And I will admit that I don’t often read your blog either. But when I am struck with the urge to pull my head out of my shell and take a look around, I’ll spend some time sifting through the list of blogs that I have gathered. And I always try to find some sort of comment to leave. Clicking on the “like” button doesn’t count. I like to think about what you post and say SOMETHING about it. I think that should become standard blog etiquette. I know it is one way to encourage people to visit my little tiny scrap of the internets.
I subscribed a while ago to Tin House, a quarterly magazine of short fiction and poetry, and while thumbing through a back issue, came across an ad for The Baffler, a similar publication but apparently of a more non-fictional political bent (though who’s to say what is fiction and what is not these days). I have not seen an actual issue yet, but may very well pony up the extravagance of $25 to see what it is all about.
Speaking of reading, when I find that my pile of books-to-read is dwindling, I usually go first to Better World Books. These folks have a unique business model – they sell used books (and they seem to have a back log of thousands of titles) for pretty cheap, as little as $2.95. Your order is shipped at no cost, and in the ordering process you can opt to add a bit to make your order carbon neutural (though I have not investigated into exactly what this means). They even offer e-books. AND if you have books in your library that you either won’t read or won’t read again, or if you are just feeling altruistic, you can print out a prepaid shipping label and send off a box of donations. AND, for every book you buy, Better World donates a book to a worthy cause. So save a tree, buy a used book. They are used, but they still work just fine.
I fully endorse reading second hand books and going to charity book stores and libraries. They all need a home! A humble existence trumps chaotic living methinks.
I understand ur frustration! Keep blogging thru it all !
I read your blog :-).
Thanks for the link to Better World Books – good to know about.
Hi Stephen, I do read all your musings and have a friend that does also. Thank you for the tip about Better World Books.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little research on this. And he actually bought me lunch simply because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this issue here on your blog.