A leaf-covered path at the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco, California. 

Half-price Books

I merely would like to make a brief statement about the establishment Half-price Books. They lure you in with the knowledge that they have classics, pop culture hits, hobby books, art books, you name it, they've got it, and then offer no help what so ever when the time comes to pay for said books and carry them to your car.

Bastards.

I spend $100 there yesterday, after teacher discount, I might add. I don't know what's more upsetting: that all the books fit into one bag, or that I now have to carry the giant bag into my classroom.

Honestly, I think Half-price Books is one of the best book stores ever. I've gotten books for $1. I got one for free once because the cashier couldn't see charging me for a Dostoyevsky that was not only 40 years old, but was losing its cover. I would have gladly paid the $1.50 for it, but he insisted. Not only that, but I found a hardcover version of World Mythology, ed. Roy Willis--for which I paid $30 for a paperback--at only $9.99. What's great is that I got three different James Patterson books for my dad, each at the clearance price of $1. He'll be pleased.

The store is a wonderland for those of us who are willing to overlook binding breakage and some wear and tear in order to live in a more reasonably-priced book era like the 1980s.