Listful Mondays: Books from Vacation

The Books We Brought Home from Vacation

(or The Books We Bought at my Favorite Used Book Store in my Home Town)

1. Feed by M. T. Anderson (For my dystopian collection.)
2. Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (Remembered from childhood - just don't remember anything but the cover.)
3. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Replacement for our tattered copy.)
4. Dragons of Deltora: Shadowgate by Emily Rodda (Book 2)
5. Dragons of Deltora: Isle of the Dead, Sister of the South (Books 3 & 4)
6. Deltora Quest: books 5 - 8 (We got confused and thought we found a whole series by one of Jadyn's favorite authors. Not so. There are 3 different related series. Stink.)
7. Starbridge by A.C. Crispin
8. Ancestor's World by A. C. Crispin (These are Scott's.)
9. Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (This was the one I was missing! Serendipitous!)
10. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (Never read anything by her, but loved the movie.)
11. Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (The specific printing to match my set from childhood, replacing my spine-broken copy.)
12. The Seventh Tower: Into Battle (Book 5)
13. The Seventh Tower: The Violet Keystone (Book 6. We have 1 - 3. Now we just need book 4.)
14. Whirligig by Paul Fleischman (Replacement for a Loaning Casualty.)
15. Redwall by Brian Jacques
16. Mossflower by Brian Jacques
17. Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
18. Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
19. Salamandastrom by Brian Jacques
20. Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques (We had no Redwall books, but Scott played the audiobook for the older kids and they loved it. I'm sure the store had all the rest of them too, but I had to draw the line somewhere.)

I am home, possibly recovered, and thinking about books and blogging.

Book Orders

Our most recent school book order has arrived! Here is what we got:

1. Savvy by Ingrid Lawn (Newberry Honor)
2. Spelling B and the Cat-Astrophe by Lexi Connor (#4)
3. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
4. The Boy who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
5. The first 3 Dragon Slayers' Academy by Kate McMullan: The New Kid at School, Revenge of the Dragon Ladyn, and Class Trip to the Cave of Doom
6. Henry and Mudge (set of 4)

A small order. I must have been making up for the last order that nearly broke my 8 year old's back when he hauled them home. Book Order Day is well anticipated at our house.

I have three questions:

1. Has anyone read any of these book? Good? No? I have not read a single one!
2. Do you utilize school book orders?
3. Do you remember getting book order books as a kid?

I remember. It was a rare treat. My parents raised our family on a shoestring and books were not usually in the budget. (My small town had a pitiful library. I remember clearly in grade school saving up my allowance until I had exactly the $5.31 needed {with tax} to buy another Dragonlance book. Those were wondrous moments at B Dalton's in the mall!) Being a young book lover, you would think I was thrilled when my mother ordered something...but that was usually not the case. She didn't approve of my love for fantasy and used book orders to broaden my horizons. And those books that I had to collect in class were embarrassing to me. I'm not sure why, now, but I would try to hide the covers. I read those books anyway, and I was big enough even then to acknowledge I was wrong. The books I remember being most embarrassed about and most determined to hate became some of my favorites. The Iceberg Hermit. The Sole Survivor. The Secret Garden. The Upstairs Room.

Just to make sure we're clear, it would many years before I'd pick up anything but fantasy on my own. But Mom, if you take the long view, your efforts have paid off. Thank you.

Book Bloggers Social

I was very excited for Saturday night. The Book Bloggers Social was taking place in Midvale, and my real life friend Suey, who introduced me to book blogging and inspired me to try my own, invited me since I have a Sorta Book Blog. (Isn't she sweet!) Back in the beginning of 2009 I had jumped onto the book blogging boat and was just starting to get over the seasickness when Sebastian was born and I fell off.

I wanted to be included!! I aspire to be a real book blogger! So I worked all fuzzy week! I cleaned up my sidebars, cleaned out some old posts, blogged the stuff floating in my brain, caught up on reviews, participated in a weekly thingy, starting planning my new and improved header... And I did it all while sick.

A new kind a sick than the sick I had been for 2 previous weeks. A personal horrible sick. But it can't last through Saturday, I thought. I would surely be dead if it did, I thought.

And Saturday morning seemed to go great. I was fine. I washed my nice jeans. I found my favorite shirt. I had the babysitter (that I scheduled myself!) coming.

And the sick came back.

Scrambling to figure out how I could still go, we called the pharmacy to see if I could take anything while nursing. Go to the doctor if it's been more than 48 hours, they said. It was 48 hours...72 hours ago!

So instead of the Book Blogging Social, I had to go to the clinic. I sat down and cried.

While everyone was gathering in the restaurant, introducing themselves, and getting food, I was wrestling with the devil's own blood pressure cuff. Sob.

We had to drive to Provo for the late night pharmacy and the prescription that would save my miserable life (I'm prone to exaggeration. It makes me feel better.) so we passed the DI. My adorable husband had heard me complain that I never remember to look in the adult-type books when I'm thrift shopping, so he decided we would stop for a little pick-me-up. I hobbled and hunched a little - but WHO CARES!!

I am ecstatic to report that I found a better copy of the The Two Towers and a copy of The Return of the King that my little brother had lost long long long ago!!! (These are the 1965 printing that I inherited from my older brother that I love and thought were very very old and cool as a young girl.)

While scanning titles I overheard two ladies discussing their find of Wuthering Heights. They seemed confused by the author (Jane Eyre recognition perhaps?) and also talked about how they wanted to read Austen but never have. (!!) I didn't butt in with any Bronte information. I thought about it, but I'm really not that kind of nosy know-it-all girl. (That is just how I would feel, not what I would think of such a person. Really, I'm just a coward.) Later I found a copy of Pride and Prejudice and thought of getting it...but then remembered the ladies. After a few moments of courage gathering, I walked over to them and offered it. Told them it was the best Austen to start with. They seemed happy and I was proud of myself.

Not many moments later I found this:
I love the books that look old. I want to collect some, if only for pictures. But I don't want just any old book! I want old books I LOVE. And here is my very own OLD Pride and Prejudice. A 1937 edition. All loved and pictureless. This one is a Book Crush for more than just the contents. Karma I tell you. Happy Sigh of a Ninja.

I am still totally bummed to miss the social. But at least my night was not a loss. New books. Medicine that did end up working. We went home and watched the new Emma. More on that later. And I guess this will give me more time to read others' blogs, get my own running better, and feel not so overwhelmed, not so much the interloper, at the next social. Hah!

Do you ever, when thrifting books, feel sorely tempted to buy another copy of your favorite books when you find them?

I feel slightly crazy when I do, but that temptation actually won once this week. Sometimes it takes all my book-loving strength to walk away!

Thift Stores

I had a mission: go to the thrift stores and find an ugly chair, and if possible some serving bowls. I need bigger serving bowls. I went to Savers and the DI. I found NO ugly chairs and NO serving bowls.

I came home with two bags of books.

Isn't this world beautiful?

Later, when I explained my ambitions for an ugly chair to Robyn, she got excited and forced me to the American Fork DI even though I was not feeling well. And guess what?

We found more books!

I even found Avalanche by Arthur Roth. I've been wanting a copy and to reread that book for a long time! (It made an indelible impression on me when it was read out loud in class some time in grade school.)

And guess what else?

I found an ugly chair!!

The chair is not actually as ugly as I had hoped, and in quite a different style than I had imagined, but I think it will be spectacular. And it happens to be comfy. Watch for future sightings of my green ugly Beast chair.

I just love book loot...