Books Purchased at the February 2024 Library Book Sale

I never posted photos of the books that I purchased at the book sale in February.  Before I get to that, I must mention the Fall Better Books Sale.

Books Purchased at the Fall Better Books Sale

In October, I went to the Fall Better Books Sale, where I purchased a large number of comb-bound cookbooks.  Photos can be seen at the above link.

Since the purpose of the Fall Better Books Sale was to sell off extra books in advance of the February sale, I felt certain that the big book sale would have many comb-bound cookbooks.  And so it did.  

I purchased these comb-bound cookbooks in February, and they definitely came from the same collection as the ones I purchased in October.  (Always click on photos in order to see them more clearly.)

It's been  2 1/2 months since I took these photos, so I don't remember exactly what I was thinking when I took the next two photos.  I think I was just giving an idea of what comb-bound cookbooks are like.  The ones that feature specific small towns sell the best.

The sale had very few series books.  These are the ones that I found.

Just like in October, I grabbed the Keeper of the Lost Cities books that I saw.  I got lucky with Flashback, since it is the Barnes & Noble special edition first printing.

For many years, the highpoint of the sale for me has been the vintage teen books paperback section.  

The sale wasn't that great this year, and they said upfront that they didn't have as many books as in 2023.  Even so, I was able to purchase some good books.

25th Anniversary of the May 3 Tornado + Deciding Which Books to Save

Today is the 25th anniversary of the F5 tornado that devastated the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.  I wrote this post because of last weekend's tornado outbreak.  When I take cover from an approaching tornado, I take whatever is most important with me into the shelter.  I usually take a few books with me as well.  My collection is so large that I can only save a few books.

Back when I was growing up, I never worried about tornadoes.  I knew what to do, but I also firmly believed (very naively) that I would never have any chance of being impacted by a tornado.  My opinion changed on May 3, 1999.

1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado

This is the opening paragraph from the above link:

The 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado (locally referred to as the May 3 tornado) was a large and exceptionally powerful F5 tornado in which the highest wind speeds ever measured globally were recorded at 301 ± 20 miles per hour (484 ± 32 km/h) by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar. Considered the strongest tornado ever recorded to have affected the metropolitan area, the tornado while near peak intensity devastated southern portions of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, along with surrounding suburbs and towns to the south and southwest of the city during the early evening of Monday, May 3, 1999. Parts of Bridge Creek were rendered unrecognizable. The tornado covered 38 miles (61 km) during its 85-minute existence, destroying thousands of homes, killing 36 people (plus an additional five indirectly), and leaving US$1 billion (1999 USD) in damage, ranking it as the fifth-costliest on record not accounting for inflation.  Its severity prompted the first-ever use of the tornado emergency statement by the National Weather Service.

Also visit today's National Weather Service Facebook post for a few pictures and a good summary of the impact of the deadly tornado.

I sat frozen, watching the tornado coverage during the late afternoon of May 3, 1999, for around two hours, knowing that the storm track of this monster tornado showed it heading directly towards where I live.  I didn't have a storm shelter at that time.  All I could do was put a pillow over my head and huddle down in the center of my house.  I remember thinking calmly to myself, The cats will die.  I took cover as best I could when the tornado was around 8 miles away, heading directly towards me.  I had a radio on, listening to the coverage. 

As cross streets were named, I said to myself, 7 more miles... 6 more miles... 5 more miles... and so on.  I knew that as long as the power was still on that the tornado hadn't arrived.  The baseball size hail began.  That was ominous.  Sometime after that, the house began making creaking and popping sounds.  It was eerie, and it had to have been from the storm's pressure.  And then the lights went out approximately when the named cross streets were just 1 mile away.  And I waited and waited some more.

Finally, I said to myself, It's been too long.  I knew that somehow the tornado had missed me.  I went outside, where I found scattered pieces of small debris everywhere, like canceled checks with addresses from miles away and other small items that must have come out of attics.

