Recent Thrifting (part 1)

Finally decided to get around to a post on the recent thrifting I've done.  Mom and Dad were down for Easter, and then we went and visited them a few weeks later.  Also, last weekend was my local library's annual book sale, so Billy (a friend who enjoys thrifting more than I do) and I got together to hit up some local stores and the sale.  I'm going to get two posts out of these trips, mainly because A) I have a lot stuff (mostly books) and B) I still need to upload some pics.

So, on to the good stuff!

 

 

Starting off with a small selection of assorted titles.  As previously stated in other book related entries, I collect the men adventure series The Executioner, and I tend to pick up any of the original 38 titles if they are in decent condition.  A. Lee Martinez is an author I have enjoyed reading since my days at Borders, and the Jon Land book just seemed like something I would enjoy as well.

 



Patterson and Connelly are two writers whose books I keep a list on my so I know what I need in my collection.  Wasn't sure what of the Private books had releases in hardcover, so I snagged the two paperbacks as they were titles I didn't have.  Private is the weakest of Patterson's ongoing series in my opinion, but the wife enjoys them.  Adding new Connelly books to my collection is just a reminder to me that I need to get back into reading more.  (Added bonus: at the library sale, I recommended to another friend to give the Bosch books a try, as he is always looking for something new to read.  He was not disappointed in my recommendation.)

David Baldacci is the newest author Elizabeth and I have gotten into, so adding his bookography to our collection.  Another author I've added to my little book of titles I'm looking for, so I don't end up double or triple dipping.

Another selection of randomness.  The Uncle John's actually came from a discount store.  I think the Aladdin book may of came with a set or something, as there is no barcode on it.  I rarely film books like that in the thrift stores around here, so it was a nice surprise. 

Last selection of books are the media titles.  "A Walk Among the Tombstones" is actually just a movie poster edition that came out, and that is why it is included here.  The Fugitive and Lethal Weapon (one of my always on the lookout for titles) movie novelizations were fun finds for me, and The Twilight Zone Companion is a great find.  A episode guide and history lesson on the series as a whole, which episode getting love and attention.  Lots of photos and interviews, a must have for any fan of the series.

A coffee cup from WDW Epcot with the character of Figment on it.  I really don't know a lot about the character, but it's from 1982 (the year Elizabeth and I were born) and I liked the pedestal form it has.  A cool and different looking cup to add to my every growing collection.

 

It rare that I take a chance on puzzles at thrift stores (unless I can tell they haven't been opened), but this was hard for me to pass up.  I've been on a Batman '66 kick since the beginning of the year since picking up the blu-ray release with Christmas money.  Hopefully when I get around to actually doing the puzzle, all the pieces are there.

 

Lastly, some DVDs I picked up.  The two featured in this pick I got for $1; Ice Cream Man is a movie I remember getting from the local rental place growing up (and probably one of the reasons I love Clint Howard).  Run All Night was one of those movies from last year I just hadn't gotten around to seeing yet, and the price was right to add it to my collection.  Liam Neeson is one of those actors I love no matter what the movie is, and the addition of Ed Harris is icing on the cake.  It has to better than either of the sequels to Taken.

 

 

 

Final newest addition to the movie collection is Open Range. This movie came out while I was working at Blockbuster, and is one of the reasons I am into westerns today.  Westerns has always been one of the genres of film my Dad loves, and I didn't get it growing up.  Doesn't matter if it's a movie or TV show, my dad will watch it, be the first time of 100th time.  When I finally watched Open Range, something clicked within me, and I understood.  Westerns are now one of my favorite genres of film.  Not sure why I waited so long to add this one to my collection, but finally glad I did.

 

 

 

Well, that's it for now.  Like I said, I've got a few more things to post about, but that is a post for next time.  Maybe it will be this weekend, maybe sometime next week.  But hopefully soon.

Recent Thrifting

My parents were in town last weekend, which means that I got to spend some time thrifting.  No earth shattering finds, but did have fun, as I normally do.  I really need to start going out on my own again.  It had been a while since I had been out, and I really need to go to the other side of the water, since I'm not sure when I was over there last for thrifting,

On to the finds!

