First Cool Day of the Season Book Finds

Considering that I went to bed at four-in-the-morning the night before, I was quite chipper when I awoke to the sound Ruby Gloom. "It's a nice day," Jyg exclaimed. "We're taking Shaun out. Are you awake?" Even though my mind was rested, this still didn't make sense. So I managed a 'hu' and she filled me on how autumn finally arrived. That explained why my a/c wasn't working.

We headed out to IHOP, but so did the rest of the city. We settled for DQ instead. Hey, if we couldn't have pancakes, the least we could do was get Blizzards. Shaun fell asleep before we got to the park, so we detoured to the Dollar Tree. That's where I found Point Omega by Don DeLillo and Michael Caine's The Elephant to Hollywood. Both were just a dollar each. However, we did walk out the store with $57 dollars worth of Halloween decorations.

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Book Hunter Goes Job Hunting

Catch of the day

The book hunter is tired beyond belief that he is forced to speak in the third person in order to keep some balance in his train of thought. Waking up at 6:30 in the morning and heading to the public library to wait in line for a job fair, the book hunter arrives as the twenty-fourth job seeker. The enthused job seekers file in, expecting employers galore. Not so. A lot of them are either running late or no show. Because of the added weight of needing a job on his shoulders, this blow nearly enrages the book hunter. After an hour of waiting for the other employers to come in, the book hunter sneaks out and checks out what the library has on sale. That is where he finds a copy of Philip K. Dick's posthumous novel, Radio Free Albemuth. Hardbacks are usually a dollar and that is how much he spends.

On Wednesday, he ventured to Hobby Lobby, stopping off Dollar Tree before returning home. The itch - similar to what Dexter Morgan describes when he needs to play - came over him. There was a playmate so he dove into the disarray that is the book section. There he found a copy of The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. It piqued his interest, but this isn't the playmate that was calling out to him. Just as he was getting ready to throw in the towel, he noticed a picture of Allen Ginsberg and a monkey. A Blue Hand: The Beats in India by Deborah Baker sticks out like a sore thumb. Bingo.

Now he plans to head off to another Dollar Tree hoping to find a copy of A Blue Hand as he plans to put it up as a giveaway on the Tumblr account - yes, there's a Tumblr account (tragic, I know). 

Total book hunting price: $3.17. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'. 

"The Dead Man" Series by Goldberg & Rabkin Only 99 Cents on Amazon

Via 

For a limited time, Amazon has made the price of Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin's The Dead Man series 99 cents per book. The series includes:

• Face Of Evil (Dead Man #1) 
• Ring of Knives (Dead Man #2) 
• Hell In Heaven (Dead Man #3) 
• The Dead Woman (Dead Man #4) 
• The Blood Mesa (Dead Man #5)

The Dead Man series is a collaborative act between Goldberg and Rabkin, a monthly horror novel series published under Amazon's 47North imprint. The limited 99-cent price only available on Amazon, and only for Kindle. 

Dollar Tree Shopping Spree

A book hunter never gives up a bargain. And one of the most overlooked hunting grounds are dollar stores, more notably the Dollar Tree, where literally everything is only a dollar - Family Dollar and Dollar General only use the name for show.

Quite a few books are Dollar Tree finds. Today, I found three more. Panic!: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity edited by Michael Lewis (Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, Moneyball), Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen (Stealing Buddha's Dinner), and The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates 1973-1982 by Joyce Carol Oates (I Am No One You Know: Stories, The Gravedigger's Daughter: A Novel).

I'd been wanting to read both Stealing Buddha's Dinner and Short Girls by Nguyen, mostly because I've never heard of the writer before and the titles intrigued me. The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates 1973-1982 piqued my interested because I love reading the journals of writers - I own a few already. Panic! stuck out because of Michael Lewis, who did an excellent job with Moneyball, which I'm still slowly digesting. Not only that, but since a lot of these articles were written about ten or so years ago, it might lend in some hindsight to this whole Occupy Wall Street business.

