A Bloggoversary, and Books in a Basket: a Thrift Shopping Haul

Alright, so this post has been a couple of weeks in the making. But between soaking up the last bits of summer, helping faciliate not one, but TWO sibling moves - one out of state, the other to the other side of the state - blogging hasn't been taking up the brainspace it deserves. 

That doesn't change the fact that everyone loves a good haul, right? 

So, let's flash back to Tuesday, July 27th: where, in order to celebrate my Bloggoversary in high style, I enlisted my brother to join me on a parade through some of my favorite area thrift stores. It's an errand he's no stranger to... only this time, instead of languishing next to the dressing rooms, holding a cumbersome stack of clothing, we'd be devoting our time and attention pretty specifically to the book section. 

Of course, we couldn't content ourselves to just that. But more on that later... 

All told, the day was exactly the kind of exercise in thrifty shopping that I needed, and yet another reminder of how simple and effective it is to find yourself plenty of good reads for cheap. Was this lesson strictly necessary, in a year defined by the realization that I have over 435 unfinished books on my TBR shelves and Kindle? I mean... moving on. 

location #1: Value Village

The location I go to has a pretty decent, typically well-organized assortment of reads in their book section. Unfortunately, because we got there shortly after opening on a Tuesday morning, it seems like everyone else in the area was looking for good reads there, too... and pretty much everything else. I'm not used to having to share elbow room while shopping, but we chocked up the additional presence to the fact that it's summer, they had recently restocked the shelves, and who knows, maybe people just happen to really love spending sunny days in July stuffed inside a large store that smells like mothballs?

Because there were so many people there, I felt a little scrambled for time, and didn't expend a lot of effort in trying to find anything picture-worthy. Though I did find a definitely unofficial Harry Styles biography that made me giggle. 

All told, I grabbed six new-to-me, gently-used titles, and the kid brother managed to make off with a few as well! 

As You Like It, Shakespeare

One of my favorite things to search for while thrifting, is Folger Library copies of Shakespeare. You're almost guaranteed to see a surplus of titles on the shelf; unfortunately, the question then becomes whether you'll be able to actually read them or not, as many of them are marked up and scarred, having been used as study copies. Finding an edition that has no annotations is trickier stuff... but I found one, for a play I haven't read since college! 

The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley

A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin

Another great option to look for in a thrift store, are older copies of long-faved Fantasy. Besides sorting through editions of the Wheel of Time and Eragon series, we found both of these perennial classics. I've been dying for more Ursula K. LeGuin in my life, and I was excited to pick up a title I'd heard so much about. The funnier pick, was Mists of Avalon: while my brother and I had both heard of it before, we didn't have enough understanding to determine whether it was worth picking up. I took the chance, and lo and behold, upon traveling to Barnes and Noble later on in the day, we found an almost identical copy for sale for almost $18 more expensive than what we'd nabbed at the thrift store! 

The Buccaneers, Edith Wharton

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison

If you haven't gotten the theme so far, thrift stores are a great place to pick up copies of the classics, but what's especially true, is if you're looking for classics that aren't among the expected: while odds would not be high that I'd find a copy of House of Mirth, The Buccaneers makes for an intriguing Wharton selection that hits just left of center. Similarly, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a modern classic, rather than some stuffy, old 19th century pick. The copy I picked up had never so much been opened before! 

The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin

Okay, so it's not all classics; thrift store bookshelves carry quite a bit of contemporary fiction, too. This particular title was much-recommended on bookstagram a couple of years ago, when it was first published in 2018. It's pretty incredible, to be able to find a completely unread copy of a recent release, but I'm very happy I got it! 