First up is this cork board, which I picked up for my office.  I have a large collection of Hawaiian shirts in my wardrobe, so this was a cool find.  The "buttons" are thumbtacks, as well as it has a few hula girl thumbtacks as well.

Next up: A coffee cup for my ever expanding collection.  Coffee cups are what I pick up for souvenirs when we go places, and I also have some pop culture ones.  I normally get coffee when we go to the Waffle House (no matter the time of day), and I've always wanted a cup of my own.  Not sure if they sell them in store, or online, but found this and was pleased.

Not a thrift store find, but I did add this to my blu-ray collection last weekend.  I'm a big fan of The Cabin in the Woods, and kind of surprised I haven't picked it up before now.  I also enjoyed Sinister, and even though I haven't seen The Possession, but that is the genre of horror films I can get Elizabeth to watch with me, so worth a blind buy.

Now onto the books I procured while out.

Some basic genre finds.  I'm happy with the Patterson and Robb finds, as both of those have come out within the last 3-4 months.  Elizabeth is a huge fan of both, and I'm slowly making my way through the "In Death" series myself.  The Midnight Graffiti is a nice horror anthology, with stories from Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Joe Lansdale, and Dan Simmons (among others).

Elizabeth has gotten into David Baldacci recently, so picked up these 4 books to add to our library.

Been a while since I've come across a wrestling biography that I was missing from my collection, and this was a great find (and deal!).  Looking forward to reading about one of my favorite childhood wrestlers.

Lastly, I got lucky (in my eyes) at one store we visited.  For those that may not know, The X-Files is returning to TV (tonight, actually!).  I didn't become a fan of The X-Files until the first movie came out.  I consider myself a casual fan of the series, but within the last 3 years, I really got into it a bit more.  Partially due to the season 10 comic from IDW.

First up, 5 volumes of the Official guides to the series, covering season 3-7.  I know I've got the first volume somewhere in room.  Also pictured is the making of Fight the Future.  Even though I ended up not sticking with the watching an episode a day leading up to tonight's premiere, I am slowly making my way through my rewatch of the series, and these will be fun to follow along with now.

Also found were 7 issues of the official magazine, including two yearbook annuals.  Not really a necessary purchase, but at a quarter a piece, hard to pass up.  Especially with Elizabeth telling me too. LoL.  I almost left them behind, but while waiting in line, I knew I would regret not getting them, so Elizabeth ran over and grabbed them for me.  Fun episode info, interviews, and re-readable (which is another reason I decided to grab them).

Lastly, both volumes of Book of the Unexplained, which were books put out about "The real X-Files... the facts behind the fiction."  They are in-depth guides to the real mysteries of the paranormal and unexplained that Chris Carter used as the basis of episodes for the series.  These are the type of books I used to check out at the library as a kid, and lead to my interest in things like Bigfoot, Nessie, ghosts, and more.

Looking back, I'm kind of surprised I wasn't a fan of The X-Files from day one.  I know I watched the FOX network growing up, as The Simpsons were one of the shows I remember watching with my parents. I really need to add the recently released blu-rays to my collection. Like I stated, a casual fan, but it kind of has moved into becoming one of my favorites.  Hence, these purchases.

I'm really excited for the revival that begins tonight.  Will it lead to another seasonnor a new movie?  Not going to speculate.  I'm just happy to see some of my favorite television characters back in action.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

Weekend Thrifting (Sept 5)

As with most visits with my parents, I was able to spend some time thrifting this past weekend.  Every trip is an adventure, and that is the beauty of thrift stores.  Some trips are misses, but for the most part I usually find a book or DVD to add to my collection.  This weekend, I hit the jackpot for myself at the first stop, so everything else was just an added bonus.  So, let's take a look at my weekend finds.

Shall we play a game?

First up, some board games to add to our ever-collection.  Time's Up! is a charades like game where the teams are attempting to guess famous, historical and fictional names over 3 different rounds.  We have a similar game called Identity Crisis, and these type of games are always fun during parties.  Teams of Enemies is a trivia game in which the teams switch throughout game play.  Interesting concept, and since we are always looking for something new to play, we thought we would give it a shot.

