Because I don't have enough books...
I went and got more last night! Yes.
I've been starting posts in Wordpad for the last three weeks, none of which are this one. I used to be so much more timely and efficient about this. And thank beezus for draft restore!
i
Finally, a Paperback Swap credit! Trying to decide if I should spend it on EB Hazelton's The Haunted Cove (beloved childhood favorite!), Barbara Hambly's Those Who Hunt The Night (vampires and secret agents in Edwardian London!), or Margo Lanagan's Black Juice (awesome YA short stories. You can probably find "Sing Down My Sister" somewhere on the internets.)
ii
I've been having an "I need a semi-formal/cocktail-ish/something other than casual fancy dress, but not in black" crisis lately, spurred by the fact that unfortunately I can't fit into any of the fancy dresses I've collected over the past five to ten years (lovely turquoise qipao, how I miss wearing you!), except for That Lone Black One that I always wear (the one I wore to shadedlight's New Year's party), and damn, but I want something new and with color! But not dark hot pink, which is 90% of what little fabric I have is. So, I went to Hancock's last night in the hopes the Butterick patterns were on sale (they weren't, but Simplicity patterns were $1 apiece as of yesterday) and browsed the fabrics. Found a nice multi-print blue fabric, although unfortunately neither the purple taffeta or shantung were on sale.
5383: Despite knowing how unflattering tapered skirts are for me, I am deeply, deeply in love with this pattern.
5210: I love the neckline on this.
5317: I like this dress style and I especially like that there's not a separate waist piece (like this), which always ends up making me look stumpy/sausagy.
Also, Project Rungay's Mad Men Style post for 4x02. I love Allison's green dress, Betty and Joan's red dresses, and especially Jane's white Cleopatra-esque outfit.
iii
Anyway, the point! Going through the center's parking lot on the way to the store, I saw a "FREE BOOKS" sign for a bin outside a GIANT USED BOOKSTORE. HUGE. Because I am disciplined and an adult, I went on my Hancock's errand instead of screeching to a halt on the sidewalk and beelining into the story looking like Foamy Mouth Guy on Avatar. Struck out on fabric and patterns, then I hightailed it in. Books! It has lots of them, and decently priced, too. The Free Books bin was empty, but they had a couple of $1 - $2 carts outside and more shelves just inside the door. Their YA section is GREAT. Not as big as B&N, but being able to find older titles for US $1.50 a piece was very happy-making indeed. Left to get my mother from tutoring (tutor, not tutoree), then dragged her back. Yes. So.
Went home with me:
CJ Sansom's Sovereign ($1): Third in hist-fic-mystery series about a lawyer in Tudor (H8) England.
Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase ($2) Been on my TBR list for a while.
all three books in Jean Craighead George's Julie of the Wolves trilogy ($1.50 each)! Haven't read the last two, but JotW was one of my absolute childhood favorites.
Candy Dawson Boyd's Circle of Gold, another disappeared childhood favorite found!
Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Egypt Game. Yes, another childhood favorite. Basically this whole list needs a giant sparkly heart drawn around it. Start? of a birthday box (also w/ a couple of Choose Your Own Adventure books) for Kids A and Z:
Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge
Jane Resh Thomas's The Princess in the Pigpen. If I can bear to part with it! Another childhood favorite that disappeared. A noble girl from Elizabeth England, sick with scarlet fever, time-travels forward to 1988 Iowa.
Deb and James Howe, Bunnicula
And for 80¢, the Step-Up Classic Chiller adaptation of Dracula that was the same version I read back in 3rd grade. I've been able to not spend myself broke at the other UBS that's my go-to addiction feeder, but holy beezus, you guys.
I've been starting posts in Wordpad for the last three weeks, none of which are this one. I used to be so much more timely and efficient about this. And thank beezus for draft restore!
i
Finally, a Paperback Swap credit! Trying to decide if I should spend it on EB Hazelton's The Haunted Cove (beloved childhood favorite!), Barbara Hambly's Those Who Hunt The Night (vampires and secret agents in Edwardian London!), or Margo Lanagan's Black Juice (awesome YA short stories. You can probably find "Sing Down My Sister" somewhere on the internets.)
ii
I've been having an "I need a semi-formal/cocktail-ish/something other than casual fancy dress, but not in black" crisis lately, spurred by the fact that unfortunately I can't fit into any of the fancy dresses I've collected over the past five to ten years (lovely turquoise qipao, how I miss wearing you!), except for That Lone Black One that I always wear (the one I wore to shadedlight's New Year's party), and damn, but I want something new and with color! But not dark hot pink, which is 90% of what little fabric I have is. So, I went to Hancock's last night in the hopes the Butterick patterns were on sale (they weren't, but Simplicity patterns were $1 apiece as of yesterday) and browsed the fabrics. Found a nice multi-print blue fabric, although unfortunately neither the purple taffeta or shantung were on sale.
Also, Project Rungay's Mad Men Style post for 4x02. I love Allison's green dress, Betty and Joan's red dresses, and especially Jane's white Cleopatra-esque outfit.
iii
Anyway, the point! Going through the center's parking lot on the way to the store, I saw a "FREE BOOKS" sign for a bin outside a GIANT USED BOOKSTORE. HUGE. Because I am disciplined and an adult, I went on my Hancock's errand instead of screeching to a halt on the sidewalk and beelining into the story looking like Foamy Mouth Guy on Avatar. Struck out on fabric and patterns, then I hightailed it in. Books! It has lots of them, and decently priced, too. The Free Books bin was empty, but they had a couple of $1 - $2 carts outside and more shelves just inside the door. Their YA section is GREAT. Not as big as B&N, but being able to find older titles for US $1.50 a piece was very happy-making indeed. Left to get my mother from tutoring (tutor, not tutoree), then dragged her back. Yes. So.
Went home with me: