C&W Used Books

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

admin — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:23:17 +0000

Hello folks! Its time for the January Book Club! We read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Before we talk about it, here’s a little about the book to refresh your memory (or just to read along!):

Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, has a dream about finding a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. A gypsy woman and an old man claiming to be a mysterious king advise him to pursue it. “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation,” the old man tells him. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

With the courage of an adventurer, Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Tangiers in Africa. After a thief steals his money, Santiago takes a job with a crystal merchant who unwittingly teaches Santiago important lessons for his long journey ahead. After working at the crystal shop for a year, Santiago earns enough money to cover his losses and return home. But then something unexpected happens. On a desert caravan, Santiago meets an intriguing Englishman. The Englishman’s passion for knowledge and his relentless quest to uncover the secrets of alchemy inspire Santiago to pursue his own dream of finding the treasure. As the Englishman searches for the two hundred year old alchemist who resides in the desert oasis, Santiago falls in love with a young woman, Fatima. Exposed to the greatest and eternal alchemy of all–love–Santiago thinks he has found the treasure. But the greatest test of all is yet to come. With the help of the alchemist, Santiago completes the last leg of his journey–dangerous and infused with discoveries of the most profound kind–to find that the treasure he was looking for was waiting for him in the place where he least expected.

This story, timeless and entertaining, exotic yet simple, breaks down the journey we all take to find the most meaningful treasures in our lives into steps that are at once natural and magical. It is about the faith, power, and courage we all have within us to pursue the intricate path of a Personal Legend, a path charted by the mysterious magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions. Santiago shows how along the way we learn to trust our hearts, read the seemingly inconspicuous signs, and understand that as we look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find us just the same, if we let it.

So, we have a few questions for discussion and we’ll add a question every few days to give everyone a chance to answer the ones they want to.

1. Did you like or dislike the book? Why or why not?

2. One of the first major diversions from Santiago’s journey was the theft of his money in Tangiers, which forced him into taking a menial job with the crystal merchant. There, Santiago learned many lessons on everything from the art of business to the art of patience. Of all these, which lessons were the most crucial to the pursuit of his Personal Legend?

NEW QUESTION! 3. Are omens really out there and are they important? What are omens? Are they just illusions that we see to justify something we feel or want to do, or are they something more?

Just post your comments below and we’ll add them to our discussion asap! Come back soon for more thought provoking questions!

Book Blunders

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:31:03 +0000

Book Blunders

Anyone could make these mistakes. Publishers have even spelled titles and authors two different ways on their covers sometimes. On one book by David Hagberg, the spine read, “Habgerg”. In all the known documents where Shakespeare signed his own name, he spelled it differently on each one. So who’s to judge really?

One of my favorites was from a man who said, “My Daughter needs this book for school, ‘The Hound of Basket Case’ by Conan … Somebody.”

Recently a young lady asked for,”…novels by Nicholas Cage”. Turned out she meant Nicholas Sparks but I had a lot of fun imagining what novels by Nicholas Cage might be like. “Chapter 36: After stuffing the Declaration of Independence into a dead iguana, and hiding it down a hollow tree, I ran off on my trusted hang glider which I decided to name after my first wife Ekaterina…”

A nice older woman asked for books by, “Linda Lovelace” She meant Merline Lovelace. Linda Lovelace was notable as the Watergate insider who secretly fed info to the press – or, was that Mark Felt? Never mind, I don’t know who Linda Lovelace was…

So what’s your favorite Book Blunder??

The Lost Symbol

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:59:09 +0000

I decided to start reading Dan Brown’s books based on the ravings of one of our customers. I’d never seen anyone so physically affected by a book. She walked in one morning breathless and disheveled, looking like she’d lost a night’s sleep reading. She wanted to see our Da Vinci art books, and spent about 15 minutes at the front counter leaning down close to study the pages of what we had, and talking about how amazing The Da Vinci Code was, like it had changed her life.
It didn’t have quite the same affect on me. I was pretty entertained by Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code though. I think Dan Brown is excellent at putting together intricate puzzles. The symbol plot device allows for the reader to look at real familiar objects, and locations in new ways and feel involved in the adventure. My enjoyment of those aspects was brought down though by the lame characters.
Robert Langdon, A Harvard professor who likes: Symbols, black turtlenecks, tweed sport coats, his old Mickey Mouse watch, swimming, and various smart/ hot brunette ladies with older male relatives who are academic associates of his who get maimed/ murdered in every book. Dislikes: Confined spaces because he fell down a well as a boy. Each of the books covered and lingered on those same traits adding almost nothing else to Langdon that would make him much more than a flat plot device. I had hopes that the new book would be better, so I attend the grand midnight unveiling of The Lost Symbol. All the stars were there for the big event: me and two other old guys, staring at our shoes until the Borders clerk wheeled out the bounty on their beige aluminum cart for us.
I won’t spoil any plot details in this review. In general I like how ambitious The Lost Symbol is. I also like Dan Brown’s attempt to make Robert Langdon a heroic skeptic, unfortunately he is only as skeptical as the author who seems to fall for a lot of pseudoscience. Which wouldn’t bother me so much if page one didn’t begin with, “FACT:”…”all rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.” Which just isn’t the case. I also could never take the villain seriously. There was one ridiculous scene where a secret piece of information could possibly leak out to the public that the heroes didn’t think the public could handle. They thought there would be massive devastating effects if people found out. I don’t think that stuff would bother the public that much though. It may shock them for a second then quickly turn into some stupid gossip before it fizzled out. Overall I think this book was mostly a failure. I’m anxious to talk to other people who’ve read it though. If nothing else it’s a conversation starter, something to gossip about.

