My Precious
So those book shaped presents were indeed books! I am sitting here caressing them, oohing and aahing. I feel like Golem and the One Ring, "Mine. My Precious. Yesssss." I can't say that I was worried that those book shaped packages were anything other than books, but I have learned one lesson in life and that is that one should not assume. When my Mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday a few weeks ago and I told her I'd make it easy on her and she could just send me a Barnes and Noble gift card she sniffed at me and said she would just send a check, it was easier. But then she shot out, "And you are not to spend it all on books!" "I'd never do that," I told her. I tried to make light of it but I had been warned. She was going to ask me what I bought with the check and since, as I've mentioned, I'm not good at lying, I had better spend at least half of the check on something else. That was a sad thought for me because that meant I wouldn't be able to get as many books. But my Bookman came through! And it's a good thing too since I spent most of Mom's check at Nordstrom Rack and I still need sandals. One would think that the 16, yes, 16, books that my beloved gave me would be enough, and don't get me wrong, they are satiating, but I'm still looking forward to a trip to his store to spend the check Grandma sent me and the gift card from my MIL. Birthdays are the best! I'm beginning to sound like a little materialist piggy here, but those who know me know that I am not a shopper except when it comes to books. I can't help myself. As shoes are to some women, books are to me. Besides, I hate shoes (in spite of my above stated need for sandals), I never wear them at home and would wear slippers to work if I could get away with it. So I am flying high here, but before I float too far out of orbit, allow me to share with you some of the gifties from my man. In no particular order,
- Love by Toni Morrison
- The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene. I may not be good at math, but this kind of stuff has always fascinated me. Plus, if you've seen the PBS series Greene did on his book The Elegant Universe, and you like scifi, you'll understand.
- On Language by Noam Chomsky
- The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
- 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky. Why? Because I was born in 1968, it's a freaking awesome year!
- Don Quixote translated by Edith Grossman
- So Many Books!: And How to Find Your Way Among Them by Gabriel Zaid. I found this little book when I Googled So Many Books. Yes, I was curious to see what would come up, and I am so wildly popular that I didn't even appear on the first five pages (I gave up after that), but this book did.
- A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict by John Baxter. I had not heard of this, but I am looking forward to reading it.