I later learned that the tornado dissipated just one-half mile away from me.  Yes, half of a mile away.

I had deep trauma from that event.  I thought about it and dwelled on it everyday for at least six months.  I couldn't avoid seeing the debris.  I drove by completely demolished neighborhood subdivisions at least five days per week.  I remember a mound of badly smashed cars that was at least 20 feet high, piled by the side of the road.  It was traumatic seeing all of that damage over and over for months.

I don't think of it very often any more, except during April and May and especially on May 3 every year.  When I do think of it, I get a little upset and have tears come to my eyes.  I became just slightly teary while I typed my recollection of the event for this post.  It happens every time I think about it.

I have never been more scared in my life than I was on that day.

Ever since then, I have paid close attention to severe weather forecasts.  The National Weather Service had us under a moderate threat for severe weather on Saturday, April 27.  Their forecast indicated that we had a significant risk for tornadoes including some strong tornadoes.

Their forecast did pan out, and at least 22 tornadoes touched down in the state on Saturday.  The closest one was approximately five miles away from me.  In the early afternoon on Saturday, I gathered together what I needed to take into the storm shelter, like my medications, devices, and other important items.

At first, I wasn't going to gather any books to save in the event of a tornado strike.  I just wasn't in the mood.  I then reconsidered.  Obviously my 1930A-1 Nancy Drew Old Clock with dust jacket needed to come with me, even if I didn't take anything else.

To help me decide what I should gather, I went to my Facebook page and found a post from June 1, 2013.  These books went into the storm shelter with me that day when I took cover.

This is an excerpt from my June 1, 2013 post:

I took my most valuable Nancy Drew first printings (the ones with stars on the spines), my Wanderer hardcover Nancy Drew books that are not library discards, my Girls of Central High duotone jackets (these are most of the books upside down in the bottom row), three Linda Carlton (Perilous Summer is upside down in the bottom row), the last Girl Scouts by Fairfax, and the last Outdoor Girls book.

I thought of Beverly Gray World's Fair, but I drew a blank on where it was at.  With stress and a short amount of time, one forgets many things. Of course I know exactly where the book is right now.  I thought of my duotone Moving Picture Girls books, but I didn't want to get a chair to retrieve them.  I thought of many books.

I wasn't in the mood to take even one book into the shelter on Saturday.  Looking at the books in the above photo, I didn't see a strong reason to choose most of them.  I decided against taking my Beverly Gray World's Fair (and I knew exactly where it was and stared at it on the shelf on Saturday afternoon as I decided).  World's Fair isn't that hard to find.  Seriously, it isn't.  The problem is that sellers overprice the book.  With some patience, the book can be had easily in dust jacket for $250 to $400.  It may be out of reach for most collectors, but it's not that hard to acquire.

I knew I had to take my breeder set Nancy Drew books with dust jackets.  The breeder set consists of the first printings of the first three Nancy Drew books, Old Clock, Hidden Staircase, and Bungalow Mystery.  David Farah denotes these first printings as "1930A-1."  They are very valuable and about impossible to acquire.

I also decided to take my 1930A-1 first printing Nancy Drew Lilac Inn with dust jacket.  That's a very tough title to get in a first printing book and jacket.  In my opinion, it's the second-hardest to find of all Nancy Drew first printings, right behind the 1930A-1 Old Clock.

I thought about taking only those four books.  There are so, so many books that I would want to save.  There are probably 1,000 books that are absolute must-save books, but I can't save them if the worst ever happens.  There are too many of them.

I quickly decided which other books I should take in addition to the four Nancy Drew first printings:  my Nancy Drew 1940s style library editions.  They are so darned scarce and in such high demand that it is my duty to save them if at all possible.  They certainly aren't the next most-valuable books after my breeder set Nancy Drews, but they probably are more scarce than the breeder set books.  

I wrapped the books in plastic and took this picture.  I put them in a tote bag.

