Reading and some work...

Today was a 12 hour work day. I worked from 9-5 at Barnes and Noble and from 6-10 at Gap. Although this sounds just nasty and positively grotesque...it's not. I actually enjoyed it. Today I was on the Trade floor versus Kids because one of my co-workers lost her voice; I worked with a lot of customers/phone calls and Nook requests.

Sadness of the day: Mass Market Paperbacks

First of all, MM make me mad. They jump off of the shelves when you are not looking (or when you are). Most of them are slutty romance novels and goofy sci-fi (not even the awesome sci-fi...awesome sci-fi is in older additions of MM). For those of you who are not familiar with MM, they are the paperbacks that cost around $7.99. They are the cheap alternative to the trade paperbacks that are pretty but cost $13.00 and up. I just realized today that I would much rather pay for trade than to think that purchasing a MM would mean another would come to the store in return. They don't stand on shelves right and seem as though they were printed and packed in airtight containers. The image which conjures in my mind is receiving opening a box and the books exploding everywhere. I can only imagine the box is like a can of biscuits and on has to be slammed on the side of a counter to release pressure and spew the books everywhere. Most of these little biotches end up being stripped anyway. There is no point in shelving them. Plus, there is no aesthetic value. They are as shoppable on the shelf as they are in a recycling bin. And, and, and they have at least fifty locations they can be shelved on the trade floor. Who needs that kind of maintenance?

I feel bitter.

The coolest part of today was helping a woman wanting to travel to Charleston, SC. She was really excited to find out I am from South Carolina. She ended up buying all of the travel books I put in her hands. I also got to share travel experiences with two other nice ladies. :)

Other than this, work was work. B&N was just normal. I cannot imagine what it will be like when Ozzy and Sharon Osborne come for the book signing next weekend. I imagine the store will cease to exist.

I just got home from playing Wii Mario with one of my friends. Man do I suck at the classic version re-made. It makes me happy to know that the death of Luigi can make someone laugh so hard and get pissed at the same time.

Reading is going well this week. I finished The Fourth Bear and began When You Reach Me. I want to be able to really be able to talk about the book when Rebecca Stead is in our store. So far it is enjoyable. This week I have done pretty well with my reading. I have managed an A, F and S set. That is a week's worth of reading for ya!

I am really excited the most because I have B, C, D, E (for the most part), F, G, H (battle of three authors), J, O, P, R, T, V and Z books picked out. I have plenty of time to figure the rest out. I think the thing I have come across in my reading endeavors is the liberation of being able to read and write (I understand that this blog does not demonstrate my writing skills at all, but you have to remember this is free writing and done past midnight so often). I always thought it a little strange when people say you can travel anywhere in a good book. The more I reflect on my years of reading, the more I realize this is true. I have been to so many places in my imagination and mind. I have experienced so much. Books are a parallel universe, a dimension, if you will, to our own reality. Our minds allow us to travel with these books and see through someone else. You can be anywhere you want at any time. It is only a page away. I am not really sure what I am trying to describe and trust me, it is nothing philosophical. I just think I owe books a lot, especially lately. Sometimes they are the only consistent things in my life. I know no matter what, a book will be waiting for me or right there when I need it. I do not mean to sound as if my friends are not there or my family...they are...but when it comes to me working at night when everyone else is off and not working when everyone else is, I have to have something to keep me busy. I have something waiting for when I get home at 1AM most mornings. They bring me a lot of comfort and a lot of joy.

Tomorrow, I work one shift. I should finish When You Reach Me by my next blog. It might be a late night tomorrow night because I am meeting up with a friend after work.