Shy, Dorian Gray, Books, and Lists!

For most of my life I have been a shy person, very shy in fact. I'm the person in the corner at parties eagerly (ha ha ha) waiting for someone to come and strick up a conversation. Hello, are you coming over yet? Being shy doesn't really have the same benefits as other issues one might attain in this life, you know the saying? It's a gift...and a curse. I really can't say that being shy is a gift, sorry. It is a large reason why I don't go to concerts and events with large crowds. Although that is an issue all its own as well. That being said, the shyness and the loathing of large crowds, I'm beginning...no let me rephrase that I started disliking Facebook sometime ago. What started out as a small and easy way to stay connected to very good friends has now become an out of control feeding frenzy. A number of different people ask to be my friend all the time. I'm friends with nearly everyone I work with (as I type this my eyebrow is cocked in a sort of I can't fathom why look). I'm friends with people I may have known since I was a baby, but I have only spoke to for a combined time of maybe an hour my entire life. I'm friends with people...with people I don't want to be friends with. Facebook is no longer a private venue to voice my thoughts or chat with friends (without the entire world seeing it). Of course in all honest neither is this blog, but I haven't really been keeping this up to date and I don't shot it from the mountains that I'm a blogger. The feeling to rid myself of Facebook now and forever becomes enticingly stronger everyday!

Facebook venting aside. I watched a preview for the new version of Dorian Gray. It looks creepy, but awesome. If I can find someone to go with I'll probably see it at the theatre. However, I couldn't find a release date for it in the US, only in Canada and Europe. I hope it comes here. I have never read the book, but now I'm tempted to. I've only read one of Wilde's plays and that was The Importance of Being Earnest. Which I found extremely entertaining. I guess time to go find a nifty copy of Dorian Gray and snuggle down for a good read.

Today was a treasure trove of good book finds. My sister and I got up early (on a Saturday!) and went to the 50% off sale at Goodwill. Where I spent too much money! Then we went to a library book sale in Pierceton, where we found twice as many books for nearly have the cost. I can't wait to look at all our booty! I know at least one treasure for me was a Lousia May Alcott book. YES!

Do you like lists? I thoroughly enjoy book lists. It is always interesting to see people's different opinion on what books are must reads. Abebooks, on Thursday, released 20 lists of top 10 books. I really liked it and printed it off for my book file. You can view it here. I recently sent an email to friends and family asking them, What 10 books do you think every bookstore should have on their shelves? I didn't get many responses and they were disappointing to boot. What do you think? I'd be interested to know. I'm still working on my list.

Well that's it for now. I would say sorry for not being around much on here lately, but I'm told I say sorry too often. :)

Quote of the day:

“Do not lose hold of your dreams or asprirations.
For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

Oh before I forget, rather big news to report. My sister and I are opening a bookstore! More on this later.

Waiting on Wednesday: Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters

You know the kind of sleep where you are so out that everything is part of the dream you're having. The alarm clock, the dog pushing you out of your own bed, and you're father shaking you awake at 3:45 in the morning. It snowed last night...no that's putting it lightly. We got a small blizzard last night and therefore I don't feel comfortable driving to work on these types of days. One way to know you've got too much snow in Indiana is when there are mounds of snow blocking the turn lanes. My dad gets up to prayer with a few men from church on certain days of the week. They must be more dedicated then I am. I was a zombie at work today and I can barely keep my eyes open right now to type this.

Speaking of zombies, I come to the Waiting on Wednesday book: Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters

Release date: March 12, 2009

Amazon lists the title as Generation Dead: Kiss of Life and the author as Dan Waters. I guess Amazon and Daniel are good friends [hints the shortened name :)].

Summary:
The phenomenon that's been sweeping the country seems to be here to stay. Not only are the teenagers who have come back from their graves still here, but newlydeads are being unearthed all the time. While scientists look for answers and politicians take their stands, the undead population of Oakville have banded together in a group they're calling the Sons of Romero, hoping to find solidarity in segregation.

Phoebe Kendall may be alive, but she feels just as lost and alone as her dead friends. Just when she reconciled herself to having feelings for a zombie -- her Homecoming date Tommy Williams -- her friend Adam is murdered taking a bullet that was meant for her. Things get even more confusing when Adam comes back from the grave. Now she has romantic interest in two dead boys; one who saved her life, and one she can't seem to live without.

Why am I waiting?

