Reading provisions
Boxing Day has come and gone; the stores were shuttered by 6 p.m. With no pressing need for large appliances or replacement electronics, we avoided the lineups and didn’t even think about going shopping until after noon. Truth be told, we were barely out of bed by that point, since the whole extended household is on vacation hours. No matter, the shopping experience didn’t involve standing in a queue, unless you count the time spent waiting for access to a terminal. I was in a good bookstore.
Although Quebec City tries to be metropolitan, English bookstores are an endangered concept. One small dealer tries hard, but (to me) a good bookstore should be larger than my personal library. The inventory of my local magazine store keeps me supplied with “bus books”, but any extended bouts of reading have come with the act of faith required by the online shopping experience. A title and a cover shot do not equal perusal and page-flipping.
I limited myself to an even dozen titles this afternoon. The chance to purchase another Theroux was worth the trip, but I also found material from a number of authors that I’ve enjoyed in past years. No other names come to mind; the pleasure will be doubled when I actually reopen my shopping bag when we get home. The real secret of a good book is its unlimited shelf life.
I probably have enough books around to last me for a month or two, but none of my suppliers keep the unread stuff around for any longer than needed, so I purchase when I can. Reading drought prevention.
