I bought this book today. Notice how big the word Lolita is. That's why I bought it, I thought it was Lolita and I've wanted to read Lolita for a long time. I can't believe I fell for that marketing scheme. It worked! Who would have thought it would work? Especially on someone as brilliant as me. I blame the heat. It was so hot in the bookstore. I was dying. The pants I'm wearing today are this really heavy denim but they may as well be an electric blanket. They're bottling the heat up. And the bookstore is small and it was particularly crowded and there was this man sitting on a chair near me trying to have a conversation with me about the book he was reading and I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Poor guy. He was missing his front teeth. I think the bookstore owner, a part-time criminal justice lawyer, had just switched off the air conditioner. Maybe he was trying to sweat us out. So we were all stuck in there like houseflies in a mason jar, suffocating. I had to make a decision quick. I thought the book was Lolita and I've wanted to read Lolita for a while now, ever since I heard Robert Michael Pyle talk about Nabokov's love for butterflies*. . . . No wait, ever since hearing the Police song about the young teacher, the subject, of schoolgirl fantasy**. And Pyle just fed the fire. So I bought the book (it was ten dollars). I bought Pnin. I meant to buy Lolita.
In case you've never seen this edition of the book, the spine also says Lolita*** in huge letters, before anything else. It says, "By the author of LOLITA." Nevertheless, I'm excited to read Pnin. It's supposed to be great as well.
*If someone loves butterflies that much, they must be beautiful and therefore must write beautifully.
**First heard in junior high, 1991.
***At this point, Lolita is starting to sound like a bunch of nonsense.
I know you find the cover as irresistible as I find it.
5 comments:
i feel like i should read both books now.
just reading that made me start sweating. i hate being hot worse than anything. truly, jer will attest.
hope the book is good. the cover is great, and i tend to judge books by their cover.
She is alive ;) And reading.
A late bloomer, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and the accompanying video begat some of my first carnal fantasies, watching Sting, sitting at the teachers desk, peel off a white shirt, exposing one shoulder a t time with a devilish grin. I wanted to be under that desk. Shazam…it is warm in here.
Jenny -- I've been finishing up a collection of Chekhov's short stories, so I can't tell you yet if Pnin or Lolita are great or not (in my opinion). But once I've gone through them, I'll let you know. I'm on this Russian writer kick. Did I say that in the post?
Jodie -- I am alive! But negligent about posting. My new position at work keeps hold of my attention more than my previous job. I watched the video, it was pretty good. I found it rather humorous. Music videos are always really embarrassing, but the old ones are even more embarrassing for me to watch. I don't know why, exactly.
So funny, Nikki, loved how you bought the wrong book, loved your description of crowded, hot conditions. You're your mother's daughter. Love to buy books for their covers and love the cover of this book. I just love, love, love all of you and everything about you and most everything else! You'll have to tell me about the book after you read it. Too funny!
Thanks, Mom. It was really hot and I was being pressured to hurry. I had two co-workers waiting for me. Normally I think I would have noticed. Oh, you can bet I'll tell you about it. I can't stop talking about everything. It's my way.
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