I read Daniel Waters first book, Generation Dead, despite my mother's upraised eyebrow at the cover and content matter. The book is more than just a book about zombies. It is about high school, peer pressure, and standing up for your rights against the prejudices of those around you. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I will be honest and say I cried. Yes I cried. That to gives a book an instant 5 star. At least until you have time to truly think the book content over. After thinking it over I still give it a 5 star. I really like the cover art too. I will say though, at first glance I had my doubts, but then reading the book made the cover more appealing to me. I can't wait to read Kiss of Life!!!! If you haven't read Generation Dead, go get it right now! Oh before I forget Daniel Waters has an author blog and a blog that the characters of his book write post's about their zombie lives, go check them out.

Fact for the Day:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was first published today in 1813 in Great Britain.

Bookstore Snob

I had planned for my next post to be about patriotism, after the politics post I thought it appropriate. However, books are what is gnawing at the brain right now. (A funny picture)
I woke up this morning in my normal Saturday mood. It is time to be a hermit! Let’s face it. After an entire work week where you are forced to wake up and drive 20 miles into the ‘big city’ you’re ready to be a home body for the weekend. The rest of my family, dad excluded, feels differently. They’ve been home the entire week. Thus, they’re scourged with cabin fever. This most often puts me in a grumpy mood that I have to be drug out of the house to traipse around running errands. Today was no different.
My sister saw an ad in a small local newsletter we get about a bookstore in North Manchester and called to find out their hours. We had planned to go there in the morning, but we didn’t get around soon enough. The bookstore owner said he was open until noon and then goes to lunch. I’ll be honest, the owner closing up shop to go out for lunch, red flags go up right away. At least for me. What kind of bookstore closes up during a Saturday? What kind of bookstore in a small town can afford to close up to go get lunch? As my dad put it, you better go get lunch and bring it back with you. Red flags went up because I thought, "Oh great this is going to be some whole in the wall bookstore. The kind that has three bookshelves with the most obscure titles you’ll ever see in your life. Each priced astronomically high and you can’t figure out why." Are you catching onto my lack of enthusiasm for this bookstore yet?
Of course I stand corrected. I’ve been proved wrong. The bookstore was small, but nice. My only complaint would be he needed more shelves to spread out better. Many of the books were hard to get a good close up view of. Finds for the day included:

- The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
- Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon
- Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff



The Magnificent Ambersons because I loved the movie* and have wanted to read the book forever. I’m stingy about the copies I purchase. This copy was an old, in very good condition, hardback edition for a great price. Booth Tarkington is an Indiana author. I need a good biography about him to read, still searching. I would like one reminiscent of the style of biography I read about Beatrix Potter.
Twelfth Night because it is a great play and the copy I found was this small endearing** edition.
Anna and the King of Siam because the actual account has always made me curious to know more. I wasn’t really in search of a copy, but I just happened upon it. Don’t you just love happening upon books?
Sword at Sunset because I collect Rosemary Sutcliff books. This copy is an old hardback edition with its dust jacket still in great condition.

All in all the bookstore was a success, although I do have one question to pose to you. Why does it seem when you find a bookstore run by a man (an elderly man to be specific), he is the kind of man who is grumpy and you’re too scared to approach him with a question for fear he’ll bite you? This was what happened today at the bookstore and this isn’t the first time it has happened to me. My mother believes it is because men who own bookstores are very intellectual, spend most of their time reading, and this causes them to be introverts’***. Therefore not good with people. Excuse my language, but why ever the bloody hell not?! You’re running a bookstore. Your soul purpose in life is to sell books to people. That is, if you are good at what you do. For those of you men or women who experience such occurrences, please know that when I have my bookstore, you’ll be begging me to settle down and help someone else. :) Oh and by the way note to my future husband wherever you may be, if you like books (and you had better) please don’t be unapproachable.


* You can't help liking a movie that Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in even if he does play a spoilt brat.
** Some books it is just a must that they be endearing copies.
*** I like my computer’s definition for an introvert - Psychology a person predominantly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings.

Poem/Quote of the Day:

Curse On A Book Thief

(or for modern times Book Borrower)

For him that stealeth a Book from this Library,let it change to a serpent in his hands and rend him.Let him be struck with Palsy, and all his Membersblasted. Let him languish in Pain, crying aloud forMercy and let there be no surcease to his Agony tillhe sink to Dissolution. Let Book-worms gnaw hisEntrails in token of the Worm that dieth not, andwhen at last he goeth to his final Punishment letthe Flames of Hell consume him for ever and aye.

P.S. After hours and I mean hours this post is finally going to be posted. I don't care if it has mistakes. I'm so sick of my computer right now. Sorry.