Guys… do you ever just sit down because you got an email about a Goodreads Giveaway for a book on your TBR and then start perusing the giveaways page. And then enter around 80 giveaways during your son’s nap instead of getting in some quality reading time, or cleaning, or work on your home business?
It can’t be just me, right?
I refer to this lovingly as the Goodreads Black hole but it can just as easily happen with Litsy. I have to set reminders to STOP browsing and do something productive!
So my post title. Have I mentioned I’ve implemented a self-imposed book buying ban? Originally it was until I read all the books I own and haven’t read and then I felt that was a bit extreme so I came up with I have to read at least 60 (this would be the equivalent of trekking Mount Kilimanjaro on the Mount TBR Challenge) before I can indulge in some book buying.
And then my husband told me he had to go to the city of the school up north (did I get that right? I think so… Ohio State fans out there, help me out – my husband will be so proud if I remembered this little nickname correctly). Anyway, that means Ann Arbor, MI. I HATE being at home by myself. Being a stay-at-home-mom already feels pretty isolating most days so I quickly suggested that Ethan and I tag along. This was great for many reasons.
- We’re currently reading Night Film by Marisha Pessl and this drive meant we’d get a decent amount of uninterrupted reading time. I read out loud to my husband guys, I’m his personal audiobook. I read in the car, you see and was given an ultimatum one drive: either read out loud a book we’re both going to like or please stop reading. Fair enough. It’s been really fun finding books I think he will enjoy too. Sometimes I mention this to people and I can tell by the look on their faces they think we’re weird or that Alex is humoring me. It works for us – it’s fun, it’s a way to get my husband to read more, and it’s something we can share.
- After my son went to bed that night I knew I’d get some personal reading time in while my husband was at his meeting. No excuses – no dishes to clean, laundry to do, couldn’t watch television. No, I had to be quiet and enjoy a book.
The next day after we arrived, my husband had a few more meetings so Ethan and I got dropped off at Ann Arbor’s Hands On Museum. Wow. I highly recommend stopping here if you have children and are in the area. We killed HOURS here. We got there right when the opened and headed up to the preschool room first. It was great – no older kids (great for toddlers who don’t watch where they’re going), a massive water station for splashing and play, some sort of giant Rube Goldberg-type machine that circulated colored balls that kids could interact with (trust me that was a rough explanation – it’s sponsored by Toyota and all about encouraging interest in engineering), a few play stations with slides and tunnels, an infants area, and tons of blocks and Legos and things to build with.
This is where we encountered our first problem. My son decided to wake up for the 3rd day in a row at 5 AM, so nap time was a wildcard. 11:45 and he was a GRUMP, laying on the soft blocks in the infants area and jonesing for a nap. I had to go somewhere I could get him a bottle and at least a quick nap. I was planning to go to a bookstore and just hang out, maybe buy a gift or two. I couldn’t get that far because it was pouring when we stepped outside. Luckily the Tea Haus was right around the corner with delicious tea and cookies and a car I could seat myself in while the little man caught some z’s. A special thank you to the owner and employees who were so helpful and friendly and didn’t seem to mind a girl reading a graphic novel on her phone while she awkwardly held her 14 month old and devoured cookies.
It was back to the Children’s museum after this but this is how I ran into the second problem. I had already researched book stores in the area and I could not bring myself to leave Ann Arbor without checking them out.
But that book-buying ban.
Okay. I’d just buy someone a gift. An obvious solution.
First bookstore: Literati a beautiful bookshop with three compact levels of books and a coffee station on the top floor. We grabbed some coffees here but I didn’t buy anything. I could have easily – they had a great selection of plenty of new and old titles. I loved the details, like the staff blurbs stuck below new releases or favorites. But, we had a 14-month old with hot coffee in our hands and not much space in the store so we headed out.
Only one more and I was in the clear. Could I do it? This was the bookstore that had really caught my eye in the few minutes we drove around downtown Ann Arbor. Aunt Agatha’s. This was a treasure trove, I was sure of it. And as soon as I opened the door and saw the glorious floor-to-ceiling bookshelves PACKED with books in every which way.
The prices. The prices were so delicious. I had spent more on coffee the past two days than it would cost me to buy 5 books here. The used selections seemed to be between $3.50 and $5.50 and the new selections were market price. Okay, who needed a gift? And who needed a gift of a book that I could pick out relatively easy without spending time perusing their Goodreads shelves? And that’s when I decided that my sweet husband who never even complains about all the books I buy and don’t read and how long I take in the library or a bookstore, he needed a book. Sure he hasn’t read the past 5 books I’ve bought him BUT he did just read Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff quickly and voraciously. All of that combined is deserving of a reward, surely.
He likes true crime, mystery, thrillers, and non-fiction the most (according to him at least) so I was confident I could find something he would genuinely want and that it wouldn’t be just to secretly buy myself a book (I will obviously read his books as well as mine but they are also definitely his – he has his own spot and everything).
I found this guy: 
Kill the Irishman. Apparently also a “major motion picture” with what looks like a pretty popular slew of actors but I’d never heard of it. True Crime. Set in Cleveland. Ding! Ding! Ding! This rings all of my husband’s bells.
So, mission accomplished! I came, I saw, I supported small businesses, and I didn’t break my ban.
Well, at least I don’t think so. What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Are there any other Ann Arbor bookshops or attractions I should make a note of for the next trip? What is your favorite small-town bookshop?
Librarian Wannabe 