I had a great weekend, which involved a lot of shopping, and you can guess that also meant book shopping.

Back story: Best friend C came into town, and we spent Saturday exploring book stores. She was looking specifically for books about music for children. We looked in good ole Barnes and Noble, but didn’t find much. She did find out about an educator discount card, though. I think all my teacher friends should sign up for that! C is also working on a reading list that alternates a contemporary read with a classic. So, we also looked for affordably priced classics. And we decided that, together, we will read Lolita and Reading Lolita in Tehran, which fits into the classic/contemporary pattern. We then decided to move on to a used book store, since classics can be found everywhere.

Katz Alley is new in Redlands on the corner of Sixth and Redlands Blvd. If you park as if you’re going to Augie’s, walk the other way to Katz Alley. They have a ton of books, but they have just opened, so they’re working on an organization system. I would give it a couple of weeks, but they have a great collection, and the paperbacks in the back room are only a quarter, as I understand it. We didn’t find Lolita, but we did find a lot of other great books.

As a kid, I read and loved Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It was one of the books that I read multiple times. My sister’s class read The Giver by Lowry, and I never got to it. I believe she really liked it, but by then I was “beyond” reading that type of literature. Well, now I’m not. I suggested both to C,  which she bought for a whopping 50 cents. I will also be reading The Giver, which I am hoping to find at the library across the street. I am learning to take more advantage of these resources, especially in my time of unemployment.

I’m excited at the prospect of reading new things with a friend along for the ride. I’m excited for used bookstores, book exchanges, and libraries!

PS- I’m also excited for the other shopping we did, with two more friends, H and R: wedding dresses! No pictures though, no buying, but really fun and possibly more exciting than book shopping!