Monday, January 15, 2007

Gift certificates galore

Aren't gift certificates wonderful? I spent Friday evening raiding the clearance racks at Ann Taylor Loft and what finds I found! Dresses, skirts, and sweaters, oh my! Found the perfect dress for a wedding in Vegas I am attending this weekend, a fabulous tweed coat, 2 cozy sweaters, and a very stylish tweed skirt (one can never have enough tweed is what I say - as long as you don't wear it all at once!).

Through a Glass DarklyYesterday, I was at Barnes and Noble with another gift certificate browsing the shelves and came across Karleen Koen's Through a Glass Darkly. After reading the first 2 pages, I was already sucked in and therefore decided it was purchase worthy.

The Best American Essays 2006 (Best American Essays)I was tempted to pick up a copy of The Best American Essays 2006, but I was good at remembering my New Year's resolution not to buy too much so this title was added to my "library list." I also came across Rachel Cusk's Arlington Park, but have heard mixed reviews and decided this one belonged on the "library list" also.

Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething WritersCurrently, I have been reading Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers and have been loving it. No matter that my 20s are (gasp!) behind me - these essays are fabulous. Some are entertaining, some sad, some bizarre, but all are good reads. A group of editorial assistants at Random House came up with the concept and a contest was formed - the essays that made the book were best picks. I'm wondering if they'll expand the contest and include a Thirtysomething Essays by Thirtysomething Writers next time. Hmmm...maybe I should write in and suggest that.

High Heels are Murder: Josie Marcus, Mystery ShopperAnd for those of you that like Stephanie Plum, you might also like Josie Marcus, Elaine Viets amateur sleuth in her latest mystery High Heels are Murder. Not major brain food, but definitely good for a laugh - change Stephanie's hometown of Trenton, NJ to St. Louis, MO, give her a kid, a nosy next-door neighbor and swap her sidekick Lulu for Alyce, a suburban mom looking for excitement, and there you'll have Josie Marcus.

Others in the TBR pile this week are Paint it Black by Janet Fitch, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman, A Tale of Two Sisters by Anna Maxted, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, and realizing that I am running out of time to read my From the Stacks challenge books, March by Geraldine Brooks. I know that sounds like a lot of reading for one week, but it is a long flight to Vegas which translates to hours of reading pleasure!

9 comments:

Booklogged said...

Can't wait to hear what you think of Inkheart, Snowflower and March. I really enjoyed them.

Unknown said...

I remember reading the Karleen Kohn book many years ago -- for some reason the title really stayed with me. I don't remember much about the story but I know I really liked it. And I think a sequel just came out recently as well.

Anonymous said...

I love to fly for that exact reason - lots of quiet reading time! Have fun in Vegas!
- Stephanie
www.thewrittenword.wordpress.com

Camille said...

I hadn't heard about the twentysomething essays. They sound interesting. But if they did thirtysomething essays--that would be awesome.

nutmeg said...

I bought Arlington Park after reading only one review (not my usual practice) but the subject matter really interested me. I also just bought The Snow Flower and The Secret Fan. Most people who have read it seemed to have liked it.

Unfortunately, nothing makes air travel more enjoyble for me :-) But I hope you get some quality reading time in on the way there.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to hear what you think of Karen Russell's book. I like that just on the title alone! ha,ha. Have a great time in Vegas.

LK said...

Ohmigod, I just bought the Viets book when I was in St. Louis this Xmas! I grew up reading Viets (and know friends of friends of hers), and when I saw the novel in the airport bookstore, I grabbed it.

Look forward to your comments. This book will have to be squeezed in somewhere, when I need a quick, light read.

Carl V. Anderson said...

I love gift certificates but never seem to get them. At least not often enough to bookstores! They are so much fun to spend.

Anonymous said...

OOOOH! I love Ann Taylor Loft...in fact, I was just in there Tuesday, where all of their clearance stuff was marked another 40% off! WOOT!

Got some great stuff there.