What treasures did you find today?
Amazing used booksale at a nearby high school. Here are my treasures:
FictionA Severed Head, Iris Murdoch
None to Accompany Me, Nadine Gordimer
Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Empire Falls, Richard Russo
Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown
The Pearl &
Tortilla Flat, John Steinbeck
Eva Luna, Isabel Allende
Non-FictionUnbowed Wangari Maathai
A History of Their Own: Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present, Vol. 1, Bonnie S. Anderson
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, Alison Weir
Dear husband and #1 daughter also scored a number of fine items. Very successful all around!
In today's mail, a copy of
Richard Price's new novel
Lush Life and it looks like it could be a sizzler.
Message edited by its author, Mar 1, 2008, 4:54pm.
Oops - arrived at the library just after it closed, so had to go to my favourite bookshop. $77 (US$64) later, came home with in defense of food by Michael Pollan and
the logic of life by
Tim Harford . (Books are expensive in NZ :( )
#10 - very cool name for a book store.
Sometimes books just show up in the mail - I forgot to turn down my main selections from History Book Club. I usually keep the books I accidentally buy because you just never know what might be a fantastic read. Yesterday I got This Republic of Suffering by
Drew Gilpin Faust and
President Lincoln The Duty of a Statesman by
William Lee Miller.
A friend loaned me Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions by
Matthew J. DeLuca yesterday - I'm thinking of getting my resume up to speed and searching for a new job. Sigh. I'd rather be reading.
Yesterday I visited a used bookstore, just to check things out, you know, and maybe pick up one or two.... 30 minutes later I was the proud owner of:
Life Before Man - M. Atwood
A really crappy paperback copy of
Empire Falls (for $2.50 - how can I resist?).
The Long-Legged Fly, what appears to be an intelligent mystery set in NOLA - by James Sallis, whom LT does not recognize, apparently.
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, the first in a historical series about 16th century Scotland. The back promises that an unusual hero will be encountered within.
The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George, which had been mistakenly placed in the Bio section. My gain! But at 932 trade paperback pages in what appears to be 8pt type, I'm not sure when I'll be in the mood. Perhaps during a long illness.
Message edited by its author, Mar 2, 2008, 4:16pm.
jlcardwell, you must have really liked it! Maybe I'll start it sooner than I think.
I really liked it too! That one and
The Memoirs of Cleopatra are my favorites by
Margaret George.
In the meantime, I'm not supposed to buy books until I've read more of the ones I own. This is sad and probably won't last very long, anyway. ;)
#8 Irisheyz --we have the same taste in books I just recently (last 2 weeks) picked up:
Trudy's Promise
The Year of Fog and I had
Rossetti Letter in my hand and put it back (I was trying to be good). Can't wait to read them all. Let me know how
Rossetti Letter turns out to be--maybe I will have to pick it up at a later date. Oh so many books, and not enough money!!
I received my Early Reviewers book this weekend -
How to Find Morels by
Milan Pelouch.
No more books are allowed into the house until I finish
War and Peace and read a few on my TBR pile! (Unless, of course, they're free!)
Let me know if that works for you Talbin....and just what tools you use to keep the books out!
Talbin -- be sure to read the thread on the morels book
here. I think you'll find it quite...interesting.
And yes, I'm in a bit of the same boat -- like, why did I really need to go to Goodwill and buy 8 more books on Saturday when Mount TBR is growing a dome? And I'm just 1/4 of the way through War and Peace and really want to concentrate on it!
MarianV, I read and mostly enjoyed Smiley's
13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, though I found some of her writing tips more than a little presumptuous, and thought some of her 100 books she recommended and reviewed at the end were a joke.
From BookMooch:
Glacial Period, a graphic novel about future archaeologists rediscovering the Louvre by Nicholas De Crecy.
>24 The doors are barred! The windows are locked shut! The car is not allowed to drive to the Borders only blocks away!
>25 I saw that thread - quite funny. Luckily the "Morel" Majority hasn't found it yet.
@32 - yeah I told my car it wasn't allowed near the border minutes from me either and I've been there twice in 2 days. Though I somehow managed to get in and out today without buying anything!!! I don't know how it happened....and I don't think that I can repeat it....but I did it and so I am proud! =D
This message has been deleted by its author.
>32 Oh but what about online book ordering???
I visited a Borders looking for a calendar, gift card at the ready. No calendars, but
Before the Frost by Henning Mankell followed me to the car.
From Hastings; the lastest edition of the magazine Fine Books and Collections which has a list of the top 50 prices brought for books at auction last year. #50, a 1640 edition of Poems by William Shakespeare, was a mere $406,000 or 204,000 pounds. I shoud've bid! I've got that much in my piggy bank.
I also got a hardcover from the used section for $6.49-
Great Books by
David Denby which was in a Brodart cover in fine condition.
Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett Yahoo!!!
3 audible downloads today at $4.95 each!
