2024 reading challenge & small book haul

Every year I've pledged on my Goodreads Reading Challenge to read 50 books per year. And every year I have failed. HOWEVER, 2024 is my year to succeed. I dug out my Kindle, ordered some stickers for it, and I'm determined to read as much as I can this year. I have dozens and dozens of books sitting around my apartment and I'm determined to make a dent in them this year!

I met my dad for lunch one day and after we'd parted ways it was raining and gloomy (my favorite weather!) so I stopped by the local Barnes & Noble armed with a partial gift card and grabbed a coffee (tall skinny vanilla latte with oat milk, no whip, at kids' temp) and wandered around waiting for something to catch my eye. The book gods didn't disappoint! I first spotted the book about Secretariat (of whom I am still a huge fan). I grew up not far from Meadow Farm, so he's always had a soft spot in my heart. I find WWII interesting (in that morbid way) and grabbed this bargain book. Lastly, medical controversy has always intrigued me, especially lobotomies, so I can't wait to delve into that one. I rarely pay full price for books, so this was a little treat.

Here's to reading more this year! Be sure to add me on Goodreads!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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how I find free & inexpensive books

I've always been an avid reader. When I was a child my grandfather took me to thrift shops to pick out books. I've continued the practice, but I've been really cutting back on spending lately, so I don't snatch up books like I used to. Here are some ways that I still consume books without breaking the bank.

All of these titles I painstakingly sourced for under $5 a piece (many under $3) over the course of a few months. That's not including the many free ebooks I downloaded to my Kindle app and library apps. Here are some ways I save money on books:

Utilize your local library. Of course this tops the list! I'm a cardholder at my home county's library for physical and digital book check out and I'm a digital cardholder at a neighboring city's library. I lucked out and grabbed a digital copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins for free instead of Amazon's $17.99 Kindle price tag. To be honest, I don't check out many physical books because I'm so awful at returning them on time, so the digital option is great for me.

Sign up for book deal emails. I receive daily emails from Bookbub with that day's book deals. I get a lot of books for free that way and occasionally I'll spot something on my TBR list that's been marked down. Riffle is another option, but they don't send emails out as frequently.

Check Facebook Marketplace. Recently I got an almost complete Karin Slaughter collection for free from someone locally who was giving them away. I've picked up mixed boxes of books for free and gotten some good reads out of them!

Keep an Amazon wish list. This one might seem odd, but I keep books I want on a separate wish list. Occasionally I'll scroll through and sort by price. Every now and then I can score one I've been wanting for free or at a big discount. 

Utilize thrift stores and secondhand book stores. I sometimes have to stay away from the book section of thrift stores because I'll bring home a half dozen of super low priced books, and I deliberately stay away from 2nd & Charles for the same reason. We have some great used book stores here locally, too! I treated myself to a book store trip when I interviewed for my current job and told myself "one book for a good interview" and came out with seven. My favorite online bookstore is definitely ThriftBooks*. If you use that link, sign up, and spend $30, we both get a free book!

It's easier than ever now to find books! There's absolutely no reason to drop retail price on a book!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

latest book haul - secondhand buying

I've been trying to really up my time reading, so naturally, I placed an order on Thriftbooks* and visited 2nd & Charles as the stacks of books I already own look on. While Thriftbooks isn't exactly a small online bookstore, I feel better buying from them than I do Amazon.

These were all impulse buys and I wandered the site and store, but I've had Amy, My Daughter, Do the Birds Still Sing in Hell?, and Invisible Monsters on my wishlist for a while now. I've been eliminating animal products from my diet, so I was happy to find The Happy Herbivore Cookbook! Snuff, Gangster Women, and Ham on Rye were some I'd heard of but hadn't thought to pick up. And lastly, I've been picking up some of my childhood favorites when I see them, so I ordered Catwings to build up my new collection.

I'm slowly plugging away at my ambitious reading goal for the year. I'm over a dozen books behind, so hopefully I can catch up soon. I've actually already finished Snuff, and was a little disappointed.

*If you use the asterisked Thriftbooks link and spend $30, we both get a free book credit.

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

2021 Book Haul and Reading Challenge

2020 was a shit show. We all know it. I took a hiatus, but black lives matter and we need to fight for what is right, always. I don't honestly have a reasonable transition back into blogging, but please refer to my last post for how to help minorities gain and keep equal rights, as it always should have been. I'd like to start out 2021 with my own reading goals, which in the light of everything sounds incredibly selfish. Human rights are the forefront!

