The Girl Who Loved Books Too Much

It's library book sale season in the land without bookstores. I shouldn't go, I can't go. I don't even have places to put the boxes of books anymore much less actual shelf space. Alas, my mother has begun an endeavor to sell used books on Amazon, and she desires "moral support" on her inventory gathering quests. I told her she should find someone else because taking me to a book sale is something like taking an alcoholic to the bar, and she frequently finds that rather than helping her, I've slunk away to, um, have a drink, we'll say. Let's just say, I've been supporting the local libraries with some abandon, and the kind givers of books to such causes read really good books.

Now, the rundown in pictures, commentary, and even some blame!



The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass - I liked Three Junes away back when I read it, and would like to dip into Glass's other work.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - The blogosphere's been abuzz about this YA hit for so long that I snatched it up hastily.
Dream When You're Feeling Blue Elizabeth Berg - Sheila made my do it!
Faithful Place by Tana French - Lesley's fault I bought this one.
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell - It's probably Rebecca that really made me want to give Sarah Vowell a shot.
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Zoo Story by Thomas French - I'd seen this one around a few times, but I think it's Diane's review that made it jump off the shelves and into my hands.
This is Where We Live by Janelle Brown - I discovered this one on the public bookshelf at work. I read the author's other book All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. That plus both her book covers have desserts on the covers, which seem to be totally irrelevant to the books but somehow also unexpectedly appealing. And did I mention it was free?
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick - There may be a few book bloggers out there that haven't raved about this one. I'm not sure I've met them, though.
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham - Horrors! How did this get here, especially given my lingering unlove of Maugham? Methinks Amanda's to blame for this madness, whether she's still blogging about books or not!
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman - This one was really popular when I was in charge of maintaining the health section while working at Borders. Now I work with lots of doctors, so I'm even more curious.
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - Yeah, I totally bought this one before. Oops.
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving - That Book Lady made me by this one, too. Plus, John Irving is one of those authors whose books I seems to collect and rarely read. My mom usually likes them, though...
The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper - Here's some blame for Debi's blog 3 to 4 incarnations ago.
The Story of Edgar Swatelle by David Wroblewski - Curious about modern day re-telling of Hamlet. That *is* what this is, isn't it?




The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman - This is another from my days babysitting the health section at Borders. I've got a thing for bio-ethical quandaries, and I've heard numerous good things about this book.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - The Booker Prize made me do it.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave - I don't know what this is even about, but sooo many people recommend it.
The Little Book by Selden Edwards
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss - Okay, I'd never heard of this one when I picked it up, but I was still in my "western" happy place from reading Annie Proulx's That Old Ace in the Hole that it called out to me.
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones - Because I totally read novels in verse (like, once ever)
Garden Spells Sarah Addison Allen - It's about time I tried SAA, right?
East of the Sun by Julia Gregson
Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn - This and previous are both LibraryThing Early Reviewer books that apparently stuck in my head!
Tinkers by Paul Harding - Hello, Pulitzer winner!
The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese - Hey, it's that guy that wrote Cutting for Stone!
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - Can you believe this popped up on the community shelf at work? All the talk about it got me just curious enough to lug this massive hardback around in my purse for a day.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray by Walter Mosley
Clara's War by Clara Kramer - I'm all in for good books about the Holocaust, and Becky said this is one. I had to wrangle this one out of my mother's bookselling hands. Phew, close call.
Eulalia! by Brian Jacques - I've been in love with the Redwall books since I was in middle school, but I've still got a few left to read.
Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich - Wendy made me get this one. Plus, my lingering happy feelings over The Master Butchers Singing Club by the very same author.
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian - Read and liked Midwives once upon time, and now I'm back for more.
(not pictured)Lottery by Patricia Wood - I remember a very glowing review from Lesley back when I was a baby blogger turned me onto this one. Not pictured because by the time I took the picture, my mom had already snatched it out of my hands to read.

All right, that's it for now. But there may or may not be another book sale coming up next week...

So, book lovers, how'd I do? =)

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