Like an alcoholic in a liquor store.

I stopped by the library’s Friends of the Library book sale at lunch today, which was nerd-o-rama to say the least. Men and women who looked like they hadn’t seen the sun in a few weeks were running through the aisles with red eyes and crazy hair, stuffing books into their NPR tote bags. Luckily my crowd reflexes are still sharp, and I dodged a few of them before it got ugly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m also a book nerd of the highest order. Some of my most vivid childhood memories are of waking early on Saturdays and heading downtown to these enormous warehouses to spend the day book spelunking with my parents. I think we filled all the bookshelves in our new house that way.

When I moved to New York, I introduced both of them to the Strand. Big mistake, since I come by my bookaholism quite genetically. For us, just visiting that store is like being an alcoholic in a liquor store, a dieter in a chocolate shop, an addict in a pharmacy. I know my dad ordered their books online, and I made several car trips down with a boxload of special requests. I think that’s technically called trafficking. Luckily, in NYC you have to purge as much as you bring into your house, otherwise you’ll soon be sleeping on it. That curbed my “problem” for awhile, but now I have 2,000 square feet to fill. Be worried, very worried.

I only had a few minutes today so I couldn’t comb through all the titles at the book sale, but I did happen on one good find: “Where Shadows Go” by Eugenia Price. My mom and I have been trying to collect all of her books in hardback. I started reading Eugenia Price’s “Savannah” quartet way back in early high school, and I loved her mix of historical novel, with a dash of romance. Since my family’s from Savannah, that’s where I learned the background of how the city was built and stories of some of its famous residents. I need to go back and read that whole series again … someday. “Where Shadows Go” is from her Georgia trilogy, and she also writes novels set in Florida and St. Simons Island, Ga. If you like history of the South, I highly recommend her books.

If you’re in town, I think the book sale goes through next week at Quail Corners. Bring your battle gear.

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