Danny the Champion

We decided to go to the library late in the afternoon yesterday. I am currently in great need of some reading material. More so than usual. My energy is non-existent these days, which means most of my time not working is spent curled up on my couch in front of the television. And I despise television. You know what I hate most about it? The subtle volume change between the program you’re watching and the first commercial that comes on. Ever notice it’s a tiny bit louder? Those sneaky marketing firms. Do they think I don’t know what they’re doing? After about the 5th time I’ve watched a commercial, I’ve had it. I can’t do it anymore. I start yelling at the television. Even with it on mute. Because I know what they’re trying to sell me and I don’t buy it.

Good books can cure that insanity. There’s no commercials. And you can read as much or as little as you like. And you can skip over the boring parts. And you can read the last chapter to see what happens without having to wait for the end of the season. And you can decide what the characters look like and how they carry themselves and how they talk.

Brandon knew I was getting the itch for some new material. I’ve been restless. And when you consider that walking to the end of the block requires at least a 30 minute nap immediately afterward, you’ll understand that I’m practically begging for something to do to keep my mind active as my body rests. When I asked him to take me to the library, he quickly obliged. Happy wife, happy life, right?

But guess what? Friday was King Kamehameha day in Hawaii—a state holiday. Which means that all government offices were closed. And because our library is normally closed on Fridays, it also took Saturday for an “observance” day. We had no choice but to go with the alternative: Barnes n Noble. Don’t get me wrong, I like big book stores. Brandon and I go on dates there. But paying $24.99 for the same book you could get for free from the library really seems like a shame and a waste. Plus, SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARY! It’s the right thing to do. (End shameless plug.)

The thing I like about Barnes over the library is the bigger Christian selection. Our library branch is sorely lacking in the department, and many of the books labeled “Christian” should really just be called “Religious.”  So naturally, I gravitated toward the Christian section first. But I was a bit disappointed. The last time I was there, Christian fiction covered two whole isles. This time? A couple of shelves. And have you ever noticed that Christian fiction is predominantly set in the 1800′s? What is that? Why are there so few novels about today’s people? Too hard to write? Too much controversy? How about some real people with real problems? I finally settled on a compilation from a fallback author, Francine Rivers. At least I know it will be a good read. ($16.99)

Then I headed to the children’s section. Because who doesn’t love a good children’s book? I’m in the market for a new series after just finishing Peter and the Starcatchers. It’s pretty good. And you know what happens when you’re in that section. You start to see old favorites like the Boxcar Children, and the Beverly Cleary books, and Little House on the Prairie. And then I got distracted by a particular favorite of mine, Roald Dahl. James and the Giant Peach. Matilda. BFG. And there was one book he authored that I’d never read before. Danny the Champion of the World. So of course I had to buy it. ($7.99)

But before we could leave, I remembered one series that my friend had told me to read. It’s the Space Trilogy written by C. S. Lewis. It’s her favorite all time books, and I had been waiting to read them for some time now. We wandered over to the science fiction section and found the first book of the series. Out of the Silent Planet, it’s called. ($13.00)

If you’ve been keeping count, we’re up to about $37 bucks for 3 books. Yikes. Way past what I wanted to spend, which was nothing. And whenever I spend more than a couple bucks, I have to justify it with Brandon. Not because he asks me to, but because I need him to convince me it’s okay.

“Is this too much to spend right now?”

“Well, maybe you could just get these two,” he said, pointing at the Dahl and Rivers books.

“But Caila has been telling me to read this series for years,” I said, throwing the Lewis back in the pile. “I really want to try it. Plus, you’ll probably read it too, so it won’t go to waste. I could put back the Dahl book.”

“No way, we’ll get the most use out of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our baby will want to read it.” His face was completely serious and entirely practical. Like it was silly for me not to be thinking that my own child would want to read it eventually.

“I guess I hadn’t thought of that.”

“That’s all I could think about the whole time we were in the section. I kept seeing books I want to buy to read to our kid.”

I didn’t know what to say. I just put the books down, wrapped my arms around him, and kissed him flat on the mouth in the middle of Barnes. Because it was just about the sweetest thing I’ve heard all week.

Needless to say, we walked out of the store with all three reads. So now I have something to entertain me and something to look forward to.