(Originally, the plan was then to move over to Goodwill immediately after Value Village, but because of numerous factors, including a much-needed bathroom break, we went for Barnes and Noble first, which is where I picked up the titles I included in my bloggoversary post. Did I briefly consider giving up Goodwill after dropping entirely too much change at the big store? You bet I did... but I'm so, so glad I didn't end up bailing off for home. Not only did I find some of my favorite material of the day at GW, but it served as a nice sort of sandwich comparison to see how cheap you can pick up certain material, if you're only willing to 1. manage your expectations and 2. stick to a budget.) 

location #2: Goodwill

I feel like I always rely on this location to have a really solid assortment of books: they have nice, built-in shelves that take up a full corner of the store, and the location is one of the prime donation spots in our area. However, I was really sad to see that the Books had been severely reduced in shelf space, with more than a few of them standing completely empty! I don't know if this is due to a deliberate attempt at limiting that kind of stock, or if there just haven't been a lot of people donating their books in the past year, but either way, I was pretty sad to see it brought so low.

That is not to say, however, that I didn't make away with a fair amount of reading material.

Bet Me, Jennifer Crusie

A much-celebrated entry into the Romance genre in the past few years, I've been hearing nothing but good things about this novel in the time I've started reading Romance (which, it's hard to believe, was only a couple of summers ago!). 

The Four Winds, Kristin Hannah

Another frequent find among thrift store book shelves? Anything with a Book of the Month tab on the side. Hey, I'm not knocking anyone else's subscription habits, but it seems like BOTM users happen to give away just as many books as they keep, if not more. 

The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown

The Corrections, Johnathan Franzen

Don't make fun: yes, I know that Jonathan Franzen is a pretty contentious topic in the book world, and yes, I'm aware that everyone's dad owns a copy of the DaVinci Code. But remember that golden scratch-off poster I got a couple of years ago, the one with all of those "contemporary classic" titles? I've been trying to make a more concentrated effort to pay attention to that poster recently. I'm hoping that this Fall will see me able to tackle a few more of those boxes to check off... especially once I'm done with my Summer Book Bingo TBR, too. 

Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen

Out of all of the books I've purchased today, this was the only one I've actually read before: Garden Spells, a random library check-out that came my way in the last few weeks of December, was also one of the only reasons I was able to end my catastrophic reading year on anything resembling a high note. When I saw a hardcover copy on Goodwill's shelves - completely unread - I practically snatched it out right in front of my brother's face. Couldn't be more pleased to add this magical, intensely atmospheric read to my collection. 

Not pictured: two cookbooks - which, while I will absolutely be reading them soon, I do not classify in with my "reading" books - and a very lovely little basket I'm using, at the moment, to store more cookbooks.

The Goofy Goodies

Let's be real: we love thrift stores not just because of the treasures they hold... but because some people's versions of "treasures" vary quite significantly. Here are just a few of the best things my brother and I found in Goodwill, that didn't necessarily make it into the basket to take home.

This complete DVD anniversary collection of the classic Pride and Prejudice - aka, the "wet Colin Firth" edition - contained not only two discs, but also a bonus, filled with special features. 

Also didn't pick up, though I desperately wanted to, a World Wrestling Federation Superstars cookbook; a book of "Real Alchemy" that contained, wouldn't you know it, instructions on how to perform alchemy. Try it at home, kids! 

Do you like to go thrifting? What's the best thing you've found hidden in the bookshelves of a thrift store? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping: The Reviews!

You've been listening to me talk about it for literal months now: our family's big summer of camping, taking place across four weekends through July and August this year. Now that our tents and tarps are packed away for good, I wanted to take a little time to expound upon those reads I dragged through the dirt and mud with me. 

(Well, maybe not that. I do take care of my books, after all. Any damage they may have accrued in this time is more likely in the vein of residual love from the Reese's Peanut Butter cups we use when we make s'mores.)  

From Camano Island to Deception Pass, to Kanaskat-Palmer to the Dungeness Spit, here are all of the books I read while camping this summer! 

Weekend #1: Camano Island State Park

(it was a million degrees, we spent a day at the beach, and took sunset shots at the pier)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1), Alan Bradley

This book is a little perplexing to consider, especially when attempting to gauge whether I really liked it or not. On one hand, the first 50 pages required three separate attempts to get interested; on the other, I finished the remaining 320 in almost one sitting. 

I found the exploits of the young Flavia - brash and brilliant - to be a lot of fun; on the flip side, the story was unmistakably constructed by an older man, one who rejoiced in obscure references, far beyond even what the most precocious of 11-year-olds could have declared. It really did remind me a lot of a classic Agatha Christie novel, in its lovingly-crafted perspective of small, rural British country villages, and the various people that inhabit them. 

