"And They Lived Happily Ever After"

What is it about the Strand bookstore that the moment I walk in, my mind turns to mush. I've got plenty of books on my Amazon wish list, but the minute I'm confronted with the rows and rows and rows of review books, my mind goes blank and I can't remember a single title that I want to get. I am therefore forced to roam the aisles and discover completely new books to buy, thus increasing my pile of to-be-reads into an unmanageable state. In a state of shock, I just idled through the labyrinth piles of books. I did show some restraint and only picked up Abandon by Pico Iyer (because NPR gave it such a great review), Advanced Sex Tips for Girls: This Time It's Personal by Cynthia Heimel (because Cynthia Heimel was Carrie Bradshaw long before there was a Carrie Bradshaw and she's funnier and I think she's missed out), Her by Laura Zigman (for no other reason than it looked fun), Enough About You: Adventures in Autobiography by David Shields (David is a former professor of mine and I love his writing style--he's the one who got me interested in writing creative nonfiction), and Love Works Like This: Moving from One Kind of Life to Another by Lauren Slater (I've read her book Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir, which both annoyed me and intrigued me at the same time, which I think makes for a really compelling book. But my image of her as a person is rather scary so I'm repelled/fascinated by the idea of her entering motherhood. You'd have to have read her previous books to know what I'm talking about.) (Ugh, and as I'm writing this, I realize I forgot to get the new Milan Kundera book.) Adam managed to walk out with just one book, which serves him right as I wanted to hit the road early, but he said we should go to the Strand, and therefore can't complain that I walked out with too many books I just don't need (although really, isn't every book a necessary book?).

And that was the perfect way to end our New York weekend.