So, what does a bookseller purchase when she goes bookshopping?

Lots. :D

But seriously, for UNDER $20 (grand total: $19.04) I got:

The Dark Is Rising (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)

Susan Cooper

this in hardcover.  It is, arguably, my favorite in the series.  Fantastic series, incidentally, and if you are at all interested in fantasy-rooted-in-reality and Arthurian legend et all, then you will LOVE this series.  It's written for kids about 12 and up, though I believe that I first read it at ten or so.  No sexual stuff whatsoever, little bad language, minimal (or nonexistent) angst, yet a bloody good read. 

Greenwitch (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)

Susan Cooper

Also this (third book in the series), in, of course, hardcover.

The Grey King (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)

Susan Cooper

Not to mention this (same binding), which won a Newberry. 

Silver on the Tree (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)

Susan Cooper

and this, which is the fifth and last book of the series.  The bookseller from whom I was buying did not have the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone available in hardback, so I shall have to go elsewhere for it in order to complete the series.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet

Madeleine L'Engle

This was the final book that I purchased.  It is also hardcover, and I suspect that the cover art is a bit different, but Amazon didn't have a picture of my version.  This is part of Madeleine L'Engle's Time quintet, another favorite childrens' fantasy series.

Yes, I purchased all childrens' books, and no, I don't have children, nor to I expect to at any point in the near future.  My theory is that a really well-written childrens' book is one that adults can enjoy as well.  I reread both these series at least once a year, and, if I ever have children, I'd rather not risk these being out of print (however unlikely) by the time those kids come along (if ever, and it looks like I'm more likely to have nieces and nephews first, which is, to be honest, perfectly okay with me!)

I got all of these from thriftbooks.  I had purchased a few of their books via abebooks, and decided to go to their site directly this time.  While, of course, they don't have quite the selection that abebooks has (while they have a fairly broad inventory, they are still one facility rather than thousands) their prices are hard to beat.  I got all but Planet for pennies (yes, pennies--the prices ranged from $-.01 to $0.16 apiece), plus the $3.99-for-the-first-$3.50-for-each-next shipping.  Planet was a mere $2.40 or so.

As far as a review of thriftbooks:

Their search engine is quite good; one can search via ISBN. title, author, and other usual searches, as well as narrow the field by type of binding and so forth.  One can also purchase music, movies and games on their site, though I did not.  Their prices seem to be comparable (and occasionally considerably better) than those on other used book sites.  Finally, their checkout process was beautifully hassle-free.  I've every intention of doing business with them again.

I'll be selling my paperback copies of the books listed above to Half-Price Books.  I know I won't get much for them, but every little bit helps, right?  Besides, it'll make room for the beautiful new-to-me-hardcovers that I'm getting!  Yay!

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I've FINALLY received Joan Sutherland's autobiography.  The post office had returned it to the sellers because I supposedly do not live at this address.  I've lived here for nearly two years, this is my legal address, and I've received countless packages here in the past, but whadeva.  It finally came, after being sent once more.

While I've only dipped into it a little so far, I would like to say right now that this woman fits my definition of diva, which does not seem to be the common meaning.  When people hear the word "diva," most think of someone who is completely self-centered, makes insane and unreasonable demands, and would as soon slit your throat as have you compete with her.  I, on the other hand, think of my lovely and many diva friends, who  care deeply about one another and who want others to succeed as much as they do.

Ms. Sutherland falls plainly into the second category.

Her writing is gracious, authentic, and slightly humorous.  She seems to be at once a wonderful musician and a delightful human being.  So far there has not been even a hint of prima-donna attitude, of improper snobbiness, or of crudity.  She keeps the drama on the stage.  In short, she appears to be what my grandmother would call a "lady."

I'll write an actual review after finishing the book.

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Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Originally Published in: 1960

My Rating: Four Stars

A few months ago, I picked up and read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time.  Though I am a high school graduate, I had never read this book before.  I remember being given it on my tenth birthday and my mother refusing to allow me to read it then or at any time after that.  I suspect that her reason was that the suspect was accused of rape and that that was not a subject she wanted to discuss.  I'd argue that I might not want a ten-year-old aware of the existence of rape but that, rather unfortunately, most ten-year-olds and virtually all teenagers are familiar with the concept.  I'd probably hand this book to a high-school freshman or an eighth-grader without a qualm, and consider it carefully for younger children.  The rape is not described in graphic detail.

