Book haul from Goodwill yesterday. All good finds. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has long struck me as charming and adorable -- now to put it to the test!

The real highlight of this trip, though, was finding a first printing of Bored of the Rings, one of the unfunniest piece of classic humor ever recorded. It's so dumb but it's an awesome bit of weird nostalgia.

I love book shopping at Goodwill (this one is in Milford, CT) because I always find such an odd assortment of stuff -- and there's no organization or sorting, which makes it quite fun to browse!

I was also glad to find Portrait of a Lady, not because I love Henry James or anything, but because every time I look at it I think of this moment from Harriet the Spy, which always makes me chuckle:

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.'" 

Ole Golly said this steadily and sedately, then leaned back in her chair with a satisfied look at Sport. 

Sport looked completely blank. 
"Henry James," said Ole Golly, "1843-1916. From Portrait of a Lady." 

"What's that?" Sport asked Harriet. 
"A novel, silly," said Harriet. 
"Oh, like my father writes," said Sport, and dismissed the whole thing.

(source: archive.org)

Today's book haul from Harrisburg, PA's Midtown Scholar bookstore, one of my favorite bookstores in the US. It's huge, it's well-curated, it's labyrinthine, it's beautiful, it's reasonably priced (considering the excellence of the stock, anyway -- cheapskates may be loath to pay $10-20 for a UP book in perfect condition, but I know how much those books cost at list price, so I'm willing to shell out)... Oh, and its literary criticism section is amazing. Midtown Scholar also has multiple performance spaces, a balcony (!!!), comfy chairs and tables scattered throughout the store (depending on what level of quiet/privacy/comfort you're looking for), a children's play area, and 2 small cafes. I would have gotten WAY more today, but I was on a budget and I really wanted the Levinas and Medieval Literature book (it's seriously an awesome compilation and a terrific convergence)... but it was a little pricey. But--I found so many other amazing books today that I am super excited to keep looking for them elsewhere.

My husband and I go to Midtown Scholar every time we're in Harrisburg, which is usually about twice a year. It's thrilling every time.

I'm also very excited to read Derrida's "Ulysses Gramophone: Hear Say Yes in Joyce's Ulysses," which is one of the most formidable essays of literary criticism I have ever read.

I'll be teaching Banana Yoshimoto's collection Lizard this semester, so I'm looking forward to reading her novel Kitchen.

Queering the Renaissance is simply an excellent collection. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in queer theory and literary studies, particularly renaissance/early modern.

No idea if that's a good bio of Salinger. I've seen it around but I haven't read any reviews. Salinger studies is very tricky because it's hard to do him justice, he's often misunderstood, and his writing has such a weird role in American culture. We shall see.

Good haul all told. And a great way to start the New Year!