It also had, like Agatha, some stunningly racist depictions that really didn't need to be there. The difference is that Christie wrote back in previous century: while this novel is set in the summer of 1950, it was published in 2009, at a time when such things as a blatantly racist "Chinese" magic trick should be recognized for what they are. 

That being said, the rest of the story - other than that glaring blemish, one that turned this title from a "must recommend" to a "hmm, maybe not"  - was pretty fun. At a certain point, the outcome gets a little obvious, but it's still enjoyable to follow along with Flavia's various hijinks. At some other point, I might consider picking up another in the series, but honestly, I'd rather do a Christie sometime soon instead. 

Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters #4), Christine Feehan 

You don't get to hear about this one just yet... wait until my next batch of Paranormal Romance reviews! (You can read the last batch here!) 

Weekend #2: Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island

(more beach time, camping hummus plates, lots of crosswords)

Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas

I can already tell you right now, that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. Not only did its words mean so much to me - especially in my current season of life - but they've lead me to others, too (poems, song lyrics), that honestly meant a lot to read, as well.

I appreciated R. Eric Thomas' perspectives on a myriad of topics - Blackness, especially in white spaces; gayness, especially in religious spaces - and I really credit his humorous, honest voice and style for serving as such a positive, engaging communicative tool. Even when discussing points of difficulty or vulnerability, he was sharp and conversational; even when detailing times of extreme sadness, he was clear and earnest. Memoirs are really at their best when they bring the reader into arenas of life they would never otherwise be able to experience, and Thomas was generous and welcoming when sharing his past.

In the end, it was actually the points in his life that connected us - generating an intense, close friendship at 17, and losing that person to suicide; recognizing that college carries with it opportunities that seem overwhelming, in part due to an unwillingness to give up the safely guarded labels that keep you protected - that really hit me at my core. He writes in such a way that feels personal and intimately friendly, and hearing similar circumstances I recognized communicated so frankly felt like talking with a friend. 

What an absolutely enjoyable experience. 

Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century, ed. Alice Wong

To be completely honest, I finished this book several days before I could even begin to consider how I felt about it. I think I avoided writing down my own personal thoughts on what was an engrossing, enthralling collection of first-person writing and anecdotes, because of how overwhelmingly difficult its subject matter is, and how much personal reflection was necessary in processing it completely. 

Granted, this book knows what its about. It doesn't mess around with palatizing difficult subject matter, and lists various topics such as eugenics, racism, bullying, suicide, and more in a rolling line of ticker tape that serves as a banner at the top of each story, as a kind of introduction. The discomfort is the point: a minority group of people used to binding themselves up, making themselves small, tucking the uncomfortable parts of themselves away as both a personal means of survival, as well as - at various points throughout history - a legal and public image legislative action, finally given the chance to voice their pain in a publicly consumed message, directed at both their fellow lonely, silenced group, as well as the public at large who has rendered them invisible. Its powerful, difficult stuff, and incredibly intersectional, as well. 

When I first decided to pick up this book, it had been at the recommendation of a handful of people who had called it "empowering" and "uplifting"; after reading it, I am forced to reconsider some of my perspectives of those people. It HURTS. It is draining, and upsetting, and overwhelmingly hard to process, especially for someone who doesn't have a large extent of experience in disability activist circles. It highlights problems and pain for which there is no current solution or means of rectification, and that absolutely sucks. But hopefully with the accessibility afforded through these pages, bringing firsthand perspectives to people who would otherwise never have seen the struggles, one can be generated. Maybe with more stories like this, some justice can be found. 

Weekend #3: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, near the Green River

(the YURTS, hiking along the river, and did I mention the YURTS)

The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi

You don't get to hear about this one just yet, either... after a pretty difficult reading experience that already yielded quite a bit of conversation with various family members, I decided to give this one a little more space and give myself a little more room to breathe. A longer review will be coming soon!

I Miss You When I Blink: Essays, Mary Laura Philpott

I am experiencing conflicting emotions about this book, and unfortunately I feel like it also has to do with conflicting emotions about my taste levels as a person.

