Every now and then our local library has a book sale to get rid of old, and probably not-very-popular, stock. They have books for sale individually, or for $5 you get a sturdy paper carry-bag that you can stuff to the gills.
Mrs Widds scored these …
Something for everyone
As she was leafing through this one …
Not my cuppa tea, but looks interesting none-the-less
…a slip of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor.
Was it a bookmark, forgotten casually or deliberately?
It reads:
‘Hi Dad & Betty
I just cruzed out to show you my new car but you weren’t home – thought you said you were always home
I was here at 5:40
Anyways I’ll try to stop by again
Take care
Love Crystal’
Who was ‘Crystal’? Who was ‘Betty’ and what sort of relationship did they have? What was the real story behind why she underlined ‘home’? Was she disappointed, or resigned, or relieved, they didn’t get to see her new car?
Oh, the stories that are within this little piece of paper.
I love sales like that. We have a humongous thrift store, so I usually stick up there. Best part isn’t always the book itself but what you find inside. Enjoy your new reads!
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Mrs Widds has already ploughed through a great number of them! 😀
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Very cool – both the books and the note. I always get excited when I find used books with inscriptions, but notes are even better.
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They’re like mini time-capsules. 🙂
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Notice a lot of them are ‘big names.’ I want to get to that stage; maybe in a couple more lifetimes.
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You and me both! 🙂
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I aquired a lot f ex-library books over the years…and always love these little finds 🙂
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This is the first one I’ve come across that’s more than an old shopping list or a library book receipt. 🙂
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Nice to find such personal notes…and sometimes the margins hold treasures too 🙂
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I tend to have a bit of an inner hissy fit when I see that someone’s actually written on a page. 😀 I can’t come at writing in books I own let alone a library one. (which is why shredding my one was such an … interesting, exercise! )
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I couldn’t do it myself…but as long as what is written has worth, I can accept that 😉
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You may have noticed my fascination with such markers; and that I have, for some years now, left my own in my books. They serve a dual purpose: first to intrigue future readers, and, increasingly, to remind me whether I have read the book before 🙂
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I tend to forget which books I’ve read too, but I’ve generally forgotten the plot so it’s no great loss. 🙂
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A slice of another life. It’s interesting how we want to know the story behind the snippet.
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We’re curious creatures, us ‘oomins. 🙂
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I’ve read at least half a dozen of those books. 🙂 (Well, not those copies.)
Fascinating little note. Now I want to write a whole bunch of random little notes and stick them into books I read at the library so people can make up their own stories about them. Ooh, or maybe two people leaving notes to each other in a story arc — a sort of “Continued on next rock” thing.
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Heh, heh, heh … that thought occurred to me too. 😀
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Nice! And the mysterious message is fun too. 🙂
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Made my day … I love a good mystery, and this one could be a doozey! 😀
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I hope the book was half as good as the bookmark!
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Heh … haven’t got to it yet. 🙂
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I’ve found letters, postcards, photos, and once two $100 bills. I wrote about that for Book Riot – http://bookriot.com/2016/06/21/what-would-you-do-if-you-found-200-in-an-old-book/
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I once found a $2 bill … back when I was in Australia and when they had $2 bills. 🙂
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I love going to library sales. I love buying a bag of books for $5, even if I don’t read them all. I love found notes and the randomness of it all.
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There are always diamonds to be found among the rocks! 🙂
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I love books and long for a time when I can just sit and read. Have fun with your new treasures!
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Will do! 😀
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Aw I’m now inspired to be leave little notes and beautiful words hidden inside of books (on paper of course) just to brighten up a day or spur curiosity. Our local library always has fund raisers to sell off old books (have a few of them myself..)..
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I think us library book readers ought to make it our mission in life to do so. 🙂
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