The Sunday Salon: A New Stack of Books

I had a lovely afternoon. My 15-year-old wanted to make a run up to our favorite used bookstore around here, so I happily obliged. I gathered up a crate full of books to trade in and, after stopping for green tea frappucinos, we headed up to McKay's. This was a decent box of books; I got $29 in book credit. Since I didn't have my younger kids with me, I only spent 10 minutes in the children's books aisle and 20 minutes in the educational stacks. The rest of the time I was focused on books for me. Strangely, I could find absolutely nothing in the regular fiction aisles that appealed to me enough to buy for $4 or more, but the bargain book aisle was fabulous. Well, actually I can't speak to the success of my finds since I haven't read any of them yet, but here they are:

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Blue Ridge by TR Pearson
More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon
The River King by Alice Hoffman
In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

I also got something else by Alice Hoffman, but I've already loaned that out to Leigh, my fellow bibliovore friend, and I don't remember the title. I may have already read the Bobbie Ann Mason and Anne Tyler books, but I don't think so. And yes, I know I am the last person around who hasn't read the Mitch Albom yet. I'll be adding these books to my TBR list! If you've read any of them, let me know what you thought or, better yet, give me a link to your review. And while you're at it, check out my Ever-Growing TBR list and leave me links for any reviews you might have of any of those titles.

On my blog this week I've written a review of Mildred Walker's wonderful Winter Wheat; discussed Booking Through Thursday's "What is reading" topic and Weekly Geeks' "Other Forms of Storytelling'; and followed the "Curves" on Sunday Scribbling. I have just a few chapters left in Ami McKay's The Birth House. I'm having mixed feelings about the book but shall reserve final judgment until I finish.

I finished reading Little House in the Big Woods this week to my daughter, and we've begun reading Little House on the Prairie. I read the whole series to her about three years ago when we had a sweet little Mother/Daughter book club, but it's fun to read these to her yet again at age 10. And although I've read the series myself at least a few times in my own childhood, I don't think I could ever grow weary of reading these precious books.

I'm looking forward to finishing The Birth House tonight and starting on my new stack of books!

(Do you like to chat about books? You can join The Sunday Salon here and find out what's going on in the world of book lovers across the continents.)