The Road,
The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Confessions of a Jane Austin Addict. I can't wait because I have 3 road trips in the next two weeks, I will finish these in no time!
>34 You went to a bookstore and didn't buy anything? I'm so proud! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enough self-control, so retail off limits for now! (And I'm plugging my ears as I hear about all the great deals at Goodwill and thrift stores.)
>36 No online books, either. I am resolved! My TBR pile is nearing 40 and I'm only 1/3 of the way through
War and Peace. I must stay strong.
@45 - talbin - I think that it helped that I was just there 2 days before. All the pretty eye catching displays were the same so I was really able to put my blinkers on and ignore all the pleading voices of books begging me to just pick them up.
#34 I think I l did that once--left a bookstore w/o buying a book. I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday for only 1 book and walked out w/ 2 and now today Jodi Picoults new book is out and I have a 40% coupon and $10 in Borders Bucks so guess where I'm going on the way home tonite? I told my car to it can't go near any bookstores, but it's hard of hearing.
As promised, I stopped by not one, but TWO thrift stores on my way home from work tonight. I wasn't quite as successful as yesterday evening, HOWEVER, I did find these gems:
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West
Also, BookMooch blessed me with The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot today.
I am pleased! :-)
I got caught without my lunch reading today, and went to the Borders near the office on my lunch break instead. As book-retail therapy, I came home with
Barnet Schecter's
The Battle for New York. It fits neatly into the Revolutionary sub-interest of the American history shelving that takes up a noteworthy portion of my library,
and is a local-interest book, too!
A mooching friend (hmmm, that doesn't sound right...) sent me
The River Why by David James Duncan (one of my alltime favs on my list to re-read but my copy has disappeared) and
What's Eating Gilbert Grape -- which: movie I loved and hope book is as good. I cannot construct a sentence to save my life tonight.
Eventhough I have a gazillion books at home that I still need to read and I work in a library where there are a lot of books I want to read as well, I couldn't resist going to the local bookstore yesterday after browsing on LT. I was browsing through someone's library, saw
The book thief by Markus Zusak, read the person's review (and some reviews of others) and decided I just had to have that book ... RIGHT NOW. And so, I picked it up. I have no idea when I'll read it, but at least it's in my book case now :)
My no-book buying policy isn't going terribly well, since I seem to be able to talk myself out of it whenever I see something on sale. Yesterday these were all on the bargain table, and they somehow ended up coming home with me:
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
Best American Non Required Reading 2004
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaimen
The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
Message edited by its author, Mar 5, 2008, 8:27am.
Well, it was actually yesterday, but I was too busy reading to post yesterday. LOL!
I picked up Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult.
I found an English bookstore while I was in Rome, the Lion Bookshop, which is not too far from the Spanish Steps on via del Graci. They have a website at
http://www.thelionbookshop.com. I found a Penguin Classic of the
Selected Short Fiction of
Charles Dickens there, which I'm pretty certain is out of print in the UK. It had an old style cover.
Borri Books in Roma Termini train station also has a decent English language section, where I found a copy of
The Turn of the Screw, published by an Italian company called Giunti, for a very reasonable €5.
Its a sign that you need to carry a list with you of the books that you already have. =)
No books, but I bought a new bookmark. :-)
From the library, an in-and-out book. Picked it up in the afternoon read it that evening and will drop it off this morning.
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson which was a spare beautiful book. Less than 24 hours in my possession. That doesn't happen often.
@63 kimpett - you're last line reminds me of all those late night infomercials...thanks for the morning giggle!
>66 I recently picked up
Waiting as well. We'll have to compare notes once we've both gotten to it!
My sister came back from her well-women group and presented me with four books each costing 20 pence. I gave her £1 - 20 pence as a finders fee :)
They were
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag
The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge
The Feng-Shui Junkie by Brian Gallagher
I haven't read any of these authors so fingers crossed that they're at least interesting.
Problem is though, I'm going shopping tomorrow and my favourite book store will be calling to me.... can I be strong?
While having coffee with my best friend a few weeks ago, she said I just
had to read
The Shining by Stephen King and be prepared to be s-c-a-r-e-d! So, guess what showed up on my doorstep today via BookMooch???
Message edited by its author, Mar 6, 2008, 9:49pm.
Picked up yesterday from the office book shelf:
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Obviously from some of the trade paperback books left there, someone has similar fiction reading tastes to mine.
I got two from Amazon today:
A Free Life to take up where an overdue library book left off and
Crank to replace the copy lent by a student and stolen by another. I am sure I will be able to finish before Monday when I return it to the original student.
Message edited by its author, Mar 7, 2008, 2:47pm.
I absolutely loved
Farthing when I checked it out from the library last year, so when I saw that amazon had it in the bargain bin, I couldn't resist. I just got it today, and I think I might re-read it!
In yesterday's mail, a copy of
Tony Earley's new novel The Blue Star, the sequel to his wonderful 2000 book
Jim the Boy.
