I haven't bought books in … forever. There were a few dangerous moments when I wondered if I'd ever buy another book again, and I couldn't honestly answer in the affirmative. Which was so mind-boggling a concept I hastily tucked it away so I didn't have to think too hard about it.

One of the main reasons for the drought is because my closest (and pretty much the only major) bookstore was an Angus & Robertson, and after the stockist debacle I've been boycotting A&R.

But! Then a Borders store opened nearby, and oh! I was so excited. A bookstore again. To sweeten the deal, I even had a gift voucher received at Christmas, so it was free book shopping. What more could a girl want?

Worryingly, the drought was hard to break. The first time I ventured in, there was so much choice (and I'd stupidly forgotten just how pricey books are in this country), I could not for the life of me point to a single book in the store and say, yeah, I'd read that. In the end I basically wandered the shelves, lost and desperate, called it a recon mission in a vain attempt to salvage my battered sense of self, and fled.

The good news is, yesterday saw the drought break.

Let's be honest, it was probably inspired by Tess' shinyshiny bookshelves. I'd forgotten how inviting bookshelves can look when they're neat and presentable and full of books you haven't read. Oh me oh my, now I have some fiction in my to-read pile at long last.

The even better news is the gift certificate did not cover the price of all these books. It covered the price of 4 books, with $3.25 left over. So I picked up a fifth book, thinking a $3.25 discount was still a good deal. This book turned out to be $3 more expensive than any of the first four, and fleetingly I considered relinquishing one of those first four for this fifth book. Instead … I picked up a sixth. Because I could.

See? The drought is over.