I was drawn to this book, originally, because of the premise: a nonfiction account of a woman who, upon achieving the suburbanite dream list of husband, kids, house, etc, finds herself wanting to burn it all down and strike off fresh. THAT sounds appealing to me. The experiences she describes - depression, anxiety, hopelessness, resentment - are highly familiar, and I figured that her unspoken achievement in having been deemed important enough to write a memoir might give me some insight, in terms of potential solutions. 

Here's how she fixes it: she goes to a therapist, and is prescribed Zoloft. She leans on an understanding and kind husband for support. She stops signing up for the volunteering jobs she dislikes that keep her so busy, and instead, starts writing newsletters for a famous bookstore as a part of her freelancing career. She uses the three weeks her kids are at sleepaway camp to house-sit for a friend of a friend, and enjoys the quiet, as well as a ton of books, but realizes that she still misses her children and husband. Her family moves from Atlanta to Nashville, where she feels less encumbered by ambient stress, and the traffic is not so crippling. 

It all seems so... mundane. Expected. In a lot of ways, not exactly accessible. These modern problems she's describing feel so extreme, but the answers are also so completely upper-middle-class suburban. 

And it kind of felt like the book was just... a lot of those feelings. Mary Laura Philpott - who at other times in the memoir-slash-essays, is also deeply resonant and relatable - just struck me as a little bit out-of-touch, or basic. For instance, at a dinner with friends, she gets angry when small talk turns to preferred methods of making chicken salad, and name checks Bill Gates, Beyonce, and J. K. Rowling as being people she'd rather talk to, instead. Could there be a more generic answer to a question that could have pushed a lot deeper? But also, some people enjoy talking about chicken salad, so why can't you let them (/me) live? 

In total, there WERE passages in the book that did speak to me, but it also kind of felt like if one of the most surface-level people in your sorority grew up and started a well-written, occasionally-deep mommy blog. 

Weekend #4: Dungeness Spit Recreation Area

(mediocre weather, a nature hike along the water, bailing early)

Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighter's Manual, Luvvie Ajayi-Jones 

This book is about how sometimes, humans let fear get in the way of enjoying the surplus of LIFE that is available to us every single day. Kind of like how sometimes a Savannah might let the required return date of a library book get in the way of enjoying what might otherwise have been an easy, reflective funny memoir-slash-self-help guide, instead of leaving it for the last twelve hours of its check-out period. 

(It's fine. Based on the advice of a friend, I switched my Kindle to airplane mode, and sped-read my way through the remaining 60% of the book. Is it a perfect system? Hell no. But what else is a woman supposed to do when she's still got a lot of Seattle Public LIbrary boxes to check off, and it's AUGUST?) 

This book was funny, and inspirational. It was also chock full of references to Ajayi-Jones' other work, which occasionally felt like I was missing pieces of valuable context, and that I needed to go look elsewhere: her numerous chart-topping TED talks, her blog and Twitter account, her previous book, etc. Like, we get it, you're prolific! But after a while, it kind of does feel like it's simply a networking/marketing tool for your previous material. 

Other quick notes: 

• This is the second book this year I've read that was written during Covid, and has felt the need to discuss it, which I am both for and against as a general practice. 
• Ajayi-Jones turns Blackness - especially Nigerian-ness, which I would say gets its own chapter, if it didn't already have prominent placement throughout the entire book - into a total superpower, and I was fully here for it 
• Out of everything else in this book, what I really, really loved, and what felt the most inspiring, was how she makes professional success sound inevitable. Like, if you're working, and working hard and fearlessly and especially working to lift other people up along with you, great things will happen for you. And I love that. 

What have been your favorite vacation reads so far this summer? How many books are still left on your Summer TBR for August? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping, Weekend #4: Dungeness Spit

Well, it's been a summer full of shoving pillows into garbage bags, packing and unpacking sleeping bags, and being as minimally involved with the air-mattress-inflation situation as I can be while still considered "helping." While our final destination for family campouts this summer might not have shaken out like we'd originally planned it to, I think we were all still plenty happy with the result. 

