Thursday, January 30, 2003

Misty Water-Colored Memories...
When I first joined the world of booksellers, there was a time that I was puttering around behind the information desk, probably browsing books on a swell new (at the time) program that had just been installed for book searching...

(completely overhead: I recall that at the time it was a source of much snickering and juvenile amusement that this program, if stumped, would frantically supply you with a list of the bestselling books that were not even vaguely like what you had asked for. Or might be weirdly connected. Some memorable combos contrived by various creative staff members were as such: "turning your pets into handy household appliances" brought up I Talk to the Animals by pet psychic Barbara Morrison. "Famous nosepickers" brought up Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography , and last but not least, the program responded to "old dead guy" by promptly and confidently displaying Tuesdays With Morrie. Moving on...

Still puttering behind the info desk... When I noticed a timid, bird-like lady running her finger over the bestseller list, while glancing furtively in my direction. I smiled, and she suddenly became very interested in the latest Michigan Chiller title. I shrugged and returned to my oh-so productive whatever it was I was doing. Several more times I caught her peering at me with a mixed look of consternation and confusion... I began to worry that I might have a suddenly developed a disfiguring growth on my forehead or something of the like. Eventually she worked her way closer and closer to the desk, until finally I leaned over and asked, "Is there anything you need help finding?" She blushed and spluttered a little. "Well....umm, I'm so sorry, I'm sure you must be very busy and I didn't want to bother you and so I was just wondering if it's not too much trouble and tell me if it is too much trouble, because that's fine. I was... I need... I was hoping you might have a book....on... assertiveness.

Bless your little timid heart. Cutest Customer of the Day prize. Ding!

I finished the (ahem) Clive Barker book, Abarat yesterday, and I enjoyed it, though I think that were it not for the illustrations, it may not have captured me quite the same way. Yes, I think that's a fact. The names did get a little ridiculous and laid on thick later in the book, but that didn't take away from it very much. For some reason, I have a tendency to stop actually reading long complex names in text, and simply recognize the shape of the word. It makes reading a lot quicker, but it's annoying if you have two or more people with similar names. It's not a conscious choice I made... I wonder if it's because I was taught to read with phonics or something. I also tend to be a very visual learner, and that may have something to do with it.

I always sort of breezed over Robin Hobb in the scifi / fantasy section as another floofy Tolkien wannabe. (not that there's anything wrong with Tolkien, or Tolkein wannabes. Some of them are quite good at it. Others read like the true life story of a traveling renaissance festival leather mug maker born in the wrong century.) I find that Hobb is nothing of the sort. I recently read Assassin's Apprentice, (the first of her Farseer series) and found that it's an engaging story with much depth and intelligence. I'm currently in the midst of the second book. Highly recommended.




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