Books

My mother and grandmother came up to visit today which is great for so many reasons. One such reason is their useful function as built-in babysitters, permitting my wife and I to leave our little ones in good hands while we scamper about.

As Shannon had a hippie-mom meeting, I ran off to Borders by myself. I love the atmosphere at these places; tons of great books, relaxed setting, coffee availability, etc. When we're together, we usually take about a half hour to grab a stack of books, then we meet in the cafe area to wade through our pile and just enjoy each other's company in relative silence.

Anyway, here's what I want to say: Are people actually buying some of books that I see on the shelves in Borders? The ones I'm referring to are the $30 hardcover books dealing with a current topic that will become completely irrelevant in a short amount of time. For instance, I saw a biography on Anna Nicole Smith and her untimely death. Now seriously, if someone actually wanted to learn some of these sordid details, wouldn't you just rather save the 30 bucks and check it out from the library? What do you do with this book when you're finished? Put it on your shelf? I feel like most people would be embarrassed to have their guests see it in their collection . . .

Another example would be any of the bazillion books ripping into George Bush. First of all, isn't this market a bit saturated to begin with. Secondly, again, who's putting down good, hard-earned money to read this stuff that will be completely irrelevant in just over a year?

If you're going to spend money on books, invest in some that will actually stand the test of time. A good reference book, a literary classic, a book that you'll read more than once . . . these are much better choices than the latest "Look at What a Great Mother I Am" book by Jenny McCarthy.