Book Board Chat

Good morning, All!

The flea market was rained out yesterday, so we made our way over to a Half Price bookstore. The place was mobbed (opens at 9 am), even tho by the time we arrived, the rain had stopped. However, a Barnes and Noble in the same mall was practically empty. Price and variety seemed to be the driving force. People were really snarfing up the old, classic CDs for $1. Interestingly, there weren't any people using bar scanners in the clearance stacks like I've seen before. Debated about "The Handbook of Cast Iron Pipe" and a Khalil Gibran "Prophecies" book (somewhat foxed illustrations), even tho they were only $1 each. Talked briefly with the man in charge of buying books from the patrons. He said certain types sold better depending on the neighborhood where the store was located and they (meaning he) paid more or less for books patrons bought in depending on whether he thought those specific genres would sell in his store. Make sense? I've noticed the same thing in different Half Price book stores, such as the one in Highland Park has lots of cookbooks and Judaica (I suppose because it's in an area where people read and sell back those kinds of books); the ones in Milwaukee have many more "scholarly" books most likely because of the universities up there, and the one where I was yesterday carries lots of fiction, sci-fi & fantasy. I should have asked if these kinds of books sell better in the summer (for vacation-reading). I'll ask next time if there are "seasons" for specific kinds of books.

Speaking of records: This coming weekend, in Grayslake, there will be a vintage vinyl show, in conjunction with the "antique" market. If there's any interest, I'll ask what kinds of records are selling: classic blues, classic rock, or whatever.

Hope everyone has a great day! And I'm looking forward to hearing about your cruise, Patsy.