I am so ashamed

So you know how I made that New Year's Resolution not to buy any books this year? Of course you don't. I made one post about it and never mentioned it again. Well, I was one day short of the five month mark and I caved. I had weird hours at work and somehow ended up at Chapters. Don't ask me how I got there I have no idea. And I don't like shopping at Chapters because they're a big box store and have been subjected to ageism at one of their other branches.

So I'm in Chapters and my feet decide to take me over to the Bargain Tables. Now, the bargain tables at Munro's bookstore are much better because there's more selection and it's an independent bookstore so obviously the books have more awesome injected into the spines.

So anyway I picked up "Selected Poems by Emily Dickenson". I was so tempted because I love her work but I rationalized by saying "it's not 'The Complete Works'. Just walk away. Walk Away!" Big sigh of relief and then my eyes happen to settle on "The Complete Works of John Keats". Darn it! And then I manage to also find the complete and unabridged versions of "Little Women" and "Good Wives" by Louisa May Alcott. Having suffered through the Children's Classic Illustrated version where Beth just "disappears", I knew I had to have this version. (I used to think she just went on a really long vacation or maybe she ran away to the woods. That's the version I was told about my first cat).

You wouldn't believe how hard I've tried to not buy books. The other day I found myself wandering around in Munro's. I know, wandering into another bookstore by accident twice in one week? How does this kind of stuff happen? I found this great book about the Battle of Trafalgar with eyewitness accounts by various officers and even Nelson himself. (I have to admit I've got a bit of a crush on the guy. Naval tacticians are hot stuff. Yes I know it's weird but what I can say? I love a good broadside. Anyway, the book was only $3 and I made myself walk away.

I'm still going to try to keep my book buying to a minimum and use the public library as often as I can. But next year, next I'll try going longer without any purchases, maybe half a year.







Also, I would like to dedicate this post to Luc Bourdon. Vancouver Canuck, two-time World Junior Champion. He died on Thursday in a motorcycle accident. He was 21 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. I think the reason this has really upset me is because of his age and the fact that I watched him win both of those Championships. He had a bright future with the Canucks and now he'll never get that chance. Game four of the Stanley Cup on tonight paid tribute to him with a minute of silence and my thoughts go out to his mother and his hometown, Shippagan, New Brunswick, a community of about 2500 people.