Bargain Book Bonanza (13): Scholastic Book Fair Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

BBB is the place to showcase all the great books (new, used, vintage, electronic, audio) that you have scored on sale.

Each Monday through Thursday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Lesa is hosting this week!


Hi, friends! Remember the colorful Scholastic Book Fair truck from two months awhile back? 

Have you been waiting with bated breath to see what I bought? 

Well, don't pass out! Breathe, book peeps, breathe! 

  You may not have noticed this but I frequently fall into serendipitous BBB  adventures that demand immediate feature status.  Oh, you did notice.  Well, not to worry-- all bargain books will get a turn in the spotlight.     

 The Scholastic Book Fair always offers an interesting selection but this time I  settled on only four bargain books...

May Bird and The Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson
May Bird Among The Stars by Jodi Lynn Anderson
(A girl who is different discovers a land of ghosts, ghouls and creepy things.  Can she find a  way out?)

The Anybodies by N.E. Bode   
(Fern is happy to learn that she was swapped at birth and isn't really a boring Drudger. What happens when she spends the summer with her birth father?   The synopsis promises suspense, intrigue, mystery, fairies and magic so I overlooked the ripped cover-- besides it was only fifty cents.)

Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman
(Such a cute picture book and the illustrations are so funny. Look for this one in a future Storytime post.)

Have you read any of these?

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!



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Lagniappe:

The next two aren't bargains but that is okay since buying books helps the school get free library books from Scholastic.

My little boy, Talon, always gets to buy his own book from the book fair. This time he chose an easy reader picture book, Hotwheels Volcano Blast. Considering how many times we've read it at bedtime, I'd say he is very pleased with his purchase.  

In secret, I chose Spongebob Comic Crazy for Talon's Easter basket. It has eleven funny stories and is a big hit. (And it is so much better than our hand me down Lightning McQueen comic book that has stories to nowhere)

Don't forget to check out your local school's fall and spring Scholastic Book Fairs-- especially if you prefer giving books as gifts. And there are bookmarks, pens, erasers, posters, gadgets, games and adult books too... 





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Mrs. Baja's Gift Shop: Pride & Prejudice Inspired Gifts

Wedding season begins soon. And what does that mean? Eternal love? Beautiful memories? A happy couple? 

Noooo.


It means it is bridal shower time...and THAT, my friends, means GIFTS!  The more thoughtful, the better.

And if your friend just so happens to be an ardent admirer of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, then perhaps we shall come up with something quite agreeable.


Whether the bride-to-be fancies herself the beautiful and demure Jane, or playful Lizzie, with her sharp tongue and fine eyes, you can easily put together a gift that will quite suit her fancy! (If she thinks she is one of the other sisters...hmm. Then skip this and get her a make over.)


A trademark of Jane and Lizzie's relationship are their letters. What P & P devotee wouldn't love some lovely stationery?



So cheerful, don't you think?



And when writing about their chance encounters with Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy, dearest Jane and Lizzy likely drank a cup of tea. And so should the bride as she writes her thank you notes.




Chamomile, to calm the nerves....lavender is always good too.









Perhaps a few biscuits with her tea, if she is famished.



And what blushing bride doesn't need a P&P inspired nightgown? I am quite sure the Bennett sisters would find this acceptable.



Doesn't that look soooo comfy?

 The sun can be such an enemy to genteel ladies. They might freckle! That will never do! A sunblock that protects the skin, regardless of their shade, is a must! Especially when touring castles and mansions!




Take care of that gorgeous face!



Now, the honeymoon will be over soon enough. And what will fill her days (after work, cleaning the house, and paying bills)? Your dearest friend will need a book, of course! Because after all, there is no enjoyment like reading!


And not just any book! Only the complete works of Jane Austen will do!




The fairer sex may need help holding this book!


Jane and Lizzie carried their dried flowers in baskets. But what a lovely way to present your gift, don't you think?




A lovely gift in itself.

 
Upon my word, I do think these ideas must be acceptable to you, especially when tempered with a thorough reading of Pride and Prejudice, which these suggestions will inevitably interest.


With that I leave you, dear ones. Please enjoy the gift-giving and those warm summer weddings.  And don't forget your gloves!

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Storytime Challenge: Meet the Dinosaurs by Dino Don Lessem

First, let me apologize at the very BOYISH ongoing theme. Although I do have a little girl, she is only two, and her tastes are formed very much by her boisterous older brothers! They are interested in dinosaurs and Legos and...well...things that smell...







I am amazed at the interest given to dinosaurs and the memory they have for dino-details. Use soap when you wash your hands, not oft remembered, but use the word "pterodactyl" and listen to a ten minute lecture on why that's not really the right word.



My dad got several in the series of dinosaurs by Don Lessem for my kiddos. He got these books for my older son, but they are being read to my younger son too. Every night. Each and every night. Sigh.

They are pretty interesting, actually. Enough fighting, poop commentary, and pictures to keep kids (boys) interested, and enough interesting facts to keep me from banging my head against the wall the 20th time I read it.

