to shamelessly steal your Starbucks deliciousness line. They’re always so dumbfounded by my order: coffee (black)
@Kellsbella - there are signs everywhere in my library that clearly state that people don’t want to hear your phone conversation.
i couldn’t drink black coffee on a bet.
@promisesunshine - How about a triple dog dare? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZj3zOUZNs
I like it when an author’s books look kind of similar, that way they jump out at me from the crowd. You should totally move that chair! Why not? What are they gonna do, ban you from the B&N? Oooo. That would be bad. At least you could still get your deliciousness from the drive thru.
Sorry about your discombobulation. Why is your daughter antisocial? Maybe it’s time to introduce her to the Ramones?
@distractedbyzombies - her antisocialness is a mystery i’m trying to solve. we had a conversation about it yesterday. but as always a conversation with that girl leaves me scratching my head. i hope someday we speak similar languages.
i’m gonna move that chair. or i’m going to stop buying carl jung books. one or the other.
Do not stop buying Carl Jung books. Which one did you get? I can never leave a book store with less than three books. Which is why I haven’t been in a book store lately. I love your stories. You have a talent in the telling of your day.
Love The Book Thief. Must get the other books too. Thanks!!
@awoolham - if you get to i am the messenger first (which i think you will), please report. spawn loves between the lines.
@songoftheheart - i got the undiscovered self for a xanga book club. it starts monday, theoretically. it’s short and small. the book that is. i don’t remember anything about the book club. i’ll tag you (just in case) when i get a message on monday.
i whine, jo. that’s the telling of my day.
i just cleaned the library out of juvenile nonfiction about the rainforest. woo baby.
I love book tires. I just bought a very expensive car. I might throw up. Probably not tho. Love books. Drat the iPhone…where did “tires” come from??????
@ordinarybutloud - laughing a little bit. because i really wasn’t sure if tires made sense or not. yay. on getting your new car. (which has tires, i presume) maybe not so yay on it being expensive, but as it’s a car..
book stores?
the world is too complicated for me today. i’m telling ya. but i don’t want to throw up.
It has 4 tires AND a full-sized spare. I hate spending $ on cars.
@ordinarybutloud - tires are good. and a spare. i don’t believe anyone is giving away cars today.
@promisesunshine - Not here they aren’t. I am buying American for the first time EVER. It is all very nerve-wracking.
@ordinarybutloud - an american car??? surely it’s made somewhere else. or parts of it. spill details. (i have a very exciting american car. ha)
I wonder what would happen if I wrote my posts in a stream of consciousness like you do and if they would be half as interesting as yours and I fear that if I did people would know that I don’t have a good vocabulary like you do nor would I use words like Starbucks deliciousness that my spell correction wanted to call deviousness.
@vexations - deviousness.
getting starbucks deliciousness requires deviousness. gotta hide evidence y’know.
however, i think you make too much sense to do stream of consciousness. i still have to work on something i promised you. now i’m blushing and grinning.
as for the rest of that pretty compliment, thank you.
@promisesunshine - I have no idea where it’s made. I masquerade as a knowledgeable person but I’m actually quite clueless about most things. It’s a chevy. tahoe. YAY! I have ALWAYS, but ALWAYS wanted a truck. And now I have one!!!!!!!
@ordinarybutloud - it doesn’t really matter to me where it’s made. i think perhaps you mentioned tahoe as one of the options. i can’t remember anything.
really important question: what color is it?
@promisesunshine - white-ish. cream, kind of. it’s sparkly white. I can’t remember the name of the color.
@ordinarybutloud - purty
@promisesunshine -
I keep looking at it out the kitchen window. Mr. OBL is amused. I’ve had a minivan for a LONG time. every dealership I went to at least one person, and sometimes two, said, “are you excited to be getting out of the minivan?” it was amusing.