Montpelier easily has the highest Independent Bookstore to square foot ratio of anywhere I’ve ever been, so I got sucked into one that was unfortunately positioned between my and the Subway restaurant I was walking towards.

On my good friend Jess’s suggestion, I picked up Reading Lolita in Tehran. I enjoyed Lolita tremendously, and I hope to enjoy a literary memoir before I’m back at school, immersed in all the other litheads. This is a Herd Immunity book. You know, a “Book I Can Skimp On Reading Because So Many People Have Already It Won’t Be Hard to Pretend.”

I also found a first-edition of Tad Willams’s Otherland (City of Golden Shadow) for 25% cover price. I admit, I haven’t ever read anything by Mr. Williams, although he is on a distinguished list of Fantasy Authors I Should Read (the list also includes Robin Hobb, Greg Keyes, Sarah Monette, Louis McMaster Bujold, and many others). Note: Aiden Moher at A Dribble of Ink reports that Greg Keyes The Briar King can be read on the Internet for free at Suvudu. What is this magic?

Thirdly, in commemoration of its winning the 2009 Hugo for Best Novel, I bought Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. This will be the first of the three I read, and we’ll see. I’m suspending my expectations, but its hard. I’m not sure if the Hugo and Newbury have ever been awarded to the same book.

My big regret was, when the bookmonger rang The Graveyard Book up, he made some small-talk while walking back to the shelf and pulling out another copy.

“Would it be alright if you have this one? Is it all the same to you?” He handed me a 10th Printing post-Newbury copy. The one I selected was a pre-Newbury first edition.

Well, it isn’t like I worship Gaiman. And I’m just going to read it anyway, I’m not a collector.  This is a lie I tell myself as a pre-emptive rebuke for future spending. Since I noticed first editions and whatnot, you might notice that I am, in fact, a collector.

On the one hand, why would I ever pass up the first edition for a good price? Especially for a Hugo winner that will almost invariably made into a feature film 12 years from now. On the other hand, I have the chance to help an independent bookstore make a fair profit off a rarity by letting him price it accordingly for someone else.

“It’s fine,” I said, “I’m not collecting the first edition.” And we swapped books. I figured that, for a quirky children’s book, it wouldn’t matter.

Then I went on Alibris and realized that it did matter, to the tune of 100% of the sticker price (unsigned). Whatever. The Independent Business Alliance better give me a medal for this.