Of course, with dinosaurs, so much is theory and even since these were printed more discoveries have come to light that slightly outdates these books. The books do explain some of the past theories that were incorrect. I use that as a springboard to discuss experimenting, theories, research, etc. 

I read this to my 6 year old, but my 10 year old still likes to listen and look at the pictures occasionally. In the front of the book it lists the dinosaurs in the book, how to pronounce the name, its size, and time and location. At the back of the book is a glossary of unfamiliar words. Most of the names have their origins or meanings explained in the book.


This is not a story book, but the author does put the dinosaurs in likely situations and describes what may have happened and what they may have looked like. 


This is also not an early reader. Young children will definitely need to be read to or helped with the vocabulary. BUT if you want to motivate young paleontologists to read on their own, this is a good series to dangle in front of them.

I would say it is good for ages seven to nine to read on their own, five or six being read to. Much younger and it may be too difficult to understand, much older and it may a bit boring for more than an occasional read.



All in all, a nice series. Informative and entertaining. 

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Bargain Book Bonanza (12): Surprise at the Mall Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

BBB is the place to showcase all the great books (new, used, vintage, electronic, audio) that you have scored on sale.

Each Monday through Thursday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Lesa is hosting this week!


Last summer, I was saddened to see gaping holes where the Waldenbooks used to be in all the malls around here.


  And last October, the costume store set up shop in the empty space at one mall. Too sad seeing the bookstore signs still up on the wall but no books...  

Malls aren't really my thing anymore but yesterday I just happened to be strolling through the Arrowhead Mall in Muskogee seeking in vain for a particular pair of sandals (and missing the bookstore) when I spotted a most wondrous sight!!! 

Thousands of books! And all thoughts of footwear fled my mind...


Could the mall be getting a new bookstore? A Half-Price Books perhaps?  Aw, no such luck but something just as good albeit of short duration. Can you guess?

A library book sale!! In the mall! Isn't that funny-- and so wonderfully serendipitous. Thanks, Serendipity Fairy!

The prices:
Hardbacks $1
Paperbacks .25

And another Bargain Book Bonanza was born...

Here is what I scored:

From the children's section:

Katie John by Mary Calhoun

Hound-Dog Man by Fred Gipson (author of Old Yeller and I sure hope no hounds bite the dust!)

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Yes, another Caddie but this one is a hardback and it has illustrations! And owning multiple copies of the same book is perfectly okay, isn't it Jillian. ;o)


From the adult section:

Kingsblood Royal by Sinclair Lewis (there is a reason I want to read Sinclair and I hope to post about that sometime)

Showboat by Edna Ferber (Yep, the novel the musical was adapted from. Love the dustjacket cover and the price tag reads: $2.95. Don't you wish new hardbacks still sold at such low prices? The back cover promotes a completely different  author... funny.)

The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter

Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories by John Updike

Never read works by either of these authors but I do like to dabble...

Have you read any by these two?

Oooo, sci-fi!

Gibbon's Decline and Fall by Sheri S. Tepper
Shadow's End by Sheri S. Tepper
 I've been wanting to read more of Sheri S. Tepper's clever and thought provoking books.

Starfarers by Poul Anderson

Metamorphosis by David Saperstein (a sequel to Cocoon!)

And the grand finale....

One of the best science thrillers of all time!! Jillian's recent enthusiastic Jurassic Park post made me all nostalgic so of course I nabbed this paperback.

Twelve books for-- $11.25? Nope, halfway through my perusing a librarian announced all books were half off!  Yippee! My haul ended up only costing $5 since the librarian rounded down in my favor.

Love those librarians and love library book sales!

 If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!








  

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Bargain Book Bonanza (11): Jane Austen Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

BBB is the place to showcase all the great books (new, used, vintage, electronic, audio) that you have scored on sale.

Each Monday through Thursday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Lesa is hosting this week!

Oh, brave bargain book lovers, don't wince! 

After last week's marathon BBB, I wouldn't blame you for being gun-shy but I promise to be brief... brevity is the soul of wit, after all.  Ha! If that is true,  I must appear a real lackwit on a regular basis! 

So a promise is a promise, this BBB consists solely of one single solitary book. Yep, one. But there is a catch...  

This book is a three-fer! Three Jane Austen novels in one volume! Just can't quit my cheating ways, eh Leslie? 

So where did I find this hefty little jewel?

At an actual antique store with antique store prices. 

We are such hooligans in antique stores that I always try to purchase at least a small something--- thank goodness, I spotted this inexpensive book!  

Typically, I would never pay $4.50 for a used book at my usual thrifty haunts but this one appears unread and divvied up between three novels--not bad.

The selection of novels is ideal! I owned none of these and I've never read Northanger Abbey (saw the 2007 film).

Don't you just love the cameo on the cover?

 And this book is delightfully illustrated-- you know how I love picture books!

Both of these illustrations come from Sense and Sensibility.



Look at that lush garden-- This gardener has no business lamenting!

I am so pleased to find this book. Now I only have to hunt for Mansfield Park.

Do you own all the Jane Austen novels?

Thanks for reading!

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

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