More and More Books!

I went on a book-buying spree today thanks to the lovely gift certificates I got for Christmas from various relatives. At first, it took a little while for me to get out of the frame of mind of "only $20 in your pocket," and thankfully I had plenty of time to browse. I chose three books and thought, "Okay, that has probably wiped out my money." But then, much to my surprise, I recalled that I had $100 to spend on books if I so desired!! Fifty of those dollars being in gift certificates and the other fifty in loose cash, but I was determined to save my loose cash for something more special (I ended up using $10 of it on books, naturally). After 2 hours of browsing, I came away with 6 new titles, they being:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (I needed to replace my paperback copy)
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• Ranger's Apprentice: Erak's Ransom by John Flanagan (only 3 more to buy!)
• Selected Works of Benjamin Franklin
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
• The Crimes of Jack the Ripper by Paul Roland

The latter may seem a strange book to spend one's money on, but I need it for research purposes. A later story in my series will feature my own Jack the Ripper, and I need a good book on him. This particular one is quite fascinating. It has newspaper articles, illustrations, photos, manuscripts from the inquests, and many other valuable facts. Exactly what I needed! But certainly not a mealtime read.

I still have $40 in my pocket, and I intend to save that for when I go to a local used bookstore that sells nice-condition hardbacks for really good prices.

Cheers!