Book Unhaul | May 2018

I told myself I had to weed out some books from my shelves this month, since I haven’t done so since January/the start of my 2018 Reading Challenge. I’ve managed to decide on five titles, and before I change my mind about any of them, I’ve put them in a gallery below and have explained my reasoning for unhauling them. And like I did in January, I’m offering these books to you, reader, before finding a bookstore or library or other entity to take them. If you see a book you want, contact me here.

TTYL by Lauren Myracle ☆ This book (paperback) brings me back to the Mr. Paperback bookstore in a town that neighbored mine when I was growing up. This was the first bookstore I ever went to, and was the only bookstore I set foot in for most of my young adulthood (rural Maine has little to zero bookstores, although mostly zero). I attended the release of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows there (or was it Half-Blood Prince…), discovered many books among the Hallmark cards, gifts, and magazines, and was devastated when it closed, although not surprised. Wow, I was not expecting this explanation to be so emotional but these memories are rapidly flooding into my mind.

Anyway, TTYL. This booked popped out on Mr. Paperback’s shelves because of the bright cover, obviously, and the emojis. Was I still using MSN Messenger then or had I completely transitioned to AIM? The publication date is 2004, which means I was definitely still using MSN Messenger, and which means they are emoticons, not emojis. I was also fascinated by the format; in case you are not familiar with this book, it’s written as instant messages between three friends in tenth grade. I remember enjoying it, because if I recall correctly some of the subject matter was more “mature” than I was (in 2004 I was in the sixth and seventh grades and I was quite naive and immature), and at that time I didn’t feel particularly close to anyone, although I did have a few great friends. I was also quite used to prose and traditionally written novels, so Lauren Myracle’s decision to write her book like this was so cool, so unique. I know that there is at least one more book that follows this one, holy shit there are four more in this series. Well, I’ve only read TTYL – I don’t know why I didn’t continue…okay, yes I do know why I didn’t continue. Because reading wasn’t cool, and my self-esteem relied on fitting in (which I didn’t even after giving up reading). And now, although with this rambling essay-like explanation you may not believe me, this book doesn’t have a strong enough hold on me to keep it around. Now someone take it before I tuck it in a safe to keep forever.

Its condition: slightly distressed on the edges, but otherwise good as new.
(CLAIMED)

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ☆ This book (paperback) is also just slightly worn, and I most recently read it last month. I slightly remember reading it for the first time as a young adult, and although I couldn’t relate to the main character’s experiences, I still felt the things she did. I’ll always highly recommend this book, but I don’t feel enough attachment to it to keep it on my shelves.

Little Women (ABRIDGED) by Louisa May Alcott ☆ This is an extremely abridged edition (paperback) of the classic. It comes in at 248 pages, which is about half the length of the full version of the story. It’s obviously meant for younger readers, although I really couldn’t tell you what age because I haven’t read this edition in a long time. It’s an Apple Classic from Scholastic, and since I’m not finding any quick and easy information about Apple Classics, that’s all I can tell you. There are simple sketched illustrations inside, which are a nice touch, and since I had not yet started writing in my books at the age I read this edition, it’s basically good as new.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling ☆ I admire Mindy Kaling and I adore this book. I am removing it from my shelves because I was gifted a signed edition after I read this [unsigned] one. So there are markings inside in the forms of asterisks and underlines, as well as the residue of whatever sticker the bookstore had put on the hardcover jacket, but otherwise it’s in great condition.

Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane ☆ Oh, this book. I’m officially leaving it half unread, because it’s been a minute since I put it down and I really have no desire to pick it back up. I’m pretty sure I would have to go quite far back to jog my memory of the events, and since I know I wasn’t really feeling the direction the novel was going, I don’t feel like spending time doing that. It’s a hardcover Book of the Month Club edition that I didn’t mark up, so it’s like new if you are interested (I know I’ve made a convincing case for it here).
(CLAIMED)

So there is my short and sweet May Book Unhaul. I’ll be publishing my May Wrap-Up tomorrow (how is June here already?!?!), so if you’d like to see what I read, didn’t finish, and what I hope to read next month, make sure you’re following me here on the blog or on Twitter. And again, if you’re interested in any of the books here, or if you want to talk about any of them, drop me a line in the comments below or send me an email.