My mom & I went to the Trinity Sale yesterday, otherwise known as the 'we put all the extra books in boxes under the table so you can get your exercise' sale. This sale in particular has a strange vibe to it that the others don't, and I don't think that's just because of the boxes. In any case, I found just two books, as follows:

John Berger - G.

My favorite living author's Booker winner from the early 70s. It's got sex, art, Italy - I'm really looking forward to reading it. He should get the Nobel, but I don't know if they would give it to a Marxist. Hmmm...

Victorian Women Poets 1830-1900 an anthology edited by Jennifer Breen

As you know, I'm looking for a book with the Brontes' poems in it - preferably one with nothing but - however in the meantime I have this dandy volume, from 1994. The poetry section at Trinity was, when I got there, not exactly hopping, but nevertheless there was someone box-digging for poetry.

The whole Trinity experience was a lesson from the Tao - follow my instincts and don't push too hard. I had no excitement to whip up over the books I saw (was able to see), though I hope to go back on the last day, when everything's half price and maybe something will turn up...

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago I went to Word on the Street (oui, enfin) and then went to the Victoria College Sale. It was a hot day and I had been hanging out with friends, so I was glad to use the elevator to look around, though in the end I found both books on the main floor (the cookbooks upstairs being meh for the most part).

Again, I only found two books at Vic:

Stephen Russell - The Barefoot Doctor's Guide To the Tao: A Spiritual Handbook for the Urban Warrior

You've got your Tao Te Ching, sure, but does it really help you get through your crazy urban life? This book is immensely helpful in breaking the tao down (as if it ever could be, but on the other hand, the tao probably wouldn't mind), plus it has exercises of various kinds. I had a root canal this week and was mostly okay about it body-wise because of proper breathing. Proper breathing is, as far as I can tell, half the battle in most situations.

Christopher Marlowe - The Complete Poems and Translations

Marlowe's always been in the back of my mind as someone I should know more about in general - he had, even for the time, a short life (1564-93) and was most definitely a man of whom it could be said, "Everywhere he goes, people say damn." Indeed. He was murdered, for what reason I don't know - I hope to visit his burial place, if I can. The first punk? Could be, could be...

And now, back to the rest of the books I got at UC...

Joe Whitlock Blundell & Roger Hudson - The Immortals: London's Finest Statues

In which the snobtastic Blundell & Hudson go around snobtastic London passing judgment on their favorite statues. And I've hardly seen any of them, beyond this book. London apparently has more statues than anywhere else - and most of them are, yeah, pretty good. Great, even. Lucky for me there's a map inside so I can find Abraham Lincoln, Boadicea, etc. Eros will be easy enough to find (though come to think of it, I haven't walked by Piccadilly in a loooooong time.)

Andrew Rawnsley - Servants of the People

This is a very deep look into the first term of Tony Blair's New Labour government, which started out all sunshine, rainbows and lollipops and quickly became like any other - it is interesting to see how things worked, how the Blair-Brown rivalry was both good and bad...very good, so far (I'm reading it).

Jane Green - Jemima J.

Towards the end of the sale, when the books are free (for volunteers), I am liable to pick up anything, if I sense I can learn something from the book. Some of you might think, oooh, Stereogirl likes chicklit? Well, yes. Up to a point. By definition I can't read books that are by Candace Bushnell or Sophie Kinsella, but I am willing to take a chance with a writer whose heroine is a big girl (bigger than me!) who of course has all together now self-esteem problems. I doubt if this will be as good as Bridget Jones's Diary, but then I don't have that anymore - and since I got this for free, I may not keep this once I've read it.

A. Vernon Lovegrove - Summit Book of Home Decorating

Comes a time when a girl needs a book that will tell her how to paint a wall, hang wallpaper, varish wood, etc. This is a nice small book (British - with that name, could it be anything else?) and when/if I have to do any of these things, I will be ready.