Really Random Tuesday: More Bookstore Pics, Saving Up for BEA 2012 and Giveaway Winner!

I have a couple of fairly random photos to share with you this week, both taken in bookstores during my recent trip to Vermont. (Click on them to enlarge.) The first is of me on the staircase leading up to the children’s section in the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester:

Me inside the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT

The second is of a beautiful tabletop inside the Briggs Carriage Bookstore in Brandon (where we stopped briefly on our way home but I didn’t buy any books):

Tabletop at Briggs Carriage Bookstore in Brandon, VT

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In other news, Cindy, Tina and I have all decided to start saving money for our Book Expo America trip next year. This is the piggy bank I’m using, which is actually a cow bank called Bessie (isn’t she cute? I’m going to have to fill her several times over!):

Bessie, my BEA 2012 cow bank

My ticker counter is at the very bottom of my blog; unfortunately, I couldn’t find a cow to mark my progress (they had turtles and trains and twins, but no cows, so I settled for a camel instead).
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Finally, it’s time to announce the winner of my latest giveaway: Teresa from Teresa’s Reading Corner won a copy of The Pleasing Hour by Lily King. I hope we both enjoy this book (since I haven’t read it yet) and thank you to all of you who entered my giveaway!
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Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko at Suko’s Notebook. Feel free to join in, copy the button and link back to Suko’s blog.

Mailbox Monday (May 23): Vermont Loot!

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books they received during the previous week. Warning: MM can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and huge wish lists! Mailbox Monday, which was started by Marcia (who now blogs at A girl and her books) is on blog tour—this month, it’s hosted by Mari at MariReads.

Last week, my friend Rowena and I went on a four-day road trip to Vermont. We were headed for Manchester, Vermont (home to the Northshire Bookstore, which was the main goal of our trip), but on the way we spent a couple of hours in Burlington, where we visited the Crow Bookshop.

At the Crow Bookshop, I bought An Accidental Autobiography by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (a book I’ve been looking for for a long time).

Crow Bookshop in Burlington, VT


Inside the Crow Bookshop

Of course, the first thing we did on our first morning in Manchester was visit the Northshire Bookstore, where I bought six other books:

• The Secret Life of Water by Masaru Emoto
• Two Rivers by T. Greenwood
• When You’re Falling, Dive: Acceptance, Freedom and Possibility by Cheri Huber
• Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
• Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg
• The Energy of Prayer: How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice by Thich Nhat Hanh (which was part of The Energy of Prayer Gift Box)

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT


The art section in the Northshire Bookstore

Rowena and I returned to the Northshire the following day for an author event and bought more books, but I’ll tell you about that tomorrow! In the meantime, here’s my book pile:

Click on any photo to enlarge!

What did you find in your mailbox this past week? For other Mailbox Monday posts, head over to MariReads.

Really Random Tuesday: Portland Pics

As I mentioned in my Mailbox Monday post yesterday, I visited Portland over Easter (for the first time) with my sister. One of my first stops was Powell’s Books (or, more specifically, Powell’s City of Books, which is their largest store: an entire city block of books!). I must admit I found Powell’s a bit overwhelming: it’s a bit like visiting a dozen bookstores at once! I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, but here’s one of me looking very pleased to be so close to book mecca (click on photos to enlarge):

Me in front of Powell’s City of Books

One of the people we stayed with in Portland works in the library system and she told me about Title Wave, which was right around the corner from her house. I thought the building was lovely (and I was happy to find quite a few graphic novels for $1 or $2 each!).

The Title Wave Used Bookstore

I’m definitely planning to visit Portland again! Have any of you been there? Are there any other used bookstores I should be adding to my list of places to visit?

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko at Suko’s Notebook. Feel free to join in, copy the button and link back to Suko’s blog.