A Futile Trip to Barnes and Noble

I went to Barnes and Noble this morning ready to spend my Christmas gift card. I didn't do it. I brought my pretty little gift card back home. I was really looking for specific things and they didn't have them.

The first book I wanted to find was Whiskey Chitto Woman by local author Marguerite Hudson. She used to teach at the high school where I teach. When I was in Barnes and Noble before Christmas she was doing a book signing there, but it was for later in the day and I missed it. I thought, "Surely they will have copies of the book there later!" Silly me. But the title caught my eye because Whiskey Chitto Creek is in the Kisatchie Forest which I've researched extensively and written about. Fascinating stories there. Anyway, her novel is a Civil War novel and part of its setting is the Battle of Mansfield, also a topic that interested me. Steve and I visited the site last year which is only about 30 minutes from here. They have a nice little museum there. At any rate, I couldn't find the book today.

The second book I was looking for was The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King. No dice.

Finally I went for the cookbook section. I was going to pick up the second Blue Willow Inn cookbook The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking, because I so loved the first one. Nada. No luck. The book got rotten reviews online because it uses a lot of canned or boxed ingredients, but trust me, as I've written about before, it's a great cookbook. It's not gourmet cooking by any means; it's good-ole blue-plate-special cooking. I've made almost everything in the first cookbook, including the best pineapple upside down cake ever.

So I left Barnes and Noble empty handed today. It's not like I'm at a loss for anything to read right now anway. I'm currently halfway into my Samuel Adams biography and am also reading Cornwell's Scarpetta, which I pick up when my brain is too tired to focus on Sam Adams.

Of course, the very moment I walked into my door, Nikki sends me a message to go buy The Tale of Despereaux because she's reading it and is enchanted with it! Had I only gotten that message while I was still in the store! But, I'll add it to my list.

I think to appease my disappointment of no books today I will talk Steve into taking me to Nicky's for mexican food this evening. Then we will settle in to watch the Independence Bowl between Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois. The game is played here in town and Steve's son is in the Tech band, plus Steve is a Tech fan. Good times!