:: kaboom books ::

We visited Kaboom Books yesterday, a small bookstore within walking distance of our Church. I've been dying to visit ever since I spied bookshelf upon bookshelf in a charming storefront we pass every Sunday while driving home. There's a space a few doors down that seems to be transitioning to a café or coffee shop. Oh, please, God! Kaboom's web site will improve soon, but for now you can see a glimpse of just how many books are in that place.

We opened a heavy door into a true book haven. A nice lady greeted us who I believe is married to the other owner - a kind, quiet man. Their two dogs were also very friendly, trotting around the aisles. It took me about five seconds to decide that I'm bound to return often. Kaboom is across town from our house, but since we're at Church 1-2 times per week, more book purchases seem likely. I can hardly wait for the weather to turn cooler this autumn. Our Church's neighborhood is perfect for strolling over to the bookstore; admiring bungalows, crepe myrtles, and oak trees along the way.

Kaboom is a long, narrow store, every wall covered with tall, wooden bookshelves. The interior space is filled with more shelves which create a maze of genres: fiction, poetry, humor, nautical, children's, reference, political science, literary criticism, history, essays, music, art, architecture, first editions, film, and religion. I've been to many a bookstore, but I was truly impressed by the wide variety and bountiful selection. After his wife left for the day, I told the other owner I could stay in his store for hours. He said, "Then you'd have to alphabetize for me." No problem - I used to work at Half Price Books, after all. I still find myself straightening shelves in any bookstore I visit. Sad, isn't it?

Johnny initially said I could choose one book which was fine by me, but when I revealed my finds, he looked at the inexpensive prices and said, "Heck, they're cheap. Let's get all three." 3 + his own choice = 4.



For Johnny:
Grendel Archives by Matt Wagner.

For Jenni:
The Best American Spiritual Writing 2006 edited by Philip Zaleski.
[includes work by Wendell Berry, Scott Cairns, Michael Chabon, Alan Jacobs, Richard John Neuhaus, and John Updike, among several others]

For both:
-The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers, introduction by Madeleine L'Engle.
-Brendan: a Novel by Frederick Buechner.

I also considered Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, and The Professor and the Madman: a Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester, but those will have to wait for another shopping spree. I really wish I had searched for novels by Ron Hansen.

After we finished shopping, we drove less than a minute over to Church, just in time for the potluck dinner. I carried my lunch box packed w/yeast-free eats, and much to my happiness, a friend cooked a delicious navy bean soup full of safe ingredients. For the past several Wednesdays, our pastor read an Epistle aloud. I've read Paul's letters and such fairly often, but it was a treat to hear them as the early Christians did - a letter in the mail, full of good news, read out loud. It also reminded me of what a lame letter-writer I am (I owe at least four people a handwritten letter).

However, our pastor wanted to do something a little different last night. We read the entire book of Esther the same way Jews do every spring during the Feast of Purim. Adults and children volunteered to read the parts of different characters: Mordecai, Esther, King Xerxes, Haman, and the King's and Queen Esther's servants; our pastor read the in-between narrations. Not only that, but Rev. Ellisor brought along toy horns and his son's noisiest toys - to make a boisterous racket whenever Haman's name was mentioned (he was "the bad guy", wanting to wipe out the Jews - Esther's people and God's chosen people). You can imagine what a blast the kids had making all that noise, and their glee was pretty contagious. I felt very reserved amidst all the silliness, yet I couldn't quit laughing. Just so you know, Johnny read the part of Mordecai. He also contributed to the noise-making by drumming on the table and creating inappropriate sounds, even with his armpit. Oh, Lord.

Back at home, I read in bed, and as I turned off the lamp, I fell asleep mulling over Buechner's description of Jacob's Ladder in The Son of Laughter. It was such a fun day full of books, the Bible, childlike frivolity, laughter, and in the end, vivid writing which brought that particular Jacob-story to life. As I said on dreams of genevieve, stories cover me like a healing balm, especially the good and true ones.

:: the principles of uncertainty ::

Um, I've used that photo twice on my other blog, but I don't feel like snapping another pic today - how do you like that? See, I needed a photograph to show you that I'm digging Maira Kalman's book, The Principles of Uncertainty. Those two books up there were prizes for braving a TMJ appointment way back in January. I'm a w-i-m-p when it comes to most anything-dental, so rewards are necessary. I'm not that grown up yet.

I flipped through Kalman's book in January and 'twas lovely, but I set it aside for a long while, until yesterday. I sent a copy to a friend for her birthday and last night, she flipped out with excitement. So much enthusiasm that although it was past my bedtime, I stayed up reading 134 pages! I laughed, oohed, and ahed over Maira Kalman's writing and illustrations. I love her creative, eclectic, ever-asking brain.