As most know, this book discusses racism and, to a lesser extent, gender roles.  It's also a truly fantastic read; once I picked it up, I did not put it down until I finished it at 2:30 AM or so.  The ending is not a happy one, and will unquestionably prompt conversation.  Yet that was the way the South was in the 1960s, and Lee's keen insights regarding human nature are certainly eye-opening.  This is the sort of novel that one is in; one walks up and down the street with Scout and her brother, wonders if a gift has been left in the hollow of the tree, and returns briefly to imaginative childhood games.  I practically hopped up and down and cheered, "Yes!  Yes!  Yes!" when she indicated the unimaginable importance of great books in the life of a child.

Having said all of that, this novel was nominated as "Best Novel of the Century" in 1999 by the Library Journal.  I simply do not think that it deserves that title. 

Honestly, I can't even give a particularly substantive reason why I do not think that it was the "Best Novel of the Century."  I think that I can put it best in a paraphrase of what a friend of mine says, on occasion, to her students: "A paper does not have an 'A' as a default grade.  A 'C' is an average grade; better than average work deserves a 'B', while truly outstanding work deserves an 'A'.  Your paper might be grammatically correct, may make me smile in places, and may even fascinate me with your ideas on this subject.  That does not mean that it is more than above average, nor does it mean that it is truly outstanding."

Does that make any sense?  While this book was ever-so-well written, while it made me smile and cry, while it made me think about uncomfortable subjects, that does not mean that it was the "Best Novel of the Century."

I would, however, say that Ms. Lee unquestionably deserved her Presidential Medal of Freedom.  That book took courage, and brought a subject into the open that had been shamefully ignored for far too long.

Please, anyone who has read it, feel free to comment!  I'd like to know if this is just my impression or if I'm alone in thinking this.

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Really, you just can't make this stuff up.

Customer walks over to me and asks for The DaVinci Code, by Dan Browne.  I walked him over to it and placed it in his hand. 

Him: "But why is this in the fiction section, instead of the history section?"

Me: "..."

(a few minutes later, same customer)

Him: (whispering) "Ma'am, do you have any books about the Illuminati?"

Please note that I refrained from clasping my hands together, looking heavenwards, and devoutly intoning, "Miserere nobis."   The thought crossed my mind.

Later that same day..

Well-dressed blonde yuppie woman: "I need these books for my son to read this summer."

I scanned the list, noted that I needed to order all but one, and proceeded to put the order together.  As I did this, we talked.

Her:  "I can't believe they're making him read four books this summer!  That poor boy won't be able to have any fun at all."

Me: "I see."  (usually a safe answer)

Her:  "Honestly, nobody reads that much!"

Me: "Ah." (If I was only going to read four books this summer, I'd probably commit suicide)

Her: "He's in all AP classes; I don't know what their problem is!  I mean, why should he have to do so much reading?"

She continued to complain until we finished the order, and then asked for an SAT prep book.  I suggested the Princeton Review SAT prep, as the PR puts out the SAT and offers old tests to practice with.  This version also had a CD-Rom that one could use to take more practice exams.

Her: "Will he have to read the book?"

Me: "Er, yes, I believe so.  After all, there are verbal sections of the SAT."

Her: "But he hates reading!  He'll be so bored!"

Sigh.

Why, exactly, was this kid in AP Lit if he doesn't read?  Would someone answer me that?

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Every semester I've been at college I've heard the whining, howling, moaning and general angst that occurs at book-buying time.  Yes, college texts are ridiculously expensive.  Yes, the textbook companies will put out a new edition every other year and have the primary change in the new edition be a subsitution of one synonym for another or some such nonsense.  After all, if they have a greater number of purchasable texts on the market (the more years a book has been available, the more copies will be available used) then the price that they receive for each text drops to anywhere from slightly-less-unreasonable to nothing.  This demonstrates a fairly basic marketing principle: the smaller the supply and higher the demand, the more money can be charged for each unit of the supply.

