Confessions of a Non-Shoe Addict

Unlike most American women, I don’t have a thing for shoes. I know, unbelievable right? I mean I like and certainly wear them, but to me, shoes are just another accessory. Scoring The Perfect Pair doesn’t make my heart race.

My thing is for books. I always have several going at a time, and like a chain smoker, the first one is barely finished before I light into a fresh one. When I board an airplane, I carry three with me: 1) the one I am currently reading, 2) another in case I finish the first, and 3) a third in case the second turns out to be a dud. I even pay to belong to an incredible library in another state (lest you think I am totally off-the-wall, it’s only 15 minutes from my home) just to take out all the latest best-sellers, and let me tell you, it’s the best money I’ll ever spend. I get a palpable rush when I pick up a stack of the latest I’ve put on reserve.

And while it’s true I read voraciously, don’t think I am doing so solely to broaden my intellectual horizons; my oeuvre of choice is all over the Dewey Decimal System, from Princess Di bios and the Devil Wears Prada-derivatives (I work for a magazine, after all), to a mix of non-fiction (I just finished The Feminine Mistake) and fiction by such authors as Cathleen Schine (I’m reading The New Yorkers now), Anita Shreve (just finished Body Surfing), Maeve Binchy, etc.

So, what’s your non-shoe drug of choice? And what are you reading these days?

Comments

Books! Smutty paperbacks and fancy face stuff. I love Sephora in a scary way. Bobbi Brown, Bliss, Benefit, Chanel, Remede, Clinique, Kiehl's - you name it I've either got or "need" it. And I'm sucker for cool packaging. I'm re-reading Bridget Jones for the 100th time and Capote's In Cold Blood, lest my brain turn into chocolate pudding.

Hello, fellow book junkie! One of my big irrational fears is running out of things to read...hence, my monthly Borders excursions. And if you saw what's waiting in my bookcases, you'd know just HOW irrational that fear is.

I go back and forth between fiction and non-fiction, usually trade paperbacks because they're easy to carry around and I never go anywhere without something to read, just in case. I've never been too good at keeping two or more books going at once, though.

I actually started my blog to keep a record of my reading. Currently it's "Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette" by Sena Jeter Naslund, but my book club meets tonight, so I'll have a new assignment soon!

I'm all about pocket books...ok ok ok I mean purses. I have tons. My fiance has made me give about 50 to goodwill and my mom took a few. I just can't help it. They are so cute and sometimes the one you think is great just doesn't cute it. Either it ends up not holding enough or hold so much you start carrying around things you don't really need.

Ooh, Stacy, can't believe I forgot about the pocketbooks. I'm into those too. You can never have too many and best of all, you don't have to try 'em on! The best are the kinds that you can carry the books in...two of my passions in one!
Cheers, Laurie

my allt ime fav is kiterunner, I just finished the MANual...it was great as well as Double A, a totel chick novel... summer is great for reading. Especially becuase I am less then a block from central park.

I couldn't care less about shoes. . .just want comfy ones, sneakers if possible! I just read two books by Lionel Shriver and could barely tear myself away to go to work. "The Post Birthday World" is about a woman who, in one version of her life, cheats on her longtime boyfriend and leaves him for another man, and in another version does not. "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is the absolutely chilling story of a school shooting from the perspective of the shooter's mother. Both are very literary and well written but also incredibly compelling reads.

I love tons of magazines to read - books too. Jhumpha Lahiri is a fave - I feel part of her culture when I read her words. Also: running on a balmy afternoon with caffeine coursing through my veins; dancing; napping! A great nap is the best drugs and beats shoes anyday!

OMG, MD...I also read "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and you're right; I could not put it down. Jodi Picoult's "Nineteen Minutes" is another great read with a similar theme. And, in fact, if you're not familiar with her, ALL Picoult's books are riveting and she's written a bunch. Happy Reading! Laurie

I don't have much weaknesses outside of shoes, perhaps sweets; those are addicting. I am currently reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" it's fun but SLOW. It really makes me miss being in Georgia, I love that southern charm and culture. Up next on the roster is "Slapstick" by Kurt Vonnegut, should be quite fun. I highly recommend his "Cat's Cradle."

I'm the same way--don't care about shoes, care about books! I just ordered some books from Pamela Morsi. She lives in the same time I do, and I actually interviewed her for the magazine I'm an editor of. I didn't realize how big she was until I went to Amazon.com! It'll be interesting to see if her personality shows up in her writing......

My drug of choice is books by Haruki Murakami...unfortunately, a newly translated Murakami book only emerges about once a year. Kafka, Nabokov and Kobo Abe are also fantastic. It seems I have a penchant for dead dealers, I'm not a very good junkie am I? I'll be waiting 'til next year for my next fix from Murakami.

mysteries are my not-so-guilty pleasures. I usually have a stack by my bed and another of audio books in the car (going back to work took a big chunk out of my book reading time--until i discovered books on tape!)

I am also a book-aholic. I just finished "The Islands" by Anne Rivers Siddons. It was the first of hers I've read, and I didn't not enjoy it, I like her style, but man, it was a depressing book. I am now reading "Between, Georgia" by Joshilyn Jackson, I've also never read this person, but so far it's good. I'm always up for a Weisberger book - if you haven't yet read "Everyone Worth Knowing" you need to.

I'm a total book freak. Only I don't like to just borrow books to read, but try to aquire all the books I can. I'm currently trying to put together the entire series of Piers Anthony's Xanth novels. Who needs shoes, I'd rather be barefoot and reading.

My non-shoe addiction....beauty products. I love them. I might only use it once but I have to have all the fun sutff in my overflowing makeup bag at home.

I do love books though. Self help is the current addiction. Right now I am reading "Make Money Not Excuses" and it really is forcing me to rethink my spending habits!!!

Books also and all kinds, I just got The Feminine Mistake and would love to hear what others have to say. As a working mom, I totally agree with the premise but have not read it yet.

Julia, Can't wait to hear what you think about "The Feminine Mistake." Though it was a bit slow in parts, basically I couldn't put it down. And I would definitely put it on all of our daughters' summer reading lists. What the author has to say about women not planning for their own economic futures is scary stuff, indeed. Thanks for writing and please let us know what you think! Cheers, Laurie

I enjoy books, for sure. But let me explain why women are into shoes....you can try them on even if you are having a "fat" day, so you get the pleasure of buying something for yourself without it negatively affecting your body image.

I hate shoes, have one purse, currently reading The Mermaid Chair, (just finished, My Sister's Keeper and Dina McGreevey's book. Yea, I know, kinda trashy, but I felt soo sorry for the woman!) Can't think of a non-shoe addiction, except for sleeping in with my fiance, (soon to be hubby) on weekends with out my kids....

Im not wild about shoes either, but sephora is like the mother ship calling me home. I am such a marketers dream when it comes to beauty products...
I also have a bit of a fetish when it comes to buying my little boys clothes, their closets are getting obnoxiously full, but no matter how much is there baby gap and nordstrom seem to have a magnetic pull on me and my dwindling wallet.

My sister has the shoe fetish; I am the one with a love for books! I have read Gone With the Wind twice, and will still pull down books that were required reading in high school. I enjoy Sandra Brown's novels and feel as if I have left someone's life in the balance if I don't finish a book asap.I am in nursing school right now, so I don't read anything but course work. Our six children, however, have a wall-shelf full of books in the living room, and I do find time to read to them every day. Nice to know that I am not the only "book worm" out there!