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Monday, June 9, 2014

The Last Big Score

Wow! One last score before arriving in Portland. This one thanks to Utah Book & Magazine. It's the kind of store that's overstuffed with not just old books but vintage paraphernalia from our pop culture past: posters, board games, VHS tapes, Halloween decorations, toys, all crammed into towering dusty wooden shelves adorned with handwritten signs (the classic being "Horror" written in blood drippy red marker). I feel such relief and excitement when I see that horror section sign.

Now their horror section was stacked three piles deep on the shelves and in no order whatsoever. An enormous task lay before me, and I didn't have long to search either; my girlfriend Ashley dropped me off and was circling the block till I was ready. I took a deep breath and dove in. Hard.

Success, as you can see. Again I couldn't believe my fortune. The one book I was dying to find - McDowell's Katie - I couldn't. But I found other  novels of his that I already own, so I stacked 'em and left 'em on the shelf for any other horror fiction fans who may come after me. Anybody near SLC and a McDowell fan, they're waiting for you - just call me Arne Saknussemm.

What an adventure this trip has been! Nearly 100 titles have been added to my collection. I owe Ashley a huge thanks for helping me in my pursuit (she even got stuck in SLC's enormous Pride parade traffic waiting for me!). Now I live in a new city that's home to one of the US's best bookstores... You know where I'll be haunting!

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6 comments:

  1. LincolnJune 9, 2014 at 3:35 PM

    Another great haul, Will.
    'Demons by Daylight' has a classic this-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-contents cover!
    Lincoln.

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  2. J F NorrisJune 10, 2014 at 10:18 AM

    Feral! Haven't thought of that book in decades. My best friend in high school and I read it when it first came out back in the 70s.

    I remember the SENTINEL being a lot better than the freaky and kinky movie version. I saw the movie THE SENTINEL again last year. Enjoyed watching Burgess Meredith and Deborah Raffin but pretty much hated the rest of it. Sometimes it's best not to revisit movies you only remember from your teen years.

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  3. Will ErricksonJune 10, 2014 at 11:40 AM

    I already own a copy of DEMONS but have been looking for this one with the Rowena Morrill art. Definitely one of the most inaccurate covers ever!

    Stephen King speaks highly of FERAL in DANSE MACABRE, so of course I had to grab it.

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  4. Mark WestJune 11, 2014 at 3:35 AM

    Great haul, that's a bookshop I'd love to visit!

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  5. Becky LeJeuneJune 13, 2014 at 7:42 AM

    I'm jealous! So freaking jealous! I was in SLC last summer and didn't know about this place, otherwise it would have been a definite spot to hit. Our local used stores have pretty pitiful horror collections. I keep trying to find old 80s titles but haven't had that much luck. Generally they're swamped with used King and Koontz and that's about it.

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  6. JoshAugust 13, 2014 at 6:23 AM

    Not sure if you're aware (though you probably are), but Blood Rubies is a McDowell book written under a pseudonym. It's quite entertaining.

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