Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Fun With Used Books, aka Take Away That Girl's Wallet!

So I have a weakness for used books. Not books that are currently still available via booksellers or Amazon, but older books. Out of print books. Weird titles I've never seen on a shelf in Borders.

After getting somewhat lost looking for an auction house today, my parents and I discovered a small thrift store/indoor flea market tucked away in a little town north of Wilmington (DE, not NC). Okay, so not really small, since it was three stories of an old furniture store building.

I love walking through places like that. Full of antiques and mystery and the PAST. It always gets my writer-brain working. And those places are ripe for discovering awesome and unusual books. I bought too many, but four of them really stood out.

WOMEN, WAR AND WORK, by Maurine Weiner Greenwald. The impact of WWI on women workers in the US. I love learning this stuff.

TEXANS, GUNS & HISTORY, by Col. Charles Askins. If it's western US history pre-1920's, I am so there. The American old west is my favorite period of history, and this book is right up my alley. My dad (the non-reader) even expressed interest in reading this one.

THE WORLD GUIDE TO GNOMES, FAIRIES, ELVES AND OTHER LITTLE PEOPLE, by Thomas Keightley. It's a 1978 reprinting of a book first copyrighted in 1880 as The Fairy Mythology. Persian, Arabian, Oriental, Scandinavian, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Eastern Europe....lots and lots of mythology to be found here.

And perhaps what excited me the most: PET SEMETARY, by Stephen King. 1983, Hardcover, First Edition. For twenty-five cents. No joke. Whoever sold this had no idea....

Time to go update Goodreads. :)

What books have you bought recently? Anything that excites you?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

First of all, I must say I'm jealous that you're where I want to be; getting that first book published.

Most recent book I purchased... Hunted by P.C. & Kristin Cast, the 4th book of the House of Night series and they're quite entertaining. But, I'm done with that and I'm now re-reading Laurell K. Hamilton's Narcissus in Chains.

Kelly Meding/Kelly Meade said...

Hi Amy! I have to admit, a year ago, I'd never have imagined being where I am now. Just keep at it!

I've heard only good things about the HoN series. One of these days, if I ever get my TBR pile under control, I want to read more YA and that series is definitely on my list.