There might have been more fines, but the organization was chaotic. If I had the time and got paid for it, I would've fixed it up nice and neat because I'm on a roll with organizing. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Book Hunter on Vacation

After a grueling week - weeks, actually - without a single break (half days don't count!), this book hunter's wish was granted. Now, sitting in this room at the Ramada Unlimited - located in South Padre Island - unwound and relaxed, I decided to make a quick update of the blog. Because you can go on vacation from your job, but never book hunting.

At first glance, it's easy to miss "Paragraphs." I nearly missed it, anyway. The last thing I was expecting to see was a book store anywhere on the island. I'm glad I found it. Not to mention the three Philip Roth novels just tucked on the shelf, as if waiting for me. Sadly, I only purchased one novel - The Humbling. New copy, half the price! Can we say awesome?!

Oh well, I better go back to enjoying myself. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Book Hunter Goes Shopping

Summer buys

I've already mentioned a lot of these books and read most of the ones featured on the bottom there. However, I do like to list what I've purchased.

1. The Bride Collector - Ted Dekker
2. Moment of Vengeance - Elmore Leonard (free)
3. The Zani Murders - Kelly Fero
4. The Mammoth Book of Zombie Apocalypse! - Stephen Jones (editor/creator)
5. American Short Fiction (publication, not a book)
6. The Silent Girl - Tess Gerritsen (currently reading)
7. The Crow - J. O'Barr
8. Son of M - David Hine (writer) and Roy Allan Martinez (artist)
9. Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage - (too many to list)
10. Wanted - Mark Millar
11. Marvel Zombies & Marvel Zombies 2 - Robert Kirkman (writer) and Sean Phillips (artist)

And a busy hunter I have been. As of this week - possibly only this week - I've hunted for and purchased four pairs of shoes. Have I crossed the line? Will the Men's Association come for me in order to expel me out? I doubt it. With all the vanity that comes with being men these days, I'm a sure fit. My new shoes include a pair of chocolate Converse All Star Double Upper Ox, as well as, the classic black-and-white All Star style. Along with this, I bought a cheap pair of LA Gear Terrain (for work) and a pair of Skechers Camaro for no apparent reason at all.

I don't think - in my entire life - that I've ever own four pairs of shoes at the same time. At least I don't have to worry about ruining a pair of shoes meant for an outing. Oh well, until next time, keep on huntin'.

Side note: At the rate I'm going updating this blog, I'll be engage. Wish me luck.

The First Book of 2011

After a long, terrible night of pain and barking dogs - not exactly how I envisioned my New Year's Eve - I woke up to a text message from Monica:

Monica: Is it too late for the first dew of the year?
Me: Never. Hey, guess which shirt I just put on xD
Monica: Wanna go book hunting or something? I'm bored. Hehe. 

The salutation text was a response to my New Year's tweet I made the previous night, but it was a great opener because I had just pulled my Mountain Dew T-shirt over my head when my BlackBerry chimed. And of course, I'm never one who ditches the opportunity to book hunt. Not to mention, book hunting with Monica and Sidney is always sort of an exercise as that little girl likes to pull me around. My sore body, on the other hand, did not appreciate this, but my mentality loved it. I'm in a better mood because of it. 

But that's beside the point. You're probably wondering what this Book Hunter managed to buy on the first day of the year 2011 - pronounced Twenty-Eleven (which, hopefully, is what Esquire's going to call it). Well, I set off to buy a calendar because I still haven't purchased one and Barnes & Noble always has them for about 50% off at this time. I purchased a Thich Nhat Hanh's calendar, matching the one I had for 2010. But it was Monica who found the first book of the new year - a copy of the Barnes & Noble published H. P. Lovecraft's collection - which, by the way, is only $7.99 online. It sort of makes me wish I checked it out on the website instead.