Just in time for the holidays

Working or not, I was not going to pass these up.

Next up: some awesome decorations, just in time for Halloween.  A role of Caution tape, which has endless capabilities, and a string of "Jason" lights (that I'm assuming don't work, as the black box is rusty and had corroded batteries in it) that will look great hanging up.

Random books

Mirror, Mirror
 

Fist pile of books: The Disney Villain, by Ollie and Frank, two of Disney's "Nine Old Men".  It's a great look at all the classic Disney villains full of art.  I own a documentary about them, which I highly recommend.  Also in the pic is a Richard Matheson book I hadn't heard of, Shadow on the Sun.  The Obake Files is a compilation of Hawaiian haunts and tales by Glen Grant.  Elizabeth being from Hawaii and both of us having a huge interest in the paranormal, this was a fun find.

Media Tie-Ins!

Second pile of books: Media!  A nice selection of movie novelizations were found this weekend, plus a Richard Castle book that we didn't own.  I'm curious as to how Final Destination works in book form, even if it is the novelization for my least favorite of the movies.

Movies

These two movies have been on my "To Be Watched" list since the beginning of summer, mainly due to some conversations and recommendations on Twitter.  Sadly, Red Eye will be a bittersweet first time viewing, as Wes Craven passed away last week.  Heat I feel will be one of those "Why have I waited so long to watch this? movies.

Batman, Robin, Two-Face and The Riddler

The picture sadly does not do this find justice.  I found a complete set of the McDonald's glasses for Batman Forever.  So, it's not the best Batman movie there is. But a part of me still enjoys it, and maybe it is the campiness of it that I like.  Even though I dislike Batman & Robin, I would probably buy promotion and tie-ins items for it as well.  I think my favorite thing is that each glass handle is distinctive, my favorite being the Two-Face glass which is of a flipping coin.



The One that started it all

Last, but not least: Carrie by Stephen King.  King is one of the few authors that I am trying to get a complete works in Hardcover for, and Carrie has been one of the few titles that has been eluding me.  No more, as I found this gem for $2 at a recently re-opened DAV.  It is in pristine condition, and I actually made an audible noise when I saw it on the shelf.  Elizabeth came over and asked if everything was alright, LoL.  Like I said, this was the first find at the first stop on my weekend.  If this had been my only find, I would of been one happy thrifter.

 

For those that are curious, the only titles missing from my hardcover King collection are books 1-4 of The Dark Tower series, and The Green Mile (if it was ever collected that way).

 

Overall, a great weekend.  Not sure when I will go out next, but hopefully it will be just a good of a trip.  Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Memorial Day Weekend finds, part 2 (Book Edition)

As I wrote in part one (which can be found here), my parents were in town for the holiday weekend, which ultimately means some amount of time will be spent in thrift stores.

Now, just to let you all know, I live in an area where thrift stores are prominent. On both sides of the water.  From where I am sitting as I type this up, within a 5-7 mile radius are 7 stores that I am aware of.  I literally live across the street from a Boys & Girls club thrift, where I can fill up a bag of books for $1.  Goodwill, DAV, Salvation Army,Village Thrift, Family Thrift. All have at least one location on each side of the water.

Hence, each trip out is a different experience.  I don't go to the other side of the water as much, so those can be a real treasure trove of finds.

With all that said, let's take a look at what books I ended up adding to my ever growing collection this weekend.

First up, the James Patterson additions.  Patterson is an author Elizabeth and I both read, so these are always good finds. Unlucky 13 and Hope to Die are both from last year, and are from two of his ongoing series.  This makes us up to date on the Alex Cross series of books, and just missing the 2015 book from Women's Murder Club (which I will probably be finding this time next year).  The Murder of King Tut is a non-fiction title from a few years back, and one I haven't seen in hardcover a lot, so snagged that as well.

 The small assortment of thriller novels that I found.  Red Dragon is the one book that I had heard of, and even though I'm pretty sure I have it, it was hard to pass up the cover.  Plus, I've been meaning to dig my copy out, as I've been wanting to read it again due to Hannibal.  The other two books just had interesting premises. I think Steel Ghosts is more horror than thriller, and that is fine by me.  Reaper is also signed by the author, so that's a cool bonus.

