Saturday, March 14, 2009

Book Score!


Now that I've Bookmooched and some fellow teachers have borrowed books, it hasn't taken long to come to the happy realization that I have some room on my shelves again. My inner Biblio-Barbarian (like Nature) hates a void, so...

Making a return trip to the Bandi & Luni at Jonggak station, I unexpectedly scored another one for my Pulitzer shelf: The Stories of John Cheever, which was the 1979 winner -- really nice trade paperback that was still encased in plastic. It was pretty expensive, too -- almost as much as a new hardcover book, but I had to have it. For the collection.

I hadn't been to What The Book? in a while, so my heart beat with anticipation as I climbed Hooker Hill. As always, I saw several things I wanted, but walked out with Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, which I've been looking for off and on for a couple of years and a beautiful dark-green Virago paperback of a 1931 Sheila Kaye-Smith novel called Susan Spray. I'd never heard of the author or the title before, but loved the title for obvious reasons. I'm also intrigued by the Virago imprint -- they're starting to show up in Korea, and that's good news -- it gives me yet another category of books to obsess about. After about 90 minutes of browsing, I paid for my two finds as well as the new issue of Bookmarks, pinned a note on the bulletin board encouraging people to join the book group: Are you a bookworm? Do you prefer the term Bookzilla?...and went in search of Quizno's. (I'm sorry, Barbara Kingsolver! It was delicious!)

In other news, I've been trying to uncover who the bookworms are and aren't among my new colleagues. So far I've found some Christopher Moore fans and a Faulkner devotee. The former are brandishing copies of You Suck and the latter has promised to lend me his copy of Go Down, Moses. Faulkner Guy and I are both on the lookout for A Fable -- him because well, it's Faulkner and me, because well, it's a Pulitzer fiction winner. During the same conversation, Faulkner Guy expressed an interest in Middlemarch, so I lent him my copy with an enthusiastic recommendation. He's young but he's wormy, and his Inner Book Snob ain't all that inner. I'm pleased that I found him. Surely there's more bookworms to discover here. I have high hopes.

6 comments:

Ana S. said...

Cheever's stories are so worth owning! That's not the edition I have, but I've seen it around and it's a very nice one.

Cold Comfort Farm is one I've been after too. Especially after reading and loving I Capture the Castle. I see those two books being mentioned together in conversation a lot.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you have a great group of people you're working with at the new school That's very exciting.

Reading this post made me really miss those trips to What the Book and Bandi followed by a trip to Quiznos or Cold Slab. Sigh.

You'll have to come to Stratford sometime and I'll show you the great book shops in town, you'll love them.

Jeane said...

How wonderful that you've found some bookish friends. I love BookMooch!

Susan said...

I have to confess, I don't know what Bookmooch is. :-( but it sounds fun! And I love that you are able to go book shopping again and fill those empty shelves :-D I haven't read Cold Comfort Farm and I want to find it, and the Short Stories of John Cheever *gazes longingly across Canada and the ocean to Korea* though I should probably be able to find a copy over here. I'm also thrilled you are attempting to convert another bookworm to Middlemarch land.....however, some of us are still waiting for your book review, unless I missed it? *hints*

Bybee said...

Nymeth,
I was so shocked to find the Cheever book...I would've been happy with something used, but this is sooo much better. CCF won't be too far down on my TBR...I'd like to read it soon.

Aaron,
Oh please please please, can't you get your bookwormy backside back here? Although I'm sure-fire up for a trip to Stratford!

Jeane,
I think I've been misspelling your name. Sorry. I work with a "Jeanne" now. Isn't Bookmooch great? I had a little trouble getting started, but now things are going smoothly.

Susan,
I'm planning to do all of my reviews at the end of the month, but am getting so much read that I may have to start early. I'm definitely still feeling the Middlemarch love! Re: Bookmooch...you register at their site and put up the books you don't want anymore and search out people that might have things you desire.

jenclair said...

New job, new friends, new books! I enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm some years ago. Loved Christopher Moore's Lamb, but haven't read anything else, though Dorothy recommended Fool.