I Have a Severe Book-Buying Problem

books_stpaul

I can say with some confidence that the St. Paul Half Price Books on Ford Parkway, conveniently near Quixotic Coffee, has the best selection of used children’s and young-adult books around and a generous clearance section. I can also say I probably did not need to bring home FOURTEEN new (used) books.

But, but, I didn’t bring home even more, because I wanted even more, so that makes it better, right?

Um, yeah.

It is a problem because:

1. we don’t have unlimited funds (but this stack only cost $43!)
2. We ran out of bookshelf space a long time ago and now have teetering stacks…
3. …of unread books, because there’s no way I have time to read all I buy.

And yet, there is always a reason, which seems compelling at the time. I am a master of because reasoning. Herewith, the book stack and the becauses that are in addition to Drake being almost 9 and thus totally ready for many of these, right?

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis: for one of my book groups, only $1
Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle: from Shelf Discovery, old-school MMPB
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl: because nearly 9yo Drake just finished his dad’s old copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, unearthed from Grammy’s basement.
Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman: Trina Schart Hyman cover (my favorite children’s illustrator)
Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren: Ditto above
The Girl with Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts: From Shelf Discovery, plus got a lotta love in the SD Readalong
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: Ditto above
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: I love Oxford editions
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: one of my favorites as a girl; want to revisit after reading Shelf Discovery
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey: from Shelf Discovery
My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews: From Shelf Discovery, a teen edition(?!)
Pride and Prejudice: I am slowly collecting all the Austen novels in these lovely Penguin editions.
Here Comes Charlie Moon: by English author Shirley Hughes, whom I fell in love with after discovering her Alfie picture books
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: See The Egypt Game above.

6 Responses to “I Have a Severe Book-Buying Problem”

  1. carolyn Says:

    I never realized Astrid Lindgren wrote books beyond Pippi! :) heh.

  2. Amy Says:

    Rats. I thought maybe you were thinking of doing a Main Street read-along.

  3. girldetective Says:

    Amy, my book group is reading it for September, and if you want to come as a guest, I think they would be cool with it. Marlon James said we should read Sinclair Lewis’ Elmer Gantry for Gods and Monsters.

  4. Amy Says:

    Nah. I’m too lazy to add another IRL book club. ;-) James is right–I’d forgotten about Elmer Gantry. Yes, a white-guy author, but also the only Minnesotan author to win the Nobel Prize.

  5. Amy Says:

    I could have written this post. Most of my weekends include a trip to my local Half Price Books, where I pick up one or more books for myself and/or the kids, which I then bring home, shelve, and add to my TBR list, which is currently around 100 books long. But just having them in the house makes me happy. :)

  6. Alice@Supratentorial Says:

    Funny, I opted out of the last few chapters of Shelf Discovery as they didn’t appeal to me as much and I had a particularly busy few weeks. But I picked up The Egypt Game to read on my own, also one of my favorites from childhood. That one and Cat in the Mirror. Did you ever read that one?