Thursday, April 28, 2005

Where have your used books been?

Have you ever wondered about the life & travels of the books purchased at a used book store? I purchased a hardcover copy of Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes by Robert Louis Stevenson. I love his books & hadn't heard of this one. So, this immaculate book with a beautiful woodcut on the cover, turns out to have been published in Hungary & sold in Germany, although it is in the original English. I wonder- how did this beautiful little book (only 258 pages & includes An Inland Voyage about canoeing in Belgium & France) end up in a used book store in Virginia, USA? What sights did it see? How many homes did it wander through? Was it ever actually read?

I bought my daughter a copy of The Story of my Life by Farah Ahmedi. The cover is cheesy, but the description on the flap really caught my attention. I won't review it here, but suffice it to say, this girl (age 18) has really been through the wringer. Yet this book proves the triumph of the spirit & immense fortitude humanity has even under the most horrific circumstances. Luckily for me, my daughter is reading two other books right now- aside from school work- & wants to read this later. So I've taken to schlepping it around with me. IMO, it's worth a look if you like memoirs or want an inside glimpse of Afghanistan form a teenager's POV. FYI, this book is aimed at teens & is a quick read.

1 comment:

Angry Woman said...

Hi Amanda

It's an off topic comment here but how did you create that sidebar links section on your main blog page. That's what I've been trying to figure out, lol.

Amy