Books and access to them.
Dec. 5th, 2008 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zianurayI live in a town without a bookstore. The three nearest towns share the lack. The nearest city with an actual bookstore where you can get a "real" book (not just a Living Word Bible or Harlequin bodice-ripper) is 32 miles away, but there they have a B&N, Borders, at least four used bookstores*, and at least five "Christian" bookstores**.
Plus gift shops that also sell books***, many associated with churches, which I would include in the previously-mentioned category.
Here? If it's not on the Borg-Mart shelf, either order it online or prepare for a drive.
Now 30 miles isn't so bad, really; half an hour on the highway. Except that from here, it's 20 minutes to the highway and another 20 miles ON the highway and at least 20 minutes getting through traffic when you get to the city. If I'm taking that sort of drive, I want to do several things in one trip.
Right now I can:
Bookstore
Drop off Cat's Hat
Hit two or three hobby stores looking for a specific SORT of item
...
and that's all.
I'm Jonesing for a bookstore trip and haven't enough reasons to make the drive.
I don't NEED to go to the bookstore -- I have several on my TBR pile and others I need to review and a boatload of things I should be doing around the house. Dangit, I wanna go BOOKS! *pushes out lip and stomps feet*
Oh, and Library? Yeah, we have one -- sort of. I got used to the St Louis Public Library system growing up, then the Greene County Library System....this one is sort of...well, Mayberry RFD had more books. I can't look online to see what's available, I have to figure out a time they're open and go in to request an ILL. Last time, they didn't bother to tell me when the book GOT there -- it arrived sooner than I expected and had been SENT BACK before I thought to go in (couldn't get them to understand what I wanted over the phone) and check on it.
I keep expecting to find that there are books that aren't in the card catalog -- YOU know, the ones where you have to be a teacher or a medical professional to find out they're under the desk.
_____________________
* Half-Price books, the one on Glenstone and St. Louis, ABC, and the one over near Games to Order.
** CPO, Zondervan, the one on Kansas Expwy near I-44, the one by the AG, and Roderick's.
*** My absolute top favorite for this is Renaissance Books and Gifts -- they have new and used books that nowhere else in this silly town will carry.
Plus gift shops that also sell books***, many associated with churches, which I would include in the previously-mentioned category.
Here? If it's not on the Borg-Mart shelf, either order it online or prepare for a drive.
Now 30 miles isn't so bad, really; half an hour on the highway. Except that from here, it's 20 minutes to the highway and another 20 miles ON the highway and at least 20 minutes getting through traffic when you get to the city. If I'm taking that sort of drive, I want to do several things in one trip.
Right now I can:
Bookstore
Drop off Cat's Hat
Hit two or three hobby stores looking for a specific SORT of item
...
and that's all.
I'm Jonesing for a bookstore trip and haven't enough reasons to make the drive.
I don't NEED to go to the bookstore -- I have several on my TBR pile and others I need to review and a boatload of things I should be doing around the house. Dangit, I wanna go BOOKS! *pushes out lip and stomps feet*
Oh, and Library? Yeah, we have one -- sort of. I got used to the St Louis Public Library system growing up, then the Greene County Library System....this one is sort of...well, Mayberry RFD had more books. I can't look online to see what's available, I have to figure out a time they're open and go in to request an ILL. Last time, they didn't bother to tell me when the book GOT there -- it arrived sooner than I expected and had been SENT BACK before I thought to go in (couldn't get them to understand what I wanted over the phone) and check on it.
I keep expecting to find that there are books that aren't in the card catalog -- YOU know, the ones where you have to be a teacher or a medical professional to find out they're under the desk.
_____________________
* Half-Price books, the one on Glenstone and St. Louis, ABC, and the one over near Games to Order.
** CPO, Zondervan, the one on Kansas Expwy near I-44, the one by the AG, and Roderick's.
*** My absolute top favorite for this is Renaissance Books and Gifts -- they have new and used books that nowhere else in this silly town will carry.