The random pile.  Let's just break this down by book, shall we.

1.  University - I'm a big fan of Bentley Little.  I find his horror easy and fun to read, and this was one I don't have yet.
2. Warriner's Handbook of English - Grabbed this as I was at a "fill a bag for a $1" store, and thought it looked cool.  Being an English major myself, thought it would be cool to have.  It is from 1951.
3. Wanted to Rent - Young Adult horror books are a weakness, so this was an easy pick-up.  Seems to be book #3 from a series I do not recall, Scream.
4. Owl Puke - This one speaks for itself,
5. Badass: The Birth of a Legend - I remember this series of books from when I worked at Borders.  It was quiet popular.  With chapters dedicated to Harry Callahan, B.A. Baracus, Skeletor, and Godzilla, it was a no-brainer for me to pick it up.
6. Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends - This is my favorite of the book finds on this trip.  Found amongst a shelf of textbooks, this is almost 500 pages of urban legends. You name it, it is probably within the pages.

A solid assortment of The Far Side books.  Elizabeth and I are both big fans, but oddly enough this is one series of comic strips we don't own many volumes of.

Non-fiction assortment.  Killers is a collection of true crime, chronicling infamous killers of the past 50+ years, starting with Starkweather homicides up to Columbine.  The Truth Is Out There is an official guide to The X-Files (or at least the first three seasons, anyways.) I surprisingly don't already own this, and with the news of its return to TV in 2016, thought it would be a nice addition.  Law & Order: Crime Scenes is just a collection of photographs from popular episodes of the show, with commentary from Dick Wolf laced throughout.  Elizabeth is a fan of L&O, so this was a good find for her,

The free pile.  Yes, I said free.  See, the local Village Thrift has a shopping cart of books out front that are free, with no limit.  I don't know if it's because the books haven't sold, or what.  And normally I don't find this much in the cart.  But this trip yielded all of the above, plus one more.  I grabbed 3 of the original Executioner titles, and even if I do have them, they are in great condition and probably better than what I currently own.  The other 5 books are just random and seemed interesting, and it's kind of hard to pass up free.

Lastly, the media tie-in books.  Buckaroo Banzai was out of the free cart, as the red X on the cover detonates.  The non-fiction book that The French Connection was based off of (with movie tie-in cover art (a bit spoilery at that)), and a Dirty Harry novelization of The Enforcer, which was a pretty cool find for me.  Also grabbed a hardcover of The Legacy, which I hadn't heard of but know Scream Factory is releasing onto blu-ray this summer, and will add to my collection.

As I write this, I just realized Heat from the free pile should've been with this picture, as it's a novelization of the '86 Burt Reynolds film.  William Goldman as an author should've tipped me off.


That winds up this trip.  There is a grand re-opening of a DAV coming up in June, and I'm hoping to make a trip to the other side of the water soon as well, so there will probably be another post sooner than later.

Memorial Day Weekend finds, part 1

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, which gave my parents a 3-day weekend so they took the opportunity to come up and visit us.  As with most of their visits, we ended up spending some time in the local thrift stores.  let's take a look at what I was able to score (non-books) this holiday weekend.

We also visited a local flea market, but nothing was found there except disappointment.

First up was this sweet Taz coffee mug.  I have a great coffee mug collection and am always looking for new additions to it.  Taz is also Elizabeth's favorite Looney Tunes character, so this was a no brainer.

Once in a Lifetime

Elizabeth and I both graduated in 2000, and this was an item Elizabeth found.  A beanie baby knock-off of a graduate with a paper diploma and a coffee mug.  Worth it for the mug alone, I think.

I almost passed this up, as:

1) I didn't see the bin of CDs for sale in the store.

2) I thought it was the score to The Last Crusade, which I already own.

Thankfully, I took a second look at it and realized it is "The Story of".  I assume that this had some kind of book with it at some point.  The CD contains the main plot of the movie, and includes sound effects and musical cues.  A very interesting find for me.

