The light's really glaring here, and the titles are hard to read, so here's the list of what I got (and why), from the top down:
101 Things You Didn't Know About Shakespeare by Janet Ware with Al Davis (looks cute and funny, and I can never know too much about Shakespeare)
The Mystery of the Empty Room by August Huell Seaman (bought solely because it's all '50s cool)
Romeo and Juliet & West Side Story (yup, both plays in one volume, from 1965)
The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (I don't like King's fiction much, because I can't deal with horror, but I keep hearing good things about this series and... a gunslinger. I'm hooked by that word, bigtime.)
Bear Island by Alistair MacLean (because I haven't read it yet)
The Jane Austen Guide to Life by Lori Smith (looks fun, and it's a gorgeously clean copy)
A Memoir of Jane Austen by J.E. Austen-Leigh (because I keep meaning to read this, so now maybe I will)
All Things New by Lynn Austin (I read lots of praise of Austin's novels, and this one is about a Virginia plantation during Reconstruction, so yes please!)
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (I have never heard of this, but it's a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," which is one of my favorite fairy tales.)
Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems by Wallace McRae (I'm thinking of doing Something Interesting for National Poetry Month, which is April. Stay tuned for details.)
And then there are allllllllllllllllllll those green books on the bottom. Those are all 14 volumes of a set called Great Writers of the English Language. It looks amazing. Like, I can't wait to delve into them myself, and I think in about 7 years, they're going to be a great curriculum for high school English and Lit classes for my kids. Here's a closer look at them:
Uh-huh. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo cool.
Have you read any of these? Did you get any new (or new-to-you) books in your mailbox, on your doorstep, or *gasp* from a store this week?
Ahhh, all the new books! So you've never read Lynn Austin? I hate to say this now, but All Things New is REALLY not her best. I liked it, though, but please don't judge all her books from that one, just sayin'. :-) (Most of her books are amazing. :-))
ReplyDeleteNaomi, nope, I'm a Lynn Austin newbie. Thanks for the warning, though -- if I don't dig it, I'll re-donate it to the library, hee, and try a different one!
DeleteYeah....like Naomi said, All Things New is really not that great. I LOVE most all of Lynn Austin's books MADLY, but that's my least-favorite one. (From the premise I thought it would be amazing too, so I was super disappointed.) But I don't want to rain on your parade -- maybe you'll love it! Hope so. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning, Emma Jane. I will not hold that book against her if I don't dig it! Time will tell...
DeleteLibrary sales are dangerous! I always end up coming home with a slew of books and a high from having bought them at such a great deal. You got some great books. Jane Austen's memoir and Lynn Austin's book caught my attention in particular. Enjoy your stash!
ReplyDeleteLaura, they certainly are! But when they're only 50 cents or a dollar, and you're supporting the library at the same time... how can you lose, right?
DeleteWow, you found a lot of great treasures at that sale!
ReplyDeleteBermudaOnion, I certainly did! Love it when that happens. A lot of times I come home with a bunch of books for my kids and very few for me -- this time it was the reverse!
DeletePrincess of the Midnight Ball!!!! I have been wanting to read that for a while.
ReplyDeleteErudessa, that's cool! I really like the looks of it.
DeleteI wish our library held sales! Enjoy all the books.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol! Don't know what I'd do without the library book sales. Own fewer books, I suppose.
DeleteWow, that's a great library sale, and the Jane Austen books caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteSerena, it was definitely a good one! I was really excited to find the Austen books :-)
DeleteWow you got lots of books! Hope you enjoy those :)
ReplyDeleteElysium, I did! I'm sure I will :-)
DeleteExotic Journeys? Hmmm. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteRuth, the Exotic Journeys volume focuses on Charles Darwin, Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad, and E. M. Forster.
DeleteI haven't read one of your books. The Mystery of The Empty Room is catching my eye, though.
ReplyDeleteThe 14 volumes of Writers should be excellent.
ENJOY your reading week.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Elizabeth, startlingly enough, I haven't read any of them either! Usually at library book sales I end up buying things I've read and want to own. This is pretty exciting :-)
DeleteOk, yah, you now have some truly awesome lit books to share with your kids when they're old enough. LOVE THOSE! And I haven't even read them!
ReplyDeleteA coworker of mine loves that series by King and keeps recommending it to me. I'll be interested to hear what you think since like you, I'm not into horror, but this coworker likes the horror genre so I'm not sure whether to believe his opinion or not. Such a muddle!
Carissa, I know, right? I feel like they will basically be getting college courses with those, heh.
DeleteI have a friend who also loves King and keeps telling me I should read the Dark Tower series. But I really don't like horror, and she really does, so I'm in exactly the same boat as you. I figure I'll give it a little try and see.
You got Princess of the Midnight Ball!! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I did! Hoping to start it soon, but I've simply GOT to finish 2 of the books I'm reading before I can. Reading 4 books at once is too many even for me. Three is feasible, but four is just silly.
DeleteHeehee, I understand. And I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who reads multiple books at a time. ;)
DeleteIf I don't have two going, one up in my bedroom and one on the main floor, then I feel like something is missing somewhere. Hee! Though when I get reeeeally into a book and have to inhale it as fast as possible, I carry it about with me, all over the house...
DeleteHaha! I like that method! :D I should try it sometime. There's been many times I've gone downstairs or up, only to find I left my book on the level I'm not on. :P
DeleteI started that habit when I was nursing Tootie -- I had a book or magazine in every place I might sit down to nurse her so I wouldn't be stranded.
DeleteIt sounds like it was a great habit to start! :D
DeletePrincess of the Midnight Ball is fun! I hope you enjoy when you're able to get to it. Looks like a fabulous book haul! :D
ReplyDeleteKara, I'm just going to have to read that next, then. You're like the third person to mention it specifically :-)
DeleteThat's a great haul! For some reason I never find interesting books at library sales, though I have picked up good books at second-hand stores or markets. I thought the memoir of Jane Austen was really interesting, it really teaches you a lot about her life.
ReplyDeleteBirdie, it seems to go by spurts here. They have book sales 4 times a year, and 3 out of the 4 times, I find mostly good kids books and just a couple for me. But once a year or so, it reverses, and I find oodles of great stuff for me, but barely anything for my kids. Weird, huh?
DeleteI've read a lot of stuff that references this Austen bio, so I'm rather looking forward to it :-)