You can also purchase the Thich Nhat Hanh mini calendar for only $3.99 on the Barnes & Noble site. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

After Holiday Sale - Save 50% or more on Books, Music, Movies and more, PLUS Free Shipping. Shop Now

3 Value Books & A New One Impromptu Book Hunt

I'm in trouble if Jyg finds out and, believe you me, she will find out. See I'm not supposed to buy any books for a period of time because money's scarce and my temporary job's expiration date is closing in. But how can you keep a book hunter at bay, really? Especially when it was my intention of purchasing $25.90 on four books? I was just going to browse titles. Maybe pick up Body Double by Tess Gerritsen or A Gathering of Crows by Brian Keene. Perhaps both.

I did manage to find a copy of Body Double by Tess Gerritsen, but the copy was a little beaten up. I don't mind dog-eared copies if I'm buying used, but, when it comes to paying full price, I like to be the one who wear down my books. However, I do manage to find several untouched copies of Keene's A Gathering of Crows which I pick up and add to my small pile.

The first book I see is And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer, which acts as a sequel to Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Value priced at $4.98, how could I pass up this find? 

Second book I found was a little on the naughty side, but I like naughty. Filthy Shakespeare by Pauline Kiernan. Also a value book, priced at $4.98. 

After picking up Keene's book, I was heading off to pay before my pile grew when my eye caught the gray spine of Kurt Vonnegut's Armageddon in Retrospect. A war was waged within me. To buy the book would me I'd be jumping in on an opportunity of paying $5.98 for a hardcover. To put it off meant that I might be losing a chance of owning it. You see, this book wasn't on the discount table like most books are at Barnes & Noble. This was in that cart. You know the one. The cart of last copies. I sucked air through my teeth and picked it up. I don't regret it either. At the checkout counter, the man clicked his tongue on his teeth and said, "This was the last copy, wasn't it?" I nodded, "Pretty sure, that's why I picked it up." "It's my own fault. I should've picked it up when I had the chance."

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Goodnight, Sweet Prince

Thursday 11 February 2010: Hastings in McAllen, Texas will be officially closed. This marks a bitter blow to the book readers of the McAllen/Edinburg area as we are forced to march the lines to Barnes & Noble. This isn't a big deal, though. Barnes & Noble is still a respectable store (even though the one on 10th St. has an incredible douche working for them), and still a haven for a book hunter like myself. But it lacks one thing: used books. 

Hastings was my small heaven for this reason. I strive for a cheap copy of a first edition, salivate for the five dollar copy of a beloved collection of poems. I walked through the doors one last time, today. Most of it was blocked off, boxed away and ready for the shipment to the great beyond. Frothing book hunters, music diggers and movie aficionados were running rampant looking for a deal. Along with the books (photo above) I bought Crime & Punishment in Suburbia.

Other than Barnes & Noble, book hunters of the area still have Books -n- Things and Georgia's Thrift Shop, but in the end, it's never the same.  Not to mention the various Friends of the Library book sales.

Still, there will be a void in our hearts by the end of the week. And no matter  how many books we collect, it will never be filled.

Until next time, happy huntin'.

Too Many Books

Is there really such a thing as too many books? I didn't think so. It started with me looking through Half.com for a copy of The New New Journalism, which I found for only $0.75 plus shipping, so it came to be a little over $4.

I continued my search the rest of Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey series, but no luck at Hastings or anywhere else for that matter. I even attempted Barnes & Noble, but nada - though they had another copy of a book by him - as did Hastings - however, not the books I am looking for. Today, I purchased them for $8 for both of them, used.

Clarke's writing has been able to do something most science fiction author's have failed - keep me interested. I don't want to stick my literary nose up in the sky, but let's face it: College killed the genre for me. The only other writer was Heinlein, though I've only been able to read his Stranger in a Strange Land.

