I Have a Severe Book-Buying Problem
I can say with some confidence that the St. Paul Half Price Books on Ford Parkway, conveniently near Quixotic Coffee, has the best selection of used children’s and young-adult books around and a generous clearance section. I can also say I probably did not need to bring home FOURTEEN new (used) books.
But, but, I didn’t bring home even more, because I wanted even more, so that makes it better, right?
Um, yeah.
It is a problem because:
1. we don’t have unlimited funds (but this stack only cost $43!)
2. We ran out of bookshelf space a long time ago and now have teetering stacks…
3. …of unread books, because there’s no way I have time to read all I buy.
And yet, there is always a reason, which seems compelling at the time. I am a master of because reasoning. Herewith, the book stack and the becauses that are in addition to Drake being almost 9 and thus totally ready for many of these, right?
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: for one of my book groups, only $1
Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle: from Shelf Discovery, old-school MMPB
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl: because nearly 9yo Drake just finished his dad’s old copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, unearthed from Grammy’s basement.
Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman: Trina Schart Hyman cover (my favorite children’s illustrator)
Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren: Ditto above
The Girl with Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts: From Shelf Discovery, plus got a lotta love in the SD Readalong
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: Ditto above
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: I love Oxford editions
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: one of my favorites as a girl; want to revisit after reading Shelf Discovery
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey: from Shelf Discovery
My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews: From Shelf Discovery, a teen edition(?!)
Pride and Prejudice: I am slowly collecting all the Austen novels in these lovely Penguin editions.
Here Comes Charlie Moon: by English author Shirley Hughes, whom I fell in love with after discovering her Alfie picture books
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: See The Egypt Game above.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
I never realized Astrid Lindgren wrote books beyond Pippi!
heh.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Rats. I thought maybe you were thinking of doing a Main Street read-along.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Amy, my book group is reading it for September, and if you want to come as a guest, I think they would be cool with it. Marlon James said we should read Sinclair Lewis’ Elmer Gantry for Gods and Monsters.
August 16th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Nah. I’m too lazy to add another IRL book club.
James is right–I’d forgotten about Elmer Gantry. Yes, a white-guy author, but also the only Minnesotan author to win the Nobel Prize.
August 17th, 2012 at 10:08 am
I could have written this post. Most of my weekends include a trip to my local Half Price Books, where I pick up one or more books for myself and/or the kids, which I then bring home, shelve, and add to my TBR list, which is currently around 100 books long. But just having them in the house makes me happy.
August 19th, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Funny, I opted out of the last few chapters of Shelf Discovery as they didn’t appeal to me as much and I had a particularly busy few weeks. But I picked up The Egypt Game to read on my own, also one of my favorites from childhood. That one and Cat in the Mirror. Did you ever read that one?