These are my book hauls recently. In an effort to help someone other than Bezos, I'm linking to Thriftbooks instead, and while they're still a large company, it is hard to find an independent book seller to link to that keeps a large stock. However, I encourage everyone to support their local independent bookstores.

You've Got to Have Balls to Make it in this League: My Life as an Umpire by Pam Postema and Gene Wojciechowski // Of course I bought Pam's book, as she's a baseball umpire.

Lost Ballparks: A Celebration of Baseball's Legendary Fields by Lawrence S. Ritter // I love reading about baseball history and snagged this at 2nd & Charles for a song.

Why is the Foul Pole Fair? by Vince Staten // Also as an umpire, I like anything to do with the game of baseball itself.

1941: The Greatest Year in Sports by Mike Vaccaro // This has a few stories in it that I thought sounded really interesting.

Death Row All Stars : A Story of Baseball, Corruption, and Murder by Howard Kazanjian and Chris Enss // True crime and baseball?? Immediately grabbed this when I saw it.

Center Field on Fire: An Umpire's Life with Pine Tar Bats, Spitballs, and Corked Personalities by Dave Phillips // Another umpire book. I can't stop.

Pitching Around Fidel: A Journey into the Heart of Cuban Sports by S. L. Price // This looked like a really interesting read.

As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires by Bruce Weber // Do I even need to explain? Haha.

The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci // I'm a huge Yankees fan and was excited to see this!

Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About Baseball is Wrong by The Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts // Again, I love everything to do with the game of baseball.

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King // I liked this movie and finally got around to ordering the book. It's rare for me to find some of King's work I haven't read, but I'm excited to start this one.

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer // I've come across this child abuse case several time in my Wikipedia rabbit holes and ordered the book.

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo // Educating yourself is an important step in making the world equal for all.

Most Wanted: A History of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List by Mark Sabljak and Martin H. Greenberg // True crime junkie over here.

Melissa Explains It All by Melissa Joan Hart // Last summer during my brief unemployment stint, I rewatched the 90s Sabrina the Teenage Witch and ordered this one.

The last several years I have failed to meet my reading goal on Goodreads. I've read a lot of books, but fell short of my goals. This year, I fully intend to meet my goal of 50 books! If we're not friends on GR, add me!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

how to stay on top of your book collection

Being a bookworm is usually a positive thing - well-read, vocabulary is expanded, get to go on adventures while sitting on the couch... However, I am also a clutter bug. This is the current state of my coffee table - packed with books, magazines, and catalogs.

I tend to buy books secondhand, bring them home, then let them sit where they get put down until I'm ready to read them. Now that we live in a one-bedroom apartment, this isn't acceptable. Here are some ways to tackle and stay on top of your reading material!

Control what you do have // Assign a designated spot for magazines, catalogs, and books and only keep them in that spot without expanding it. Put away the new books you bring in, whether it's a bookshelf, a corner of the closet, or in a decorative box. I have some stacked and holding cosmetic organizers on my vanity.

Switch to eBooks // I know, I know. The feel of a physical book can't beat an eBook. But they take up so much less space and it's easy to always have a book on hand (especially when it's dark and you can't read via light!).

Avoid the book section // I'm always afraid of missing out on a book on my TBR for cheap at the thrift store, so I tend to buy more than I can feasibly read for our space constraints. I remedy this by not even looking at the book section when I thrift, and avoiding pricey retail bookstores.

Institute a 'read 2 before buying 1' rule // Instead of just not buying anything, vow to finish and get rid of two books before buying one. Drop off those books at the thrift store, sell them, or gift them to someone and then go get only one to replace them.

Read, read, read // Not carving out time to read can make those books sit there. I sometimes feel that reading isn't "productive" enough, so I bypass it. Reading is productive, as long as you aren't ignoring glaring tasks that need to be done. Take the time to sit and enjoy a book for a while!

How do you handle your books?

my currently-reading shelf:

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

2019 reading challenge

Another year finished! I almost completed my reading challenge for 2018 with 42 of 50 books read. It had initially started out as 55 books that I wanted to read, but I knew that wouldn't happen later in the year so I lowered it. You can check out my 2018 in books here!

In 2019, I'd like to read 50 books. I've managed to carve out some time a little better for reading and I've taken a different approach in recent months. I read what I want to read, not what I force myself to read to clear space. It's helped me enjoy the books I choose more. Check out my challenge progress in the widget in the sidebar or at this link.

