remainder books

Years ago when I was at a summer writing conference in Iowa City, Jim Heynen said that when he goes in a bookstore and sees his books on the remainder table for some ridiculous price, he has to buy them. He has nightmares about driving around in his old car peddling books from the trunk. I always think of that when I visit the remainder table at the local bookstore. Yesterday I bought So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger. I've only read a few chapters but I love it. His sentences are like a warm bath. I'll type a few of them here tomorrow night as I'm too soporific to get up off my chair right now.

Regis and I lifted the veil of moroseness by going out into the sunshine this afternoon. There was only about an hour of it, but by God we enjoyed it. Regis had a beer and a cigar and I had a popsicle and we watched the birds and admired our baby robins and our new grass. What a day.

There's a great story in the Trib today about a family from Missouri who sent out a family photo Christmas card last year. They also posted the photo on the family blog. Lo and behold, friends of theirs driving through Prague in the Czech Republic see their family photo on the front of a store, life size, advertising something. Well, hmmmmm. The store owner says he got it off the internet and if the family lived in his country, he would send them a nice bottle of wine as an apology.

So, if any of you are driving through an eastern European country and see a photo from my blog on a storefront, make sure to let the store owner know he owes me a bottle of wine.

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