Well, just found out my S.O. got into the Ph.D. program (soon to be spelled programme) of his choice… in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Of course, they were so excited by his off-hand application that they want him THIS FALL. In September. Which means we have just a very short amount of time to dismantle… oh, our whole lives for the last several years.
Just the other day, Robin was commenting on how she likes her deadlines nice and tight. Well, should Ms. Brande come move house for me, sell my car, pack up my things and finish my revision and chat with my agent, I’ll be happy to stay in bed, with the covers drawn up, screaming.
Of course I’m happy to be going – I’m young(ish), change is good, adventure is better, blah blah blah. Of course I’m thrilled with oilskin macs and rubber boots and ankle-deep puddles (and if I’m not, I’d best become thrilled, quickly. It has been the wettest June on record this summer, and July looks to be heading for the record books as well) and there ARE cool things to do with tartan plaid. I’m just …a tiny bit… urm, worried.
What if there aren’t any books?
No, stop laughing at me. I know perfectly well that the UK is still on earth. I mean, what if it’s all so academic I don’t have a library for me? What will I do if She Who Will Get My Book doesn’t have any good YA? What if nobody throws me a going away party or my computer breaks and can’t be saved?
I know YA must be huge in Scotland, it’s not like Our Jane of the 
Blessed Prose doesn’t go there half of every single year! But I don’t know from Scotland, nothing at all. And I shall stick out in my ignorance, not to mention my non-Scots-brownness, even wearing my S.O.’s rather dauntingly bright plaid.
But, it’s going to be great, right?
RIGHT!?
LOVE the shoes!
I moved to the UK from America several years ago and have found just as many great bookstores here (admittedly, many of them Borders stores! but also Waterstones, which is a fantastic chain). In fact, I even spent a weekend in Glasgow for WorldCon a few years ago, and the Borders I visited there was one of the biggest and best-stocked bookstores I’ve ever been to. Sadly, at least in Leeds, where I live now, the public libraries are actually not as good, since (bizarrely) they’re not as well-funded as the American ones…but the best-stocked and most-updated section of the Leeds library is in fact the YA section! So you’re in luck there if Glasgow follows suit.
Good luck with the move, and have fun!
I believe, if you stand there in those shoes, and click the heels together three times, and just wish for the books that you…
Well, no, but *very cool* shoes.
My extremely helpful advice for obtaining books is: Go buy all of them right now! Stockpile! Everything you’ve been craving! Ship them with you!
And just think, you can post about all the wonderful Brittish YA books that we poor Americans will have to wait ages to get our hands on. Maybe you can even find that elusive “Next Harry Potter” 😉
I’m on it. Send me your address.
I get to the comments thinking that I’m going to be original, but no, EVERYBODY loves the shoes.
Very sudden and very stressful, but an amazing opportunity to see a new place. I’m excited for you!
I predict you will find many many wonderful used childrens books that are new to you in the charity shops and used book stores. There seems to be a lot of children’s book stuff going on in Scotland, judging by a blog I follow — Fidra books (I don’t know how to make links happen in comments, sorry, but the link’s on my blog). I don’t want to start reeling off lists of good Scottish books because it might seem overwhelming, but when you are at a space where reading is possible, I’d be happy to give some suggestions!
I second steph’s recommendation of Waterstones–though my experience is based on a visit to a Waterstones in Edinburgh in 1990, I WAS a YA at the time, and found a lot that was of interest…I can even remember what I bought: The Diamond Throne by David Eddings and something from the “Guardians of the Flame” series by Joel Rosenberg. Yup, read a lot of pulpy fantasy as a teen.
Thanks very much, all – and boy, if I FIND those shoes? I shall click my heels in them repeatedly. They are the stuff, I say!
I have located The Fidra Blog, which is based in Edinburgh, and looks like it will be a fantastic resource. Out of print and hard to find CHILDREN’S BOOKS. !!!
TadMack, this is amazing news! I’m thrilled for you, but I would be totally freaking out too.
But what a great opportunity! I would LOVE a chance to live in another country for a while, but what with work visas and stuff it’s never seemed doable.
And I’d throw you a good-bye party if I could. But I think you’re on the other coast. So I’ll just send you wicked-huge-goodbye-wishes from my end of the country.
(If you figure out where to buy those shoes you must post it.)
Yay for Scotland! And a huge congrats to your S.O. Books and YA are big here. Youll be just fine 🙂
We can conduct trades if you’d like when you relocate. You can send me the stuff that comes out first in the U.K., and I’ll send you the U.S. ones
KELLY! (gleefully rubbing hands) What an awesome idea!!! Oh, I’ll get back to you on the book exchange idea. When we were doing Cybils it took us AGES to get the Horatio Lyle book, and now hopefully the process will be somewhat simplified!
And if/when anyone visits, I’ll be able to tell them the location of every bookstore and library in the city. Which is huge, by the way.
(Eisha – I’m ON IT looking for the shoes. Most seriously.)
Wow, Tad! This is HUGE! Congrats to your S.O.! Is it evil of me to be a tiny bit jealous of your move across the pond? But I’m thrilled for you too. This is going to be awesome.
And like Sara says, I can’t wait to hear about all the cool Brit YA books.
Vibes, luck, congratulations, and OPTIMISM from me to you all. I was just talking about Scotland with people, then come home, catch up on blogs, and YAY YOU!