Part two of our consumerist – nay, charitable – tour of what I found at the book sale. The first post covered the left column of books, and here I’ll go over the right column. This year's #tcbooksale #BookHaul! I did donate one more book than I bought, so overall I'm still in credit… A post shared by Rob McMillan (@mcmillan) on May 6, 2018 at 12:09pm PDT The Go-Away Bird and Other Stories by Muriel Spark Last year I read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Driver’s Seat, and I have basically decided to read everything she’s written now. Which is actually quite a lot, with twenty-two…

Our favourite book sale has come and gone. A couple of weeks ago I donated a large number of books and have basically bought the same amount back, so the circle of life continues. This year's #tcbooksale #BookHaul! I did donate one more book than I bought, so overall I'm still in credit… A post shared by Rob McMillan (@mcmillan) on May 6, 2018 at 12:09pm PDT This is a big list of books, so I thought I’d split this into a couple posts. This first one will go over the pile on the left. A Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes I was looking for this last year…

Books Acquired: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan Noir by Christopher Moore Books Read: My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Stir by Jessica Fechtor Paper Girls, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher We have our annual used book sale this weekend, the one I cleared some shelves for earlier in the month, so I wasn’t planning to pick up anything new in April, but Christopher Moore released a new book and I’m weak. I really enjoy his novels, and this is his comedic…

My favourite annual book sale is just around the corner, and this weekend we gathered up some books for donation. I went through my shelves and basically grabbed everything I wasn’t excited to read. Some of these I may pick up again in the future, or listen to on audiobook, but I thought it would be good to clear out some shelf space and mental clutter. Books donated today for the Times Colonist's annual charity book drive. Clearing out unread books I dont see myself picking up in the next couple of years. Ended up keeping The Accidental Tourist and The Man Called Noon at the last minute. A post…

What a wreck of a year that was. While the world slowly crumbled down around us, I personally had quite a good time. We travelled a bit, spending a week in London and three weeks in Australia, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. I feel like I lost my drive for a bit there in the beginning, but the second half went much better. The year went in the opposite direction reading-wise, with a strong start and a lackluster end. My interest in both reading books and writing about them took a hit at the end of the summer and didn’t really come back until recently. For the next time this…

Books Acquired: The Happy Numbers of Julius Miles by Jim Keeble The Amateur Emigrant/The Silverado Squatters by Robert Louis Stevenson My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci I Am the Wolf: Lyrics and Writings by Mark Lanegan If We All Spat at Once They’d Drown: Drawings About Class by Sam Wallman Dear Writer Revisited by Carmel Bird Law School: Sex and Relationship Advice by Benjamin Law, Jenny Phang Pickled: Pickles, Vinegars, Kimchi and More by Freddie Janssen Appetite by Nigel Slater #takedown by David Blumenstein Books Read: Mortality by Christopher Hitchens Nod by Adrian Barnes The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark I always have big plans to read on vacation, but…

Our favourite book sale has once again come and gone. Sometimes I’m sad that it’s only a once a year event, but then I look at our bookshelves quivering on the edge of failure, and I remember why it’s probably for the best. A local newspaper here has been running this event for the last twenty years, and it’s always a nice reminder that there’s still a love of books out there. Saturday and Sunday the sale is open to everyone, with books ranging between $1 and $3. On Monday, it’s open to schools and non-profit organizations to take what they want for free. Any remaining books are then sold…

Lee-Ann and I just returned from a week and a half in Seattle and Portland. We started in Seattle, which is just a couple of hours on a ferry for us, and spent the weekend attending Pax West, a huge video game conference. We met up with some friends we haven’t seen in ages, and it was a great weekend. Afterwards we took the train to Portland. We wanted to see the city, but I’d be lying if I said Powell’s Books wasn’t a big draw. We had a fantastic week, full of good food and city wandering, and we bought an awful lot of books. I’ll go more into…

It’s that special time of year again. Christmas, you ask? No, much better than that. This weekend was the 19th annual used book here in Victoria. Every year they receive thousands of books by donation and sell them for one to three dollars. The proceeds go towards local literacy programs, and any remaining books are then made available for schools to pick up for free. This means guilt-free book shopping! I also donated about nine of my own books, so I don’t even really have to worry about space. The only book I really had in mind going in was Tooth & Nail by Ian Rankin, as his books are…