The books did go into the storm shelter with me around the time that a small tornado was five miles from me.  Right now, the books are still wrapped in plastic.  I may leave them in plastic for all of this month, just in case.

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown was published by Balzer + Bray on March 8, 2022.

Publisher's summary:

When Andrew stumbles upon Jamie's house, he's injured, starved, and has nothing left to lose.  A deadly pathogen has killed off most of the world’s population, including everyone both boys have ever loved.  And if this new world has taught them anything, it's to be scared of what other desperate people will do... so why does it seem so easy for them to trust each other?

After danger breaches their shelter, they flee south in search of civilization.  But something isn't adding up about Andrew's story, and it could cost them everything.  And Jamie has a secret, too.  He's starting to feel something more than friendship for Andrew, adding another layer of fear and confusion to an already tumultuous journey.

The road ahead of them is long, and to survive, they'll have to shed their secrets, face the consequences of their actions, and find the courage to fight for the future they desire, together.  Only one thing feels certain: all that's left in their world is the undeniable pull they have toward each other.

Andrew and Jamie are very likeable characters.  The reader can't help but like both of them immediately.  Andrew is gay, and he knows it.  Andrew is drawn to Jamie instantly, and he's not surprised by his feelings since he's been aware for some time that he's gay.  

Jamie has only ever had girlfriends.  The feelings that he begins to have for Andrew take him by surprise.

Each boy thinks that he alone feels the way he does, so this conflict is the main focus of the story.  The two boys face the usual struggles that characters face in post-apocalyptic stories.  They struggle to find food and water while they try to avoid people who would take everything from them.  While the boys face these problems, their feelings for each other are always in the forefront of their thoughts.

This book is apocalypse light served up with fluffy romance.  I greatly enjoyed reading this book and consider it to be overall excellent.

The ending is set up for a sequel, and I was pleased to see that the sequel is close to publication.  The second book is The Only Light Left Burning, and it will be released on May 28, 2024.  I don't have long to wait before I can read more about Andrew and Jamie.

Nancy Drew Mystery of the Seven Keys Game + Nancy Drew Action Figures and Novella

Her Interactive has announced that its 34th game, Mystery of the Seven Keys, will be released on May 7.

View the game trailer

The game will be available via download on May 7.  Her Interactive is working on a plan to offer a limited number of physical copies.

Physical copy information

One year ago, Wandering Planet Toys ran a Kickstarter campaign for Nancy Drew action figures.  I wrote two blog posts about the campaign.

Nancy Drew Action Figures Kickstarter

Last Chance for the Kickstarter

I wrote the second post as the Kickstarter neared the end.  I wanted to give people a warning about the campaign's end in hope that a few people who missed the previous notice would see it.  On Facebook immediately after the campaign was announced as over, multiple people expressed disappointment that they had missed it.  It's easy to miss something like this.

The Kickstarter was for the Nancy Drew action figures plus some extra collectible items, including an action figure stand and a limited edition novella.

This is the stand:

This is the novella:

The action figures have been made, and the novella has been printed.  Orders will ship soon.

Here's the link to a video showing the novella.

Nancy Drew novella unboxing

Now, if you're reading this and are dismayed that you missed out, don't despair.  There should be some leftover action figures that will be sold online.  I don't know how limited the quantity will be.  If you aren't able to get any of the leftover figures once they are available, some of the backers purchased extras. 

I don't think I purchased extra action figures, but I did purchase one of every variation.  I'm not sure if I will keep everything.

The novella will not be offered in stores and was a one-off print run.  No more copies will be printed.  But still, there's no need to despair!  I purchased extra novellas, and I'm certain that others did as well.  I considered it important to order extra novellas since the only copies that would ever be printed would be for the pre-orders.  With extras purchased, more copies exist and collectors who missed out on the Kickstarter will have a greater chance of acquiring one.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Cover Release

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled will be released on November 12, 2024.  This book serves the same purpose as #8.5 Unlocked.  The Keeper books are told solely from Sophie's point of view.  We never hear the thoughts of other characters, and we never learn any information that Sophie doesn't know.  If you think about it, this is why the plots of the later books seem convoluted and are difficult to understand at first.  We only know what Sophie knows.  And there's an awful lot that she doesn't know.