>69 sferrando, enjoy the shining! I read it when I was in junior high and it definitely left an impression!
They're going to find me suffocated under piles of books one day.
Found one at the Friends of the Library for $1:
A Monk Swimming, which I will probably start on the 17th in honor of St. Patty's Day.
Then had a 25% off
one coupon at Borders and got 3 (how silly is that!):
the Death of Vishnu,
The Bonesetter's Daughter, and
The Gathering (an LT recommendation).
In today from the library: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.
> Irisheyz77,
I know the feeling! I went to Home Depot to get some stuff to fix a leak, and the car made a right turn into Barnes and Nobles. Got the following;
"Rampage and the Drumbeat" by Dudley Pope
The Golden Ocean and
Master and Commander by
Patrick O'BrianMessage edited by its author, Mar 9, 2008, 4:24pm.
I think it was Thursday that I dropped by the British Bookshop and walked out with three Mercedes Lackey books. Shhh! Don't tell my son until I've finished them. Then I walked past a bookstore I haven't been into in ages. Um, well, not really past. But they are the only bookstore I know in Vienna that carries needlework books in English, and in fact they also have more interesting needlework books in German than I find other places, and somehow three more books found their way into my bag. And when I stopped to buy some magazines they had How to Fossilise your Hamster right there on the rack next to New Scientist. You can tell Steven about that one, because I've finished it and my husband is reading it now.
Friday I was good, and only picked up a travel book I have wanted for a while that I saw a few months ago, but didn't buy, and when I went back it wasn't there, but Friday it was. I didn't buy any of the catalogues at the Papyrus Museum.
Message edited by its author, Mar 9, 2008, 7:06pm.
Read Born Standing Up by Steve Martin yesterday. Started
The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks today. Thinking of going and getting Wicked City, the story of Phenix City, Alabama. Also have lined up for this week The Air between Us. I love when I have four days off in a row!
Brave Story by
Miyuki Miyabe:
Starting out reading Japanese/Asian fiction. This seems to be a very good translation of a very strange novel. They based a Manga series on this, but so far I've found that Manga based on novels are never as detailed as the original versions. Original Manga are fine though, because they were intended to be that way. This book is also very thick.
Odd and the Frost Giants by
Neil Gaiman Another very strange book, and I needed a Neil Gaiman fix I could afford. At $3 Aust., this Neil Gaiman offering can be described as a refined version of crack. It's not half bad, or even a quarter bad either. "Crippled boy hero goes on Viking adventure" is the most basic summary of the plot I can give, since I haven't finished reading it yet. The illustrations, some of you may notice, are from the same guy who does the covers for the "Fables" graphic novels as well as some of the actual comics in that series. Great artist who works well with Gaiman, and Gaiman delivers short, illustrated Children's fiction better than a lot of people.
May the gods bless BookMooch...
Bleak House by Charles Dickens was waiting for me when I got home tonight!
Recieved today from my friends at Amazon The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Also recieved a package from them on Saturday with 2 copies of
Journal of the Curious Letters - which I bought as gifts for peeps - but Amazon didn't shrink wrap the books like they normally do and it was VERY rainy here on Saturday. One book survived the other is horribly water damaged. Fortunately Amazon is accepting the return.
I also recieved Alice and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab - which I snagged through Harper Collins' Early Reviewer program.
An Everyman's Library edition of
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
On a Georgette Heyer mission: Got
Why Shoot a Butler?,
Envious Casca, and
Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer to fill in my mystery library and
Cousin Kate on the romance side yesterday.
And, at the PTA Thrift Shop on Saturday,
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton and
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.
Plus, on the way, The Girl with a Secret by
Charlotte Armstrong, Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky, and one more by Heyer:
Powder and Patch.
I'm having serious trouble with touchstones today.
Message edited by its author, Mar 11, 2008, 8:30am.
#93 karenmarie: I just read
Envious Casca a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it! Hope you do, too.
#95 alcottacre - I seem to recall somebody mentioning it on another thread.... perhaps you?... anyway I'm inspired to get all Georgette Heyer's books.
Noted that you have
The Sparrow and
Special Topics on your agenda - I found both of them wonderful.
did you remember to get your cleaning supplies?
Yes. Fortunately the book stand was situated as the last stop before the registers.
glad to hear it. =) I've gone places for one thing....come out with something else entirely (usually books) and then have to go back. Its always an embarrassing occurrence. lol
Just bought
Shadow of the Wind and
Year of Wonders (thank you, Borders coupons).
From Amazon, I've got coming People of the Book (for book club),
The Giver (a nice hardback edition of one of my favorite books) and
The River Queen (a really nice sale, I think it was less than $5 new for a hardback).
Met
Laura Flanders today and now have a signed copy of Blue Grit : Making Impossible, Improbable and Inspirational Political Change in America.