Two additions to our every growing game collection.  The Disney Trivia 2 (The Sequel) game is brand new, just with some minor dings on the tin box that holds everything.  The cards are still in cellophane wrappers.  The murder mystery game is pretty much an updated version of those "host a murder" VHS games from the '80s, as this one has a DVD.  Being based around a Hawaiian luau, this was hard to pass up.  It too looks to be never played.

This was my favorite find of the weekend.  A Disney Aladdin Christmas ornament from Enesco.  The box is in great condition, and I'm pretty sure the ornament has never been taken out for use.  There is no hook attached to it, and the plastic that holds Genie is in great condition as well.  I don't know if it is an original price tag or from some other store, but there was a tag for $17.50 on the bottom.  I paid $1.25 at the Goodwill though.  Seems to be from a collection, as the back of the box has an ad featuring 2 other Aladdin ornaments and 3 from Beauty and the Beast.

COMING SOON: The books I found while out this weekend.

 

April Thrift Store finds

Time for some catching up.  I've been meaning to take the time to write up an entry, as I've done some thrifting recently and had the Library book sale a few weeks ago, but just have let it slide by.  That ends tonight!

First up, let's take a look at the finds I found last time I went thrifting.

First up, this awesome Batman Begins trapper keeper.  It's in great condition, and probably was never used.  A worthy find, and I've taken it to work to be used.

I'm a collector of the Men Adventure books, and though I'm trying to complete my Executioner and Mack Bolan series, some of the spin-off series have also been joining my collection.  One of the local thrifts had quite a collection of Able Team and SOBs.  I almost picked up SOBs as they had 32 of the 34 titles in the series, but Able Team was one I was already collecting and picking these up was a little less expensive.

Speaking of The Executioner books, a few newer titles of the series I didn't have.  Some day I will get around to reading these.

Another adventure series that I collect, Rogue Angel. Rarely see these out in the wild, so I snagged the ones I knew I needed.  Elizabeth reads this series as well, so a good find for both of us.

The random picture.  I'm torn as to what the real highlight of this picture is for me: the Nikita Koloff autobiography Wrestling With Sucess or Dinner & A Movie cookbook.  As much as I love finding wrestling biographies, I'm leaning towards the cookbook.  I remember watching Dinner & A Movie all the time on TBS, and this is a nice walk down memory lane.  Also thought the CSI: graphic novel was a nice find, as I rarely see them out.  I'm a sucker for '70s horror, so Outbreak was a cool find.  Not pictured in On Edge by Adam Copeland, as it was sans dust jacket.

My young adult horror finds.  The complete trilogy of 99 Fear Street: The House of Evil is easily my favorite thing out of this stack.  But also glad to find two Christoper Pike books I didn't have and a "True" ghost story collection.

Last but not least, my favorite stuff to find: media tie-ins!  I got a nice assortment with this trip.  The Demon Knight novelization is my favorite thing from this pic.  I'm not 100% sure what Mommy's Day, but I trust Max Allan Collins as a writer.

That is it for my thrift store finds.  Next up are the items I found at the annual Library book sale this year.  Not as much as previous years, but still came out of there with some nice gems.

The Hammett collection was a nice find, and I didn't have the Krakauer book.  I probably have at least one copy of The Firm, but I'm a sucker for movie tie-in cover art.  A Time To Kill is one of the 5,000 Wynwood Press editions.

  

The two Indiana Jones: Find Your Fate were fun finds, but it's a toss-up for favorite thing in this picture between The Official Nintendo Player's Guide and Tales from the Crypt volume 3.  I had all those TFTC kid volumes growing up, and this brought back a lot of memories.  But that Nintendo guide also holds a lot of nostalgia too!

A random assortment of titles.  Nothing too special, but I was unaware Christopher Pike had written some adult novels as well.

Lastly, the additions to my Stephen King collection!  I know I own Cycle of the Werewolf, but this copy is in much better condition than the one I own.  The anthology is a nice addition to my collection, as I have a few other titles the publisher has released.  Bare Bones is a collection of interviews and non-fiction released in the mid '80s, and something I was unaware of.  And my favorite thing here is the collection of King's early works, with the infamous scene from The Shining as cover art.

Well, this is one more entry for the year.  I will probably do some more thrifting soon, so hopefully I will have another entry sooner than later.