So I know Iāve done a book haul recently, but that was a targeted book haul from ThriftBooks.com, and it is only a coincidence that it so closely coincided with my being in Greensboro over the weekend, where I visited McKAYās used bookstore.Ā
The bookstore is wonderfully huge.
I probably spent close to three hours browsing two aisles of books, shifting through nearly every book on every shelf. A lot of the books I bought have yellowed pages, but I donāt mind; I kind of like the vintage look.
I bought 13 books and spent $29.36, which isnāt a bad deal considering two new books cost about the same thing.Ā
Iām going to separate the two poetry books I got from the rest of the novels, so see those below the list of novels. Iāll rank the books from most expensive (if you can call $4.50 for a book expensive) to the cheapest:
NOVELS
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov – $4.50
I know there is significant controversy around this book, and Iām rather interested in reading it to garner my own opinion. To be completely honest, I never fully educated myself on the controversy or the intricacies of the novelās plot, as I want to form my own opinion when reading without premature bias.Ā
I rather like the cover of the edition I bought. Itās a mixture of vintage and modern.Ā
Condition: Very Good: slightly yellowed pages, but no annotations and only a slight bend in a corner of the back cover.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett – $4.50
A book that I know very little about, but have seen enough to recognize the cover. I donāt really remember where Iāve encountered it recentlyāperhaps in a list of potentially modern classicsābut I thought Iād add it to my TBR. Itās centered on a close brother-sister relationship, which isnāt featured too heavily in books. If thereās a sibling relationship at the forefront of a book, I feel like itās usually between sisters. My brotherāmy only siblingāand I also have a pretty close relationship, so maybe it will be more relatable for me.
Condition: Looks Like New. Aaaaand it has deckled pages!
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger – $2.95
This is a classic I was always planning on reading, and I need to read it before teenage angst is not a part of my existence anymore, if that will ever be the case.Ā
But holy cow, is this the most boring book cover Iāve ever seen. If I fall in love with the book upon reading, I might have to get another edition of it, because this is kind of abysmal, and thatās coming from someone who prefers simplicity.Ā
Condition: Little, Brown and Company, Iām disappointed in you. But in all seriousness, the pages are a bit yellowed, and it has a stain on the edge, but is in great condition otherwise.
one hundred years of solitude by gabriel garcĆa mĆ”rquez – $2.50
Another book that I simply had to read once in my life to see why people think itās so legendary.Ā
Condition: Looks Like New.
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan – $2.50
This was entirely an impulsive buy. Iām not sure Iāve ever heard of it before, but the title intrigued me when I saw it on the shelf, and I thought the summary on the back of the book sounded interesting (see pic below).
And of course I like the cover, because there are books on the front. I tend to gravitate towards books that are a homage to literature and words, but they can be a hit or a miss. Hopefully this one is the former.Ā
Condition: Looks Like New.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – $2.25
If you read my recent haul, youāll know I bought East of Eden by John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath is arguably Steinbeckās most famous book, but people often claim that they prefer East of Eden. Now that I have both, I have to decide which one to read first.
If anyone knows which one is the best introduction to Steinbeck, please let me know!
Condition: Very Good. The pages are a bit yellowed, and the back cover looks a bit worn and dirty, but the pages themselves are in good condition. The front cover is a bit bleh design-wise, but I like the color of the spine.Ā
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert – $2.00
The film version of Madame Bovary was available for free on Youtube a while back, and I considered watching it, but Iām glad I didnāt. I wasnāt sure if I was ever going to read the book, but now I have the book, so obviously Iām gonna read it.Ā
Condition: Very Good. You can tell from the cracks on the spine and the front and back covers that the novelās been loved, but the pages look pristine white with only one annotation. However, it looks like a previous owner dogeared the bottom corner of some of the pages. Thatās a technique I havenāt seen before, and Iām definitely going to have to remedy that. But I wonāt condemn the previous owner. They left what looks like a page of French translated into English, so thatās fun. I might have somebodyās homework.
My Sisterās Keeper by Jodi Picoult – $1.25
I first read this book in middle school, and it stuck with me, so when I saw it for such a deal, I decided to add it to my personal library. I think I was a bit too young for the lawyerās POV when I first read it, so Iām excited to reread the novel. One thing I remember is that I was genuinely surprised by the twist at the end. Iām usually one of those readers who find endings somewhat predictable, although it rarely takes away from my enjoyment of that novel. But this might be one of the only books where I didnāt see the twist coming. Itāll probably be an entirely different reading experience since I know the ending, which might not be a bad thing, because I do remember not understanding the protagonistās motivations the majority of the novel when I first read it.Ā
And by the way, the book is entirely different from the film. When making the film, they removed the lawyerās POV and most of his narrative, and they altered the ending. The book is better.
