Halls of the Dark Muse

I know what you mean. But I realize I'm a book-a-holic and if I buy them they will go unread. Amazingly tonight I spent 45 minutes in a huge Barnes and Noble (it has four levels and an escalator and tons of books) in Manhattan and didn't buy a single book.

Hehe I always get really good books when I go to Barnes and Nobel. I have this history of seceret soceities that I picked up there, that is acutally really hard to get and it was just by chance that I saw it there once, and I got a Dictionary of Alchamey which I thought was really cool. But at least I end up usually reading and using the books when I buy them. Probably becasue I can usually only buy one at a time when I go, instead of every one I see and want.

I love to spend time in book shops, sometimes hours at a time. My saving grace is that I can never decide what to buy so I usually buy nothing. We did secret santa at work on Friday night and I got a gift voucher for books so I am going to have to decide.

Ah, I love Edward Gorey. My son has The Gashlycrumb Tinies which is the ABC book you mentioned. I like E who died of ennui!

I have a similar experience to what you describe whenever I visit the secondhand bookshop. Last time my arms weren't big enough to carry all the books but I was very lucky that the very nice man who owns the secondhand bookshop gave me a bulk discount!

We are all slaves to our love of books

Well, one possible solution to your problem would be to stop buying books in bookstores and start buying them online, that's much less expensive, you can find used ones which are still looking good. I do that for everything, books, DVD's and such, I stopped buying in bookstores, since I can find on the net books for 2 dollars when they cost 20 otherwise.

I do not like buying things online, becasue you cannot pay cash. And the other thing is, when I go into the bookstore, I usually find the books via just browsing. Online I would have to already have the book in mind. But like in the bookstore I see book I never heard of before and think oh that looks interesting.

Ohmy! I love that ABC's book, I thought it was just brilliant. But the Element Enyclopedia of Secret Societies sounds incredibly interesting.

We've got this really pretentious bookshop/cafe in my town, and they carry some really rare and interesting books, but they charge through the roof for them. ;/

Yeah I usually do not shop at big chain book stores, but whenever I happen to wonder in, which usually is only when I am with someone else who is there for something I always see interesting looking books.

I'm Meg and I'm a bookaholic :lol: Now that that is off my chest I have the same issue. Heck, I can't even make it through Wal-Mart without finding something that I REALLY want to read. I like classics, but there is also something to be said for fluff. The major book stores catch me on all fronts. Books, music, coffee... I could easily spend $100 dollars there each week if I had the money. The worst is when I take my kids, because then I reason that I'm buying the books for them. It isn't because I just love books and have a bit of a book fetish...

Well, when you discover new books in a bookstore, look them up online then. Sorry to insist.