In #8.5 Unlocked, the POV switches between Sophie and Keefe in alternating chapters.  We were given Keefe's POV since we needed to know what he was experiencing.  #9.5 Unraveled covers Keefe's time in the Forbidden Cities and is told solely from Keefe's POV. 

This is what Shannon Messenger told us about the book in her video announcement:

"Unraveled is a super super super important piece of the story that I thought I was going to fit into book 9, but as I was working on book 9, it just didn't fit.  And so I thought, no worries, I'll write it into book 10.  But as I've been working on book 10, it just didn't belong in there either.  And I was starting to get really nervous like, what am I going to do—this is very crucial information.  Readers need this to understand the story.

I finally realized that the reason it wasn't fitting is because we need to read it through a different character's point of view...  Yes, Unraveled is an entire book told through Keefe's POV...  It starts at the end of Unlocked where Keefe makes that rather dramatic decision and leaves that note for Sophie telling her what he's doing.  And then it covers all of that time that he's missing from Stellarlune...  He was doing a lot of very very important things. And you're going to get to read about all of them and live them with him through his POV in real time.  And think about it, this is Keefe in our world experiencing human things!

Here's the publisher's summary:

The past and present unravel into staggering truths in this can't-miss installment of the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series told entirely from Keefe’s point of view.

Please be careful.  Please be happy.  And PLEASE forget all about me.  It'll be better for everyone that way.

Those were the last words Keefe Sencen wrote to Sophie Foster before he ran away to the Forbidden Cities.  He didn't want to leave, but it was the only way to keep his friends safe while he figured out how to control his scary new powers and searched for answers about his past.

What he found was so much more than adventures in Humanland.

Where did he go?  What did he do?  And who did he meet while the rest of his friends worked to solve the mystery of Stellarlune?  The answers go far beyond anything anyone could have ever imagined and give Keefe the power to change his destiny.

When I saw the cover, I thought, Who is the guy in the hoodie?  

Shannon Messenger addressed the cover art style in a Facebook post:

I seriously love this cover SO MUCH.  I know it's a different feel for a KEEPER cover, but that's the point.  We wanted to make sure you could immediately tell that you were getting something a little unexpected with UNRAVELED.  So there's no fantastical setting.  Keefe's here in our world, after all.  And since this book is in his POV, it's just him standing there facing us, looking a little unsure if he wants us to know what he's up to.  It's not just a moment; it's a MOOD—with a few hints of what you're going to learn in his story (notice the figure watching him??? dun dun DUNNNN).  But if it feels like it gives away a little less than the other covers, that's also intentional.  Keefe is extra cautious in this story, so we want it to feel as mysterious as it should.

I'm looking forward to this next installment in the series.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #2 Exile First Printing with a Surprise

I am on a mission to complete a set of Keeper of the Lost Cities hardcover books in true first printings.  Books 5 and up are easy to find in first printings.  Book 4 is slightly harder but still pretty easy to find.  Book 3 is more scarce than book 4.  Book 2 even more difficult, and book 1 is the most difficult one to find.

I remember a Shannon Messenger interview where she mentioned having a book signing when her first book was released.  She sat there with her stack of books, and nobody showed up.  The series was slow to gain a following.  My understanding is that people became fans through word of mouth.  They told their friends, and gradually more people began reading the books.

It's a given that the first Keeper book is the hardest one to find in a first printing.  One big obstacle is that more than 90% of online listings for Keeper books use stock photos.  There's no way to look at the appearance of a book to get an idea of which ones could be first printings.  

The early printings of the first five books are very easy to spot if the seller has photographed the book.  The series hit the New York Times bestseller list for the first time sometime after the release of book 5.  First and early printings of books 1 through 5 do not have the blurb "New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Series" along the top edge of the front cover.