Do a little research ahead of time, however, and watch your prices drop.

First of all, never, EVER, EVER buy a textbook from the college bookstore.

Any bookstore that charges $200 for a book you'll use for one semester and $120 for a used edition of that book is making entirely too much money off of you. 

Ideally, email the instructor and request the ISBN, the edition number, the title of the textbook, and the author (s) thereof.  Do this, at the latest, a month before classes start.  This will accomplish two things.  First, the professor will know that you give a darn about your classes and that you won't be that student who shows up sans text for the first two weeks of class.  Second, it will get you the information you need.

Some professors will not or can not give you this information.  In the latter case, some professors are actually told by administration that they shouldn't give you this information because if they do, you will not purchase the book at the campus bookstore. 

If you must go to the campus bookstore to get this information, bring a course schedule with the course codes on it.  A course code will tell you and the bookstore employee exactly which English 101 section of the five hundred offered on your campus you are taking, and which book the instructor has requested for the class. 

Having been taken to the book neeeded for that English 101 class, make sure it actually is the correct book.  Look at the tab under the stack of texts.  It should list your section number.  Verify this for yourself; the bookstore employee has been there for the last twelve hours and may, believe it or not, make a mistake.

If the tab does have your section listed on it, pick up the book and turn over the first page.  On this page will be listed all the information you need.  Write down ALL of it, even if it seems redundant.  ISBN, edition number, title, author (s).

Occasionally (or frequently, depending on your campus) the bookstore employee will tell you that you "can't do that."  Well, actually, you can.  If they tell you differently, cite the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and point out that this is a form of trade restriction.  If you'd prefer not to get into a legal argument and do have a few hundred bucks available, bring the title up to the front of the store and purchase it.  THEN write down the information, hand the book and receipt back to the cashier, and say, "I want to return this."  Do not leave the store or even the register while you do this lest you be accused of switching books.

Once you have this information, get online.  Abebooks.com has thousands of reputable booksellers from all around the world.  Alibris.com, ebay.com, and half.com are also good.  Amazon and Barnes and Noble have recently started to offer used books through their websites as well.   Of all the used book sites, I've usually found abebooks to be the best as it simply has more booksellers than anyone else.  Note I say "usually;" shop around for an unexpected bargain.   Ebay sellers, for examply, will often combine shipping or offer free shipping; certain abebooks sellers offer free shipping as well.

You will find that most texts are available used and for anywhere from 25%-75% cheaper than in those bookstores.

The best source of cheap textbooks is often the UK.  Now, you will pay extra shipping and it will take longer to get a book from overseas; that's why you need this information a month or so in advance, and also why if you order a text from another country you should consider expedited shipping.  Expedited shipping only costs a few dollars more and is worth every penny: your package will get through customs considerably faster.  The reason that textbooks are often cheaper in the UK is that international editions are sold in the UK.  They are not sold in the US.

International editions are identical in nearly every way--word for word, picture for picture--to the edition you'll find here in the US.  The only differences will be that the cover may look slightly different, and the price will be considerably lower.  Also, if this textbook isn't a book you'll be referencing again, consider getting it in paperback.

When selecting a textbook from a used-book dealer, look at the description of the condition of the book.  "New" means just that.  "Good" means that the book has been read or used, but that there is no writing or torn pages.  "Fine" means that the book may be a bit battered.  "Acceptable" generally means a fair amount of writing or underlining that does not obscure the text.  "Poor" means that pages are missing, that some of the print is illegible, or that the binding is in bad condition.  I recommend getting a book that is in at least "fine" condition; notes on the pages are rarely understandable by or helpful for anyone but the writer.

In my first year in college, I needed a textbook for a chemistry class.  The used price at the campus bookstore was $160.  Including shipping, I paid $30 for a brand-new (shrinkwrapped), paperbacked, international edition.  Except for the slightly different paper cover, this book was exactly the same book that my classmates used.  At the end of the semester, I sold it to another student for $60.  He paid considerably less than he would have at the bookstore, and I made a $30 profit.  Granted, this was a fairly common Intro to Chemistry text.  However, by using this method, I usually pay less than half of what the college bookstore charges for their used texts and sometimes make money off of my used texts. 

