On Saturday I made my first “pilgrimage” to Book Depot in St. Catharines. This is the physical store associated with BookCloseouts, an addictive source for books online. I went with a group of friends and we made a day of it, spending several hours browsing in the cavernous warehouse, followed by a great dinner at Spice of Life in Port Dalhousie (although we may have been a bit raucous for those diners trying for a bit of romance).

Needless to say, I bought books. Wise? Perhaps not, but who can resist the lure of fabulous books at closeout pricing – especially if said books have been on your wishlist for ages.

Here’s the list of what I bought (for under $50):
1. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
2. Population 485: Meeting your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
3. The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick
4. Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired by Benson Bobrick
5. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco
6. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
7. I & Claudius: Travels With My Cat by Clare de Vries
8. Codex by Lev Grossman
9. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne
10. The Pack: Serenity Falls Book II by James A. Moore
11. Krazy Kat by Jay Cantor
12. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: A Novel by Steve Sherrill
13. The Mineral Palace by Heidi Julavits
14. Forever: a Novel by Pete Hamill
15. The Afterword: a Novel by Mike Bryan
16. The Magic Shop by Denise Little
17. Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl’s Adventure upon the High Seas by Tanith Lee

The world reacts to The Tin Drum author Günter Grass’ revelation that he was drafted at 17 to serve in the Waffen SS during the last months of World War II. Questions are being raised if he should give up his citizenship of Poland or his Nobel Prize for Literature. Grass is well-known for his demands that Germans be open about their pasts, while being economical about his own.

The Independent quotes Wolfgang Boernsen, a “cultural spokesman” for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party, as saying: “Günter Grass has spent his whole life setting high moral standards for politicians. It’s about time he applied those standards to himself and renounced all his awards – including the Nobel Prize.”

What does everyone think?

(thanks to Bookslut for pointing this out and the links)

Oops! I missed being tagged by Victoria for the meme that’s been cycling through the blogs. So, please accept my apologies and here is my response.

1. One book that changed your life:
Only one? Like Victoria, I had books at every major turning point in my life which seemed to speak exactly to the issue of the moment. Picking only one – it would have to be Snowshoe Paws by Margaret Johnson. It filled a lot of age 6 since it was the first book to make me cry and yet fall in love with a particular book.

2. One book you have read more than once?
There are a few that I read regularly but picking one, that would probably be Persuasion by Jane Austen.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
The full edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (yes the one with 13 volumes)

4. One book that made you cry?
Charlotte’s Web. How could it not?

5. One book that made you laugh?
Good Omens: Being The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. When the Father of Evil starts speaking in the voice of Freddy Mercury, I just started howling with laughter.

6. One book you wish had been written?
Lady Jane Grey’s diary – what did she really think about being a Queen for nine days.

7. One book you wish had never had been written?
Hmm…well rather than mention a specific book, I’m just going to give a category: books that inspire hatred of others.

8. One book you are currently reading?
I’m reading so many right now! The main one I’m working on is The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
My list of books I want to read is over 2,000 now (and that’s only those I’ve written down). There are so many on the list that are “should have read by now” books, so picking one is tough. I’m going to go with A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth since it’s sitting on the shelf staring at me right now.

10. Now tag five people
Lotus Reads, Kimbofo, Morsie, Nimrodiel and Danielle.

Readers of Eclectic Closet may soon lose patience with me for continually mentioning Type Books; however my friend Jennifer pointed out that I forgot to mention an integral part of visiting the bookstore. After picking out your selections, wander around the corner to Tealish (198 Walnut Street, Toronto, 416-203-3301), pick up a fantastic cup of iced tea or a tea smoothie and then go find a bench in Trinity-Bellwoods Park where you can read and sip while enjoying this fabulous weather. Tealish has only been open a few weeks but has an extensive selection of loose leaf teas and a great atmosphere.

I had such grandious reading plans for the long weekend and did read quite a lot; however, not nearly as much as hoped. The weather was so fabulous and the lake so inviting for swimming.

I did manage to read The Dead Fish Museum by Charles D’Ambrosio, Sins and Needles by Monica Ferris, and 1/3 of Douglas Brinkley’s massive tome, The Great Deluge. Reviews of the first two will be posted here in the next few days.