Be sure to add me on Goodreads so we can connect via books!

Alfons Morales

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book haul // i actually bought new books

This is a pretty groundbreaking post in the book talk category - all of these books were bought brand new. Very rarely do I ever buy new books, but in my defense, I didn't pay retail for any of these. I've been reading like crazy this year so my interest in books has been renewed.

I picked up If the Allies had Fallen on a whim while browsing Barnes & Noble. They usually have a great selection of WWII books in their bargain section. That same trip I picked up Matt Bellassai's Everything is Awful, which I'd been pining over since I started listening to his podcast. I scored it for half off since it had just left the new release table.

Leah Remini's Troublemaker was an order from Books-a-Million with a gift card from Christmas. I've always been morbidly interested in Scientology and I've wanted to get my hands on this for a long time since I'm a big fan of Remini. How Not to Kill Your Houseplants was an Amazon purchase since the reviews were good and I've recently really gotten into houseplants.

Lastly, K picked me up Gizelle's Bucket List by Lauren Fern Watt from the airport one night when I was on my way to get him. (What's better than a man that buys you books?? Nothing.) It's almost guaranteed to make me cry, but it looks really good!

And there we go! I'm super excited to get started on all of these. If you haven't already, add me as a friend on Goodreads! I love seeing what other folks are reading.

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2018 reading challenge

I love to read. However, with my end-of-year schedule, I practically had to pencil in times to sit down and enjoy a book. With 2018 just starting, I decided that I really wanted to buckle down and knock out a reading challenge fully.

This past year was a much better year for reading than 2016, but I'd still like to read even more in the new year. There's been so many new books that have come out that I've been dying to read, but I keep getting stuck in the mindset that I need to go through the actual physical books I have cluttering my bedroom. Instead, I'm going to read the books I want to read instead of the ones I feel the obligation to read. I think that's why I've had so many lulls.

I use Goodreads to keep track of books I've read, want to read, and am currently reading. It's such an invaluable resource if you're a bookworm! You can even participate in an annual reading challenge. For 2018, I've challenged myself to read 55 books. Fingers crossed.



All Bong
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odd little book haul

One evening I was wandering through Dollar General pickup up bleach and sandwich bags and light bulbs when I noticed a book with a cute little pupper on the cover. Upon closer inspection, it was this book that's been on my Amazon Wishlist for forever. Then, on the same shelf six inches away, I found Mariano Rivera's book! Ahh!! As a huge Yankees and Rivera fan, I immediately grabbed this one. It's currently selling on Amazon for $20. Both books were $3 each, a pretty good deal.

You never know where you'll find books!

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thrift haul // books

Lately, I've been doing pretty good with the whole "for the LOVE OF GOD stop buying BOOKS" thing. Honestly, being a member of huge library system really helps. Instead of spending a dollar or two on books, I can just open up the library system's app and see if they have a copy.

That said, clearly, my willpower was on vacation today when I went thrifting. But that's okay, we all make mistakes. I hadn't intended to even look at the books, but my best friend and thrifting partner wasn't with me so I mosied on over and picked up Burnt Toast by Teri Hatcher first, because I've been watching Desperate Housewives lately. I've really been getting into sci-fi lately, so I snagged At Winter's End, which has many pages and very tiny font. I love a good thriller, so The Missing Girl was a random selection and The Plague Dogs, which sounds depressing, has been on my to-read list for a while now. I feel the need to explain Dark Places by Gillian Flynn a little. I absolutely did not like Gone Girl and I was not afraid to tell it. I thought it was written well but it was highly infuriating. However, I try not to let one book ruin my opinion of an author, so I picked this one up.

I'm only 24 books into my 50 of the reading challenge, so I really need to start chugging away on some of these.

These are all non-affiliate links from Thriftbooks, but if you'd like a discount just click here* and we both get one!



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library haul

I recently got a card (again) for a huge library system in the city I work in. It's a little easier to access than my county library and I was eligible for a card since I have one in a surrounding county. Well, I checked out their online catalog and holy cow. SO MANY TITLES. I'm ecstatic! I put a ton of hold and on my to hold later list, but this is my first haul. I've already finished one of these.

Alllll of the graphic novels. They have such a selection and I'm trying a ton of new ones. I've already finished Rat Queens, which was amazing, and I'm going to start on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen next. Y: The Last Man has been on my list for quite some time, and it comes highly praised, even by Stephen King. While I was browsing graphic novels, I stumbled upon The Hospital Suite and added it. Last but certainly not least, A BOOK ON BIGFOOT.

