Literary Loot

Source: Angie Downs

Recently, I went on a book store excursion, hunting down Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. One of our book-tators, Karena, recently gave Z an amazing review, so I have felt the need to pick it up. I call my experience an "excursion" because it turned out difficult to come by, here in Olympia. In addition, because I'm incapable of saying no to books (I know you bibliophiles understand...), I picked up a few other gems along the way.

I started at my favorite local book store, Orca Books. I love Orca Books because it has a huge selection, both new and used. Because I love purchasing used books, this is a huge plus for me. In addition, they have a fairly large kids book section. My son loves to wander through there while I meander through the aisles looking for my selection. And, usually, if he behaves while I'm there, I allow him to pick something out for himself. Unfortunately, Orca Books, didn't have Z, but instead, I picked up a used copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, probably the best book I've ever read on gardening, a new copy of Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, since Karena and I will be reading some Fitzgerald together shortly, and my son picked out I Funny, the newest book by James Patterson. It will be a great book that him and I can read together.

Continuing my search for Z, I went to my second favorite local bookstore, Browser's Book Shop. Like Orca Books, Browser's has a huge selection of new and used books. It is a much smaller store, cram-packed with an amazing selection. Once again, Z was unavailable, but in the spirit of buying Fitzgerald novels, I picked up a new copy of The Beautiful and the Damned.

Because we were close by, my son and I walked down the street to Danger Room Comics, Olympia's best comic book store. He had been very patient on our hunt, so I told him he could pick out a comic. I love Danger Room because they have a great selection and the staff is awesome, making sure they mention to my son that FREE Comic Book Day is coming up! They are so helpful, and will make sure you find something you are looking for. Helping me make sure we got something appropriate for my son's age range, we ended up purchasing Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown. This book is freaking hilarious! For anyone who is a Star Wars fan, you have to read this. And, I can't wait until Vader's Little Princess comes out on April 23! It has got to be amazing. 

Realizing I may not find Z at the local shops, I gave up and drove to Barnes & Noble. While my preference is to purchase local and used, there are times that is not possible. In addition, the truth is that I love Barnes & Noble. They ALWAYS have what I'm looking for, and their customer service is consistently remarkable, which, I'm sorry to say, isn't always the case at the local shops. Thankfully, Barnes & Noble had Z and my search was over, but for the hell of it, I picked up a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, because I've never read it. I can never pick up a single book.

Although my search for a single book turned out to be scavenger hunt all over town, I can't complain. I love books, shopping for books, talking about books with new, interesting people, and ending up with books I never would have thought I'd enjoy or own. The greatest part about my hunt for Z is that I got to do every single one of those things.