22 September 2009

happy book finds

Twas my first time yesterday to scour DeSlegte, a bookshop for 2nd hand books, with branches all over Belgium and Holland. What I originally intended to be a trip for the little one's fun workbooks became more a trip for my own fun books. :)Back at home, I remember being surrounded by colleagues who have this exceptional talent for finding great and rare books for the cheapest prices. It's a source of pride for them. And I like watching them enjoy it.
I don't have that talent. Well, at least not for books! But I somehow felt the same enjoyment when I got the following:

The Consolations of Philosophy I first encountered this book in 2001 while I was assisting a professor in Ateneo on the course Philosophy of the Human Person. If you're specializing in Philosophy, this is not exactly the scholarly read that you might be looking for. But if you're the kind who's getting tired of all the psych self-help books around you, this book might give you a fresh perspective. It's an attempt of the author to use philosophical insights as guide to daily living. Got this one for 6 €.

Autobiography of a Fat Bride Was looking for a book that's just pure entertainment-humorous without having to squeeze your brains out to get it. I thought I would be spending hours and hours queueing up at the city hall today. A funny book would stop me from getting bored and from starting to reflect on the whole complex question on national borders and walls. True enough, the book was as entertaining as its cover. Too bad, I only waited for 15 minutes (they finally fixed the system for renewing residence permits here). I only got to the 3rd page. Will try to finish this over the weekend. This one's for 4 €.

The Beginner's Cookbook Thought Lakay and I could use some basic tutorial on cooking rather than just rely on the chamba-chamba good food we get to make. Looks like this one would help. It mentions details that a cooking plebe wouldn't have any inkling on--which knife to use for what, which pot or pan, how to cut and prepare this and that. It also has very simple recipes that one can work around with. If 6 months from now I start talking like an expert chef, then this book is worth your while. Got this for 6€.

The Recipe Deck:Soups and Stews This is a box of recipe cards on soups and stews- a good way to meet another 9 months of cold. It still had its plastic packaging so it looked as good as new. Why I bought it? The box said: Portable-Designed to take shopping in your pocket, purse, or briefcase (made a mental note to write down Dutch translations to the recipes :). It also said: Durable-Beautifully printed on sturdy paper with a wipe-clean surface. (It's really meant to inspire me to organize my kitchen). and Convenient- Includes a Contents cards to help you pick the perfect recipe. (Will hopefully give me a quick insight on what to cook after a quick look at the contents of my fridge.) This one 8 €.

As I searched amazon for links to this entry, I noticed that the prices online are sometimes way cheaper than what I got them for. Told you I don't have that talent!

But at least I walked out of the bookstore smiling. And oh, by the way, I also got my little one a Tweenies workbook.

4 comments:

Ruthie said...

hahah amazon is cheap but you have to consider cost of shipping and the time it takes to get to you, so i think you find good ones :-) can't wait to settle down in alaska and look for books too

Socraticmom said...

well, that's comforting to know. good luck in alaska. you sure will find lots of things to do indoors when you have good books around.

Michael Shawn Keller said...

Autobiography of a fat bride was too funny...good choice. I just searched ebay and could not find it? I love your blog, it is really helpful and uplifting.
mike keller
author
www.lifeinaweek.com

Socraticmom said...

Hi. Thank you for your compliment. It uplifted me too. :) I hope you do get to find your own copy of the book. I can't wait for the weekend to come so I can finally get my hands on it.