Sunday, December 04, 2005

I luv F.O.L.K.!

(Friends of the Library Kona). I got about 20 pounds of books, plus 3 videos (I still luv VHS) for $6, and that includes a generous $2 donation. Good thing we got there early, though. The clearance sale was set to start at 9:00; we arrived at 9:15; by 9:20, all the good books were gone. Because of me. I am a book-selecting MACHINE. Three non-consecutive years under an oppressive bookstore regime were not for naught.The wheat flew from the chaff with such alacrity, none of the other patrons looked up from browsing the self-help table.

Here's a sampling of my bounty:
-hardcover of The Corrections
-something on race by bell hooks (hmm! go figure!)
-a Baby-Sitters' Club or two
-assorted critically-approved teen novels, with either hot pink (for girls) or macabre black-gray-death-themed (for boys) covers

That last is for my one stude who reads a book a week, and recently asked if she could borow some of my books. Since "my books" were pest-eaten, mildewed 80s novels that my dad's teacher friend threw out when she retired, I felt kinda bad. I will casually position these next to Then Again, Maybe I Won't, and see if she takes the bait. Then I'll become her best friend and a heart-warming movie will be made about me that will be shown on airplanes across the country.

Who knows if I'll ever read any of the others (except for the BSCs, obviously), but with our library's draconian 50-cent-a-day overdue fees, which accrue even on days the library is closed for holidays no one else gets, this is the smarter approach to reading.

Twas a good day.

6 comments:

missymussy said...

do you SEE what happens when I allow anyone to comment?

Jolene said...

I went to a few F.O.L.K sales. The spouse loved them much more than I (although you really can't beat quarter, can you)? I preferred going to Bargain Books (near Kona Brewery) because of their awesome book-trade policies. The owner was always there and very nice, and it was one of the most organized used bookstores I'ver ever been too. When he added chairs I thought, that's it, I'm in heaven...

Anonymous said...

A faithful midnight reader of missymussy from the start, but a woefully lazy commenter, I did have to congratulate us both for our escape from the oppressive bookstore regime. I recently tried to come up with a way of documenting the experience on my CV, but nothing short of lying will make it seem a good experience!

Anonymous said...

i feel like i should use this space to comment on every previous entry to make up for my involuntary silence. But instead I only have to say that I LOVE LIBERRIES. In fact, my lunch hour task yeasterday was to get myself an Albuquerque Public Library System card. It's a pass to the future. Capital entry, missy.

Anonymous said...

OK -- now I"m ready to make a comment! cool stuff! But you need more pix of Ben playing tennis!

Dennis R. Plummer said...

I love the concept of buying books by the pound. We had a garment shop in Cambridge, MA, that priced garments by how much they weighed. Maybe the whole capitalist system would be enhanced by pricing things in a completely different way. Like: the price of an orange would depend upon the density of its hue; the price of gas would be based on how long you occupied your spot at the pump; state and federal taxes would be levied in inverse proportion to the amount of time you volunteered in local and national politics.

(I don't really think F.O.L.K. did this, but your reference to buying 20 pounds of books got me thinking.)