If your textbook is a brand-new edition, email the professor and ask if you can use the previous edition.  Sometimes this will be acceptable; sometimes it will not. Humanities professors are more likely to allow you to use the previous edition than their math or science counterparts: while math or physics problems may (and probably will) change from edition to edition, Flannery O'Connor's short stories are going to remain Flannery O'Connor's short stories. 

If it seems that this is a book that you won't need very often for the class, check with the library and see if it is on reserve there.  Many teachers will place a text on reserve in order to allow students who can't afford an unnecessary text access to that text.

Finally, if you must purchase a new textbook, consider getting it through a source other than the college bookstore.  You may still save a few dollars, particularly if you have a coupon that you can use on textbooks (check the fine print).  Ask if it is cheaper to have the book shipped directly to your home rather than to the store, as part of the price you pay for a book is the salaries of those who handle it.  You may save $25 or $30 by having the book shipped directly to your home, and most stores will offer free shipping on orders (new books, that is; this doesn't usually apply to used books) that are greater than $25.

In short:

-If at all possible, don't buy your text from the college bookstore.

-Get your textbook information at least a month before the beginning of the semester.

-Before you order your book online, verify ALL information: ISBN, edition number, title, author(s).  If in doubt, email the bookseller.

-Consider choosing expedited shipping for internationally-ordered books.  This can cut wait time from four weeks to two weeks, and costs only a few dollars more.  Remember that international packages must go through customs.

-If the edition you need is new, ask the professor if you can use the previous edition.

-If you won't need the textbook very often, see if it is on reserve at the campus library.

-Try selling your old textbooks to other students, rather than the bookstore.  You'll make more money, and the other students will save more money. 

-Even if you must get a new textbook, go to a chain bookstore rather than the college bookstore.  Exhaust your discount options: ask about free shipping, ask if the ship-to-home price is cheaper, and, if you can find a coupon that doesn't exclude textbooks, use it.

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(happy sigh)

While nothing--and I do mean NOTHING--beats the experience of actually browsing a used-book store--I'm willing to settle for the online version when I can get such deals as I have today.

For $35 (and that includes shipping) I have purchased fourteen books.  You do the math.  Subtract about $10, as I already owned many of these books in paperback and intend to sell them back to the local Half Price Books.

I do not buy books that I will not reread or reference at some point, so I decided a few months ago to go all-hardback whenever possible.  If it's a brand-new book that I may not wish to purchase but do want to read, then I'll borrow a copy from my store or go to the library. 

All of the books I purchased are hardback, unabridged (duh), and in good condition.  Good condition, in the used-book industry, means that while it has been opened a few times, there are no tears, no marks (unless noted, and then it'll be something minor like a name written on the flyleaf), and the binding is tight.  I think that some of these may have dust jackets, but I honestly don't care about dust jackets.  I'm of the opinion that books usually look better without them.

So, what did I get?

-all seven of the Jane Austen novels.  I own at least one in paperback, and will sell it back.  I was forced to read Pride and Prejudice at the age of ten or so, and detested it.  However, they are classics, and I'm willing to try again with a more mature viewpoint.  Besides, being classics, they belong in any library.

-My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Asher Lev, The Chosen, and The Promise by Chaim Potok.  I own all of these in paperback already (the Asher Levs in trade paper and the others in mass market), and will (of course) resell them.  I love all these books and reread them every summer.  While The Chosen is probably Potok's most famous book, I've always preferred (slightly) the Lev books.

-Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet by Edith Nesbit (usually referred to as E. Nesbit).  This edition has the original and marvelous Millar pen-and-ink illustrations.  I own all of these in paperback, but can't seem to find the first.  (shrug)  Again, I'll resell them.  Nesbit is rather neglected now, but she was one of the first juvenile fantasy writers.  She also was somewhat revolutionary in her day in that she felt that the Edwardian treatment of the poor and non-white was inherently wrong--as it was.  She brings this into her books without being at all preachy.

