Share a memorable moment of shopping for books.

T. Semidey
Last week I took a cabin vacation to Blue Ridge, Georgia. I have made it a point to buy a book in cities I visit. I laminate the receipt and use it as bookmark. Much to my surprise, I found a book store just down the road a bit. The store owner was very fascinating and we talked for quite some time. The store she bought had been renovated from a small church. Needless to say, I purchased two books from this wonderful little bookstore. She didn't have a receipt that I could laminate, so I used her business card (her idea). I definitely look forward to visiting her bookstore again next year. It was a great, memorable moment for me and each time I look at my books, it brings a smile to my face recalling this wonderful memorable moment while shopping for books.

Dora
I get my books at my library.

Michael Rockliff
We spent an afternoon in Hay-On-Wye, armed with a want list of our own and one from our grown children. It was wonderful crawling around among the teetering stacks of books, but at the end of the day, we found not a one. All the books we did buy that day came from the Oxfam shop.

Suzannefromtexas
One year, four English teachers went to an English conference in Austin together. Each night, we visited the free wine and cheese tables that the textbook dealers hosted, and then we skipped out to the huge bookstore nearby, and spent our dinner stipend on books. I can still remember hearing the giggles from aisle to aisle.

Michelle Miller
There are so many! One would have to be when I found all of Diana Gabaldon's books (the Outlander series) in hardcover at a used book sale --- they were $1.50 a piece! I was thrilled!

The Book Club Cheerleader
When my sister, Sheri, and I spend an afternoon together, we cannot resist including a bookstore in our stops. I love the feel of the books in my hands, the smell of the paper, the sight of the colorful dust jackets. And, we have developed a comfortable routine over time. We begin by cruising the aisles, noting the new selections on the literary fiction tables, perusing the new releases in non-fiction --- and my newest obsession --- checking out the audio books. I feel as self-indulgent as if I’ve just had a facial, pedicure or deep-tissue massage. But, practically, I’ve found that since I’ve begun having someone else read to me, I ‘read’ twice as fast, so that does assuage some of the guilt. Suddenly I’m making a dent in that stack of books on my shelf. 

After we can no longer carry the stack of books we’ve collected, we drift over into the coffee shop section of the bookstore, unload our collections on a table, and order a couple of latte’s --- my sister’s is mocha; mine’s a chai, if anyone else is buying… 

Books, lattes and sisterhood. That’s my definition of a perfect afternoon. All that’s missing are my two cats --- but it’s just as well, Sheri’s allergic.

Julia L. Rule
A doctor started coming to the outpatient surgical center where I work. He didn't talk much to anyone. I saw a challenge. I tried to draw him out, and found out he was a reader. So, I would talk to him about books. He still didn't say much. Then one day at our local independent book store, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and there he was. So, he, his wife and I sat and had a coffee and talked books. After that, he was more open at work with everyone.

Nancy
On a vacation, my friend and I discovered a wonderful bookstore in Chester, VT. The lady in the store was so helpful and I bought several books. The store had displays of interesting books and it was a really great experience.

Nora Fodor
I bought 3 new books a few weeks ago, but, when I go to a book sale, I have bought about 30 books at a time.

Sandra Hughes
I simply love library book sales, but the best one I attend every year is in northern Texas, and last year I hit the jackpot! I keep a long list of 'to read' books and I found around 32 books on that list and bought them all!

Marta
My favorite memory of buying books is when I went shopping with my teenage daughter. She would go over to the teens books and we would sit on the floor and spend about an hour making piles of books. Then I would say you can have two books. She usually talks me up to three or four, but we would have such a good time browsing through them and picking out just the right three or four.

Kristy "Bee" Barrett
I used to live in a small Kentucky town with no bookstore, the closest one almost 3 hours away. We were in Lexington, KY after I had been hospitalized, and the newest Mary Higgins Clark was releasing the next day. After assisting me shopping, the clerk heard bits of my story and gave me the copy about 16 hours early! Now, I live within approximately 20 minutes of just about ANY book store, my greatest joy :)

Cathy Doyle
One of the few times most of my favorite authors had new books out, and I actually had the money to buy them.