So, I've been perusing the listings that don't use stock photos in order to locate possible first printings.  I quickly found #4 and #5.  #3 took a bit longer, but I acquired it in early April. 

I also managed to snag the second printing of the first book.  I'm pretty proud of it, since the second printing was run before publication of the first book and right after the first printing was run.  It's kind of weird that the first book had two print runs before it was even released.  I surmise that there were enough pre-orders from stores that Simon &Shuster needed to do another run.  This also indicates that the very first printing was probably rather small.

I looked even harder through listings in mid-April.  I found a listing for #2 Exile that didn't have the NYT blurb on the front cover.  Since I didn't yet have any copy of #2 without the blurb, I decided it was worth purchasing even if it wasn't the first printing.  It was also pretty cheap.

The book arrived on Monday.  I extracted it from the box and immediately opened the book to the copyright page.  I was beyond thrilled when I saw the full number line, 24681097531.  Woo-hoooooo!  It was late, and I set the book aside without examining it carefully.

On Tuesday evening I decided to look at the copyright page again.  I was laser-focused on the number line, the printing date, and the publication date as I looked at the page for the second time.  When I am laser-focused on certain details, I miss other things that should be obvious.  That means there's something to notice in this photo.  (Click on the image in order to see it at a higher resolution.)

I checked the number line again, 24681097531, and then I looked for the printing date, which is near the end of the line immediately above the number line.  I found 0813, which means August 2013.  I knew that the first printing would have been run before publication.  I looked higher on the page and found the copyright of 2013.  I then located the publication date of October 2013 on the line above the copyright.  Everything tallied.

I then glanced up at the dedication where Liesa Abrams Mignogna is in bold.  That's when I saw what is now obvious.  Just above the name, I could see that writing was present on the other side of the page, and it was a name.  

I very quickly reached a conclusion in just seconds.  "Someone wrote their name on the title page—SHANNON MESSENGER PROBABLY SIGNED THIS BOOK BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE SHE PUTS THE RECIPIENT'S NAME!!!!!!"

I turned the page over to the front.

How perfect!  I have a signed copy of the first printing of the second Keeper book.  There probably aren't many first printings of the first two books that are also signed by Messenger.

Shannon Messenger's signature has changed greatly in the last 12 years.  In around 2018 she changed to a fast signature with most letters unformed.  Her series is now rather popular, so she must sign a ton of books.

This is what her signature looks like now.

I am absolutely confident that both versions are authentic signatures.  I have seen the earlier version with all letters formed in multiple online listings.  I also have some promotional stuff from around 2018 with all letters formed.  I have a set of books that are all signed with the later style.  Those signatures are guaranteed authentic because they came from the bookstore mentioned on Messenger's Facebook as the place where she had just signed a bunch of books.

Here's a comparison of the 2013 Exile cover to the signed copy that I purchased last year.  The book purchased last year was printed in 2022.

The newer copy is brighter with more detail visible.  The older copy has a cleaner look, since it's missing the NYT blurb and Messenger's name is smaller.  I prefer the covers that don't have the NYT blurb, but I like the additional detail seen in the newer cover.

Dana Girls #4 A Three-Cornered Mystery Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Nancy Drew Diaries #25 What Disappears in Vegas...

In Nancy Drew Diaries #25, What Disappears in Vegas..., Bess and George's cousin Veronica is getting married to extreme sports enthusiast Xavier Redd, and as a close friend of the family, Nancy has been invited to the wedding.  Given the groom's big personality and love for the extreme, the wedding will take place in Vegas, and the couple plan to take advantage of local sporting opportunities in the week leading up to the big event.

Not everyone in the family approves of Veronica's fiancé, though, especially because of the risk-taking behavior Xavier has introduced her to.  And when one of the couple's sporting stunts almost ends in a serious accident, it's not clear whether it’s an unfortunate coincidence or whether someone really wants to stop the wedding from happening.