Condition: Very Good. Again, obvious wear on the spine, but pages are in good condition. When flipping through, I noticed there are multiple fonts in the book, which could be a printing mistake, or it could be an intentional way to differentiate between perspectives. I donāt know yet, but Iāll see when I read it.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James – $0.90
Yet another classic with a boring cover. But hey, it was 90 cents. Canāt beat that. I donāt know too much about this classic, but of course Iāve heard of it, and Iāve read Henry James before and decided to try it out.Ā
Condition: Very Good. The pages are a bit yellowed, but the worst damage is the crack going down the front cover near the spine, butādonāt hate meāitās a rather charming crack. It adds character to a boring cover.Ā
A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce – $0.90
I don’t know a lot about this classic either, but I thought I’d try it out when I saw it’s price. The cover is simple, if slightly bland, but I don’t mind it. Is the man in the image James Joyce?
Condition: Very Good. Again, the pages are a bit yellowed, and there are a few annotations, but that’s it.
Dracula by Bram Stoker – $0.25
This book was so cheap it was actually alarming. There didnāt seem to be anything wrong with it, so I was very confused. I concluded it might be a rather terrible edition to be priced so low, but decided to buy it anyway. It only cost a quarter. I researched Dover Thrift Editions, and although they donāt have fancy, updated forwards or any other frills, there doesnāt seem to be anything wrong with the text itself. If thereās something Iām missing that might explain the incredible price, please let me know.
Condition: Looks Almost New. Thereās a crack in the spine, but the pages are pristine.
POETRY
I entered the bookstore knowing I wanted to visit the poetry section, which is definitely new territory for me. Iāve never gravitated to poetry, and if you told me I voluntarily went to that section just a couple of years ago, I wouldnāt have believed you. But I want to explore more modern poetry. I know and enjoy more classic poetry, specifically from Elizabethan poets, and I have a rather harsh view on modern poetry. Probably because the most I know about it is Instagram poetry, whichāand I know some people are going to say this is gatekeepingāisnāt poetry. Itās the worst excuse for poetry Iāve ever seen. Write an obvious, surface-level sentence and insert line breaks, and voila, apparently we can call that a poem now. No literary devices, no insight, no depth. Just crappy tweets, but letās level it up and give it the name of poetry and bastardize the entire genre.
Okay, Iām getting carried away, and thatās a rant for another time. I know there are more poets out there that actually put thought and effort into their work, and I want to educate myself more on those modern authors. So I put together a list of poets recommended by people (mostly booktubers and people on Reddit, lol) I semi-trust. Unfortunately, I couldnāt find collections by those poets in the bookstore, so I was rather disappointed.
So I picked up some rather random collections:
Good Poems for Hard Times selected by Garrison Keillor – $2.25
Iām actually really excited to dive into this one, because it features both classic and modern poets. That way, I can more directly compare the two and configure the merits of both. Keillor divided the poems into sections like āKindness to Snailsā (whatever that means), āSuch as it is More or Less,ā āThe Lust of Tenderness, āDeliberate Obfuscation,ā etc. And he features a wide variety of poets like John Donne (woohoo!), Wendy Cope, John Keats, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Gertrude Stein, Robert Frost, etc.Ā
Condition: Looks Like New. Aaaaand deckled pages!!!
Men in the Off Hours by Anne Carson – $0.75
I was probably mostly influenced by the cover of the poetry collection. I know absolutely nothing about Anne Carson. Never heard of her before, so it was entirely an impulsive buy. I tried to flip through and read a few of her poems to see if Iād like it, but I had such a bad headache at that point. I had a headache before I entered McKAYās, so donāt worry, the bookstore didnāt give me a headache, but scanning bookshelves instead of lying down probably didnāt help my situation.Ā
So I couldnāt sufficiently evaluate the book before I bought it, but again, I figured it was 75 cents, and it would be an educational experience anyways. If I love it, Iāll rave about it, if I hate it, Iāll rant about it. Win-win, right?
Condition: Looks Almost New. The black has worn off in dotted spots on the front cover, but that is the only damage. And it augments the vintage look of the cover.Ā