Janet C. Beaulieu
I wasn't really shopping, I was browsing, when I spotted a huge book at the bottom of a pile that the used bookseller was going through. The book turned out to be an 1870s Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. I went wild. I asked him what he wanted for it. He said, "If you want it, you can have it." "For free?" I asked. "You want it, it's yours," he said. "Won't cost you a penny."
I grabbed it. It now resides along many other dictionaries collected over the years, and when it comes to books, it's really one of my prized possessions, which cost me nothing. Yes, if you have a friend who's a bookseller, you CAN get something for free!

Tamara
I had just come from a Christmas party luncheon that was held at an historic hotel in my small town in the foothills of California. It had started snowing and I was going to go home, but had parked my car in front of a small book store. It looked so inviting that I went inside, and it was so enchanting and cozy with a few people Christmas shopping. I looked out the large windows as I was browsing and saw the beautiful snow falling with the city Christmas decorations hanging over the street. I looked down at the window display and there was the store cat cuddled up asleep in the book display. Picture perfect.

Rosalie Sambuco
I remember taking my mother to B&N for her first visit. She was so truly amazed by all the books. It was like watching a kid in a candy shop. She was 85 years old and spry as a cat --- she hopped from one section to another, hardly able to control herself. I had as much fun, if not more, just watching her.

Mary Branham
I love going to flea markets while on vacation in Florida. I even look in goodwill stores and salvation army stores. I just love looking and coming across a book I think I will like. 

I also buy books, go to the library, go to used bookstores and trade them with friends. I have so many, and I hope I have time to read them all. It doesn't stop me from buying more wherever I go.

Shelley
I like to shop for books when I get a gift card. Then I can buy books I usually pass up.

Lyn B.
On my first trip to Arizona, my sister and brother-in-law took me to Scottsdale so that I could visit The Poisoned Pen. They quickly found some books and left to walk around. Returning after an hour, they discovered that I still wasn't finished! I finally met them after spending 2 1/2 hours in the store.

Pat Stuckey
Read about Jan Karon's Mitford series in newspaper, then went to used book store and found 6 of them, after describing them in detail to owner. "Mitford" was key word that triggered her memory. I love these books!

Sandra Lee Smith
I was at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Newport-on-the-Levee while visiting family in Cincinnati. My nephew had taken me there and I was enamored by all the favorite Kentucky authors I found on the shelves (for example, books by Janice Holt Giles, one of my all-time favorite authors, being reprinted) --- and I bought a huge stack of them and commented to the cashier that "I was thrilled to find so many of my favorite KY authors on the shelves." His response was a long drawled-out,
"Welllll, ma'am, you ARE in Kentucky." My nephew and I laughed all the way back to his house.

Dia
I shop our library's used book sale and always come out with a box full of bargain-priced books!

Alberta
Once at a flea market, I came across a woman with 4 very large Rubbermaid totes with books I had not yet read for $5 a tote. Because I said she could have totes back when I got the books to car, she gave all of the books for $15. I was ecstatic!

PJC
I'm always reading several books at the same time and feel guilty looking for more when I haven't finished the ones I've already started, but couldn't help picking up Page Lambert's IN SEARCH OF KINSHIP: Modern Pioneering on the Western Landscape. After attending a writing retreat led by Lambert, it was only fitting that I read her book. I couldn't put it down and while at first I had feelings of guilt for buying another book, this book captivated my attention so much that all the other books on my nightstand waited patiently. Sometimes, you just have to go with your instincts. Since reading Lambert's book, I see my own life differently and have decided to let go of guilt about anything. All the books that I have yet to finish will be read or not. The key, for me, is to just have them near me and enjoy their vibrations, whether I actually get to finish them or not.