Yet another stop at a local thrift shop on my way home from work tonight got me:
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton
The Mayor of Casterbridge by
Thomas HardyWhat a coincidence that just today I put both Edith Wharton books on my BookMooch "wish list." Time to take those off!
Message edited by its author, Mar 11, 2008, 8:02pm.
Irisheyz77,
Well I ended up at B&N today and got
The Spanish Bow, I was debating until I saw it was on the bargain table for $4.98. I couldn't pass that up and then of course I had to get along with it
Pravda. I have 3 other books on hold til payday.
momom248 - that is SO not fair!!!!
Irisheyz77, I'm sorry you paid full price. I was very surprised it was that cheap. Sometimes I hit it right and most of the time I don't. Can you check a local B&N near you and then return yours to the other store?
@110 momom248 - The closest BN to me is ~40 min away...and then if they do have it there cheaper I'll have to return the other one...which I know will just lead me to buying more books because I'll tell myself that the money is already spent so might as well just exchange...and then I'll buy more then the exchange and...well you get the idea. lol
best to just stick with the full priced version.
Irisheyz77, I see your point--its just a vicious cycle of book buying. I've done the same myself. Gone to exchange and end up w/ 4 more books. Let me know your thoughts once you finish
Spanish Bow. I probably won't get around to reading it for a while. Have 2 book club books to finish first.
Out of nowhere, I found a copy of the Zagat New York City Shopping 2008 guide in my mailbox. The envelope made it clear that it was the
Zagat Survey itself that sent it to me. I think they must have used a comment I'd posted about some store or other.
<resumes thumbing through new guide>
I have more books than I could probably ever read at home, am on speed dial at the library and Goodwill sends me "Get Well" cards if I miss two weeks in a row. But, I received 3 Borders gift cards for Christmas from siblings. Billy Collins was coming to town today for a poetry reading, so yesterday I went to Borders and bought one (1) of his books,
Questions about Angels and had him sign it tonight. I remember days I would have blown all 3 cards and then some purchasing books. (BTW, he was wonderful!) Even if you don't normally read poetry - try him.
Message edited by its author, Mar 12, 2008, 10:30pm.
#107 alcottacre - Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling sounds wonderful. I'll add it to my tbr list.
Yesterday Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky came in the mail. He's an LT author and his book sounded interesting. Touchstones aren't working.
@momom248 - By some bizarre random twist of fate I found myself in a Barnes and Noble last night. My friends and I went there to kill some time before a movie. I looked all over their bargan shelves for
The Spanish Bow and didn't see it...so I was bummed. Then I walked away for a bit and when I came back to where one of my friends was looking at a book I saw it! I somehow looked it over before. It was just sitting there with that beautiful $4.98 sticker. So I quickly snapped it up. Now I have to return the other one....altough I might exchange it for Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. Wish me luck!
(I just need to focus....the cashiers are right near the door...just need to make a hard left immediately when entereing the building and ignoring all the book tables that are in my path. I can do. I can!)
Irisheyz77, yes you can do, yes you can do--just keep repeating that as you walk straight to the cash registers and do not venture any quick glances anywhere else or you are doomed!! (LOL)
Glad you got the bargain price for
Spanish Bow. Good luck w/ returning the other copy. May you leave with just the exchange for Change of Heart.
Let me know how you did!
momom248 - Went to Borders today to make the exchange. Change of Heart was right there up front so I picked it up and was on my way to the register when I was stopped by the buy 1 get 1 half off table. I really hate that table. Especially when I saw books that I bought recently on it. (the reciepts of which are long gone *sighs*). Right next to the BOGO table was a whole stack of various bargain and clearance items.....in the end I walked out with:
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat (BOGO)
Then We Came to the End by
Joshua Ferris (BOGO)
Rise & Fall of the Nazis by
Claire Welch (Bargain Table)
Only in Your Dreams by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Nothing Can Keep Us Together by Cecily Von Ziegesar and
Nobody Does it Better by Cecily von Ziegesar
The last 3 were in a box set for $7.99...one book originally goes for $9.99...I read the first one and have 2 others in my queue so figured why not snap these up since they were such a great deal.
I really need a book buying support group.
#121 Irisheyz77:
I really need a book buying support group.
I thought that was what LT is? We (morally) support other people who buy books as often as we do!
Message edited by its author, Mar 13, 2008, 6:47pm.
@122 - alcottacre - LT is an enabler
I'm afraid Irisheyz77 is right. LT is far more enabling than I can afford sometimes!
This in today from BookMooch:
Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry, completing my quest to own the entire
Lonesome Dove series!
Message edited by its author, Mar 13, 2008, 10:13pm.
I really need to start watching tv. Another night, another author event (in my defense, attendance tonight was a work requirement). Came home with a signed copy of
Nancy Polikoff's book Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage : Valuing All Families under the Law. Actually I came home with 3 signed copies - one to give to the president of the senate in my home state and another to donate to a charity silent auction.