Still, the day of the wedding arrives.  But when it comes time to exchange vows, the bride is nowhere to be seen.  Is this just a case of cold feet?  Or has one of the wedding guests created a cold-hearted plot?  One thing’s for sure—Nancy won't rest until she finds out.

The above summary was provided by the publisher.  I find it curious that the publisher's summary makes the plot sound like sabotage.  We joked about it last year when the summary was first released.

On June 14, 2023, I wrote this:

Nancy Drew Diaries #25, What Disappears in Vegas..., will be published early next year.  The synopsis begins, "Bess and George's cousin Veronica is getting married..."  STOP!  Allow me to guess.  The wedding isn't going as planned.  Could it be sabotage?  Surely not, right?  But if it is, Nancy will find out! 

Just about every Nancy Drew Diaries book is sabotage, so having the summary indicate that this story is sabotage is kind of funny, since it continues the trend.  The odd thing is... this book is not sabotage.  Why make it sound like sabotage?

Before I decided to use the publisher's summary, I wrote my own brief summary.  Here is mine:

Nancy and her friends travel to Las Vegas for the wedding of Veronica and Xavier.  Veronica is Bess and George's cousin, and Bess will be one of the bridesmaids.  Xavier owns Redd Zone, an extreme-sports complex in Chicago.  All of the wedding events include extreme sports like BASE jumping, and Xavier films everything for social media.  After an accident during one of the sports stunts, Veronica mysteriously disappears.  Nancy and her friends search for clues.

This book has way too much exposition.  The plot is mostly exposition up until page 70 when the suspense and mystery finally begins.  The disappearance does not occur until page 99.  I read these books to see what they are doing with Nancy Drew, and I will read the book regardless of whether it is good or bad.  In this case, I was mostly bored with the story until page 65.  When I reached page 65, I made this note to myself:  "finally, some tension on page 65."

I was still a little bored with the story between pages 70 and 99.  From page 99 on, I was interested and engaged.  The story is 255 pages long.  This means that I was nearly 40% through the book before I was interested in the plot.  The reason Nancy Drew has been successful for over 90 years is because the plots have always started off fast.  The readers get hooked by an interesting plot within the first chapter, often on the very first page.  Instead, this book starts very slow and plods along until the mystery begins.

The book also has too many characters.  I had trouble keeping track of them.  It's not necessary to give the reader the names of everyone who comes in contact with Nancy.  For instance, we don't need to know that the cab driver is named Mario.

I'm a little bewildered that Bess is described on page 1 as liking to "drive fast, take risks, and ride every roller coaster in a hundred-mile radius."  On page 7, Nancy thinks to herself, "Sometimes it's hard, loving a daredevil."

I correctly deduced the culprit early in the story, long before the story becomes interesting.  It's fairly easy to figure most of these books out.  

These books tend to describe technology in an awkward fashion.  From page 140:

I scrolled down through the list of messages, looking for the little paper clip icon that denotes an attachment.

I feel like the text should simply have stated, "I scrolled down through the list of messages looking for an attachment."  I felt like I was reading a book from more than 25 years ago.  Books from back then always had awkward explanations of technology. 

A passage on page 157 gave me pause.

George looked at the assembled crowd.  "I wouldn't say Macy's," she said.  "I'd say more... JCPenney?  Sears?"

That was where I stopped.  My reaction was, "That's odd to mention Sears..."  I then saw the next line.

Bess frowned at her.  "Sears doesn't exist anymore, George," she said.  "Anyway, what are you getting at?"

"I'm trying to think of places my grandma shops," George replied.

Ah, I see.  When my local Sears store closed in 2017, I went by one time to see if there were any good deals (there weren't).  All of the customers were using walkers or wheelchairs or were walking very slowly.  Most were extremely elderly.  It was a sad and depressing experience.  

I rate this book as overall good.  It is kind of boring, during the first part of the book, and then very good later in the story.