Things I Didn’t Buy 4

I love books. And I love vintage books. But I don’t always have a need for them or a place for them. So here are some books that caught my eye but I restrained myself from buying. First up, I really liked the cover of this cookbook—super cute.

Another adorable cookbook.

I liked the cover, but thought that the information inside could be quite dated.

Cute sewing book.

Another book cover that I thought was interesting.

I liked the simple use of color for this cover.

The front and back cover of this children’s workbook had great drawings, but I didn’t need it.

That’s the End?

Sometimes the end of an interesting movie or book seems to come suddenly…and with little satisfaction. There are of course rare times where this is kind of ending is appropriate and makes sense (at least to me), but most of the time it frustrates me and I just throw my hands in the air and say “What! That’s it?"

It’s really disappointing when an ending feels unresolved because you’ve invested time and energy into seeing how a character and story develops so you want to feel as though that time was worth it, but instead you feel gypped. Betrayed that your expectations of a satisfying ending were dashed, and that you’re only left with a hollow feeling of discontent.

With a bad from the beginning movie or book, I’ll quickly realize I don’t want any part of it and will set it aside before I waste too much of my time. But a seemingly good movie or book with a bad ending is like a bait-and-switch, because you were prepared to enjoy the story all the way through but instead you’re given an ending that sours the entire story (and even when you recall it later, what stays in your mind is how disappointed in the ending you were). It’s like finishing a delicious meal with a dessert that leaves a bitter aftertaste—and you just can’t seem to get rid of that bad aftertaste.

Vintage Books – Set 3

I picked up more vintage books at Goodwill; I always manage to find something cute whenever I go and rummage through their book bins (so it’s a good thing that I don’t go too often). I found four books that I just couldn’t seem to resist.

More Vintage Books

The last time I went to the pay by the pound Goodwill, I couldn’t resist buying some vintage books. I recently went again, and dug through their book bins and found more books that I don’t need but think are cool.

Is This a Bandwagon Worth Jumping Onto?

Some movies or TV shows or books become inescapable; they suddenly explode in popularity and no matter where you go, you’re surrounded by this pop culture phenomenon. It then seems like everyone is talking about the story or the characters with a fiery passion and you’re suddenly an outsider that has no idea what they’re all talking about. But they want you to understand and they do their best to convince you that it’s quite fantastic and you must watch/read it.

Sometimes I’ll instantaneously balk at whatever’s captured the public’s interest and avoid it as much as humanly possible until its moment in the sun eventually passes. While other times I’ll be curious enough to the join the majority in experiencing this mainstream phenomenon. It tends to be a mixed bag; sometimes I’ll discover something wonderful while other times I’ll sit in wonderment of why it’s popular at all. But hopefully I avoid the worst of the bad mainstream movies, TV shows and books; it all comes down to the crucial decision moment of whether or not I’ll give something a chance.

I can’t watch or read everything that becomes popular (and nor do I want to). While it’s nice to be in the pop culture loop (especially to understand when it’s being alluded to or parodied), I can’t care about everything. I won’t just blindingly throw myself into a story merely because it’s popular; I have to weigh my knowledge of the topic at hand and think if it’s worthy of my time and consider how interested am I in it really. Knowing which bandwagons to jump onto and which to avoid saves much time and annoyance. So I always ask myself if this bandwagon is worth jumping onto, because there are some that just aren’t worth it…at all. If the current bandwagon doesn't appeal to me, I can just wait for the next one, because if I'm going to jump on a bandwagon, I'd like it to be a good one. 

Give It Up Already

Through shear determination, I used to try my best to finish books that weren’t very good merely because I had started them. Despite the bland or stupid characters or the inane plot points that made me roll my eyes in annoyance, I hoped things would improve because I had started off so optimistic; the book had a good cover, it received positive reviews and the synopsis sounded intriguing, so I wanted to like it. And 50 pages in, I was still waiting for the book to get good. By the middle of the book I realized this book wasn’t going to get good. And by the end of the book I wondered, “Why did I just waste my time reading this stupid book?”

So now I believe in giving up. Reading for fun is supposed to be fun; it’s not supposed to be a chore to read. If a book doesn’t capture me in by page 50 (okay, sometimes it’s closer to 10), then I’ll put it down and start a new book, because I don’t really want to waste my time with a story that I’ll inevitably give “The Sigh of Disappointment” to. (You know the sigh. Everyone has one. It’s that long drawn-out exhale sigh dripping with disappointment and perhaps laced with a dose of irritation or resignation. I use it often when I’m unimpressed with something—and a bad book brings it out…a lot.)

Gone are the days where I plow through a bad book in the hopes that it somehow gets better—because it doesn’t. It’s just an exercise in torturing yourself, and then all I’m left with is the bitter aftertaste of successfully finishing something that wasn’t worth finishing to begin with. There are so many other books out there. Better books. As soon as I realize a book isn’t for me, I have no qualms about giving it up. The sooner I can get rid of it the better, so I can replace it with (hopefully) a better book.  

Vintage Books

As a child I wanted shiny and new things—hand-me-downs weren’t cool to me, but now I like finding the potential in used items. Sometimes age adds character or the design from another era is particularly appealing or an item just seems more unique since it’s no longer in mass production. I have a greater appreciation for items with some years on them, and I admit that my resistance to buy unnecessary items weakens when I see something cute and vintage.