Book Sale
The Newton Free Library has a quarterly book sale in March, June, September, and December. I just got back from my third trip to the event in the last couple years. It's a great sale, as they have tons of trade paperbacks at a buck or two apiece, and hardcover fiction and bestsellers that can tip the scales at a whopping $3 each. In addition to a well-appointed fiction section, they have a good history section, classics, and all sorts of other stuff. This trip wasn't quite as crazy as last time out (from which I still have numerous books to read) but I made out very well in terms of quality. The following books cost $13.50:
- The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand - I haven't read any Rand but she's one of Those Authors I feel I should try.
- The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl - Pearl's The Dante Club of some years back was an excellent mystery novel, and I was pleased to find a hardcover copy in great condition.
- Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell - I've heard a lot of good things about this book, including from the woman who put it back right before I picked it up (she was going to get it for someone else but the copy was a bit on the dirty side).
- The Coffee Trader, by David Liss - This is the prequel in Liss's excellent historical fiction/mystery trilogy set in 18th century London. A great find.
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera - Mainly picked it up because I had heard of it and $1 seemed to be a fair deal.
- The Dream of Scipio, by Iain Pears
- Giotto's Hand, by Iain Pears - I read Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost this past winter. It was an ambitious, remarkably well-researched and well-written historical mystery novel that was a bit flawed, but nevertheless I am more than willing to read more Pears.
- The Surgeon's Mate, by Patrick O'Brian - Truly the mother lode of this lot. This fills in a missing spot in a series of which I have the next 8 or so books. There will be a lot of nautical fiction read over the next few months.
6 comments:
unbearable lightness is annie's favorite book.
Oh? I will have to move it near the top of the list then.
gah! The Coffee Trader? It's the only one of David Liss's books that I've read, and I hated it. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance.
Alexandra - Hm. That doesn't bode well. I liked the other two though. Perhaps it's not for everyone...
yes, the unbearable lightness of being is a) the first and greatest Kundera I ever read, b) my favorite book of all time, c) almost as good as the fish tacos I just had at the ferry building in San Francisco, and d) better than any fish taco I've had here on the east coast, as you astutely predicted.
Anne - that's a serious endorsement, coming from you. I'm short-listing that mother real quick-like.
I had some trajonculous fish tacos last Saturday.
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