Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Goodbye Hypocrisy


The longer I hang around Twitter and other writers' blogs, the longer my To-Read list gets. I'm excited about that because it's so much easier to know what you're looking for at the bookstore or library than it is to browse the exposed spines of books hoping for something to call to you.

As I look for some of these titles, though, I find that some of the books with "buzz" haven't made it to my library yet. At first, I was really heartbroken. Then, I remembered that I am gainfully employed and in possession of two fingers, a working knowledge of the internet and a valid mailing address. Enter Barnes & Noble (before the Common Sense debacle*.)

I flinched a bit when I started adding books to my shopping cart. It's rare for me to buy new books--a hangover from my childhood in poverty. But then it occurred to me:

I expect people to do this for me some day. How can I possibly ask the consumer public to shell out their hard-earned dollars for my books someday, when I'm hesitant to do it myself?

So, I have a belated New Year's Resolution: Buy at least one brand-spanking new book per month. It's a small thing, but it's something I can do easily. And just think of all the happiness I'm giving myself.

Sidenote: when my package arrived from Barnes & Noble, I almost wet myself with joy. Here's what I ordered:

(Click the authors' names to be instantly transported to their websites, where you might be able to put a hat on a cow. Trust me. It's like magic! Or, the Internet, which is kind of the same to me.)












DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu











GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray












Woo, I'm so excited! Reading heaven!

- Liz

What's the last book you bought? Should I read it?

* Thank you, Meg Cabot, for inciting a riot and standing up for freedom to read!

7 comments:

Kristan said...

YAY!!! Yay, that was my resolution too. ("Get lost in a good book.") So far so good. I bought CATCHING FIRE (Book 2 in the Hunger Games series) by Suzanne Collins, which was AMAZING, and pre-ordered PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White and MOCKINGJAY, the third and final book in the Hunger Games.

I definitely want to hear how BREAK is. I can't believe Moskowitz was like 17 when she wrote that (and is only like 18 now)!!! Totally jealous, but also in awe.

And I've heard great things about GOING BOVINE. I'm actually reading Bray's A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY right now.

YAY for buying books! YAY for supporting writers! YAY for us getting to be on the receiving end some day!

Jody Hedlund said...

I agree about the benefit of blogging and twitter adding to the reading list! I like your resolution to buy one new book a month! Sounds like the perfect plan for every writer (or at least me!). ;-)

Unknown said...

I just bought and read Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford. It was a great read, though a little too accurate in its critique of modern work. Highly recommended.

hannah moskowitz said...

Yay BREAK! :D thanks, darling.

Liz Czukas said...

Kristan: I want to know how all of those books are!

Jody: Glad you're aboard!

David: Thanks for the recommendation.

Hannah: You got it, girl.

Richard Scott said...

Well, I uh... erm... grumble. Guilty as charged. While I do buy a lot of books, I mostly buy them second hand which means the writer is getting nothing from his (or her) work.

I too will take up the mantle, Liz. Well challenged!

Eleven Eleven said...

I'm a hand-me-down book type, unless you've already won my heart. Suzanne sure did. She was the last to get my hard-earned money via Borders (does using a coupon still count?). Now I'm going to have to go and find out when Mockingjay is coming out. If you can pre-order it, it must be soon...

(scanning mockingjay.net...)

August 24th?! Grumble grumble.