Halls of the Dark Muse

I hate going to the mall! That comes as no surprise, sense we all know how much I love exposing myself to the general public. But I had to get my Yule Tide shopping down somehow or other and thus it had to be, but really this is the only time that I ever do go to the mall expect on some rare occasions, like when my sister is visiting and wants to go shopping and I just tag along to hang out with her.

Surprisingly this time around the mall was not as horrendous as it usually is, there did not seem to be as many horrid teenagers running around as their usually are. But for some reason, it is always stifling hot inside the mall and I hate the little kiosk people that are sit up in the middle of the mall. They are like the goblins from Rossetti's "The Goblin Market" trying to dig their claws into you and braying out to you as you walk by. I have pretty much taken up the policy of being rude to them to get them to leave me alone. I try and avoid making any eye contact, I do not loiter anywhere near their stalls and I brush by them quickly.

Almost all the stores that I use to like to go into have now been replaced by some "trendy" clothing store where anorexic teenagers like to go and shop.

But I managed to get almost everything done, still need to find something for my sister.

While I was out and about I decided I could also try and find this book I have been wanting, as there is a Borders within the mall and also there is a Barnes and Noble near by to the mall. So I saw no reason not to take advantage of the opportunity, though I don't usually spend money on myself this time of year, I limited myself to just one book, but I figured there was no reason not to take full advantage of an opportunity of a visit to the bookstore. So I made a short list of back up books if they did not have the initial book I was looking for.

I felt fairly confidant that they would have the book because the author is fairly well known I would say, I certainly would not call her obscure and she has written several books. And only a few months or so ago I bought another book by her either at Borders of B&N. I cannot recall which.

The book I was initially looking for was The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, well I was quite surprised to discover that there was nothing by Byatt in either the Borders or the B&N.

I was surprised when I also could not find the next book on my list "the Lost book" as I call it, because I first saw it when a character on the show Lost was reading it and that is one of the main reasons I want it, and again it is another book I did not think was really that obscure.

Next I checked to see if they had the 3rd book in the Three Musketeers series, and that one I figured would be iffy, and would have been surprised to find it, but figured it would be worth a look and again it was a no go.

So finally I ended up with The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Which I have been wanting that book for a while, but I would have preferred the Byatt book at this moment in time, so I was a bit disappointed about that.