I have so many books I already own and need to read that I tried to stick with graphic novels as they're quick to get through when I want to read but don't have time to sit down for hours like I'd like. Luckily I have a few people to pass my books onto when I'm finished, so hopefully that motivates me to knock out my TBR list.

As usual, all links are Thriftbooks and not affiliate, but use this link* for 15% off and I get a discount, too!

What you reading?

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book talk

Well, I bought my first Agatha Christie novel, Sleeping Murder, which is coincidentally her last. I picked it up at the thrift store for a mere buck. Along with that, I grabbed Stephen King's The Green Mile and Hitchcock's Stories to be Read with the Door Locked. And in my ever growing pile of nutrition reads, I've added What to Eat by Marion Nestle, which is from 2006 but still looks really interesting.

Did I need more books? Absolutely not. But I finally finished Haunted by Palahniuk (which I'm not so sure I liked), so I treated myself to a few cheap thrift store goodies. I finished up a couple smaller eBooks, too, which can be found on my Goodreads page.

I've been toying with the idea of rereading the Harry Potter series again for the 19th (probably no exaggeration) time, but I haven't decided if I want to do that or knock out some more of my TBR pile. I really need to downsize this massive collection of books I have if I want to move at any point in the next year.

I've started linking all of the books to Thriftbooks because they cater to secondhand books. None of the above are affiliate links, but if you'd like 15% off your purchase, use this link* and I'll get a discount, too. :)

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recent book finds

On the way out to Tennessee, I realized I'd forgotten to bring my book to read. A bookworm's worst nightmare! Luckily for me, my favorite secondhand bookstore was having a half off sale so I ran down and snagged a few books. For ten dollars, I got all of these! Candles Burning was completed by Tabitha King after Michael McDowell passed away and I was excited to spot it, as it will be my first T. King novel. As a Yankees fan, I quickly grabbed Pinstripe Empire and added it to my pile, and ever the horror fan, I picked up Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural, along with The Sentinel, which has been on my TBR for a while now. Ghost Hunters seems like it'll be a nice read and I'm always interested in the paranormal.

If you're interested in any of the above titles, get them secondhand via Thriftbooks with this link* and we'll both get 15% off!

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thrift haul: books

I continually moan and groan about how large my To Be Read pile has gotten, but I repeatedly scope the books out every time I got to a thrift store. I've gotten better about only picking up books I really want or I've been looking for, though. I snagged these two books for $1.49 each!

A couple years ago I gave my mom a copy of The China Study* and I've been wanting to read it ever since. Now I can! And of course, as a Yankees and memoir fan, I had to pick up Bat Boy*.

These haven't been started yet as I'm still working my way through Haunted* (that's a slow go) and I started Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, too.

I linked all of these to Amazon, but if you don't mind secondhand books and want a discount, check them out on Thriftbooks* and get 15% off!


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currently: reading

I've been really slowly making my way through a couple books here lately. I finished A Head Full of Ghosts* by Paul Tremblay earlier in the year, which was a great read if you're into horror and thrillers. I'm currently working on a couple books, The Stand* by Stephen King and Haunted* by Chuck Palahnuik, which are both at slow spots, but I'm still chugging along.

Did you know that the cover for Haunted glows in the dark? I didn't until I woke up at 3am one morning to a glowing face in bed next to me. It was terrifying and I didn't realize what is was until my sleepy brain had cleared. Just a heads up.

My TBR stash is growing and I need to get it under control. I have an entire two bins of books to read and send to new homes. There are quite a few little informative ebooks I've gotten into that need to be finished, and I really need to clean up my 'currently reading' list on Goodreads. I'm very behind on my 2017 reading challenge.

Speaking of Goodreads, are we friends on there yet? :)



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thrifted: book haul & reading update

I have a problem. I can't stop thrifting books. My TBR pile is overflowing, I have books stashed everywhere, and still I buy cheap books.

Anywho, here's what I picked up in my latest thrift store visit. Let's start with the bad: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Sigh. I know. I bought it because it had such a cult following, and even though reviews are terrible, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. Prey by Michael Crichton is one I've been meaning to read after reading Jurassic Park. I've become quite the little Crichton fan, but I'm still slowly working my way through The Lost World, so I'm not sure when I'll start this. Laughter in the Dark by Nabokov was one I hemmed and hawed over in the aisle. I'm still not sure about it.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub comes highly recommended by Stephen King. We all know I'm a massive Stephen King fan, so I immediately snatched this one off the shelf. He could probably recommend reading boot tracks in dirt and I'd do it.