Debbie
A couple of years ago, my daughter and I were in a Barnes & Noble over the Christmas holidays years ago. We were good-naturedly squabbling about who would buy a particular book I found (we do lend books back and forth). Anyway, while we were animatedly discussing this purchase, my boss walked up from across the room and asked if we needed him to "break it up." We all had a good laugh over it, and my daughter and I reminisce about it to this day.

Linda S. Miller
A lazy saturday afternoon with my best friend, also a voracious reader, in B&N with a Starbucks in hand, just going from shelf to shelf, aisle to aisle. It makes me want to do this again soon.

Mickey
One of the more interesting moments came when I was shopping in Bakka Books in Toronto. It's a great science-fiction/fantasy store and often has books that I can't find on the shelves in KY stores. I was about to check out when I realized that the cashier was the author of a series I was in the middle of reading. She looked up, saw my dumbfounded expression and laughed. "I get that reaction about once a week" she said. (She also was kind enough to sign a copy of the newest book in the series for me and recommend a few others.)

kattykathy
When I was 15, I found a complete book of Shakespeare for the sale price of $10. The look on my father's face, when I asked for an advance on my allowance to get it, was priceless. I still have it!

Mary Ferwerda
I am a librarian in a city/school library. Once the school gave the librarian a bonus of $3500 to go to B&N to shop for books. We had a six- hour ball!

Nina
My husband and I were shopping for books at The Strand Bookstore in NYC one afternoon when the fire alarm began to ring. I stopped and looked about but no one, including the store clerks, seemed particularly bothered so I continued my shopping. My husband approached, asking if I was intending to evacuate and my response was,"Well none else is...and besides, I'm still browsing..." He then said, "Well, as much as I hate to interrupt your book browsing, there is a Fire Engine outside. I'm pretty sure the fire alarm means we are supposed to evacuate." 

My husband then left me and many other browsers inside while he went outside to wait for the "all clear." The Firemen entered the store and went about their business without ever disturbing the book browsers. When the Firemen left, my husband re-entered the store but was utterly perplexed. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. I guess the bottom line is "Don't mess with book lovers when they are shopping for books."

Indigo
A memorable moment of shopping for books would be with my working dog Pickles (I'm deaf, she alerts me to people around me). It's amusing enough seeing people stare at a dog inside a bookstore. On this memorable occasion, I had been looking over different books for quite some time. Pickles is usually very patient sitting beside me, watching everyone around us. Finally I was ready to go and turned to her and asked if she thought we had been there long enough (yes, I do talk to her). She rolled her eyes and acted like she was fainting as she slumped to the floor.

Everyone around us stopped to stare. I waited, knowing she would glance up to see if I noticed, she did. I couldn't help but laugh, as she got back up wagging her tail as if to tell me, "Did you see me". She may be a working dog but she has such a fun, quirky personality. 

When we got up to the counter, I was asked if she was alright. Apparently several people had voiced concern for the jokester dog. I still chuckle thinking about it. Who would have thought of a fainting dog in the middle of a bookstore.

Kay O'Dell
Any day that I get to buy books is a memorable moment. My most fun, though, is when I am on vacation, because I don't look in the bargain section first

Joan Myles
On a trip to London, I discovered a whole new world of books --- books that weren't published in the US. I mailed books home almost daily.

Pumpkin Giraffe
I was vacationing in Lahina, Hawaii and went into a little book store that sold a blend of old and new books. I found a perfect hardback copy of a Robert Heinlein book I had been looking for for many years. As I was leaving, I saw a new copy of a Maeve Binchy's EVENING CLASS --- two favorites in one trip.

Donna
Actually, this weekend was my most memorable shopping trip for books. 