And by that, I mean my brother and I are very happy not to have to go camping again until next year. My mother, on the other hand, has been eyeing if there are any extra spots at some of our favorite places this November.

Where we went: Dungeness Spit Recreation Area and Campground

About a two hour's drive away from our home in Tacoma, Dungeness Spit is also one of the only non-state park campgrounds we visited this year. Honestly, you can kind of tell: this area is managed by Clallam County, and there's a much more hometown feel to the way that the campgrounds are laid out. Big, sprawling campsites, ample room for navigation, and even a small playground for children... but also, smaller amounts of amenities, and a more narrow availability of things like spigots, or even hot water in the showers. 

There was a lot of ambient light at our campsite, which I enjoyed, and the trees do a decent job of breaking up any sound from neighboring sites, as well. A lot of the other campers we saw at this location came bearing RVs, campervans, and teardrops, because - again - the spots were quite large. 

It's located an easily navigable distance from both the Dungeness Spit, as well as other trails along the bluffs you can use to get a glimpse of the water. Also, as was ascertained by my sister with the help of Google Maps, Canada! 

What I packed:

I'd like to think I've learned at least one or two things from a summer full of packing a duffel every other weekend or so. Have I finally read Emperor Mage, like I've been threatening to do for literal weeks now? (Like I did here, here, and here!) No. But at least I'm not at the same place I was last year while camping, which meant stuffing four or five books into my bag for a three-day trip. 

This time, I only packed one hardcover copy, and my Kindle! 

Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighter's Manual, Luvvie Ajayi-Jones (on Kindle)

Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino

What I actually ended up reading:

So, here's the deal: we left early. Like, way early: after arriving and setting up shop on Friday afternoon around 530pm, us kids - my brother, my sister, her girlfriend, and I - had convened around the post-breakfast not-a-campfire (because the Washington State burn ban is still in effect through September, at a minimum) on Saturday morning to discuss what we were going to tell the parents.

The weather coming up off the water led to a night that was chilly and uncomfortably clammy, while the morning had already brought sprinkling rain, with a forecast that was showing threats of more across the afternoon. Again, the burn ban meant we couldn't have the normal, warming campfire we're used to, and huddling around a singular propane burner didn't exactly yield cozy rewards. 

Was it all that bad? Not really. We've camped plenty of times in too-cold temperatures... memorably once when there was still snow on the ground in late June. We've camped in rain plenty of times, too. But after a summer that had already seen three full weekends of camping?

Instead, we all went home, went out to eat at a local Italian place we love, had an actual firepit - complete with a large propane burner - in our backyard, and stayed up watching some YouTube, before going to bed in a spacious, cozy queen-sized bed. 

I got half of the way into Professional Troublemaker before we called it quits.

Trip Highlights:

That wasn't to say that it was all bad, though! There still managed to be some nice moments in the midst of the not-ideal temperatures. After all, there's no easier way to have fun, than spending time with family. 

We made up for a less-than-cozy nighttime temperature with a walk along the bluffs, which led to a really gorgeous sunset view. Then, my sister rigged up a mini-propane stove around the structure of our campground's fire, so we could end the day with at least a little bit of light.

I refused to leave without having at least a little time to hike out on the Dungeness Spit... it was the reason we'd chosen this campsite, after all! We only made it a little ways down the surf and sand, but there was still plenty to see, including wildlife - and wildlife remains, as you can see here - as well as a whole lot of bull kelp. And we got to breathe in a little bit of the salt air coming off the ocean, which is always good for the soul!

What I finished up at home: 

Professional Troublemaker, obviously! It took a little bit of time back at home... but when you've only got less than four hours before your library ebook copy is due back, and you've got two hours left in the ebook itself, there's a little more pressure to wrap things up. 

Well, that's it for camping trips this summer... but it's not the end of camping content! Keep an eye out for full reviews of everything I read while camping to come soon, as well as a few more posts I've had lined up for a while... like the full haul from my bloggoversary thrifting adventure! 

Did you camp at all this summer? Are there any more vacations left for you before schools start back up again in August? Let me know, in the comments below!