Buying Books

One of the things I really miss from my days in Nashville is a bookstore. You know, those places that are loaded with books and you can walk in and browse and happen upon something you never knew was in print but it's perfect so you read part of it in the store and decide whether or not you really want to spend all $29.95 on the hardcover or wait for the paperback? Seriously, we have one bookstore and it's a mall bookstore. In other words, it's small and mostly contains "popular" literature (which some may debate whether or not it is really "literature." BUT, in a little over a month, we are scheduled to receive a full-fledged Books-A-Million. Now, while in Nashville, I had the opportunity to browse Davis-Kidd, Cokesbury, Borders, and Barnes & Nobles containing many FLOORS of books and we would literally make dates of browsing one or more of the bookstores. If we got thirsty we'd head on down to the cafe and pick up a latte or a chai tea or something else that was "bookstore-ish" (not to be confused with "bookish") in nature. Ahh, those were the good 'ole days. But now I'm chomping at the bit at the grand opening of my least favorites of the mega-chain bookstores, Books-a-Million. It's my least favorite because I've noticed that it too tends toward stocking the "popular" books, but having lived in bookstore absencia for the past 3.5 years, I am willing to lower my standards and just embrace the coming of the glorious kingdom of Books A Million.

How have you made it this long without a decent bookstore, you may ask. Well, I DO have Amazon. In the days pre-internet I truly don't think I could locate myself 2 hours from the closest "real" bookstore, but in this modern day and age, God has made a way, and I give thanks for the internet and the UPS man who deliver joy to my doorstep (in the form of amazon books lest your mind stray). Today I placed several internet-based bookstore orders for homeschool materials and even purchased a few used which is always nice (except you can't always get amazon prime shipping that way so you have to watch closely).

So, if you ever want to come visit me in Arbuckle Creek and you are of the bookstore-loving species, I invite you to join me in September for the great and wonderful opening of a "real" bookstore here.

And that's the news from Arbuckle Creek where all the women drive golf carts, the men are blatant carnivores (EAT MORE BEEF!) and the children watch for alligators in their backyards.