January is a great month. I've got plenty of great reading left over from Christmas presents, plus my birthday is on the 18th. Still I managed to buy a few books that somehow didn't make it into either my stocking or stacked around the birthday cake (which might be a little sticky anyway). So without further fanfare...
JANUARY BOOKS BOUGHT
The Collected Stories (2006) – Amy Hempel
I checked the hardcover out from the library a few months ago, read the Reasons to Live section and knew I had to have it (now available in trade paperback). Most of Hempel's stories are quite short, but she packs a lot into them: humor, compassion, strangeness and those wonderful word choices.
Tales and Sketches (Library of America) - Nathaniel Hawthorne
I found this at a library sale for a buck. The only Hawthorne I'd read previously was The House of Seven Gables several years ago. Many of these tales are quite short (to say nothing of wonderfully unsettling), so I try to read one every day.
Poetry and Tales (Library of America) – Edgar Allan Poe
Another Library of America volume. This one replaces the clunky Barnes & Noble cheap-o edition I've had for years, which can now be used for weight-training.
Making a Good Brain Great (NF 2005) – Daniel G. Amen, M.D.
No one ever accused me of having a great brain (or even a good one), so I figure I need all the help I can get. It doesn't look like a crackpot book and it only cost a few bucks, so what the heck?
Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms (NF 2006) – Paul Dickson
I love slang. I'm fascinated by it, which is probably why I use too much of it. I saw this book at Daedalus Books, one of my favorite stores, and decided I must have it. It's organized topically, which makes browsing easy. So don't be a lookie-lookie; buy it - it's ace-high. Sorry, G2G.
2 comments:
Holy remainder table, Batman! Hawthorne's LoA for $1? That's awesome. (And kind of sad that the library was getting rid of it. Maybe they just have so much Hawthorne they don't know what to do with it all?)
Actually it was a LoA slipcased edition that was donated to the library and not a withdrawl! I was glad to take it off their hands.
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