It’s library sale season here in Connecticut, and today Hobgoblin and I checked out one of the local ones. There are many more that we could go to, if we wanted to, as every library in the area seems to have a sale, but we will probably hit only a couple at most. No need to go crazy. We have run into a bit of a problem with bookshelf space, after all. We were very fortunate to be able to get some new bookcases from Becky — yay! — but of the four she had available, only one would fit up our narrow stairs (old house) and we have space downstairs for only one more. So, believe it or not, we had to leave two bookcases behind. As of now, we have some empty shelves available, but that won’t last long, of course.
So, here’s what I got:
- Robert Graves’s Goodbye to All That. An autobiography of the first few decades of his life, including his experiences in World War I.
- The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq. Michelle’s posts on Houellebecq got me interested in giving him a try. Perhaps once I read this, I will remember how to spell his name!
- Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski. I know nothing about this book, but it’s a Persephone, and they always look so nice.
- Shirley Hazzard’s The Great Fire. After reading The Transit of Venus with the Slaves of Golconda last winter, I decided I wanted to read more by her.
- Kate Atkinson, Behind the Scenes at the Museum. I didn’t love Case Histories as much as most people I know did, but I want to give her another try. This one sounds intriguing.
I could have gotten so many more! Hobgoblin came home with a couple Ross Macdonalds, a Sebastian Barry, a few other things I’m forgetting, plus a complete set, a dozen or so books, of mystery stories. The set was published in 1929. I haven’t looked through the volumes yet, but he said there are lots of authors included that he’d never heard of before. It should be fun to explore.
And then there are the books I brought home from the library recently, including Jo Walton’s Among Others, which I’m reading right now and enjoying very much, and The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure. I might start that one tonight. Lots of good books around here!
Of Books and Bicycles 
I thought Little Boy Lost was terrific, I’ll be interested in your reaction to it.
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If ONLY we had library sales like this in the UK. But I expect Mister Litlove is hugely relieved that we don’t. Sounds like you came back with some terrific finds.
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LIbrary sales Are dangerous and I should probably ration them out myself as I was just thinking about how I should really weed–I have no space for more books or bookcases…. I’d like to read the Robert Graves book at some point. I also have the Shirley Hazzard, but I bought it without knowing much about her or her writing style–I think I’ll need to be in the right mind set when I pick that one up! Persephones are always nice to look at and from what I hear that Laski is supposed to be really good. And last…I’ve heard many people say good things about the Jo Walton book and have it on my own list–so will be curious to know what you think of it.
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Don’t you just love those used book sales? I wait for ours with high anticipation year after year (have been posting my loot for the past 3 years 😉 ) I remember studying Goodbye To All That in college, and liked it a lot. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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Behind the Scenes at the Museum was the first Atkinson I read, and I loved it. so I hope you do too. I’ve loved all her books, but I actually enjoy her non-crime books to be more than her crime novels. (Most people seem to prefer the crime—or at least her crime novels get read more.)
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I didn’t care much for Case Histories either BUT I have loved Atkinson’s other non-mystery fiction that I’ve read. Behind the Scenes at the Museum was the first book of hers that I ever read and I liked it a lot, though right now my reigning favorite is Emotionally Weird. I hope you enjoy it!
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A set of mystery novels from 1929 sounds like SO MUCH FUN! I’m not even sure if I would prefer to gobble them all up while sitting out on the porch drinking iced tea, or wait until winter so I could cuddle up with them next to the fire. Since there are twelve of them, maybe some of each.
Glad to know I am not alone in my inability to spell Houellebecq, which I just copied & pasted from your entry into this comment. 😀
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I always browse the library sales. I’ve gotten some great books there.
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Those empty shelves aren’t going to be empty for long with hauls like that! What fun finds though, especially that 1929 set of mystery stories.
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Ted — thanks for the information! That makes me much more eager to read it. I’m not surprised at all to hear it’s terrific.
Litlove — having library sales is a mixed blessing, I’d say. Not having them can help keep you out of trouble 🙂
Danielle — I liked the Jo Walton book, although thinking about it later I realized it has some flaws. But it’s a very absorbing, entertaining book, and has lots of book chat in it, which is great fun. I agree about Hazzard. I’d like to read more, but it’s good to know what I’m in for!
Arti — I’m glad to hear so much praise for the Graves book. One of the things I love best about summer is the library sales — I eagerly await them as well!
Teresa — I’ve heard other people say her non-crime novels are better, and that’s good to know. There was enough I liked in Case Histories to be willing to give her another try.
Steph — excellent! I’m eager to get to Behind the Scenes then. Most people I know loved Case Histories, so I’m glad I’m not alone.
Emily — it’s just such an … odd spelling 🙂 Both ways of reading the stories sound excellent! I might like it more if they were novels, but stories should be fun too.
Lilian — me too! They are worth checking out, especially if there are a lot of literate, well-read people who donate!
Stefanie — well, the point of empty shelves is to fill them, right? So why wait? 🙂
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