Books I Bought

Sunday was my last day at the bookstore, which meant several things.

1. No more working with the occasional customer who is eager to hear about what you love to read and buys all three of your recommendations.

2. No more discount for working there.

Luckily, I took advantage of both these items while I worked the weekend. I recommended American Gods, The Illumination, and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie to the customer; I bought these for myself.



  • The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - I've never read this, which is shameful for a scifi fan and a Bradbury fan. I'm reading this one first.
  • Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink (The Reader) - Trying to keep up my German skills. I've managed to get through the first few chapters without a dictionary, so they're doing okay. (Helps that I read the English version first.)
  • The Italian, or The Confession of the Black Penitants by Ann Radcliffe - I wrote my senior paper on this book and haven't owned a copy till now. I plan to reread this, just to see if I still think it's hilarious/creepy.
  • The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, edited by Alan Kaufman - Most of my high school Forensics pieces came from this book. "Ball and Chain Record Store" by Ellyn Maybe is my favorite.
  • Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Graham, illustrated by Juan Wijngaard - Gorgeous illustrations, wonderful accompanying story. Very wordy, but even little kids like this one because of how engaging it is. Big kids too, of course.
  • Stormdancers by Jay Kristoff (not pictured) - I think I mentioned this before. It's a lot like Spousal Unit's RPG game, Legend of the Five Rings. Bushido, flying tigers, airships, and a tough lady with a sword. I like it already, though it's hard to read something normal right after Nabokov.
I bought more than just these books (of course), but all the others are gifts. Once they're gifted, I'll mention a couple of the awesome ones here.

In other news, my first day at the new job was yesterday - so far, so good. More on that once I have multiple days under my belt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sally Anns and a Can of Spam

Image
Sally Anns are one of my favorite cookies. By their taste alone, they evoke a sense of home and comfort, reminding me of the kitchen at my grandparents' place and the simple happiness of mid-afternoon sweets. They're the only food that evokes the thought, This would be better with a cup of coffee. Making them was a good Easter activity, especially as I was stuck away from the family due to unpacking (the books are now free!) and yard work shenanigans (such as finding a dead mouse in the yard, which was lovely). With help from my mom, I found the recipe in the family cookbook (my great-great-grandparents are on the cover, and other awesome old pictures are scattered throughout). I decided that the transgression of buying a can of Spam (just once) was worth it for the sake of the cookies. Poke holes in the bottom of the can to allow for air flow. I didn't have enough butter for a full batch, but half of one made 18 Cookies of Unusual Size. I made the mistake of...
Read more

The Beatles' Help! Scarf

Image
Remember when I posted about making Beatles-themed crafts after seeing Cirque du Soleil's performance of Love? I've finished the first one. Here's a refresher of the original Help! scarf. Source And here's my version: a massive thing that I gave my sister for her birthday. In these shots, it's wrapped around her neck twice. I didn't measure the beast before I sent it to its new home, but it's probably about 8 feet long. Made with Caron yarn on size 8 needles, this tube scarf was 40 stitches in the round. Each block of color is 20 rows. The only tricky parts are getting a smooth transition between colors and what to do with the yarn ends inside the tube, but they are easy problems to solve. When you transitioning, knit a normal row with the new color, then pull tight the last stitch of the previous color. That last stitch shouldn't disappear entirely, but it will be close, and your problem will be solved. Then, because this scarf ...
Read more

Leavetaking by Eve Merriam

Image
Vacation is over; It's time to depart. I must leave behind (Although it breaks my heart) Tadpoles in the pond, A can of eels, A leaky rowboat, Abandoned car wheels; For I'm packing only Necessities: A month of sunsets And two apple trees. I'm packing today. What are you doing?
Read more