Here's a partial description from goodreads:

"The Principles of Uncertainty is an irresistible invitation to experience life through the psyche of Maira Kalman, one of this country's most beloved artists. The result is a book that is part personal narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, part chapbook, and all Kalman. Her brilliant, whimsical paintings, ideas, and images - which initially appear random - ultimately form an intricately interconnected worldview, an idiosyncratic inner monologue. Kalman contends with some existential questions - What is identity? What is happiness? Why do we fight wars? And then, of course, death, love, and candy (not necessarily in that order)."

This book is also a compendium of columns that Maira Kalman did for The New York Times. You can view every single column on the newspaper's web site, but really, I believe her book is worth owning ~ to read again and again. For example, here are two of my favorite pages so far:



[these two images courtesy of The New York Times. Click each to see a bit larger.]

It is, as they say, a beautiful book. And now, I'm dying to re-read one of my favorite writers' resources - The Elements of Style, the edition illustrated by Maira Kalman. Maybe I'll go ahead and add some of her children's books to my future-kids' collection, too.

What an inspiring lady.

:: the bookworm shop ::

[Milo]

An excerpt from my other blog:

"As you can see there, I did find two books at The Bookworm Shop. My brother strongly urged me to read Hiroshima, and my aunt did the same with The Year of Magical Thinking. They say those two are hard/sad reads, but important ones, and both were inexpensive, used copies. As the name implies, The Bookworm Shop was a charming place. Not too small, yet not oversized, either, and full of new & used books. There were chairs and couches, and fun gift items, too."

Also, I received an e-mail from The Brazos Bookstore about an upcoming author event with Jeannie Ralston. I don't know if it's my love for lavender or Texas, or both, but I really want to read The Unlikely Lavender Queen.



From goodreads:

"Jeannie Ralston had a flourishing career in her beloved New York, but meeting the love of her life would change all that. Robb, her husband-to-be and a photographer for National Geographic, hated the city and longed to settle down in the country. Jeannie was loath to leave her urban lifestyle — until they struck a bargain: she'd move to rural Texas if he would agree to start a family.

The Unlikely Lavender Queen is Ralston’s memoir of her life as an urban settler in rural Texas. She chronicles the experience of converting a dilapidated barn into a livable home, records with wit and bemusement her nostalgia for everything from lattes to liberals, lays bare her loneliness during Robb’s frequent National Geographic photo assignments, and raises the doubts that plague so many women of her generation — has she given up too much?

When Robb returns from a trip to Provence with a plan for starting a lavender farm on their land, Jeannie, a mother of two, is skeptical. But much to her surprise, in the course of managing the farm she discovers a new side of herself. By selling blooms to local florists, opening the farm to the public, and developing a number of lavender-related products, Ralston turns Hill Country Lavender into a thriving enterprise — and her life into an unexpected adventure."

I think I could live on a lavender farm ~ how 'bout you?

:: a keeper ::

I'm not finished with Christ the Lord: the Road to Cana yet, thank God. The only problem with a great book is the last page; I hate for such a good story to end. I love Anne Rice's imagination. I don't want to give anything away, especially since Andrea is planning to read The Road to Cana, but apparently, there's some controversy regarding the character of Avigail. However, that story line is choking me up with a beautiful parallel of how Christ loves the Church. Again, Anne Rice is brilliant.

Though I'm still immersed in Cana, I do know what my next fiction read will be. Last night, Johnny and I met my brother for Greek food - a good enough time in and of itself. But I was itching to wander around a bookstore w/coffee in hand. This should not surprise you. We visited one of my favorite stores in Houston: Bookstop, an old, renovated movie theater. I sipped an Americano - my new favorite drink.

In my defense, we did buy birthday gifts for two of our friends. And then, I walked by a display table of new, hardback fiction. You know what I saw ~ So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger. It was 20% off, and I'm thankful my husband understands there are some books you simply must own. Besides, we want to pass down the best books to our [future] children (hence the name of this blog). I'm even more satisfied we spent money at Bookstop since there's talk of tearing it down - one of the most beautiful spaces in Houston. I'd make a purchase at Bookstop every week if it would do anything to save the historic landmark.

....I'll let you know how great Leif Enger's new novel is soon.

[a coconut milk latte w/cinnamon. I know what you're thinking, but it tasted great; like real milk. I swear. Hey, if you were dairy-deprived for several months, you'd try it, too.]