A Birthday Happily Spent :)

Hi All!

This is the way many readers will understand as a very good way to spend time on your birthday :). Today, my husband and I started the day by opening the birthday cards sent to me by family and friends, then got ready to go out. We brunched on bagels at Einstein Bagels, then on to two of the highlights of the day.

The first was a visit to Bookman's, a used book and other media store. It's very large, and the sections are clearly marked and alphabetized well. As I do on every trip to a used bookstore, I check out things that are on my list--these are either out-of-print, or things I haven't purchased yet. Looking at the pile I will list in a moment, I actually only got one book that's on my list. Somehow...again all readers will understand...I still managed to purchase 4 books.

After Bookman's, we went on to Changing Hands. Changing Hands is a new and used bookstore, named independent bookstore of the year by Publisher's Weekly in 2006. They have frequent author signings and other interesting activities for customers of all ages, and I was there last Monday for a signing by science fiction author Karen Traviss. As I had just been there the other day, I didn't spend as much time browsing, yet again, ended up with 2 more books. Ah yes, bookstores are exactly where one should spend a birthday.

What I bought:
All About Evie by Beth Ciotta (previously reviewed, now owned; romance)
The Shortest Day by Jane Langton (a hopefully not already owned* title in the Homer and Mary Kelly mystery series)
Dewey Decimated by Charles Goodrum (1st in a mystery series)
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn (2nd in a mystery series)
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (fiction)
Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest by Sandra Day O'Connor and H. Alan Day (biography)

The rest of today I hope to spend reading, responding to birthday emails, and watching either a "Midsomer Murder" episode or "Desk Set", one of my favorite movies with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (for those of you who don't know, Hepburn plays a librarian in this movie!). And my handsome husband is cooking me a lovely chicken dinner.

May all your birthdays be as happily spent!
Happy Reading!
Patti
*When Ken and I moved to Arizona, a year ago now, we took a very small place, as we didn't know where we'd be working. As of right now, most of the books I own are in storage. I try not to buy things that are part of series that I'm looking for, as I don't know what I already own :). Notice how, in general, this has not stopped the acquiring of books by either Ken or myself, though I am the much guiltier party.