Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Book me, Danno!

I’m feeling a little battered and scattered.

Battered, because I’ve been wide awake at 5am EVERY morning this week, and I’m crazy-ass tired. The husband has had to catch a few insanely early flights to Melbourne, and it is very apparent that the down side of sharing a connubial bed is that when one of us is up early, we’re *both* up early.

Scattered, because my eldest son - known here as our eleven year old guest blogger, Cheese Monkey - is on school camp, away from home for three nights for the first time ever.

I bet he’s having a ball – well, he should be, with canoeing and night-hikes and archery and abseiling on the schedule – and he’ll be learning a whole lot about being independent and looking after himself. All good.

But. I only have two lunches to pack, only two uniforms to wash, the house is quieter, his room is empty, and … well, I can’t wait for him to get back.

So, given my weakened state, today’s post is short and sweet – and a confession …

I just cannot, cannot, walk out of a book shop empty handed. It is flat out IMPOSSIBLE. And I also seem to have developed a nasty old Amazon habit, too. Here’s the evidence - these are the books I’ve added to my TBR mountain in the last four weeks alone:




Gulp. I really hope the husband isn’t reading this. But if he is (hello darling, please remember to put the bins out when you come home tomorrow night), I’m ready to justify my addiction.

See, I don’t spend money on fancy haircuts or colours; I don’t get my nails done or have massages or pedicures; most of my wardrobe is purchased from the “Red Spot Boutique”, as we Aussies have nicknamed Target; my cosmetics are few and mostly supermarket bought; I have three kids so I rarely go to the movies or eat out at restaurants … basically, I’m a pretty low maintenance girl. Books are my one indulgence (OK, OK, they’re my OXYGEN!) and I refuse to be rehabilitated.

So, here’s what I want to know … can YOU walk out of a bookstore without making a purchase? And what, if anything, do you give up in order to fund your book buying habit?

P.S. While Kristen deals with her re-writes, I’ve put up my hand to write the penultimate chapter of our serial, A Kill in Time. I’m re-reading the story right now, in the hope of posting on Friday. But that may be a stretch because man, have we written one helluva twisty, turny tale! It may take longer than usual to wrap my brain around what needs to be done … but stay tuned. The end is (almost) nigh!

7 comments:

  1. Hi Rachel,

    I _can_ walk out of a bookstore without buying anything...but only if there isn't anything I'm interested in buying! If a new book by an author I love is out, I won't walk out empty handed *g*

    I used to buy a lot more books, but I found that a lot of the "sounds kinda interesting" ones were...not so good, and my TBR stack is _enormous_ (i.e. threatening to engulf my room!), so I'm really trying to limit my purchases to the ones I can't live without.

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  2. I can't wait to see what you do with A Kill in Time!

    As for this book buying thing... I have been known to walk out of bookstores empty handed but usually only cos DH was with me intoning "we don't have anymore space, we don't have anymore space" and because I added to the wishlist I carry around in my purse - at least knowing that I might some day get whichever book it is usually calms me down. Also, when the TBR pile really overflows my bedside table (which is a two shelf bookshelf), then I know I have to stop because too many tilting teetering books will really attract DH's attention.
    But I've recently started having Amazon deliver to me at work instead of home and that's really really dangerous...

    Although someday we may move to a bigger house and then maybe it won't matter so much. Until I fill that house up.

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  3. I have to shamefacedly admit that I only understood your title reference when I saw an article in today's paper about how they're going to be remaking that show. I don't think I've ever seen the original...

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  4. Rachel, you are my soul sister. :) Books are my personal indulgence too. My danger being that I now have a Kindle. One click book shoping is VERY dangerous!

    "Red Spot Boutique" har. I buy from there too, only we call it Tarjay (as in Target with a French accent.)

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  5. Helen - you are a much stronger person that I! See, even if I can't find anything *I* want, I'll always end up in the kids' section loading up on books for my children, or for my niece and nephews, or my friends' kids ... I can't help it. I'm addicted!

    Deniz - oh, the overflowing TBR pile! I'm too scared to count how many books I have in mine; in fact, I have the feeling that if I stacked them all up, the teetering pile could well reach my head height. Gulp.

    Kristen - Ah, we have Tarjay, too! LOL.
    I've been eyeing off the Kindle, you know. Soooo tempting, but potentially deadly. However, it would reduce the size of my TBR pile, and thus get rid of the physical evidence of my addiction. Hmm ...
    ;-)

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  6. Deniz, how did you ever not see Hawaii Five-O?! What a gem you've missed, especially the theme music ... erm, but perhaps I'm showing my age. (g)

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  7. Nah, I'm not that much younger... just missed by a couple of years or so... and it's not in reruns yet!

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