Book Hauls--Some Unexpected Finds

Still more book hauls over the last few weeks and some unexpected finds.

One was a book written by someone I know. She and my late aunt were good friends. The friend unexpectedly called my cell (having looked up my number) for my mom's birthday. When we called her back, she mentioned having written a book. I then looked it up on Amazon, and saw that it was over $25, even for used copies. I then debated whether to get it or not, as I was so curious. I could have afforded it, but I was just too hesitant. But I wouldn't need to get it from Amazon, as four days later, I was looking at books at local thrift store. They were half-off that day, and just as I was about to leave the store, I glanced around one last time and there lay a copy of the said book. I grabbed it immediately. The book is here and pictured below.

Another book I had been seeing recently online also turned up at the same store when I went again about two weeks later. I was interested in this one upon first hearing about it, but was hesitant about getting it. And then there it was. For something that only came out a year ago, it was amazing to find it in thrift store so quickly.

And when trying to find an award-winning book from the year I was born (one of the Book Riot Read Harder prompts this year), I kept looking for such books, but none that turned up in searches could be found at the library or even on the e-book sites I have been using. Among those mentioned were this one:

I'm not certain I would have wanted to get this from Amazon. I only read so much sci-fi. But  this turned up at Goodwill in another town. I wasn't sure even then about getting it, but I was having trouble finding other books that were from the year I was born that won any sort of award (this is a Hugo winner). And no doubt it would have been more on Amazon. This was not something I'd expect to find at a Goodwill, though, but there it was. 

The Goodwill store is in the same town as the now-closed used bookstore was. I'm still sad about that 😢