I went to the giant Albuquerque library sale today, and got two large grocery bags full of books for $5 per bag. I'm not going to tell you how many books that is. Let's just say I, uh, got my money's worth. And exactly how I filled those two bags, I really can't tell you. It's all kind of a blur. I just... walked in, and then things got sort of hallucinatory, and then at some point I emerged with books.
And then I had to fight my way home, through trials and tribulations, like the mighty, heroic hunter of books that I am. Eighty miles home, through high winds and dust storms! And at one point, I came disturbingly close to hitting a roadrunner. Yay, New Mexico. (Note: roadrunners, in real life, are not nearly as intelligent as the one in the cartoons. This one was trying to be less of a roadrunner and more of a highway sitter, which is really not very smart.)
Anyway. It is very, very clear that I am not going to run out of books while I am recovering from surgery. Whether I am going to run out of bookshelf space (again!) is, of course, another matter.
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Are they books you wanted, or did you pick up someone else's bag by accident?
ReplyDeleteHaving just visited the grocery store, I'm pondering if there's anything in the store that would fill a paper sack for just five bucks. Toilet paper or paper towels, maybe? I was kind of hoping to think of less bulky things, though.
Oh, they're all mine! I got several things off my wishlist, which was nice. And, actually, you are responsible for half a bag's worth of that. You know how I went out and bought the first three books in the Janet Evanovich series after you recommended it? Well, they had multiple copies of the entire rest of the series, or at least up through book eighteen. And I figured, hey, if I like it, it'd be nice to have the entire series on hand, right? And if I don't, it's not exactly costing me anything extra, and I could just donate them back. So into the bag they went!
DeleteAnd I'm not sure I can think of anything you could fill a bag with for five bucks at a supermarket. If toilet paper qualifies, it's way cheaper toilet paper than I'd ever want to use. But probably not. At least as habits go, the book-buying habit is one that can be indulged cheaply!
Oh, no -- you're not gonna pin that on me! I thought you'd enjoy the series. I did not tell you to buy 18 books in it, completely unread. (At least they went to a good home.) Yes, I see Evanovich's number-series books in many used outlets. I can't decide if that's because they're popular and widely read or if no one wants them so they're perpetually cast off. If only it were that easy to find all the other mysteries I seek.
ReplyDeleteBut I have to blame someone! Although I did effectively get them for free, anyway, as there was really no way I was walking out of there with fewer than two bags, regardless.
DeleteAnd I suspect the answer is because they're extremely popular, but not the sort of thing people want to keep around and re-read.
Funny, but I started collecting them precisely because I want to have them around to re-read. Then again, I also thought Star Wars, rap, and reality TV wouldn't catch on.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel as guilty if I think of it as filling the bags to get the most books for your money. Just out of curiosity, how little did the price-per-book end up?
About sixteen cents per book. You can't beat that!
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