Oh no...I overindulged!

[Michelle]

Today there was a used book sale at my local library. Guess who bought *way* too many books?

The fun part was that I ventured out of my comfort zone and picked out books that were completely new to me. (The books were $.50 each, so why not...)

Here are some of the titles. (Some, mind you, not all.)

The Crimson Petal and the White
Underworld
Carry On, Jeeves
The Singer
The Minotaur: A Novel
Dog Handling

[Jennifer W]

I haven't read any of those, I hope you enjoy them!


There's a huge library book sale this weekend (and next!) and I usually overindulge. I say there's 2 good arguements for over doing it at these things 1) they benefit libraries and 2) someone once made the point that when I'm old and gray and can't get around as well (or if I move someplace where the library isn't as good) I will still have a large selection of good books to keep me company. So splurge away!

[Michelle]

they benefit libraries

Definitely! And, really, I only spent $12.50 on everything, so that was good. Plus, I bought books for all three of my kids and they were so excited about that. Who knew you could buy kids' happiness for $5.00?

[Mary]

Well, better to overindulge in books than blow. lol.

I don't know where that came from, but it's probably true. haha.

I do the same at our thrift store, they often have 12 books for $1 sale. In fact, that's how I ended up with the book I'm reading now. It's "A Simple Christmas" by Mike Huckabee. Under ordinary circumstances, I would never have bought it. But I'm glad I picked it up, I'm really enjoying it!

[Nancy]

Ok, I have been putting off posting the killing I made at Borders. A short few days before the doors closed for good, a friend called and said they had put up a sign 10 for $10. I knew there wasn't much left, and the manager was a good friend. Every time I walked in the door I felt guilty, like I was stealing, pillaging and plundering. It was almost painful. That morning I was there within the hour and made off with the following:
Good Things I Wish You by A. Manette Ansay
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith
The Violin of Auschwitz: A Novel by Maria Àngels Anglada
Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch
Close Range by Annie Proulx
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey
English Creek by Ivan Doig
Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh
The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
The Madonnas of Echo Park: A Novel by Brando Skyhorse
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers
Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell
Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling
Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick
The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

[Michelle]

Wow! You made out quite well! The only one on that list that I've read is "Breathing Lessons" which I really enjoyed (she's one of my favorite authors.)

I felt doubly bad when Borders went out of business because it was headquartered near my home, and a few friends of mine worked there :( Ah well...

[Jennifer W]

I went to the book sale last weekend and only got 2 books: I Know This Much is True (I like to buy chunky books, they take me longer than the 3 weeks my library allows to read) and Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 because I thought my boyfriend might like to read it when I'm done.

Nancy, I don't think I've read any of those. I do have a copy of The Swan Thieves and Homer and Langley. Perhaps a budy read in the future?

[Nancy]

I had read the Historian and Ragtime by those same authors respectively. Enjoyed them both so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Most of the rest were on my radar on some level. I think I was very lucky.

[Jennifer W]

I really liked The Historian as well. I haven't read Doctorow, but he's been on my radar for some time. You did get some good choices. My library just did a group read of Homer and Langley. After the group read is over, they give away extra copies, so I scooped one up!

I'm sad Borders is gone, too. They had better coupons than Barnes and Nobel. Plus, it was a nice place to hang out in the mall if you had time to kill. Now I have to people watch in the food court. :/

[Michelle]

I Know This Much is True is a great book. I didn't like it as much as She's Come Undone, but I liked it a lot more than The Hour I First Believed.

[Jennifer W]

I haven't read any of his books. I'm a sucker for books that deal with mental health; unless it's poorly handled, then I just want to throw it.

[Nancy]

I have She's Come Undone and haven't tried it. It seemed a combination of depressing and funny at the same time. I just have to be in the right mood for those. So do I need to move that closer up the list??

[Michelle]

I think that I Know This Much is True is very similar in tone to She's Come Undone. Maybe a little more grim, but basically the same kind of story. If you're in the mood for a gripping, somewhat tragic, story, then I'd suggest moving it up. But if you want something lighthearted, then no, definitely not!

[Nancy]

I probably read a good deal more of the heavier, tragic story stuff than your average person, just have to be in the mood. When my life is full of stress, then I have to back off. I'm sure most of you know how that is!

[Mary]

I'm jealous. When our Border's closed, they just filled the place up with junk - blankets, hats, beach bags, etc. that was "cheap" and kept their books basically the same price. I went 2 weeks before they closed and they took 15% off the books. Woopti-doo, Amazon is still cheaper. They did have the kids' games 50% off so I got a couple for my daughter.

Wally Lamb depresses the hell out of me. lol.

[Nancy]

haha Mary! Yeah there are some pretty depressing reads out there and I couldn't tell you why I like reading them sometimes - perhaps it makes me more thankful for what I have and expands my understanding of other people. I am such a WASP type. Although as a teacher, I see some difficult journeys in my children's families. I wish I could wipe away all their hardships.

When our Borders closed they waited until the last few weeks to drop everything down to that 50-70+% off. They had alot of gifty junk too. But our store had always done so well, they were still getting palates of book shipments from their warehouses right up until the end. You did need to go in regularly because the inventory was constantly changing.