Shopping

This was the first Saturday in a long time that I've had off and it just so happened that my favorite used bookstore was having a 'buy one get one' free deal.  Perhaps it was the promotion or all the other stuff going on with it, but it was encouraging to drive up to a bookstore and see a packed parking lot.  They might be making money; they might be breaking even; my gut tells me them are merely cleaning out space and attempting to shrink inventory.  Whatever the reason, I've never seen this many people, this much activity or felt so much energy in a bookstore.  

I've heard a lot about E.L Doctorow's Ragtime and since I couldn't find the short story collection of his that I wanted, for one dollar I didn't hesitate.  Cory Doctorow's (I don't believe of any relation) Someone comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, I bought for the same reason as Ragtime.  I may have to be a good consumer and buy new copies of both of those short story collections, but that won't happen any time soon.  To continue this theme, I bought Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marques... that's right, you guessed it, because I couldn't find the short story collection of his that I was looking for.  I also bought it because it has an awesome title.  I'd never heard of this book, so who knows what to expect?  I've been eyeing Jack Vance for a long time.  Lyonesse, is one that I've read about in a few place this year despite the books age.

There was one book that I purchased new.  It was a recommendation from the most unlikely of sources: my older sister, who I didn't know could read.  On the strength of a bizarre reference and how much my sister liked it I'm looking forward to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Not a bad haul considering I spent less than twenty bucks.  Trade in seven books; walk out with five... I'm okay with that.  My to be read shelves still hold more than I can feasibly read in a year, but I'm okay with that too.