Re: Jane Eyre
I'm a Bronte fan, and just ordered a new-to-me biography, Unquiet Soul.
Irisheyz77, wow you got a lot and if they were all bargains--that's not bad. the BOGO tables are my downfall as well. And I have many times purchased a book and then weeks later it ends up on that table and the receipts are nowhere to be found. So frustrating. Let me know how you like
Then We Came to the End. I had that one in my hand recently and put it back.
Well my daughter informs me today she needs a gift card for a b-day gift from Borders. I'm like OH NO please I can't go in there. But now I have to--let's see what I come home with. I must use willpower (ha ha). I let you know how I did.
Message edited by its author, Mar 14, 2008, 10:51am.
momom248 - check out the supermarket or CVS-like store....more and more I see you can purchase gift cards there to all manner of stores.
Irisheyz77--great idea. I'll check it out.
A small package from Amazon used book dealer that contained
A Three dog life by Abigail thomas. (I've heard her read -- she's good)
It's the middle of the month, and I hadn't bought any books yet, so today these came home with me:
Margaret Atwood's
Cat's Eye (to complete my set)
Celestine Hitiura Vaite's
Frangipani (to save for my next tropical vacation)
Choderlos de Laclos
Dangerous Liaisons (because I've wanted to read it ever since I saw the movie)
Colm Toibin's
The Master (because it was on the deals table and it looked interesting).
See how I can justify anything? Let me know if you need help justifying your book purchases.
I got ahold of one of those 25% off Borders coupons I always hear LTers bragging about. Since I have a hair appointment right after work and Borders is also located on that side of town, guess where I'll be stopping tonight???
Nickelini, I don't think I'll need your help justifying this expense, but I'll check back with you for future purchases!
Message edited by its author, Mar 14, 2008, 5:48pm.
OK, I've bought books twice in the same weekend; I think I might have to put a moratorium on book-buying for the rest of the month (horrors!). Or at least until The Translater comes out. Anyway, I stopped by a local bookstore and bought:
Gods Behaving Badly by
Marie Phillips, which looks like a lot of fun
and Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochester by
Julia Fox. I bought the Jane Boleyn book because it came with a free cup of coffee (I had originally been planning to get the book from the library, or at least wait until it was out in paperback). Of course, if you think about it, that just means I paid twenty-some dollars for a bad cup of coffee instead of two dollars.
OK, I've bought books twice in the same weekend; I think I might have to put a moratorium on book-buying for the rest of the month (horrors!). Or at least until The Translater comes out. Anyway, I stopped by a local bookstore and bought:
Gods Behaving Badly by
Marie Phillips, which looks like a lot of fun
and Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochester by
Julia Fox. I bought the Jane Boleyn book because it came with a free cup of coffee (I had originally been planning to get the book from the library, or at least wait until it was out in paperback). Of course, if you think about it, that just means I paid twenty-some dollars for a bad cup of coffee instead of two dollars.
QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance by
John Lloyd(The title touchstone doesn't want to work :@ )
Message edited by its author, Mar 16, 2008, 9:15am.
Went with my husband on a business trip to Orlando and visited 3 bookstores there, 2 Barnes & Noble and 1 Borders. Interesting to see the difference in which books they set out to catch your eye first, depending on which location you shop at.
Picked up 2 Agatha Christy books for my son. a new author I thought I would start him on. I picked up 2 American Girl books for my daughter.
Irish Lady and Spellbound by
Jeanette BakerI have The Year of Fog on my TBR short stack... ( as opposed to my TBR shelves.) I am looking forward to it
We went away for the weekend and I found a great book store. I managed to keep some restraint and only took home 2 books:
Remains of the day by
Kazuo Ishiguro. After reading his
Never let me go, I've been really looking forward to reading more of his work.
Anansi Boys by
Neil Gaiman as everyone keeps telling me I should read some of his work and I never have so far.
I didn't actually buy any books yesterday (go me! ;) ) but was at my mom's house and noticed a copy of
Things Fall Apart by
Chinua Achebe which has been on my want-to-read list. When I asked mom if I could borrow it, she mentioned that she had two other books waiting to lend to me. So I came home with the Achebe, and
Body and Soul by
Frank Conroy which I know nothing about, and
The Secret Life of Bees. Looking forward to all of them!
A dear friend, and fellow bibliophile, is moving to a much smaller place and he sent home with me 4 boxes of books, mostly fiction from the 50's, 60's and 70's, early modern library and poetry. As if I didn't already have stacks of unread books.
Message edited by its author, Mar 16, 2008, 10:34am.
Freebies at an old school library trying to get rid of their books:
The Robe by Lloyd Douglas
O Pioneers! by
Willa CatherDavid Copperfield by Charles Dickens (I already have plenty of copies of this, but this one had a prologue by G.K. Chesterton, so I couldn't resist)
Mom surprised me by bringing home
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis home as an un-birthday gift. :)
These in yesterday from the library:
Trails of Western Idaho by Margaret Fuller (touchstones not working here - work is probably too obscure...too IDAHO!)
