Trip to the Book Store

We went to the bookstore yesterday and true to my current memoir kick, checked out the biography/memoir aisles. I had even more books in my hands but sat in the cafe and went over them, deciding what books I just had to have now and what could wait, writing down the titles for later - purchase, library reserve, or paperpback swap request (although one I did check out and then bought from Amazon when I got home). I think we spent at least two hours on a sunny Saturday afternoon in the bookstore. It was uncrowded though and usually one has to fight for a table.

What I bought:

A STRONG WEST WIND by Gail Caldwell
Caldwell is the chief book critic for the Boston Clobe and she won the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism in 2001. This book is about growing up in the Texas Panhandle during the 50s and 60s as the liberal daughter of conservative parents (hmm, I wonder why this appealed to me :-))

THE HORIZONTAL WORLD: GROWING UP WILD IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE by Debra Marquart
Marquart grew up in North Dakota in the 60s in a small farming community where her family is descendants of Germans from Russia immigrants who settled there in the late 19th century. As my parents grew up in North Dakota and my father's parents were both first-generation Americans of Germans from Russian heritage this really sounded interesting. I've read a couple of essays already and am anxious to read more.

JAYWALKING WITH THE IRISH by David Monagan
About a man who relocated his family from the US to Cork,Ireland in 2004.

SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH by Haven Kimmel
Sequel to a Girl Named Zippy, on my TBR pile for several years and highly recommended.

Guidebooks to The San Juan Islands and Portland, Oregon for upcoming trips

The book I ordered from Amazon is THE GOOD PIG by Sy Montgomery - we nurtured a little piglet runt a couple of years ago and thought this sounded interesting, read some reviews and decided I wanted to read it sooner than later.

Others that look good and titles I made note of for later:

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS by Laura Shaine Cunningham
THE SOUL OF A CHEF by Michale Ruhlman
FEEDING A YEN by Calvin Trillin
TURNING THE TABLES by Steven Shaw

Ah, so many books, so little time. . .