As I've mentioned before, Half Price Books rocks.
The Woman wanted to check it out on Mother's Day, and who was I to deny her? We walked away with 15 books for $55 including tax. One of the books (a biography of Wodehouse) was $14, so you're looking at 14 books for $40 including tax. Hot dang!
Here's the haul. My purchases ($36):
- Wodehouse: A Life, Robert McCrum. P. G. Wodehouse is probably the most under-acknowledged writer of the 20th century.
- John Gardner: Literary Outlaw, Barry Silesky. Gardner's Grendel blew me away, 192 pages of genius.
- Story, Robert McKee. It's a screenwriting classic. I guess I better read it.
- The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman. Enjoyed Beirut to Lebanon. Can't wait to pick this one up.
- Marriage Lines, Ogden Nash. I'm not much of a poetry guy, but it's only 108 pages. How painful can it be?
- They Shall See God, Athol Dickson. River Rising rocked my world. Aching to start this one.
- The Bookman's Promise, John Dunning. Finally getting around to the 3rd in this very entertaining series.
- The Miernik Dossier, Charles McCrarry. Last year I picked up 2 of his books based on the jacket copy, but wanted to get in on the ground floor (first in the series) so I've been holding off reading them until I got this one.
The Woman's purchases ($15):
- The Collectors, David Baldacci
- Stone Cold, David Baldacci
- Death of an Expert Witness, P. D. James
- Shroud for a Nightingale, P. D. James
- Devices and Desires, P. D. James
- The Murder Room, P. D. James
- The Lighthouse, P. D. James
She's a Baldacci fan. (I've never read him.) She got the James books because they were all on clearance for $1 (she's a sucker for a deal) and I told her I would eventually read them. Maybe when I retire, after I finish Agatha Christie. (Amazingly enough, I've only read one Christie. I'm saving her to savor when I have the time to lounge for a year on the deck with a refreshing beverage and read incessantly.)
As you can see, she got almost half the books, but spent less than a third of the money. Maybe I'll just count this toward Father's Day.
5 comments:
I'm a little shocked you haven't read Story yet. I picked it up many months ago, started it, then abandoned it, but not for lack of interest. I couldn't devote the time to really get into it like I think it deserves, however; I'll have time to do so soon!
Also, next time (I don't know if there's ever been a first time), you're up my way, I'll take you to the used bookstore up here on the square. You'd love it.
Yes, I know I *should* have read it by now. In my defense, I've read a dozen other books on the topic.
Hmm, perhaps I now have a reason to head up north.
Which Agatha? I've only read one as well, but it ranks as one of my all around favorites. Think I may agree about PGW...some free short stories on my phone led me to a Wooster in the library, which I couldn't put down. Would've likely never discovered him if you hadn't given him kudos.
We have used bookstores in the deep south, if you're planning a tour. 2 in my town alone. I would tell you where they were should you find yourself in the viscinity, but only if you bring The Woman along... It's high time I meet the beauty and brains behind your operation. She sounds like an excellent shopper as well. (not to leave you without recognition, it is clear you have admireable typing skills)
Cheeri-o, tally-ho and a sun-shiney day to boot!
The one Agatha I read was "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." That was 15 or 20 years ago. I don't recall much about it, beyond wondering what in the world is a vegetable marrow. (Evidently it's a type of squash.)
You can find a lot of Wodehouse at the Gutenberg project (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/w#a783), mostly non-Jeeves stuff.
Don't think I'll be touring deep south used bookstores soon, unless I win some screenplay competition in the area and go to acquire the award. Ha! But you have it wrong. The Woman is the heart of the organization.
Been trying to figure out a reader for gutenberg stuff on this phone...not a lot of apps yet maybe soon.
Enter any contests recently? Just tell us where to vote.
I think we could both be right...surely she is the beauty and the brains as welll as the heart...surely? :)
You need to procur an Agatha "And Then There Were None" a.k.a. "Ten Little Indians" a.k.a. " Ten Little Nig..erians"
Post a Comment