Anyway, my downstairs neighbor came over today with a very thoughtful gift for me from her fellow pig painters: a really lovely blank book, as a way of saying thanks for letting them use my garage. I LOVE blank books and journals, so I'm delighted! (Thus the dance.)
Been doing some thrifting of late. My sister Julie is planning on being involved in several movie shoots with her fellow classmates this spring and summer, and she's responsible for finding some of the props that will be used. She farmed out the list to some of her siblings, which inspired me to wander off to the local St. Vinnie's and Deseret Industries for thrifting purposes. Sadly, no Enchanted Dumpsters were to be found (more's the pity), but I did find treasure in the form of some magnificent book finds -- KIDLIT GALORE!
I found like new copies of Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (which I'd never before read), Robin McKinley's Beauty, and Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson, a hardcover copy of Karen Cushman's The Midwife's Apprentice, a sturdy paperback copy of Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (which can be hard to find).
Then I caught sight of something, gasped, stood stock-still for an instant to scan the words on the spine again, then grabbed at the treasure before it could fade to smoke and vapors before my eyes. But no, it was real -- a former library copy, hardbound and in near-pristine condition, of The Marrow of the World by Ruth Nichols, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. I loved this book as a preteen, and had been looking for a copy of it for years since it was out of print. And there it was, waiting for me, for all of two dollars.
7 comments:
I have visited a few times, glad you are still here!
What wonderrful finds, it's so exciting discovering treasures isnt it!
Penny.
x
A treasure is a treasure and its exciting ....! Good to see your post...lol...!
Books make the best treasure. I love library sales where I can snatch up good reads for less than a buck.
Arr matey, thar be treasure in thet thar thrift store!
I also found a slightly battered hardbound copy of "Blueberries for Sal," which is cute, and a REALLY battered former library copy of a book called "Each Peach Pear Plum," which has nobly given its all to be reincarnated as handmade cards. Although I must admit to flinching when I cut into a book, no matter how abused it might be.
That's a Trina book that I have not seen before! (You must show me at lunch next week). I am currently on a Trina bender. I just ordered about a dozen of her older books from abe... Couldn't help myself. Will post the lot when they finish arriving. :-)
Ha, I thought Tara would notice the Trina Schart Hyman find! Tom's Midnight Garden is a British classic, probably why it's hard to find over your side of the world.
I don't think I ever would have heard of Tom's Midnight Garden if it weren't for the very first book I ever bought with my own money (an English-printed Puffin paperback of Peter Pan, purchased at a school book sale in second grade). At the back of the book was a list of recommended titles, and Tom was among them. It was reprinted in the U.S. in the 1990s, so it isn't quite as difficult to find as it used to be, but it still doesn't have the kind of following it deserves, IMHO.
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