So, off to actually get a bit of housecleaning done before selling some books.  Yay!

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Good grief.

A little backstory:

About a month ago, I built myself a beee-yooo-teee-ful new bookcase.  I was smugly proud of myself.  I sanded the wooded, used power tools, and finished off with two coats of a rich cherry/mahogany stain.  It was about three feet wide and six feet high.

There's just one little problem.

It's full.

As is the bookcase in my room, which takes up an entire floor-to-ceiling-corner-to-corner wall.  Admittedly, I have a small room, and there's a TV in the middle of that bookcase.  Furthermore, most of the books on the new bookcase were offloaded from the bedroom bookcase; those shelves were so stuffed that I was having a hard time finding anything that I neededl.  Still.  Egads.

Now I'm vaguely contemplating building another set of shelves for school-related items: backpack/messenger bag, school supplies, folders, textbooks, lesson tapes, et all.  I'm thinking something a bit shorter (say, 3 feet high) but wider (perhaps 4 feet?) than the last project.  This would give me three shelves on which I could store oh-so-much that tends to end up on the coffeetable.  I've still got all the leftover supplies from the last one, and the wood wouldn't cost that much....

The question is...where, in this little house, could I PUT such a thing without constantly bumping into it?

Of course, non-bibliophiles would say that the question is "Why the $*&^% do you need more shelves?  You'll just get more books!"

Silly people :P

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Oh, abebooks.com is a wonderful place!

For those of you who love books, consider going there.  Any out-of-print book (or, for that matter, in-print book) imaginable is available on there via their sellers--who, incidentally, seem to hold themselves to a VERY high level of customer service. 

I ordered the following:

The Autobiography of Joan Sutherland: A Prima Donna's Progress

Joan Sutherland

I really don't know much about La Stupenda, except that she was born in Australia, her music is just breathtaking, and a few notes in another diva's book.  So, I ordered this.  It's out of print; I got it hardbound and in good condition for $1 plus $4 shipping. 

Hints to Singers

Lillian Nordica

On the recommendation of the carapiccoladiva, I also ordered this.  It is also hardbound and in good condition, and cost $6 plus $4 shipping.

Don't get me wrong--I love my job and my store.  However, there are certain books I can't just walk in there and get (though, in fairness, they now offer used books via their website), and, frankly, many books are often cheaper used and online.  Not all of the sellers on abebooks offer free shipping, but many are now doing so.

Oh, to have unlimited book-buying funds!

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I've been asked several times in the last few weeks what my summer plans will be.  They are many, varied, occasionally peculiar, and most of them very ME.  Observe:

-No school.  No, that isn't like me.  Yes, I'll have a good 12+ weeks sans-school.  I'm tired and my brain has the IQ of soggy and day-old oatmeal.  Furthermore, I don't NEED those classes to be finished by a certain time, so ha!

-Lots of work (bit more like me :P).  I was told that hours would be cut this summer, and was most unamused as we had hired almost a dozen new people for summer (my point being "if you have people who are already trained and want more hours, why the blazes would you cut their hours and hire seasonal summer people?").  However, of the ten hired, EIGHT have already quit in one way or another.  I've given the store almost complete availability, and was told yesterday that my hours would "max out" throughout the summer.  $$$=nice.  Veeeerrrrry nice.  Some in savings, some fun purchases, etc.  I'll also do some pet-sitting; I have a few groups of people in the area for whom I will take care of critters in exchange for money while they are on vacation or what have you.  What can I say?  Getting paid to receive fuzz therapy: it just doesn't get much better than that!

-My books-to-be-read-during-summer list is growing.  Some great literature that I've never read (Wuthering Heights, most of Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, did Victor Hugo write anything beside Les Mis, and that's a very partial list), some books on music/singing/singers that I've wanted to read but not had the time (Joan Sutherland's autobio, bios of Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, Tebaldi's biography, for a few examples), some books on theology (there is so much I don't understand but want to know more about and try to see the reasoning, etc), some just-plain-fun books (yayyayyayyayYAY Elizabeth Peters is FINALLY doing another Vicky Bliss novel, I think Donna Andrews has another coming out, I need to catch up on Iris Johannson -sp?-, etc, etc, etc)

-then there's the yard, which has definite potential, but needs more time than I have during the semester.  The patio needs work, weeding and mulching must be done, and an herb pot or two (or six) need to be set up.

