Bookstore binge.

I had the day off yesterday and spent it with my sister, driving to Ithaca and back. No reason, apart from the fact that it was a trip we could complete during the business day and that she'd never been there before. It turned into a bookstore binge. Because when you live in an area without bookstores*, it's easy to binge on them when you find a couple.

The haul from Buffalo Street Books.

Our first stop was Phoenix Books, which is a big red barn on Route 13 heading south. This is the kind of place that gives my sister hives, because although there is a system of organization, it's not very obvious, and it's not very neat. (Cobwebs, books stacked haphazardly on the floor, etc.) However, we spent about half an hour looking around** before heading on our way.

We had a little time to kill before lunch, so we parked the car and took a walk around the block, only to stumble upon Buffalo Street Books, a sweet little indie. I had no intention of buying anything - I rarely intend to buy anything - but as soon as I spotted a title I wanted to give as a gift, well, the seal was broken, as they say.

After lunch, we took a stroll through the commons and were lured into a used bookstore (that I didn't actually catch the name of) by a sign outside advertising records. But we didn't even make it to the vinyl section, because you had to walk past fiction to get there, and by the time we'd done that, our parking meter was due to expire. (And had, by the time we'd walked back to the car. No ticket, but I did receive a handy card reminding me of the correct way to park between meters. To which I said some not nice words.)

We drove back to Syracuse and wrapped up our trip with a stop to Barnes and Noble. Because, well, bookstore binge. 

*My town has one small used bookstore I've been known to frequent and a library book sale that I cannot resist. We also have the book section at Target and bestselling paperbacks in many fine drugstores. But as for an establishment that specializes in the sale of new books, no. No, we do not.

**I was half-heartedly looking for anything by a particular author on my TBR list, a) because she's on my TBR list, but b) because I'm not so good at browsing aimlessly. I love serendipity, but serendipity seems to work better for me if I'm looking for something else in the first place, something I am only lightly committed to actually finding.