You may have heard about a wee lil roadtrip to Iowa we took on Friday. One of just several reasons (PIE SHAKES. PIE. IN A SHAKE.) to go to Iowa City was to hit up this great bookstore, Prairie Lights, recommended by one of my professors. I haven’t been buying books at all in my unemployed state (borrowing! from various friends AND the library!) so I had given myself a $100 budget for the event. (I actually came out $10 under! Yay me! Aren’t you proud of me for being so restrained?!?!)

• “The Flying Troutmans”, by Miriam Toews – the first cople pages sucked me in. You may remember me reading another book by her a couple years ago.
  
• “The Turtle Catcher” by Nicole Helget – another writer I’ve read before (you can search for Helget on this old page) and a Minnesotan. I’m interested to see what her fiction is like.
  
• “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson – a YA selection. First few pages seem very intense. On a side note: I don’t think it’s a great decision to house the YA downstairs in what primarily looks like a (tiny, little wee) kids’ playroom. I would have liked to see this section upstairs, maybe near the fantasy/sci fi section would be a good spot.
  
• “Normal People Don’t Live Like This” Dylan Landis – a short story collection about young girls. Thanks again to Betsy Crane for getting me on the short story bandwagon these last few years. So pleasing sometimes to just be able to read a story and not have to set your book down and come back to it.
  
• “College Girl” by Patricia Weitz – Read a few pages. Seems a bit like Frankie Landau-Banks and a bit chic-lit-y and I really think I’m going to like it.
  

I can’t wait to get readin’! After I finish some homework, that is…