new york review of books thoughts
11/14/24
when i visited new york city over the summer i was told i had to go to the strand. i looked it up online and saw that it was this massive independent (ish) bookstore with a cult following, but i only went because it looked like they sold used books. i got a ride there and went in without any expectations, and knew that i could only buy a handful of books because my suitcase was already full and id bought maybe five or six at mcnally jackson the day before.
i walked in and realized that i was in trouble.
the place was packed and i figured maybe there was a sale going on, and i never knew if there actually was a sale but my books rang up for 50% less of their sticker cost when i checked out, so maybe there was. it was so busy and id never seen a bookstore with that many people in it, even on busier days at somewhere like barnes and noble, though this was usually when a bunch of people were working in the cafe.
i walked around and realized that even though the first floor (or the one id walked into) was huge, there were multiple floors. i was supposed to get back to work but realized i could probably take the rest of the day off because a coworker was recording a podcast at the office and it was a friday. i walked around and looked at the display shelves and saw a bunch of newly printed, previously unowned books for sale and thought maybe id been tricked - until i realized i wasnt being tricked, and even if i was, the books for sale on the display shelves were actually pretty good.
if you walk into a chain bookstore like barnes and noble you'll get assaulted with a bunch of newly printed fiction that feature the same, boring, and repetitive book covers. stories that you dont want to read, new york times best selling authors youve never heard of or read about before, and a bunch of junk that isnt very interesting. it was actually the opposite at the strand, and i saw a ton of interesting fiction for sale and other books that i recognized. they also had a section for book recs via the staff, and a lot of them were pretty good.
i kept walking around and noticed the massive shelves that were to the left of me, and thats when i realized the used books were just kept off to the side. rows and rows of massive shelves that went all the way up towards the massive ceilings. i started with the history section because at the time, i wanted to read more nonfiction. it was really overwhelming and i want to go back to the strand because i didnt even get to explore more than the first floor, it was just so many books. i ended up buying a book about china's opium wars and a book about the rainforests or jungles in vietnam post-vietnam war - i havent read either because i kept them at home while i went away to school for my first semester of senior year, but they stood out to me and one day ill take the time to read them.
i discovered a smaller, rotating shelf of NYRB (new york review of books) works for sale and started reading the backs of them. i must have looked through the entire shelf, but i discovered that they do a great job of publishing not just popular fiction, but more obscure works of fiction from underrated authors. i dont think id owned an NYRB print before but i bought a few:
the chrysalids by john wyndham
the alteration by kingsley amis
sand by wolfgang herrndorf
ill be honest and admit that i forgot these were in my collection, but tonight i decided to give these three a look and i can only pat myself on the back for having good taste. i dont think any of these sound boring, and i started reading the alteration after realizing i might have found some gems. sometimes i buy books and never bother to read them, but these seem good.
the alteration is a science fiction novel, set in an alternate reality where it's 1976 and the popes, martin luther, catholic church, or some combination of these have ruled the world for hundreds of years and there isnt any science or technology. it seems great and the introduction mentions the man in the high castle by phillip k dick, who is one of my favorite authors.
ill be reading more of the book tonight and want to go back to the strand with an extra suitcase and more time on my hands.