-SOUTH PADRE.  21ST BIRTHDAY.  ENOUGH SAID.

-Oh, yeah, and there'll be some music in there, too. :P  I'll be stopping by school a few days a week to practice songs for next semester, which will be fun/productive/focusing and all that good stuff.

yes, that books list is long.  I read REALLY quickly.  Even with school and work, I finished Les Mis (all 800+ pages, if I remember correctly) in a couple of days.  Without school, I could easily sit down and read something like that cover-to-cover just because I enjoy it.

Oh, and amusing story today.  I attend the traditional (ie, pre-'64) Latin Mass.  I suspect I stand out a bit in this relatively small congregation (about 150 or so) as I'm a single woman who doesn't live with her parents, dresses considerably more liberally than most there (I once brought a friend to church with me, and she has ever since refered to the congregation as "fundamantalist Catholics"), and attends college with every intention of a career.

So, as I walk from my car to the church, I notice that something doesn't feel quite...right.  Hmm.

I am wearing a light (green underskirt, tropical flower veiling overskirt) summer skirt, as it is in the 70s.  It reaches to about mid-calf, and is slit on one side to the knee.  Perfect for evening church in the spring with an uber-conservative congregation.  All light, airy, spring-y, etc. 

In fact, a bit too airy.

When I glanced down, I realized that I must have caught part of the skirt on something while getting in or out of the car, because that slit is now more like mid-thigh.

Naturally, I realize this while I'm in the middle of crossing a street.

On the bright side, I'm about two minutes late for church.  No one else is in the street with me.

I finish crossing the street with a dainty grasp on the edge of the skirt.  Anyone seeing me might (I can hope, right?) think that I was just lifting my skirt slightly, the better to take long steps.  Or something.

Once I get inside and get into a pew, I dig discreetly in my purse for my emergency safety pins, which, I belatedly realize, I neglected to return to my purse post-musical.  Brilliant.  I decide that this skirt will become a "hip-hugging" skirt, rather than have it sit at my waist where it usually is.  That slit is still somewhat above the knee, but at least there is no breeze in the church and the skirt is rather full.

Did I mention that this priest once gave a sermon on how SHORT SLEEVES (ie, above the elbow) are immodest?  Really, he has many good points, but he is a bit over-sensitive on the modesty in dress issue. 

(my crack after that sermon about "if someone is turned on by my elbows when I bare them during a texas summer, it's his problem and not mine" would not have gone over well, I think)

Needless to say, I departed RAPIDLY when Mass was over, skirt still delicately clutched in left hand.

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If you enjoy light and humorous mysteries, you will enjoy Donna Andrews' Meg Langdon series.  I'm rererereading it at the moment, and laughing out loud as hard as I did the first time.  The first is Murder with Peacocks, followed by Murder with Puffins, Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos, We'll Always Have Parrots, Owls Well That Ends Well, etc, etc. 

In the latter, Meg and her fiance have recently bought a house and are holding a yard sale to get rid of the excess of junk to which the last owner was most attached.  Needless to say, someone is murdered and she has to solve the case, but prior to the murder Meg is describing to her fiance a particular lamp shade that, to her amazement, two buyers are fighting over:

"The lamp shade was huge--three feet tall, and equally wide at the base, though the sides curved in as they went upward and then flared out again, making it look like an inverted Art Nouveau birdbath.  Its dominant colors were orange and purple, though at least a dozen other hues appeared here and there in the trimmings.  And as for the trimmings, I had nothing against lace, fringe, braid, bows, beads, tassels, appliques, rosettes, silk flowers, rhinestones, prisms, or embroidery, but I thought that inflicting all of them on one defenseless shade was unforgivable."

Snort.  Chuckle.  Giggle.

Off to work...

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