Joan, Take Four

I had a mini revelation tonight. I went to the bookstore to buy a stack of books (this, might I add, is one of my favorite things to do) and purchased my fourth Joan Didion book of the last six months. She is the first author that I've felt the need to consume in this ravenous sense, and I finally figured out why—beyond the fact that, duh, I think she's great. Typically I fall for writers who have one or two really, really outstanding, life-changing books (Vladimir Nabokov, Sylvia Plath) or ones who are too current to have more than a couple good books under their belt (Marisha Pessl, Barabara Kingsolver). But J.D. has been at it since 1963, and so I can eat up her stuff using the Netflix approach that I apply to the teevee: whenever I want, without having to wait for a next installment, knowing the supply is plenty deep. Sigh. So fulfilling.

Can we pause for a moment to take in J.D.'s vintage chicness? Holy guac. And, the picture is from a site called Achievement.org, which makes it even better.

My purchases:
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion: So far, I like her fiction more (Democracy, Run, River, and Play As It Lays, which I heart big time), but we'll see.
Supreme Courtship, Christopher Buckley: Pop-pol fiction that's basically about Biden and Palin because apparently Buckley Jr. has ESPN.
Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer: Been meaning to read for a while, and Harper Perennial is doing these rad Olive Editions of new classics (Unbearable Lightness of Being, etc.) that have adorable designs and are just ten buckeroos.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky: Because one of my new recent goals is to read every SMART book about high school.