Hiking Idaho by
Ralph MaughanMy husband and I occasionally hike, but want this activity to become more of a pastime for us this season. Hopefully these books will lead us to some interesting trails.
Went to a bookcrossing meetup and was attacked by two books:
The Milagro Beanfield War
Enduring Love> 153 Medellia 12
I'm reading
The Remains of the Day now. I had a bit of difficulty getting into it in the beginning: I was afraid it would all be the musings of a butler about butler things, but luckily it picked up and I'm enjoying it immensely now!
I love
Ishiguro's meandering style and subtle narrative and his characters are just perfect - there is no other word for them, just perfect! Now I'm going to have to read all his books. ^^
157: Grammath,
I think amazon is run by ex-drug lords who have found a legal way to pray on peoples addictions. I know they hooked me. :)
Message edited by its author, Mar 17, 2008, 7:24pm.
From BookMooch: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens. (Touchstones not working.)
Got Whose Panties Are These from bookmooch.
>156 Vonini, I read
Remains of the Day a long time ago but still remember how beautifully written it was and how much it stuck in my head for ages after I finished it. I haven't read
Never Let me Go yet - I think it was published just after I had my son and I wasn't in the mood (I'm trying not to give away what I've read...). Might have to go buy it!
>153 Medellia12, you are so lucky being near Strand. And probably perpetually broke because of it. New Zealand (home to me) has some lovely book shops, but nothing like it!
Before reading our next novel by spending our precious time investing into the reading of " a novel ", we need to be awared that " time well-spent" to be repaid in anything we read in future. I came across a book review in the internet titled " How to Read a Novel " by John Sutherland.The reviewer, Sue Magee pointed out some points rather surprising in the article,
Points:
(1) how to get the most of your reading
(2) to decide what sort of book you want to buy
(3) to decipher the book title
(4) to read the hidden messages on the cover
I will try to search for this book.Have you read this book?.
The reviewer quoted, " It could save you from making expensive mistakes or wasting time in reading(or starting) books which are ultimately going to prove unfulfilling"
To read the complete book review, click
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/inde...Message edited by its author, Mar 18, 2008, 1:09am.
I was really pleased (well, more than pleased, maybe even thrilled!) to see that my local Barnes and Noble has begun to stock a nice selection of
Europa Editions.
For any reader interested in contemporary European literature translated into English these books are a must! I bought two books by
Elena Ferrante,
The days of abandonment and
Troubling Love, and will probably go back and buy more after I consult the website. With Borders opting to cut its inventory and dumb its selection down to the lowest common denominator, I suddenly find it really important to support as best I can any bookstore, big or small, that gives shelf space to important, challenging, non-mainstream literature. It's great to see publishers like Europa Editions, Black Widow Press and Feminist Press on the shelves at Barnes and Noble and I sincerely hope they continue this trend towards stocking small but mighty presses.
The Girl with a Secret by
Charlotte Armstrong. And, when I looked inside, it listed a whole bunch of her books I've never heard of. So I have lots of books to track down.
Armstrong's a very good writer of suspense. She also draws strong character studies. Two of my favorites are
A Dram of Poison and
The Gift Shop.
Message edited by its author, Mar 18, 2008, 9:13am.
a big old box from amazon arived this morning; it held...
Image Music Text by
Roland barthes,
Ethics by Benedict Spinoza,
Poetics by
Aristotle,
The Prince by Machiavelli,
Beyond Good and Evil by
Nietzsche,
the genealogy of Morals by
Nietzsche,
Discourse on method and meditations on first philosophy by Descartes,
Nicomachean ethics by
Aristotle,
the consolation of philosophy by
boethius,
Leviathan by
Thomas Hobbes,
An essay concerning human understanding by
John Locke,
oedipus rex by Sophocles,
the doors of perception by Aldous Huxley,
sweat jesus i need a rest.
Queer by
Burroughs,
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates,
and finally
the Night watch and
the Day Watch both by
Sergei Lukyanenko.
I'm buying no more books until, well until the next time i'm near a book shop probably. sigh!
>172 Just a little light reading for you, eh STOCeallaigh?
Oh, my goodness, STOCeallaigh . . . my brain hurts just reading your list. Are you studying philosophy, or is that just a little light reading for you?
oh dont start me off. i got hooked on philosophy last year. these should keep me going into the summer months. the list looks impressive but most of the books are under 100 pages, although i still had to put up yet another shelf today
#48, alcottacre, I just saw that you have from the library
With the Old Breed.
E.B. Sledge was my zoology professor in college. I haven't read his book yet; how do you like it?
