Give me books, fruit, french wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors. --John Keats

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Hunting and Gathering

I took a page out of Lesa's book (I'm so corny, how can you stand it?) and went Goodwill hunting today. Wait, I mean yesterday. I didn't fare quite as well as she did (I paid nearly twice as much for the same number of books) but since we're talking $8 for seven books, I'd say I still had a pretty good haul! I might have been able to find free Kindle versions for some of these, but please bear in mind I'm trying to ignore that possibility.

From top to bottom, here are the seven:

1. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I think this is a book that my 8th grade class read without me. (My parents so conveniently managed to ban me from half my life.) It doesn't sound especially fun, but there must be something interesting about it if my parents wouldn't let me read it.

2. The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers. Because I don't believe all of the awful rumors about him, and I have fond memories of his neighborhood.

3. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. This one is kind of like The Jungle (except for the part about my parents): not fun, but good for me.


4. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. One from my wish list! I hadn't realized what a fatty it is . . .

5. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I watched the first half of this movie at the end of a three-and-a-half-movie airplane flight. (I was on my way home and I'd already used up all of the books I'd brought with me.) The movie looked pretty intriguing. I'm not sure why I've never tried to watch the rest of it.


6. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Some (like Brenna) say this book is amazing, and others (like Leah) say it's a little tedious, but for a dollar I can afford to decide for myself. Not surprisingly, I'm a little bit afraid to read it (what if I agree with Leah?) but when I conquer my fear it will be waiting for me.

7. The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. Another wish-lister! I may read this to my kids, once I finish one or two of the three books we have going currently. The cover of the copy I bought isn't quite as charming as the one pictured here, but I hope the inside is.

If I had to pick my next read from this stack, I would probably start with #5. But between book club books and my mental (in more ways than one) list of "I want to read that next" books, it's just going to have to get in line and wait its turn. If it were British it would know how to queue, but as it is I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Which of these have you read? Which did you love? If you feel I should move one of these right up to the teetering tippy-top of my TBR pile, persuade away.

13 comments:

Lesa said...

Yay!! And guess what I went GoodWill Hunting yesterday!! I got another great haul-- found the first in the Botswana mystery series that DeLynne just posted about--plus 2 Agatha Christie's and a Sherlocke Holmes. I want to dabble in mysteries.

I did pay more than last time-- the cashier this time was hardcore!

Ben said...

Good catches. Upton Sinclair is a little dry, but he's a rewarding bastard :)

Tasha said...

I have read The Jungle and The Reader, and I enjoyed both. Let the Great World Spin is next up on my list.

Lesa said...

Grrr!! just realised you are taunting me with your daffodils!! Go ahead and gloat-- see if I care!!
hahahaahhahahahahahah

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

I love finding books at Goodwill. You found some great ones. I didn't particularly love The Jungle or Invisible Man, but I really enjoyed The Reader and Let the Great World Spin. Happy reading!

p.s. Mr. Rogers is awesome.

Kristi said...

I read The Jungle in high school. All I remember is that it was about a meat-packing plant and that it was kind of gross. I'm curious to see whether you enjoy it.

I'll have to post about my haul. I've been going to a charity shop in my village and all the paperbacks are 5 for 1 pound (about $1.50). I've found several books on my TBR list in really great condition.

Rachel said...

Great haul! I haven't looked for books in ops shops (that's what we call goodwill here in Australia) for years! You picked up some good ones :)

Trisha said...

I miss buying books. That silly TBR Dare has me reading what's on my shelves and staying out of bookstores. Reading this has me fiending for a shopping spree!

Amanda said...

Never thought to hit the goodwill for books! I will have to check it out. My library has several shelves of books for $.50 a piece. I often check those out when I am there. You can't beat that price.

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Tom Jones is a fatty!! I was supposed to read it as an undergrad and now I can't remember if I ever finished it or not! One of these days I'll revisit.

The Invisible Man is a really powerful read. And someone just mentioned The Jungle to me the other day--apparently not good for meat lovers! ;)

Enjoy.

Kathy said...

Lesa--I didn't know you could get different prices with different cashiers! You need to teach me all of your Goodwill Hunting wisdom, O Master. And as far as the daffodils--my subtlety is legendary. XD

Ben--good to know. I hear a rewarding bastard is the best kind of bastard.

Charley--Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Great World. You may be able to tip the scales for me.

AR--I do love good ol' Mr. Rogers. Have you heard of his book? (Well, he may have more than one, I have no idea.) This one isn't a story or memoir--it looks like a collection of quotes and various words of wisdom.

Kristi--your local charity shop has great book prices!! Looks like most of the books at my local Goodwill are $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardcovers.

Rachel--I'm thinking I should probably wait a few years before I go back. I need to increase my reading:acquiring new books ratio!

Trisha--I NEED to do a dare like the one you've got going, before my TBR pile gets so big that it topples over on me and kills me in my sleep. Maybe your dare isn't so silly. You may be saving your own life.

Mandy--50 cents a book sounds great!! I know if my library kept a for-sale shelf going, I would be checking it out during every visit.

Trish--I do love meat . . . I'll have to let you know if my preference changes after reading that one.

Andi said...

The Reader was a frackin' AWESOME movie! I've wanted to read the book ever since, but I've been waiting to forget the movie a bit more.

Kathy said...

Ooh, good to know. I don't know why I'd never even added the movie to my netflix queue, but I have just now remedied that oversight.