Books, Glorious, Books

News of a used book sale pumps up the adrenalin in my blood.

Summer, fall, winter, or spring, attending used book sales is a "must do." In Western Massachusetts, many library budgets have gotten the ax so the used books sales, usually put on by library volunteers, are more important than ever.

One sun drenched weekend this spring, a library in Western Mass held such a sale for three days. As always, people came in droves and perused aisle after aisle of every kind of book imaginable.

The sale always includes cassette tapes, cds, dvds, and records, too! This past sale, I restrained myself and bought four books and four cds. (Like avid readers everywhere, my home library is crammed to the gills with books and it's almost impossible to weed them out. They are, after all, my dearest friends, my bosom buddies!)

Oprah Winfrey's magazine "O" is one of my faves. When I buy a copy in a thrift store, it's always at least a good two hour read of very good quality articles. So when I found a hardcover book that included more than 100 articles from "O" Magazine for $3, it was a must have. The title of it is "Live Your Best Life: A Treasury of Wisdom, Wit, Advice, Interviews, and Inspiration from O, the Oprah Magazine." Some of the sections are "Your Personal Best," "Relationships," and "Living in the World."



Also got a beautifully illustrated  "The Essential Mexican Cookbook" which has 50 classic recipes such as yummy guacamole, huevos rancheros, soups, beans, and even seviche, which is fresh fish "cooked" only in lime juice!  Also got  "Fresh Cut Flowers for a Friend" which is a small book on friendship, and a picture book, "New Mexico" by David Muench for a friend who's thinking of moving there.




Every single one of the cds  I purchased is a hit. "Romantic Evening Music," with the Budapest Strings,  has some exquisite pieces on it. One of them, Mendelssohn's "On Wings of a Song," can move me to tears even when the car is stopped for a red light!

 "Stream Reggae" by Mission of Love  has a unique beat and music from  Los Tucanes of Tijuana is very spirited. When I opened the case for the latter, I discovered two brand new cds inside, for a total of 30 songs! The fourth cd purchased  is of a singer from Lebanon which I  actually gave  to a friend who's Lebanese.

For the four books and four cds, I paid less than $17!

As I walked away from the library book sale, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!

DOES YOUR LIBRARY HAVE USED BOOK SALES?