book sale

Last week, Kimberly informed me of Katy Budget Books' semi-annual sale. As in "Hardcover sale books are only $1.00. Paperback sale books are $.75 or less depending on the original price of the book (see store for details)." Needless to say, I thanked her profusely, and Johnny & I paid Katy Budget Books a visit today.

The store is literally less than five minutes away from our house. It's an old library building, converted to an indie bookstore selling both new and used books. In fact, Katy Budget Books gave me a lot of comfort when we moved into our house - in a new part of the Houston area (new to us), and not as artsy as I would prefer. I thought, "If we're this close to a good bookstore, I think I'll like it here."

Today, there were cardboard boxes in each section, full of books on sale. Wire racks of more sale books. I feared claustrophobic crowds, but it really wasn't too bad - we only had to step over a few people. The only downside was that I felt icky all over. What else is new? It was lovely to get out of the house and rummage through dusty books.

We didn't stay too long due to our empty stomachs and Johnny's schedule, but as you can see in the photo above, we did manage to find a few great deals.

For Johnny:
-Oedipus the King by Sophocles (50 cents).
-A Book of Five Rings by Musashi (not a "sale book", but only $3.25).

For me:
-This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff (75 cents). Remember that IMAGE interview with Mary Karr? Well, she sought out Tobias Wolff's memoir class when she attended Syracuse University. That's a good enough recommendation for me.
-Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (75 cents). Another good memoir, I hear. My late friend Heather ranked this as one of her all-time favorite books. She and I shared a love for books, and she always bugged me to read this one. So now, I will. I think Heather would be quite pleased with herself.
-Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott (a hardback for $1.00). I have mixed emotions about Ms. Lamott, but she is a great writer. Her writing book, Bird by Bird, rules, by the way.
-Heart's Invention: On the Poetry of Vassar Miller edited by Steven F. Brown (not a "sale book", but I did get it half price - $5.97). I tried to find a collection of poetry by Vassar Miller today, but this book of criticism will do for now. Miller lived in Houston her whole life, and she had cerebral palsy. I've read a few of her poems online that I love; she was a great woman. I also found a good article about Vassar Miller here. You may have to register w/Sojourners to read it, but it's free and just takes a second. The article is worth reading.

For me and Johnny:
-Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (50 cents). When I worked at Half Price Books, this book cover and description often caught my eye, but I never purchased it for some reason. Today, a paperback for 50 cents seemed too good to pass up. Johnny agreed.

I only wish there had been more boxes of poetry and Christianity to look through, but all in all, I'm happy. And, this particular sale runs through May 11th - they put out new boxes of books every night. Yep, we'll go back.