I got it!! I got it!! I got it!! *doing jumping Janet Weiss imitation* (okay, I think she actually said "I caught it", but that didn't really work)
Volume 8 of the
Her Majesty's Dog that I ordered waaayyy back in December for a February delivery, finally arrived in the mail from Amazon today. I'm very excited. Of course, I've already finished reading it...but I'm still excited.
#178 RcCarol: I haven't read the book yet, but I will let you know when I get a chance to read it. I started a new job this week and am doing the training, so I have not had a heck of a lot of time for 'extracurricular' reading.
sI went into Half-Price Books on my way home from an errand this morning with the mission that I would not buy more books than could fit in my (rather large purse). I ended up with 6. Technically they fit, but I had to take the book I'm currently reading out of my purse and carry it to make it work. So much for inconspicuously sneaking new books into the house!
I got:
Envy of the Gods about Alexander the Great by
John PrevasA Hundred and One Days by Asne Seierstad about her time as a reporter in Baghdad. I've previously read her Bookseller of Kabul and enjoyed it
Ladies in Waiting about English ladies in waiting from the Tudor era to the present by
Anne SomersetNews of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquex, and
The Sunne in Splendor about Richard III by
Sharon Kay Penman about whom I've heard so many good things on LT
>185 So, I'm not the only one who has to sneak books into the house? My book-buying habits drive DH mad. ;)
>186, Well, my fiance just BOUGHT me a bunch of books at Half Price books, that are actually in a pile in one of the bathrooms, because we're redoing the condo and the rest of my books are in boxes, so he would probably shake his head at me for buying more
Oh, I'm afraid I may have to do the same, I'm heading for the thrift store in a little while armed with my wish lists. Also looking for a bookcase!
I am currently reading Resistance, a first novel by Owen Sheers. He has previously published two volumes of poetry and his poetry shows in this first novel which has received rave reviews.
I never know exactly why I pick up a book to read. I have never been into alternative history, being a pragmatic person who wants the facts. But 30 pages into this novel, I ordered one of his poetry books through our library cooperative.
There is no other way I can put it, he has a beautiful voice to his writing. Watch for him to be nominated for the Whitbread or Booker Prize. If not with this book, then the next. He is a rising star of great talent as a writer.
His novel is a what if the D-Day Invasion failed and the Nazis invaded Germany. What if the men of an isolated village in Wales left to serve in the underground and the women and German soldiers were forced to join together during a harsh winter. What next?
Picked up from the library today:
Old Houses by
George Nash - Can you tell we are thinking of buying an 1890 Victorian?
Arthur Conan Doyle: His Life in Letters by
Jon LellenbergMy husband surprised me tonight with
In An Instant by Lee & Bob Woodruff. I picked up for him
Increase your Financial IQ by Robert Kiyosaki. Also purchased 7 Hardy Boy books for my son for his Easter basket as he collects their books. He now has approx 235 Hardy Boy Books. Thank goodness for his own bookshelves in his room.
from the Coffee House of Jewish Dreamers, by
Isidore Century. I couldn't put it down!
I've been looking forward to this week, because I've got a slew of HPB coupons which are only good on specific days. For today, I had 2 40% off coupons, so I got
The Ghost Brigades by
John Scalzi (I had bought the first one,
Old Man's War, without realizing it was a series - Doh!) and
Thomas Paine by
Craig Nelson, because I recently read
Rights of Man, and really enjoyed the short (~40 page) biographical intro (by Philip Foner) in the edition I have.
Yay for new books, and a whole week's worth of coupons waiting to be used :D
Eat, Pray, Love and The Post Birthday World at Borders over the weekend. I hadn't been in a Borders before; we don't have one where I live.
#206
I hope so too, Louis (assuming you liked them a lot, that is). However, given the size of Mount TBR (800+), it is going to be a while before I get around to either of them.
It must be getting on for 15 years since I read and adored
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Amazingly, none of
Kesey's other books are in print in the UK to my knowledge, so I when I saw this American Penguin Classics edition I pounced on it.
I suspect like many others, I'm a recent convert to
Cormac McCarthy through
The Road and
No Country for Old Men. I'm looking forward to exploring his earlier work.
#184 alcottacre - Good luck with your new job! But I sure hate it when "real life" interferes with my reading!
I was pleased to receive David Mitchell's
Ghostwritten from BookMooch today. I tried mooching it once before, but the person I mooched it from turned out to be a scammer. This time it worked out--hooray!
Some BookMooch books came today, hurrah! And all the way from England, even.
They are:
Lupin the 3rd #1-3 and
Cyborg 009 #1
After buying a ton of books in February, I was good for most of March. Then today, I went to the large used bookstore and Borders with a friend. I came away with:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
The first three are books from the 1001 list, Something Rotten and H is for Homicide complete series (with the exception of the most recent books in each series), I've been wanting to read the Anita Blake books for ages (which justifies Guilty Pleasures), and the other two satisfy my need for chick lit to balance out some of the more serious stuff I read.
Because the 250 books that were already in my tbr pile just weren't enough to get me through spring break next week...
