Books Purchased:
I found some awesome books and book deals this month. I picked up Clemetine’s Letter, Armageddon in Retrospect, and Unaccustomed Earth at Strand before they were released for 50% off, and Unaccustomed Earth was signed by Jhumpa. I picked up the Neal Pollack Anthonogy of American Literature at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge. It was only $7 and was also signed. I got a cute kid’s book I’d never heard of before, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, at the Concord Bookshop. The 2004 Best American Non-required Reading was only $3 at the Border’s by Emma’s town. The remaining book, The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, I got at the Chelsea BN before it closed. I’ve been eying this book since it came out and could not resist it anymore now that it’s in paperback.
Books Read:
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker
In my post about Boston, I did not go into much detail about what I purchased at the wonderful bookstores I visited, or the things I collected in general. In the comments I promised to show what books I purchased in my March Polysyllabic Spree post, but just showing the books was a bit underwhelming. So here’s a photo of some of the other great things I collected while I was there:
And here are close ups of some of my favorite things. If you like them too you can click to make them bigger.
This month I went to two book events. The first was for Lisa See, the author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love (and many other books). I loved both of these books, and I was thrilled that she talked about the books and how she researched them, rather than just reading. So much more fascinating, especially since the books are such rich examples of historical fiction, and required extensive background to write.
I also went to an event for the humor book Things I’ve Learned from Women Who’ve Dumped Me, an anthology published by Ben Karlin. Also at the event were contributers Andy Selsberg and Adam Schlesinger (also the songwriter and bassist for Fountains of Wayne). That event was a lot of fun, and the book seems hilarious too (from the small sections I’ve read or heard so far).
