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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Of Used Bookstores and Alpacas

It occurred to me today that I haven't mentioned Otter Creek Used Books yet. It's an awesome, bursting-at-the-seams used bookstore in Middlebury. As fate would have it, my upstairs neighbor is the daughter of the bookstore owner, so I managed to insinuate myself into the store as a volunteer! Check another life goal off the list.

It's fascinating and inspiring to be surrounded by books (I will refrain from mentioning that if I allow myself to contemplate all the cruddy books that no one has ever heard of, nor ever read, this sort of job could be somewhat less inspiring for an unpublished writer. But I my brain would never seek out such pensive subjects...)

I wonder if mentioning something in parentheses still counts as officially mentioning it. Methinks it does. Oh well, moving on...

So I want to get better at posting covers here of books that caught my eye in the store. Yesterday I fell in love with this pulpy treat.


The heroine's name is Gray and the blurbs on the front guarantees that when you finish reading this gothic romance, there won't be, "a shiver left in the reader's spine."

Which is in no way humorously sexual. No, not in the slightest.

[Editor's Note 4/20: I must add that I picked this up at the used book store yesterday--why hasn't anyone snatched it up??--and the title is actually Fingers of Fear. Which is in no way humorously sexual. No, not in the slightest.]

Ah yes, I also promised you alpacas. Curt and I went to visit them yesterday during lunch. Sadly I was not brave enough to step into the pen without his boss (the owner), so the photos are only from outside the pen, and don't entirely give you the sense of being surrounded by Muppet aliens as I felt the other day.


The white one on the right is Claudio. He's my favorite.



Finally, there is a package waiting for me at the Post Office. It may or may not be THE BOOK I have been waiting for. I'll let you know, and post pics if it is!! Fingers crossed.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my fingers are doubly crossed that it's The Book. ~pauses to cross fingers on both hands~

    A month or two back, I went to the zoo with a pair of friends I haven't seen for a while. They wanted to go in the petting zoo portion, so we did. You're allowed to go into the gated goat area, so we did. I was taking a picture of one tiny, adorable goat, looked down, and another one is trying to eat my very nice maroon tank top. And my friends said nothing to warn me of the impending goat saliva. XP You were better off outside the pen if alpacas are anything like miniature goats.

    Although, muppet aliens indeed, kinda creepy how they're all looking directly at you in that last photo.

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  2. I think you should work the phrase "impending goat saliva" into your next story. Haha love it! Though I would have liked it less so if I were the one sporting goat saliva on my tank top.

    The alpacas love to stare at you like that. Despite their fluffy cuteness, the stare is disconcerting. I think they may understand human speech.

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  3. Heh. I may have to do that. At least it wasn't a slobbering kind of saliva, it dried pretty quickly (because of course, I couldn't go straight home to change my shirt, not for hours still).

    They understand and they're plotting, biding their time.

    Also, I kind of love that book teaser: "Piles horror upon horror until there is not a shiver left in the reader's spine."

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