Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

As I mentioned in my last post, one of the local used bookstores (that I had never been to, so yes I was part of the problem) is closing up shop. I debated for about half a second on whether or not I'd go this weekend to check it out. Yeah, I held out that long. Who would have thunk it? I'm glad I went, because it turns out I scored quite a few goodies (yes, clicking on the picture will make it larger for you Nosy Noras):

I scored 26 books for less than $50, which as you smarty math types know works out to be less than $2 per book. Pretty sweet eh?

Now for the So. Cal. Bloggers, all of whom are spread out over a fairly large geographic area. The Bookman in Huntington Beach is going to be open another couple of months. It might be worth the trip for some of you, depending on what's on your shopping list. If your TBB only has books that are less than 6 months old? Yeah, not worth the trip. Most of what I scored was "older," although I did find several 2008 releases.

Now there was quite a bit of old school romance, complete with bodice-ripping covers. So if you go for nostalgia, then definitely worth a look. Also, their collection of Harlequin series titles is very, very good. I only found a couple of SuperRomance titles I was looking for, but did very well on Silhouette Special Editions. They still had a ton of titles from the old Temptation line (sigh, I miss that line!), and their collection of Silhouette Desires was also quite good. So if you're a Harlequin junkie like I am, it's definitely worth a trip since they were selling them for $1 a piece this weekend (and one can presume that the price might drop as this liquidation goes on).

So if you're looking for historicals and Harlequins? Might be worth the trip. At the very least, it was a fun a treasure hunt and I spent several minutes gawking at old school romance cover art. You know, the ones where the heroines have more hair than Chewbacca and the heroes must be dirt poor because all of their shirts are torn and tattered. Ha!

13 comments:

JenB said...

Book close-out sales are dangerous for me. DAN-GER-OUS. I don't know how you got out of there with fewer than 50 books. I applaud your self-control.

I also envy that big ol' stack of cheap books.

Anna said...

Ooh it looks like you got some good ones there. I haven't been to the Used book store in a long time. It's always a dangerous place to go. LOL! Especially since everything is half price, how can you pass that up. :D

Tracy said...

lol You're so funny. Here I was expecting a post about Oliver Twist! :) I should have known it was more BOOKS you wanted.

I'm not sure I could go to the sale - even though it's incredibly tempting. I just have so many books in my tbr it's frightening me and I know I would be a-grabbing everything in sight.

Looks like you got some great books! Good to hear it was worth the trip.

Kati said...

Oh! Fun! There's a UBS at the beach that my family frequents (which is genius, who isn't looking for a good book to read on vacation?!). They have a HUGE romance section (again, no surprise there). I love, love, love going in there because they always have some awesome old school stuff. Last time I was there, I bought a box of HP for $20. There were about 40 books in there. I really only read HP at the beach, but man, I can blow through three a day.

I'm not a Nosy Nora, so I didn't click on the picture, but anything you're particularly pleased with??

Amanda said...

Holy Moly!!! That is a lot of books in one go LOL.

All look good, I haven't read any of them but I have looked at the blurbs and looks like you got some great ones lucky you!!

But I don't think I would be allowed anywhere near a UBS closing down sale I am dangerous enough without that. And judging by the amount of books I have bought this past week maybe better if I don't hit the stores for a while yet!

But for you happpy reading!

Maili said...

Those Bonnie Vanak hists are nice finds. :)

Last two or three years, I religiously avoid bookshops (second-hand or not) because I have no self-control. I only have enough to walk past without going in. I won't even look at the shop window (am not that heroic or strong).

But when it goes out of business? My God, I'd be like a wild boar-- with a credit card in its mouth-- on a frenzied rampage.

This makes me such a vulture, for only showing up during their dying moments to pick off whatever they have left. Would be a different story if I were a regular, but I usually am not.

Stupid thinking, I know. :D

Wendy said...

I always get in trouble at these close-out sales when I wander near the Harlequins. That's where I tend to do the most damage. This trip was a drop in the bucket - truly. When The Book Baron closed in Anaheim? Holy moly! LOL

To answer Kati's question - I was particularly pleased with how many "gothic"-sounding titles I scored. Gothics fill a nostalgia niche for me - so I was happy to get the Lydia Joyce's and Jennifer St. Gile's......

Wendy said...

Maili: Only one of those Vanak titles was on my TBB. The other was an impulse buy. I had a couple of those this trip. I've been on kind of a historical kick lately, and at half price I figured I could afford to take a chance.

My UBS-trips have dropped off considerably in the last couple of years. These days what I don't score at various conferences, or at work, I tend to buy new. Also, I could read out of my TBR for the next 10 years and never run out of reading material.

But I just can't say no to a going out of business sale. Which makes me a vulture - but damn, I can't help myself!

Robin said...

Oh, The Bookman is closing. Bummer.

Wendy said...

Robin: As far as I know - just the Huntington Beach location. They still have their store in Orange.

nath said...

Great haul and great deal, Wendy!! You were sooo lucky! LOL, not that I want the UBS around me to close down, but I would like them to lower their price a bit...

LOL, now you have just to figure out a time to read them :)

Wendy said...

Nath:
At this point....I'll get them read sometime during the next century! Ha!

nath said...

LOL, I guess at this point, who cares when you're going to read them, the point was that they were cheap :P