
Books don’t always stay with their original owners. I created the UnConscious Words, Best Seller Edition with that in mind. I did not buy any of the decade’s best sellers new, rather I searched for him in the used bookstores in Nevada County, CA. Like old film stars, where do these celebrated and envied objects end up after their first rush of fame?
Used book outlets serve as an author’s memento mori. Sure, the book was once number one, displayed face out on an industry-approved new book store. But now the book is wedged into a shelf adjacent to a copy of Once Upon a Marigold hoping for a second chance, a second or third, or fourth reading. Secondhand books are not tracked by any lists, bestselling or not, but like persistent ghosts and former film stars, they continue on.
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl (Best Seller in 2012) – 8.1 million copies sold
I knew of Gone Girl but had neither read the book nor watched the film. What is so interesting in the decade is the number of “girl” titles, as if the tile would help propel sales. Maybe it does.
In any case, here’s to girl power.
Words by Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl 13
Benevolently hollow
Cheap salt key
Unnerved clammy bikini
Crazy like a watered picture
It too replaces the present stress
Phone gone sizzling wilted
Weird open eyes
Stop committing alone
A burden of busy
Asked to return the dream