Message edited by its author, Mar 27, 2008, 2:33am.
I just received two books in the mail today:
Childhood's end by Arthur C. Clarke
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
And I was just making excellent progress on my TBR... Oh well! ^^
Just got
Fatherland by
Robert Harris in the mail today. It's been on my wish list for some time, so it will probably go right to the top of my TBR piles. I love the internet *contented sigh*
Barnes and Noble is relocating to the mall and has marked tons of stuff 30% off. Today I only got
Hunger and
Herland and the Yellow Wallpaper, both on the 1001 Books list. Monday is payday so I will definitely will be going back.
>241 .. lol I take pictures of books that I want on my cell phone when i go to book stores, and then if i forget an author or wonder what I wanted later on, i look on my phone and i have a picture of it. i guess that may be weird, but its the easiest way because I tend to lose lists easily or forget things, but my phone usually makes it places with me. i guess thats my virtual list!
(Gormenghast), ((Mervin Peake)). I couldn't find it at the local bookshop previously but came accross it this time in the classic's section of all places.
A Borders coupon for 40% off led me to Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War by
Joe Bageant. Then I came home to find the arrival of my early review copy of
Franklin and Lucy by Joseph Persico
.
I now promise myself that I will buy no more books THIS month.
Message edited by its author, Mar 31, 2008, 8:19pm.
a second hand book acquired from Amazon
Disturbing Ground by Pricilla Masters
two Advance Reading Copies ( not from LT)
Off The Deep End by
W. Hodding Carterand
The Dinner Diaries Raising Whole Wheat Kids In a White Bread World by
Betsy Block
all arrived in todays mail...
I was driving along, minding my own business, looking for a drugstore when this book shop jumped right in front of my car! Well, I had to stop. And since I am physically unable to go into a bookstore without buying any books (I've spoken to my doctor, no cure), I came out with
Atonement. I'm pleased b/c there are no movie stars on the cover.
Message edited by its author, Mar 31, 2008, 10:26pm.
lmao @ citygirl.
citygirl, maybe you need a second opinion?
Maybe. But do I really *want* one?
absolutely not citygirl, i have the same affliction! If you do discuss it with someone, i suggest getting a second opinion from a bookstore employee.. they tend to be quite understanding and encouraging. :)
"affliction" = "buying on impulse". It is alright to browse books in a bookstore, a mega bookstore, a drug store and not neccessarily to buy a book or books. Browsing to know the latest book arrivals, and try to borrow from your nearest public town library.
LOL @ citygirl....
I thought I had been cured when I was in graduate school, but it turned out that I was just in remission!
I just got back from a mini-break and while I was away I shopped at a great indie book store. This is what I found, all from their discount tables:
-Literary London: A street-by-street exploration of the capital's literary heritage, by
Ed Glinert-The 101 Most Infuential People Who Never Lived, by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan and Jeremy Salter
-
A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies, by
John Murray-
I Am Charlotte Simmons, by
Tom Wolfe-
Woolf in Ceylon: An Imperial Journey in the Shadow of Leonard Woolf 1904-1911, by
Christopher OndaatjeEdited to include one I forgot:
-
Mosquito, by Roma Tearne, which I promptly loaned out. I have already read it, but I bought it because it was on sale and I loved it.
Message edited by its author, Apr 2, 2008, 3:00am.
citygirl I have the same affliction and w/ the 40% coupon burning a whole in my pocket--I will most likely be stopping there on my way home tonite.
A visit to the mall drew me to the bargain rack at Waldens
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
Meditations from Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
The Great Philosophers: The Lives and Ideas of History's Greatest Thinkers by
Stephen Law A great addition to my Library, A brief look at 50 philosophers from Buddha to Singer
The Complete Watercolor Set by
David Norman Perfect for an attempt at hand painted note cards. I have paints, brush, pencil, and two easy-to-follow instructional books marked down from $30 to $6.
A trip to the Capital gift shop while visiting the Children’s Week Early Learning Display netted a three-volume set of Florida’s Past by Gene M. Burnett. The set includes collected essays and writings with many from his columns in Florida Trend Magazine. I’m a history buff and look forward to reading about some of the more unusual people and events from my state’s history.
On loan from my son,
The Pillars of the Earth by
Ken FollettMessage edited by its author, Apr 1, 2008, 3:53pm.
>251 I really enjoyed Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging and the rest of
Louise Rennison's series, I thought they were wonderfully funny!
On Friday I went to a convention and picked up
Luck in the Shadows by
Lynn Flewelling which I've already read and am now anxiously waiting for the other two of the series to come in at the bookstore.
I may have to stop visiting the LT forums, because my "want" list is growing exponentially...10 more added today...
I received my first BookMooch book today. How much fun!
Kidnapped by
Robert Louis Stevenson with illustrations by N.C. Wyeth. It's beautiful. I almost feel guilty.
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