The Portage District Library had a book sale yesterday. They have six of them a year, but for some strange reason, I seem able to only get to about half of them. It’s always a lot of fun, and you can pick up some great bargains. Most paperbacks are three for a dollar, hardcovers are $1.00 (I think) and there are some specially priced books.

I picked up thirty books for only $12. When you’re building up a classroom or home library, these library book sales are a terrific resource. Here’s just some of what I got:

• Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
• The Sky Fisherman by Craig Lesley — I’ve heard some good things about this book, so I’m looking forward to reading it.
• Angela’s Ashes — Frank McCourt — Can you believe I’ve never read this one? No excuses now…
• Gift from the Sea — Anne Morrow Lindbergh — I had never even heard of this one.
• Who Killed Palomino Molero? by Mario Vargas Llosa
• Vinegar Hill by A Manette Ansay — Wasn’t sure if I had this on the shelf at home or not. Turns out I now have two copies on the shelf.
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg — I will probably pass this on to my mom, since she liked the movie version so much.
• Snow Falling on Cedars — by David Guterson
• Working by Studs Terkel — Remember all the controversy over this back in the Pittsburgh school system? And I got a like-new copy for 33 cents!
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns — Because I like Southern writers
• Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts — I read this years ago when a friend lent it to me, and really liked it. Now I have a copy I can lend to people.
• The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
• The Best American Poetry 1999, edited by Robert Bly — because you can never have enough poetry.
• The Best American Poetry 2001, edited by Robert Hass — no, you really can’t.
• Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo — I read this and liked it (see my review) and now my students can read it too.
• Holes by Louis Sachar — So much better than the movie, although the movie wasn’t bad.
• Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen
• The Report Card by Andrew Clements
• Rascal by Sterling North — A classic that has aged well.
• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett — Can’t wait to read this one.

Plus, I also got some books on Norse Mythology, an anthology of classic fantasy short stories, and some books by William Glasser.

You can get the schedule for their upcoming sales (Oct 2 and Dec 4) from their website, or visit my calendar where I keep track of these things.

And here’s the pic. I didn’t realize until I edited the photo that there was so much reflection. Sorry!