Also purchased, but not hunted for, was Chuch Palahniuk's novel, Choke. Hastings had several of his novels on their used shelves, though I picked this one for unknown reasons. It was one part influence by Tumblr and one part influence by Esmer, a friend of mine and Jyg's. I fear that the book will not be a hit with me because of the author's teenage fan base, though I've been wrong before.

Another hunt also ended yesterday. I finally laid my hands upon a copy of Tim O'Brien's war classic, The Things They Carried. Hastings had it listed at value price, paying only $10 rather than the $15. Not a big deal, I know, but it was cheaper and I got to keep the five for another hunt - I can't believe how unbelievably cheap that makes me sound.

So what's the next hunt? I'm searching for a used copy/value priced edition of Belly Off! Diet.

In other news: I purchased the Watchmen: Director's Cut DVD. While several comic nerds and impatient nonthinkers were displeased with the movie, I enjoyed it. I'll be first to admit that I was nearly pissing my pants to watch the Director's Cut because I anticipated so much from the movie. Did I care it was going to exceed three hours - crap no! However, I was disappointed when I tore off the plastic wrapping, popped open the DVD case to see an ad for The Watchmen Ultimate Collector's Edition due in December of this year. The set contains five discs, The Director's Cut with Tales of the Black Freighter woven in, new commentary by Dave Gibbons and director Zack Synder, over two hours bonus content, which includes Hollis Mason's Tell All, Under the Hood and the complete Watchmen Motion Comics! I know, it's a huge fuck you, courtesy of Warner and Paramount.

Sci-Fi and War Novel Hunt

Hunt: In search for The Things They Carried, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two and 3001: The Final Odyssey.
Partner: Mother
Location: Hastings, 4500 N. 10th St McAllen, TX
Success: 1/2
Cost: $19.99

Even though I mentioned going to Hastings to purchase 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two and 3001: The Final Odyssey, I thought that I should at least look for The Things They Carried because they normally have it in stock, which they did but not used. A few months back, I put off buying a used copy of the war fiction because I didn't know if I wanted to read it. Recently, however, the novel has been everywhere, mentioned in a few blogs that I read. I blew my chance with that used copy and today the books were down to only two copies left. If worse comes to worse, I'll purchase the book at a college bookstore, hopefully finding a cheap used copy there as well.

As for the three copies of the Space Odyssey series, only two were left - 2001 & 2010. Both were used softcover - 2001 cost $6.99 and 2010 cost $7.49. I suppose I'll look for 2061 and 3001 at Books 'n' Things or online.

Because I originally thought my success rate was going to be 3/4 - I already knew that finding a used copy of The Things They Carried wouldn't be in stock - I was let down when 3001 was swiped. However, as we ventured toward check out I saw a large box with several copies of different books. One of which was a softcover of William Gibson's Spook Country for only $3.99. Just the other week, I saw a hardcover at Barnes & Noble for $6.99 (online for only $3.99!), new. I love value books - I love used books, too, but not as much as value books which are new.

Along with the novels, I also picked up a lemonade, some pin-back buttons for my messenger bag and some for Izzy, whose birthday is in two weeks. I'm also thinking of looking for a book she was interested in. 12-year-olds are so different today than they were when I was one. The grand total for everything purchased was $29.38. Three books for under 30 bucks (really, under 20 - as noted above). What an awesome day!

Three Dollar Bag Book Sale Take 2 pt. II

Hunt: Looking to fill at least three bags with used, good books
Partner: Mother
Location: McAllen Library, 601 N. Main, McAllen, TX.
Success: 0
Cost: 0

I need to get my eyes checked. I don't know how many times I read that blasted special to The Monitor and I swear I saw that the sale was continuing today. Do the Friends' of McAllen Library have special powers?

Needless to say, we got there, the place was closed so we went elsewhere. However, I did wind up buying Ecce Homo by Nietzsche half priced ($3.76 with taxes) at Barnes & Noble so it wasn't a complete waste and I didn't return empty handed.