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March 07, 2005

New Used Books

It's spring break so it's time to pretend I have time in my life for things other than school, work, and blogs. To that end, L. and I went to a big used book sale at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School yesterday because what we really really need in our lives is more books. (Note to self: Take picture of the half dozen completely overloaded and sagging bookshelves in our tiny apartment.) But you know, when good books are going for $1/each, how can you say no? Yesterday's picks for me were:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (because it was a dollar and it's been so long since I read it that I've basically forgotten the whole thing and the movie is coming and, well, I don't want to see the movie w/out knowing where my towel is, you know?)
• The Restaurant at the End of The Universe (see above)
• Life, The Universe and Everything (and again)
• Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut (because he's great and I haven't read it)
• Galapagos (same as above)
• Jailbird (again)
• The Trial by Franz Kafka (because I sadly must admit I've never read it and I know it should b/c just about every piece of literary criticism or theory I've read and loved has relied upon The Trial in some way or another)
• The Recognitions by William Gaddis (because the Wallace List talks about it all the time so maybe I'd like it
• Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology, edited by Eric S. Rabkin (because it contains some classic sci-fi short stories that I've never read)

In all, a great haul of books that I may never read and which I will move countless times before I admit that I will never read them, at which point I will donate them to another charity book sale where they will be sold again for $1/each, only to begin the whole cycle again. Or maybe I will read them since they're mostly tiny paperbacks that won't take that long to read and which will be easy to carry w/me on the train this summer. We'll see. Any thoughts on any of these books? Faves? Dislikes?

Posted March 7, 2005 02:08 PM | ai books

You also need So Long and Thanks For All the Fish. It's one of the four Hitchiker's books, although I don't remember which one of the last three it is.

Posted by: idlegrasshopper at March 7, 2005 03:42 PM

Ah, yes, _Galapagos_. Fine book. Ruined my life! And yet I'm teaching it again this semester...

Posted by: washburn at March 7, 2005 08:14 PM

Vonnegut and Adams are pretty much no-fails, and the TOC on that anthology looks bloody good. *eyes half.com warily* Yes, indeed...

Posted by: Janine at March 7, 2005 10:15 PM

The Recognitions is a masterpiece but I still haven't finished it and everytime I go back to it, I feel the need to start from the beginning. It's an enjoyable read but very dense and very long.

Posted by: Steve at March 8, 2005 02:22 AM

IG: They didn't have the "Fish," but I'll be lucky to get through the three I bought. I tried reading "Restaurant" soon after I read "Hitchhiker's" many years ago, and I just couldn't get into it for some reason. Maybe I'll have better luck this time.

Washburn: Ruined your life? Please, do tell!

Janine: Yeah, I found out after I bought the anthology that Rabkin was L's (a.k.a. my girlfriend, she who would rather be invisible) sci-fi prof when she was an undergrad at U. of MI. She's got a brilliant knowledge of sci-fi from that class alone, so I'm sure the anthology is great.

Steve: Very dense and very long does not describe any book I'm likely to read soon, but we'll see. I should know better than to trust Wallace-L for recommendations; they often recommend good stuff, but it's also often stuff you have to work to get the pleasure from. No surprise from fans of the most-footnoted-fiction possibly ever. Oh, I agree w/a comment you made a while back about IJ -- the endnotes should so be footnotes. That could be hard to do w/the 10-page notes, but it would still be better than the constant flip-flipping.

Posted by: ambimb at March 8, 2005 07:28 PM

I was a pretty big Vonnegut fan in high school and college. I've read most of his books. Galapagos is a goodie. Slapstick and Jailbird lesser works, IMHO.

I read all the Hitchhikers around that time, too. I still love those books. Don't forget your towel.

Posted by: Cinnamon at March 9, 2005 10:32 AM