shiver, shudder and shake.

mmmm hmmmm. feels good.

i'm talking about the sensations new books bring. they don't necessarily have to be brand-spankin'-new books; previously-owned, new-to-me books inspire many of the same feelings i'm reeling from right now...still, there's something particularly special about a never-before-consumed pile of words: spine intact, pages unruffled, cover flaps crisp-edged and sharp, neat font sans smudge...and the SMELL. good, sweet, jeezum crowe, my brain and my fingers are on fire and i cannot wait to dig my comparatively filthy fingers into and throughout the pristine joy that sits beside me now.

thank-you to one fantastic man-friend of mine.

thanks, too, to the late john steinbeck and ayn rand and to the still living and still deliciously yucky chuck palahniuk.

yessss.