BHE (12): Home Away From Home

Hey everyone! I was on a “no book-buying” streak for quite some time now. Recently, though, I found myself splurging at Barnes & Noble, located at the Otay Ranch Town Center in Eastlake, Chula Vista, CA. Before I share the ones I bought from my beloved B&N — my home away from home — I’d like to share the cheap finds I got from the Salvation Army down in Broadway, Chula Vista, CA. I wasn’t able to take pictures because it was so hot that day that I just wanted to go home as soon as I got done book-hunting. It was indeed quite a stash. Books were sold for 50¢ each! Truly a bargain!

Let me start with these two, a mystery find and a chick read. (Forgive me for that last phrase. I don’t know how else to categorize it. Not something I would call Romance. Haha.) I bought Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead by Jack Fredrickson because I thought the title was hilarious. Add to that the fact that it’s a mystery novel, the second book in the Dek Elstrom detective series. I haven’t bought any adult mystery novels for a while so this would be interesting. As for the other book, He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo, I bought it because I thought it was the novelization of the movie (which I love, love, love!). I looked at it again and it’s based on an episode from Sex and the City that offers advice for letting go and moving on. LOL!

These next two books I am quite familiar with because I have read both of them. Happy to finally have a copy of the classic philosophy book Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder and the inspirational For One More Day by Mitch Albom. (My favorite Gaarder book is The Solitaire Mystery, and my favorite Albom book is Tuesdays with Morrie.)

As a rule, when you see a familiar author in a shelf and the book is in hardbound, you just grab it. No questions asked. At least that’s what happened the moment I saw A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. Another addition to my Hornby collection (of which I have yet to read!). The two books below are both non-fiction. Ever since I reviewed the story of Modoc, “the greatest elephant that ever lived,” I thought it would be nice to read about other animal biographies. The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery celebrates the life of Christopher Hogwood, a sick piglet that Sy Montgomery decided to welcome in her life, giving proof that love is a powerful thing. The third book is called Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes, and Make-Believe Violence by Gerard Jones. The title alone is interesting, very timely to the surge of comic book movie adaptations that came out lately like The Avengers, The Amazing Spiderman, and The Dark Knight Rises. In addition to having a psych background, I was fascinated by the book because I like reading about fantasy and I play role-playing video games.

Barnes & Noble: Home Away from Home

My uncle’s old house in Eastlake Parkway was only five minutes away from the Otay Ranch Town Center. It has been my nook, and working at Wal-Mart gave me an excuse to take a detour to the mall. It was a good walk from home to the mall. When I moved out, I rarely ever visited the place. Lately, though, I’ve been hanging out there a lot. It’s a beautiful place, and Barnes & Noble gives me the peace and quiet that I need. If you’re an avid reader or you enjoy visiting bookstores, and you happen to be in Chula Vista, CA (especially if you’re near/around Eastlake Parkway), you may visit Barnes & Noble at the Otay Ranch Center located at 2015 Birch Road, Suite 700, Chula Vista, CA. Their phone number is (619) 216-0182.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I splurged on my last visit to Barnes & Noble. Picture books are expensive if not bought at a bargain. Unfortunately for my pocket, these books were bought at regular price. Yikes indeed! While I was not in full book-hunting mode that day, I was extremely pleased with my loot. Here they are, these fabulous, fabulous finds!

FEATURED BOOK OF THE DAY

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen.
My own copy. Finally!