Thanks to President Bush’s second income tax refund, I had an extra seventy bucks sitting on my dresser when I returned home after six months in the Army.
The first thing I did was cash the check in Athens - which is a small community that has been around for over a hundred years, and is close to my hometown. There are old brick-facade shops everywhere, with the town square and courthouse being the center of activity.
My mother put her truck in the shop to have some brake work done, so instead of sitting in the semi-cool office discussing my Army life, we walked around to see what was going on.
’HEY! A bookstore!’ I nearly feinted with excitement.
’Sarah.just because you’ve been in a veritable prison for six months doesn’t mean you have to go crazy.’
’A BOOKSTORE!’
My mother sighed. ’Fine. We’ll go in. I take it you already cashed your income tax check?’
’A.BOOKSTORE!’
The bookstore was a little hole in the wall run by a retired woman who smiled a lot and asked if there was anything in particular she could help me find. ’No, I just escaped from Hell, so I’m not sure of what I’m doing just yet, ma’am.’ (She smiled - probably because she figured I’d go postal if she dared to frown.)
There were thousands of books crammed into the store. They were stacked on their sides half-way to the ceiling. They were crammed onto shelves and into large bins. They were laying around everywhere, as far as the eye could see. But, they were sorted into standard sections, so I actually found what I was looking for in a logical place.
I ended up with several bags full of books - from mysteries and Stephen King novels to autobiographies and jokebooks. Yes, I love to read. Yes, I spend lots of money on books every year despite the fact that I also patron the library at no charge.
I spent my seventy bucks, but I got over a hundred books for it.
Now that’s a bargain!
So, where else do I go to shop for books?
I go to flea markets or garage sales. Often I have to dig through tons of romance novels(which I just don’t like at all) to get to anything that I’m interested in, but I’ve found some great novels and reference books for as little as ten cents. They’re used several times over, yes, but they’re still in good condition. And, when I finish with them, I can take them to the used bookstore in Athens and sell them to that sweet elderly woman who is probably still scared to death of me.
The internet. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and even half.com are great places to look for books on the Internet. Granted, they’re kind of expensive, but you can probably either sell or trade them. Or, if you’re patient like I attempt to be, you can just wait until it’s released in paperback format.
Every now and then you can find a good book at the airport - i.e. somebody hurried to get onto their plane and left their copy of The Tommyknockers in the lounge. Or, if you’re very desperate, raid someone’s bookshelves. Everyone has books: Your friends, your family, your boss. Who’s going to miss one or two books cleverly stuck down your trousers?
As always, word of mouth is a wonderful thing. I’ve found bookstores, Internet sites, and garage sales just by listening to other bibliophiles talk. They tell me where the cheapest place is to find new releases, then in the next breath they tell me why I should go to more flea markets on Saturdays. Yeah, my friends are pretty cool.
So, there are tons of places to find great books. Sometimes you simply have to keep an eye peeled and know what you’re looking for. Then again, sometimes the perfect novel falls on your lap - or on your head if it was on one of those high shelves.