Last night was the Boyfriend’s and my weekly date night. On our way to a cafe that has the best fries I’ve ever tasted in my life, we came across a bookmobile called Fifth Dimension Books. They specialize in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Weird Tales, which are exactly the kind of books the Boyfriend and I both love to read. I can’t buy any books, but most bookstores carry more than just books, and so we got on the bus to check it out.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best local bookseller I’ve come across in Austin, TX. The boyfriend bought a “Big Damn Heroes” pin (for those who don’t know, it’s a “Firefly” reference), a book for him, and two books for me. One of the books he got me was a surprise (he didn’t tell me he was buying me a book). It’s a hardcover edition of The Immortal Prince by Jennifer Fallon. The other was one he let me pick out because it was a “Blind Date with a Book”.
I’ve seen the “Blind Date with a Book” idea in libraries, but I’ve never seen it in a bookstore of any kind. I’m very pleased with this idea, especially when I know I’m getting a book in a genre I enjoy, but it’s likely to be a book I wouldn’t normally take off the shelf. It allows me to stretch just a little out of my comfort zone, but not so much that I risk abandoning the book. The book I got is Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro. Not only is this book written by a woman, but also a physicist! While female authors aren’t in any way outside my comfort zone, I read much more Fantasy than Sci-Fi. This book is one I would have never thought of looking at to see if I’d be interested. The blurb and praise on the back of the book make me think this will definitely be something I’ll like, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
I will be going back to Fifth Dimension Books. I want to get one of their t-shirts, but I’m also going to be a regular customer after this year’s No Book Buying Challenge. They’ll be my first stop whenever I have book money.