Wish List Almost Fulfilled and the Power of Powells

This July 4th weekend my husband, son and I traveled to Eugene, Oregon and Portland, Oregon for two Drum and Bugle Corps shows that were, ostensibly, the reason for our trip, however, hubby knew that I wasn't going to make a trip to Portland without a pilgrimage to Powells City of Books, one of the best bookstores on the planet.

So I gathered up as many of the books in my collection as I could bear to part with, and called ahead to check their open hours and to see if they still accepted books in trade (they do, hurrah!) Two big bags of books and one box of books later, I had a card with 114. worth of trade on it and 100. worth of books on hold waiting for me, among them the long lusted after "Angels Game" by the sublime Carlos Ruiz Zafon, (author of the nearly perfect novel, "The Shadow of the Wind"), Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey (I've been charmed into reading it by Carey's reading at the UW bookstore) and "Grave Goods" the third novel in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series by Ariana Franklin, which I just finished and adored. I also snagged a copy of the marvelous "School of Essential Ingredients" by Seattlite Erica Bauermeister and "A Final Arc of Sky" by Jennifer Culkin. So with those books off the list, I can honestly say my 2009 book wish list is almost conquered!
Here it is, for those who might have forgotten it:

1) An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
2) Up and Down in the Dales and
3) In the Heart of the Dales by Gervase Phinn
4) Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons
5) Dewey, the Small Town Library Cat...
6) Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair
7) Longeye by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
8) Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
9) Dead And Gone by Charlaine Harris
10) Backup by Jim Butcher
11) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
12) Anansi Boys By Neil Gaiman
13) Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
14) Love Rosie and There's No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern
15) Fools Run and To Weave a Web of Magic by Patricia McKillip
16) King of Sword and Sky by CL Wilson
17) Runemarks by Joanne Harris
18) A butterfly and roses calendar
19) The Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe
20) Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland

There are only 6 books on that list that I've not read, and I am hoping to still find those used at the local Baker Street Books used bookstore, barring another trip to Powells, which I wouldn't mind at all. I also must recommend the Hotel Fifty, a trendy little place in downtown Portland that provided us with a nice cool room, a verandah, a perfect waterfall shower and two huge fluffy beds with fluffy pillows and fluffy down comforters that were light and warm all at once. The only thing they lack is a pool and happy wait/bar staff in the restaurant.
But Powells was a joy from beginning to end, though I popped open one of my belly stitches carrying bags of books. I got two t-shirts, books and some quality chin-wagging with the bibliophile booksellers. Heavenly!