We will discuss books in this missive, but first, let me shamelessly use my adorable grand and great-grandkids as clickbait to improve my analytics.
The ultimate Mark Trail branch of the family. I think they hunt with every weapon except clubs.
The All Saints Annual Booksale for Hunger.
This year, I've again volunteered to help sort, categorize, and price used books donated to this decades-old tradition. Starting in June, we began arranging the donations for display and purchase. Beginning with the coveted "buy a chance to buy any book you want" night, to the madhouse "Make me an offer I can't refuse" closing day, we will raise thousands of dollars which are contributed to local kitchens that feed the poor and homeless. We made over twenty-five thousand dollars last year.
For me, the fun is seeing books I've read, sold or coveted passing through my hands.
Two copies of Walter Farley's The Black Stallion, the first chapter book I remember reading, are in reasonable condition and available for sale.
Many of the books I remember 'hand selling' in my stint as a bookseller for Swartz's and Last Chapter bookstores. The Gresham's, Connelly's, Nesbo's, Grafton's, Roberts's, and Larsson's that flowed out of the door were coming back to me. Some of them were in such good shape it was questionable whether they were even read.
However, I haven't seen one of the most important books I've read, The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S Kuhn. Kuhn. His observations of the scientific community can be readily applied to almost any macro community. It's a study of people changing long-held beliefs and how difficult it is to discard them despite proof that they are in error or there's a better way to do things. Humm! I wonder how that's relevant today?
Books coveted? They force volunteers to work in a dingy basement with nothing to drink but decaf coffee or water. We get no paid leave, childcare, or medical benefits. (Although hundreds of DYI health and wellness books are available) But, and this is huge, we can take any book home to read and return or buy to keep.
So far, I've found two cat books for my daughter-in-residence. I have a Roz Chast cartoon selection, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant. And I've given three other books a 'test drive.' Let me point out we don't open sales until August 6th. So I still have plenty of time.
Fair warning. Do you want all the books by John Gresham, Barack Obama or Sue Grafton? We have many of them. If you search, you will find them, but we do not sort them or alphabetize them. We have them in categories; Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children and Young Adults, Religion and Philosophy, Plays, Poetry and Music, and DVDs. The exciting thing about searching the tables for the one book by your favorite author you haven't read is you find other books that interest you. I know. It's a disease, and there is no twelve-step program.
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