by Alison Janssen
This Tuesday was a big book day for me. Not professionally, but personally. Two books I'd been waiting for (one a long time, the other since about May) both went on sale: Mockingjay, the third in the Hunger Games trilogy that I've babbled about here before, and The Thousand, by Kevin Guilfoile, an author whose previous book I loved so much. So, so much.
My anticipation for both these books was so high that I made sure to special order them from my local indie (the one I can walk to) months in advance. So far in advance, in fact, that because I'm a crazy person I felt the need to double-check last week to make sure the orders were still in their systems, and my books would be arriving on the 24th so I could start reading right away.
Obviously recognizing the crazed-with-anticipation-reader look in my eyes, the wonderful staff at A Room Of One's Own assured me that yes, my books were on order, and yes, I'd be able to pick them up right away, so no need to fret.
I placed another special order then, just for good measure, since I wanted Laura Lippman's latest, I'd Know You Anywhere, and they were out when I stopped by.
Monday evening I got two calls from AROOO, letting me know that the books were in and I could pick them up first thing Tuesday morning. (They weren't having a midnight Mockingjay party at the store, but that's ok with me because midnight seems to be far past my bedtime lately. Plus, had I read the book after midnight on Monday, I would have woken up Tuesday with puff-face from crying.) But more than just notifying me of my books, Gretchen at AROOO let me know that she stuck something in my book that she thought I'd like.
Scholastic sent out pre-signed book plates to stores, along with the boxes of Mockingjay, for booksellers to give away as a special treat. And because the staff at AROOO knew how much I was looking forward to this book, they set one aside for me.
What a small thing, but what a big impact.
I was already proud to shop at A Room Of One's Own, and I'd already planned future purchases there (right now I have Sophie Littlefield's upcoming Banished on preorder, as well as Joelle Charbonneau's Skating Around the Law and Patrick Ness's Monsters of Men [next month!!!]). But with this little gesture, this small sticker with a signature on it, Gretchen and the staff of AROOO have made me feel like a part of their community. A reader who belongs at their store. They know how important books are to me, and they celebrate with me my enthusiasm for reading.
Thank you, AROOO, for being an amazing indie.
So, Dead Guy readers, do you have a favorite indie? Do you have an example of how wonderfully personal and rewarding buying indie can be? Share!
