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The Insane Institution of School Bookstores

 It’s probably like this with every college bookstore but I still am pissed. A book for one class varys between $90 and $160 and when one goes to return it the most one can get is about 1/3 of the purchasing price, if that.

I’ve decided that I would like to keep all of my accounting, finance, and business books and return all else. I checked with the bookstore at the college during the summer semester and they advised me that I should wait for the instructors to announce the needed books for the fall semester. I had asked them once prior to that but I don’t remember what they told me. Anyhow, yesterday, a week before the semester, I took the unneeded books to the bookstore for them to tell me that I have to return in 3 weeks because now they are running the sale for the semester and they aren’t buying back. I experienced what we call in Bulgaria “a black curtain fell before my eyes,” I was livid. I loudly scolded the bookstore lady for jerking me around and stormed out. It was raining. The parking lot is good 5 minutes from the bookstore and halfway though I realized that I was supposed to also buy my books for the fall semester. After long contemplation in the rain, reluctantly I returned to the store. I beached at the bookstore-lady some more while purchasing the business law book for $109.50. I hissed at her that “there we go again, I’m buying the book brand new, paying full price, because there aren’t any used books – because you wouldn’t buy them back from us!” She sincerely felt badly about it that she told me that I could go to www.half.com and buy all of my books from there for half the price and return this one for full price by 09-25. Next day I went to “Tim’s used books store” on Main Street in Hyannis and was able to sell 3 books that cost me well over $300 for $77. I suppose - better than nothing. I also bought the 3 books for fall semester from half.com and it did cost me ½ of the hated bookstore prices, I’m returning the business law textbook to them. If you are buying textbooks, check it out - www.half.com.

“The King of Torts,” by John Grisham

Not one of Grisham’s best books. The protagonist was flat and unconvincing. The story was of course engaging but too light. The narrator was proficient but not my favorite voice – he irritated the heck out of me when he pronounced the “h” in words like why, where, white, wheel, etc. I liked the book because it was very informative and Grisham knows how to use numbers without being annoying. I still give it a 3***.  

Nauseating

nau·se·at·ing   

intr. & tr.v. nau·se·at·ed, nau·se·at·ing, nau·se·ates

1. To feel or cause to feel nausea.
2. To feel or cause to feel loathing or disgust.Synonym  disgust.
3. Causing disgust, loathing, or revulsion.

“A Home at the End of the World” by Michael Cunningham

It’s interesting how things happen in life, innocently and peculiarly. I’ve had my eyes set on this book at the library for months, I wanted to pick it up when I was going to NYC in May but it was never available and I always seemed to forget its name. I knew it was written by Michael Cunningham and the title had something to do with walk, land, and end but could never nail it down. I had once seen it in the nonfiction section and had made a mental note to pick it up but never saw it again. Every time I go to the library and my librarian is there we go though the same exercise – I ask for whatever I had gone and then I say “do you guys have this book by Michael Cunningham back?” and she says “which one was that,” and I say “don’t remember the name… something end, walk, Provincetown…,” then the librarian always says “we don’t have it on hand but I can order it for you?” I always say “no, it’s OK,” but the last time I said “Yes,” and I got it. Oddly though, I got a different book whiteout realizing it till 1/5 of it. I was waiting for the foreshadowing of P-town, and I was waiting… I looked at the cover, which said “A Home at the End of the World” then turned the back of it, investigating; I realized that we had ordered a different book by the same author.