kitsault

today, after eating lunch at bao chau and getting dog food, we went to a used bookstore, 'companion books', in burnaby. i got

• the orange r, by john clagett (1978). a science fiction novel about america after nuclear contamination. society is segregated between those who are radioactive, called 'roberts', and the 'normals'. now, the normals believe that they have found a safe new way of producing nuclear power, and only the roberts can warn them of the horrible dangers. i expect that it will be a didactic screed against nuclear energy!
  
• second foundation, by isaac asimov (1953). i am nearly finished foundation, and i now have the next two books in the series ready to go. gar, do you need to borrow this? i will probably not get to it for at least a month.
  
• white niggers of america, by pierre vallieres (1968). the title, of course, refers to les habitants. the original subtitle translated as 'the autobiography of a quebecois terrorist'. this book is considered a manifesto of sorts for the FLQ, who kidnapped and killed pierre laporte 2 years after its publication. laporte was strangled to death with his rosary beads.
  
• decision at delphi, by helen macinnes (1960). i read this many times in high school, and now have my own copy. it's international espionage(!) set against the backdrop of post-civil war greece. i have always related this book to delillo's the names, set in greece some 20 years later.
  
• louis riel: a comic-strip biography by chester brown (2003). i have wanted to read this since it was released! today was the first time i'd seen it used, and it is in immaculate condition.
  

we have begun to move boxes over to our new townhouse on the other side of the co-op. i'll finally reorganize my bookshelf, i hope. jan and i may amalgamate our collections to some extent. we have not yet settled where the bookshelves will end up or what books will go where. we will definitely need at least one new bookshelf.

when i have some free time at the end of the summer, i will go back to companion books and clean out some of their arthur c. clarke. i am also considering picking up some paperback ray bradbury short story collections. i have a huge, hardcover collection with all of his stories, but it is hard to read anywhere but home due to the sheer size and weight. several smaller collections at 3.00 apiece may be a wise investment.