Here are the ones that interest me:
Wesley Stace’s Misfortune looks interesting. I am a fan of Stace’s music, in his guise of John Wesley Harding. But the phrase that did it for me: "The cross-dressing love child of Great Expectations and A. S. Byatt's Possession." How can I not be intrigued?
I never finished John Burdett’s Bangkok 8, but remain convinced that I should, so I can then go on to read Bangkok Tattoo.
I thought I might look at Charles Stross’ Merchant Princes series, the second of which is on this list, because I hoped it would be somewhat Jasper FForde-ish from the tone of the review. But after reading the Amazon review, I am not sure. Does anyone know anything about these books?
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Am still plowing through the Deptford trilogy.
At Highland Park’s giant yard sale this weekend, I scored a copy of Janson’s History of Art (sans dust jacket but still…) for 2 bucks (!!!!!) and yet another copy of Stones From the River for a buck. I know it was an Oprah pick but get past that. It’s a wonderful book. I love it, so I buy it cheaply whenever I find it so I can give it away – but it’s time for me to reread it.
I had to stop reading All In My Head – it was giving me a headache. Seriously. And my migraines don’t need any outside help, especially with our barometric pressure all over the freaking place these days.
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Also at the yard sale, I bought an old desk for fifteen bucks that is going to be just perfect for all my sewing stuff and my machine to sit on. Also some random little china saucers (five for a dollar), for putting under candles, etc. (I have a serious china fetish.)
The boys had a dollar each, from Dan, to spend. I had decided I would supplement as needed, if necessary. So all the hinky little action figure-y, car-type thingeys I bought for them, for the grand total of a dollar, at one house where they were really giving them away for free, but since my boys took two each, I felt obliged to hand over some cash.
Jude adopted another baby doll – this one is quite bald and he named her Lucy. He also scored a bendable Woody from Toy Story, and a little M&M car. Simon wound up with an apple on wheels, with Lowly Worm inside; a Spiderman action figure; and his big expenditure: artwork! I do not know why! The guy selling it wanted ten bucks each for these pictures he had in a box. Some were prints, a few were bad original oils, and this one which Simon glommed onto – a fairly crude yarn-and-plastic-canvas rendering of a boat and some trees in a cheap frame. Maybe someone’s camp project or something?
Me: Si, it’s too much. It’s ten dollars.
Si: I have a dollar.
Guy: You can have it for five.
Me: Si, it’s just too much.
Si (lower lip quivering): But I have a dollar.
Guy: He can have it for a dollar.
Me: Thank you so much!
He was so happy. I suppose I am rotten for not just sucking it up and paying the five bucks for it, but it was crap! I just couldn’t do it. I am glad he got it for his dollar, though; we hung it up in his room today and he seems very happy with it. I suppose it’s not so awful, it’s just---ten bucks! I mean!
I also bought the boys Perfection. I paid a quarter for it and they’ve been playing nonstop since we brought it home.
4 comments:
Sounds like a good day at the yard sales. Stones from the River is a fantastic book, I read it the first time in high school for AP English. I've only re-read it once, I should probably do that again.
This weekend I went to the Brandeis Used Book Sale here in Chicago. It was incredible. Two HUGE tents filled with books. Table after table of books. Of all sorts. I spent $46.50 and filled my duffle bag as heavy as I could carry, mostly with fiction (one or two were embroidery books).
The conversation between you and Si and the guy is precious! I am grinning ear to ear, even now, thinking of it! Ah, the power of the written word to transform one's rotten mood. I scored a copy of The Solomon Sisters Wise Up which made me cry--I think it was somewhat hormonally induced, but still. Highly recommend it!! It's a chick-lit re: three sisters who seriously do need to wise up, and who seriously do indeed wise up.
Immediately take Si to the Jaguar dealership.
Throw that Perfection game away IMMEDIATELY! Seriously! I believe a large portion of my anxiety issues can be traced back to that panic-inducing, high pressure, miserable menace of a "game". Chinese Water Torture has nothing on Perfection. The ticking! Oh, the TICKING! And don't even get me started on Superfection! Yoi!
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