I have a large, ugly, surgical boot on my left foot that goes all the way up to my knee. I had surgery in January and am still recovering. To be honest with you, I am still in a bit of pain when I walk, but that would not stop me from the Big Book Sale for the Friends of the Library today. My husband went with me to take care of holding all my books while I searched through the hundreds of books available. I could have stayed longer, but the foot pain did get to me. However, I was thrilled with the 47 books and 5 CDs I purchased. This annual book sale is always so crowed, and in the past, no one lets you move in front of them. I guess when people saw my boot today, they must have felt sorry for me because lots of people let me in front of them. It was a great morning.

Richard Bartels
I was shopping at Goodwill, my favorite bookstore, when inspiration hit. I had just met my (future) wife in November and I needed to get her a Christmas gift. I knew she loved to read and to travel, so when I saw the display of old National Geographics, I couldn't resist. I bought 5 of them (for 25c), put them in a box and wrapped it carefully. (Yes, I did also get her a "real" gift ... another story.) On Christmas Eve, I told her she had to guess before she could open the box. She weighed it in her hands, shook it, examined it from all sides, all the while thinking out loud. She asked me maybe 2 Yes/No questions, and then actually guessed "old National Geographics!" 

We still do this occasionally --- make each other guess before we're allowed to open the gift. This year I got her a gift certificate to her favorite book store...put it in a large box I filled with rocks. She guessed in about 30 seconds! (She got me symphony tickets, which she taped to the outside of a box of rice and then wrapped. I never guessed ...)

Carol
I was working for a public library in SC at the time. At the end of our budget year, we suddenly did not have time to order books and get an invoice by the end of the fiscal year. I was sent to Barnes & Noble with a shopping list from 6 branches and $12,000 to spend. It took all day, but it was bliss.

Rita Carter
In about 2000, my now-late Mother and I spent a wonderful afternoon at Pages for All Ages Bookstore. She was a recent leg amputee and needed a bit of cheering up. We perused all sorts of books and had cappuccino. We then hit the greeting cards. I'm surprised that we weren't kicked out for laughing hysterically at some of the cards. Needless to say, we spent a wonderful afternoon at the bookstore and each left with about 3 books and numerous greeting cards each. We traded the books between ourselves after we had read them. It is a wonderful memory of my Mother ( an 8th-grade drop out who discovered reading for enjoyment in late middle age). Sadly Pages for All Ages, an independent bookstore, was forced to close for financial reasons last month. It will be sadly missed.

Karen Bader
I live in CA, while my son attends grad school in Oxford, MS. There is nothing better than wandering around Square Books with my husband and son. In each of the 3 stores, Square Books, Off Square Book, or Square Books, Jr., there are wonderful selections and great recommendations. Many of the books are autographed. Thacker Mountain Radio is even broadcast from one of their stores. This year for Christmas my family got me the Square Books monthly book club. Each month, I get a personally autographed book mailed to me. Visiting that store is like a little bit of heaven on earth.

Hedi Hopwood
I was in a local bookstore that I support and the owner came and gave an advance copy of a book that had not been put up for sale. It made me feel like NY Times book reviewer! On different occasions, they have also given me books that had ripped jackets and could not sell. It made me feel important after all the books that I have bought. 

Between book clubs and shopping, I used to buy at least ten books a month. However, with the economy, I have had to drop that amount and been forced to wait for the paperback issues to come out.

Marion Webb
I belong to the National Puzzlers' League. Some years ago, I was thrilled to find in a bookstore a copy of our "bible", THE MASTER CROSSWORD PUZZLE DICTIONARY by Herbert M.Baus, going for a reasonable price instead of the three figures I'd seen on eBay. But, the kid at the cash register looked at it, and said, "It's nothing but lists of words!" (I had to laugh!)

LouBabe
A used book house opened up just for me for a whole afternoon. I had brought some books to donate, plus I volunteered to organize and sort through what they had (labor of love, believe me). In return, I was allowed to spend the afternoon there alone and pick out as many books as I wanted to keep. They had a great assortment; it was hard to limit myself and not empty the whole house :) I don't remember when I've enjoyed myself more (and I still haven't read all of them).