What am I currently reading? The Lost World by Michael Crichton, which is dragging on and on, The Stand by Stephen King, and The Passage by Justin Cronin. I've not had much time to sit and read, but I get a few pages done here and there.

Are we friends on Goodreads yet?

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thrifted books & my reading list

When I took a trip up to see Jess, we stopped by McKay Used Books and I grabbed some titles. Here they are!



I've been really slacking on my reading lately, and with so many books on my reading list, I've only managed to skim Destiny Turns the Wheel. I hadn't seen Blaze in stores before, so I snagged that and The Talisman. I've read Black House and was a little lost, so I'm excited to read this one and be filled in.

Currently I'm reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (which you can get free on iBooks!) and I hope to read The Wide Window #3 by Lemony Snicket soon. I think my "to read" list changes every time I make write one of these posts, so who knows what book I'll really be reading next,

Add me as a friend on Goodreads! I love seeing what everyone is reading.

books - what i'm reading and what i have planned to read

My reading has come all but to a standstill. I've been crazy busy at the store, so I'm usually exhausted and just want to social media surf when I get home. Half the time I don't even bother pulling my laptop out!

However, I've gotten a little bit of reading done. I don't think I'll meet my Reading Challenge on Goodreads (that I changed from 50 to 30 books a few months ago. Sigh.), but reading a smidge is better than not reading.

I just finished The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson and it was fantastic. My friend, Jessica, gave me a copy. I'm a huge fan of easy YA reads; they're pleasant and you don't have to wrack your brain to understand a twist. Eva Ibbotson can spin some great fantasy stories. Island of the Aunts is another of her works that I love.

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher is an ebook I caught on special for free a few weeks ago - I'm about halfway through. It's written well, but doesn't quite hold my interest enough to be un-put-downable. It's not that it's slow, I just really want to know what's going on. Okay...it's a little slow.

I started The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells one night ages ago when I couldn't sleep, I started it and I have yet to go back to it. Not for lack of interest, I just have to be in the mood for certain books. Is anyone else like that?

Normally I don't like to take on more than a couple books at once, but I'm super excited to start a couple more - a thrifted copy of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), Witch & Wizard by James Patterson - I read a sample on my Nook and finally managed to thrift a copy, and Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, that I picked up used at Riverby downtown.

In other book news, did you know that enhanced editions of Harry Potter are now on iBooks?! How awesome! Here's the press info on it from October.

I'm always open for book recs, so feel free to send some over! (And add me as a friend on Goodreads!)

 

         

           

         

       

book list: to read

I have quite the extensive book collection. No, it's not filled with priceless antique books, however, I am continually adding to this collection (usually at a rate far faster than my reading rate). I pick up most of my books from thrift stores or my favorite local seller. While in town today, I stopped by the bazaar to check out said favorite local seller's latest wares, and found a couple little gems.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough // This book has been on my Goodreads shelf for a while, and I held out long enough to find it secondhand. It isn't my normal genre of books I tend to read, but I've heard good things.

Different Seasons by Stephen King // It's becoming increasingly hard to find pieces of King's work that I haven't read or own with the intent to read, but this is one of them.

Living with the Kennedys: The Joan Kennedy Story by Marcia Chellis // I'm probably the least political person (though I do identify as Libertarian), but I am a complete sucker for political books. I've got about seven lined up, but couldn't pass this one up.

Let's be friends on Goodreads!

latest thrift find - books

(Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business / The Mermaid Chair/ Star in the Storm/ They Eat Puppies, Don't They?: A Novel / Pride and Prejudice/ Animals in the Family (could not find online)  / Dogs Never Lie About Love : Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs)

I've always been a sucker for books. I read constantly - it's my way of beating anxiety and relaxing. Bored? Read a book. Worried about something you have no control over? Read a book. The list goes on.

I found these pictured at Goodwill. I think I'm most excited about Dolly's! I picked up Pride and Prejudice because, honestly, I've never really read any of the "classics". Yeah, pretty terrible. I really loved The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, so I grabbed The Mermaid Chair in the hopes that it's just as good. And, of course, I'm a sucker for all things animals, especially dogs.

Do you have any favorite thrifted books?