I opened it Sunday to read it, and a couple of pages fell out. The binding was extremely loose, so I was afraid to read it. 2nd & Charles has a no-returns-on-books policy, but I called the store anyway to explain the situation. They said I could exchange it for another copy, so I went yesterday to do so.
The other two copies also had poor binding, and one of them even had its cover off, but loosely put back into place. I took those to the checkout counter and explained my plight, and the manager gave back the credit I had used since I couldn't simply replace the book. I was bummed, because I wanted to read that book, but had been afraid it would fall apart if I tried. But like I said, I got my credit back, so was able to get something else...
I went to the humor section to see if they had any Lio books (I'd missed out on getting the one I saw there the previous weekend), but they did not. However, I did see a book called Other People's Rejection Letters. I thought it would be therapeutic, so I picked it up.
There aren't as many responses to writers in it as one would expect, but the ones that are included definitely made me feel better about the rejection letters I'd received in the past. The artistic ones are cooler, though. An artist named Arthur Gonzalez (I think) submitted his rejection letters, on which he doodled some art to express his feelings on the rejection. I enjoyed those the best.
Other People's Rejection Letters shouldn't take long to finish, as each letter is only one page, making it easy to find stopping points for interruptions. I'm also reading Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane, which is likewise easy for breaks since it's a short story collection.
I've decided, since I just read four graphic novels/comic collections, that I want to read the others I have that I've not yet read thus far. I counted, and there are ten: two Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas graphic novels, the graphic adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend; Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles: The Authorized Adaptation, as well as Bradbury's Tomorrow Midnight and The Ray Bradbury Chronicles Vol. 1; Marvel's Runaways, Robert Kirkman's The Astounding Wolf Man Vol. 1, Murder at Wayne Manor; and Lone Wolf & Cub, which I picked up at the Akron Comic-Con last month. It may take a while to read all of them (a few of them are thick), but not too long.
I've decided not to read the All Hallows Read books I want to read before giving them away. I'll keep them until they're read, and then I'll toss them in the box for next Halloween. That should give me plenty of time to read those books. In the meantime, I'll finish Solomon Kane and Other People's Rejection Letters and then move on to those graphic novels.
I'm planning to move out on the first, and won't be able to take my bookcase with me, so I'll have to leave several books behind. Not sure where I'll put the ones I'm taking, but we'll see...