My Weekend

It has been an interesting weekend.  I got yelled at by three patrons and my boss...and NONE of it was my fault!  So, work was kind of a bust.  And who wants to work on a Saturday, anyway??

On the plus side, I picked up some horror films and anime to watch when I finish homework, and I found a copy of Silas Marner at a used book sale.  Just a bit of background there: when I was in high school, Silas Marner was my jam.  I'm a bit nervous to see if it will hold up to my very fond memories, but either way, it cost me 25 cents, so it was a risk worth taking.

The Books are the Life

Working at a library has been one of the best life choices I have made so far.  I could not be happier with my line of work.  However, there is a slight snag.  The books.

Now, I know what you're thinking....But, Em, you love books!  What's the problem?  This should make you happy!  And it does.  It really does.  But, books are starting to take over my life, like they did back in high school.  And I'm totally okay with this.  Sometimes, however, I wonder if that's a problem.

There's hardly a day that goes by where I don't bring a new library book home.  They follow me there like lost puppies or feral children.  And I don't have time to read them all.  Also, did I mention that I have another library I go to?  And I find more books there.  PLUS, used book stores.  And my library sells used books, so I'm always dipping my dollars into the register, after promising myself that I'm only "just browsing."

In case you were wondering, I'm currently rereading Dracula.  Yeah, I read it back in high school, but I thought I would give it another shot, and I'm enjoying it considerably more now.

I have a few more books stacked up and waiting in the wings.  Perhaps I'll talk about those sometime soon, too.  I have a couple Jeanette Winterson novels, plus The Good Earth (a birthday present from Kitsune), and a couple tidbits I picked up at a book sale: Confederacy of Dunces and some Nabokov, among others.

What am I Reading?

Guess what, everyone!  I actually have time to READ FOR FUN!!!!!!!  This is a most shocking, really, really awesome development!  As an English Major (and prolly just as a college student in general), I never actually have the time to read just for the heck of it.  I always have something else to do, or something else to read.  Honestly, the last time I read and finished (the keyword here being finished) a book just for fun was during the summer!  And know what's really sad?  I can't even remember what the book was!  (I take that back....I think it was the new book by The Oatmeal).

But,  I'm actually reading a book for fun during school!  This is very, very exciting :)  I mean, yes, I did read Endgame last week, but that was only because I was able to finish it in the two-hour time slot I had in the Writing Center.  If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have read it!  This time, though, I'm actually reading a novel....like a whole book, and it's really nice.  It's Hannibal by Thomas Harris.  Once I finish this, I'll have read all the books in the Hannibal Lecter Trilogy (Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal) , plus the prologue novel Hannibal Rising.  I'll be sure to post updates about it later.  Right now, it's a little slow, but I've found from experience that Thomas Harris novels tend to do that: they start off really slowly, and suddenly grab you by the throat and drag you through a whole plot of horror and thrill.  Sooo worth the wait!

Used Books at the Library

Finally! For the first time, I've actually been able to check out my library's little book store. Its just a small room off to the side, filled with all kinds of books...donations, cancelled library books, some old and worn, some barely touched. The best thing was that everything was very, very cheap...you could get a DVD for only $2.00, or a paper back book for 50 cents! I bought three things and only paid $2.00 for them!

First, is a paperback copy of Ragtime, which was recommended to me by my friend Jenn back in high school. When she was reading it, it was all she would talk about. And experience has shown me this: if Jenn tells me I'm going to like a book, then she knows I'm going to like that book. This wonderful little find was only 50 cents!

I also found a musty copy of Death of a Salesman, one of my all time favorite plays (50 cents).

Finally, I purchased a hardback copy of The Old Man and the Sea ($1.00) which I found (to my great excitement) was full of notes that the previous author annotated it with. That's really why I love old books...there is so much history behind them. I wonder who this man was who wrote all over this book, lovingly leaving his mark on the pages.

Am I going to come back for more books? Oh yeah! There is just something wonderful about library book sales...the books are inexpensive (used book stores often make you pay through the nose) and more often than not, the books are in wonderful condition. What a perfect way to find new treasures to read!