As CAP’s horoscope for Scorpios implies (see below), I’m rather tired right now. Alright, I’ll be honest – I’m burned out. I had too many late nights in a row finishing a giant grant application and I’m now so burned out I haven’t been reading at all! The horror…

I’m cottage bound tomorrow am, to take part in the annual Canadian tradition of retreating to a cottage when temperatures soar, tempers fray and peace and loon calls become a necessity. (For those not in possession of a family cottage, we cling to friends who have the coveted trophy, hoping and begging for an invitation.)

Since I am going to a cottage with other people, I will have to limit the number of books I bring since some social interaction is required. I’m hopeful that the chance to catch up on some sleep, and read while looking at the lake, will lead to lots of reading. This requires careful consideration and planning. I have a lot of reading that “has to get done” for reviews but a cottage implies fun reading.

After much pondering, here’s what I’ve packed:
1. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
2. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley
3. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
4. A Peach of a Murder: A Fresh-Baked Mystery by Livia Washburn
5. The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, and the Coming Death of America’s Coastal Cities by Mike Tidwell
6. The Dead Fish Museum: Stories by Charles D’Ambrosio
7. Sins and Needles by Monica Ferris

Did I mention I love Crazy Aunt Purl’s horoscopes, have a total infatuation with the way she writes?

Here’s mine…she certainly nailed my past few months…

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 – Nov. 21)
All work and no play makes Scorpio so irritated and tired and annoyed that at any minute ya’ll are about to fling off and snatch someone baldheaded. I know that the work you’re doing is VERY good, and this whole period from about March onward has been exhausting, and kind of rewarding but still, you’re tired, and why can’t you just get some peace and quiet already! but you just have to endure a few more weeks of nose-to-grindstone and then you can take a much needed rest. If it’s any consolation, this entire Jupiter-infused period of your life has been really excellent for your future financial picture. Does that help? A little?

So how does your horoscope look this month?

This should be of interest to anyone who was intrigued by my review of Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart. A Medieval Psalter was found recently in the bogs of the Irish Midlands, the same area portrayed in Hart’s novel. The Medieval Psalter is estimated to have been in the bog for 1,000 – 1,200 years.

According to The Guardian:

“The National Museum of Ireland hailed the discovery as the “Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea scrolls” and the “greatest find ever from a European bog”. The Dead Sea scrolls, found in the mid-20th century, contain some of the earliest known surviving biblical documents…The 20 or so pages, which seem to be those of a slim, large format book with a wraparound vellum cover, were taken to the museum last Friday. After a long and painstaking process of restoration, they will be displayed in its Early Christian gallery alongside such treasures as the Ardagh chalice and the Derrynaflan paten.”

The National Museum of Ireland Press Release on the find can be found here.

Thanks to Reading Matters for pointing out this find.

I finally made it to visit Toronto’s newest independent bookstore yesterday (after two months, shameful), and I think one of the owners must have crawled into my head before designing their bookstore. Tons of light, tall bookshelves with lots of open space in which to browse, a great magazine selection and the books – a fantastic selection of new and backlist titles. It’s my dream bookstore!

I picked up Blue Angel by Francine Prose and some book-related periodicals but the best was the 45 minutes or so of browsing. I didn’t make it much past the fiction section, except for a small foray into the children’s section and the science/nature section.

Two recommendations if you get a chance to visit:
1) Make sure you go to the kid’s section and sit on the blue mushroom. Then find out where they got it and let me know! I think I just found a must-have item…super comfy.
2) Check out the scented pencils, especially the rootbeer one. (Hint: they’re by the cash register) I think it’s the first time I’ve found a scented pencil that smells like the real thing. (Thanks to my friend Jennifer who found them!)

Type Books is located at 883 Queen Street West and business hours are as follows: Mondays – Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00am to 6:00pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Sundays from noon to 5:00pm. I didn’t make it downstairs into their gallery space but they currently have an exhibit of handmade books which sounds worthwhile.

I think I burned out writing so many reviews in such a short time…so here’s today’s tidbit, totally unrelated to books.

Crazy Aunt Purl’s response to Esquire’s article The State of the American Man. I’m not convince that this is limited to American men…

My only response to CAP is that she’s hit the nail on the head, and described the last ten years of my life.

Women aren’t perfect either (I know I’m not) but there seems to be a lack of respect going both directions. What ever happened to good, old-fashioned dating?

tags: dating Esquire Crazy Aunt Purl The State of the American Man