What is the What & Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:23:44 +0000

Dave Eggers is my favorite living writer. I have nothing negative to say, and there is not one thing I would want to change about anything he has ever written. All of his books have surprised and challenged me while reading them. His previous book titled, “What is the What” was his most challenging. It came out soon after the movie Hotel Rwanda, a film that made me none too exited for more true stories of mass slaughter in modern Africa. So I set the book aside for over a year, until I was ready to trudge through 475 pages of what was sure to be unbearably sad material. Had the book been written by Thomas Hardy, Art Spiegelman, or the screenwriters of Hotel Rwanda, I probably would have wanted to do myself in after forty pages. In Dave Eggers’ capable hands though, and witnessing the events through the eyes of the brilliant, resilient real life protagonist, Valentino Achak Deng, the story retained a hopeful sense through out. It skillfully balanced color and beauty alongside its brutality, without sugarcoating, cheapening, or glossing over the any of the events. My admiration of Dave Eggers skyrocketed after reading that book, and made me hungry for any of his future projects.

I went to buy his latest book, “Zeitoun” the day it was to be released. Like “What is the What” it is a true story about a family’s struggles in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Again it is emotionally devastating material, but encouraged by his previous book I didn’t need time to prepare, I dove right into it. The book is told through the eyes of Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun. Their love story and the history of their families are almost as interesting as the astonishing, and disgraceful events that they endured in the aftermath of Katrina. I won’t spoil any of those details though. It’s otherworldly, it’s topsy-turvey, and it happened here in the modern USA. Dave Eggers has told it all compellingly and beautifully, and be it in the author’s nature or in the personalities of the subjects, no matter how hopeless and shameful things became there always remained flickers of hope.

For me this harsh story was bearable because of the skilled writing, because of the love story, and because of the protagonists’ decency and religious faith. I’m a stone-cold-skeptic, so I am almost never able to deeply relate to people’s faiths, but surprisingly I did with Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun, who are both Muslims. The book told of both of their journeys to the Islamic faith, and I was enthralled by it all. It illustrated matter-of-factly how their faith helped them endure, in the same way Valentino’s Christian faith helped him, which I connected to in that book as well. Dave Eggers has pulled an incredible feat in getting this atheist to deeply connect to such very different people and their religions. It didn’t bring me to faith in any way, but allowed me to connect to it. That and many other things in these wonderful books brought me to tears.

A Tribute to Walter Cronkite

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:38:17 +0000

Walter Cronkite died with his family by his side Friday night after a long illness. Cronkite died of cerebrovascular disease. He was 92. Cronkite was the face of the “CBS Evening News” from 1962 to 1981 covering stories that ranged from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to racial and anti-war riots, Watergate and the Iranian hostage crisis. It was Cronkite who read the famous bulletins from Dallas when John F. Kennedy was shot.

I remember him most for his ending of his news stories with “And That’s the Way it Was”.

If you want to know more about Walter Cronkite, I suggest the book, A Reporters Life, by none other than Walter himself.

Stop by to purchase or call us to reserve your copy today, while supplies last!
Woodbridge 703.491.7323
Chanitlly 703.968.7323

Happy Birthday, Mom!

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:30:32 +0000

Through thick and thin you have always been there for me.
You inspire me.
You lead me, guide me, teach me.
You are my Hero.
I love you!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Living the Events of a Book

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:58:15 +0000

If you could live out the events of a book, which would you choose? And from which character’s point of view?

Goodbye, Michael

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:38:46 +0000

Goodbye Michael,

Inconsolably, the world mourns Michael Jackson as a very talented music icon. Sadly, another legend is taken from us much too early and, seemingly, much too tragically. At C&W, we will always remember Michael as the shy, gentle spirit who loved and collected books and became a voracious reader due to a fame limiting lifestyle.

So, goodbye Michael and thank you for the memories. May God hold you close and may you find the peace that so eluded you in this lifetime.

Is a book really a book on a Kindle?

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:48:41 +0000

Share your thoughts below.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:03:49 +0000

I recently read Dewey: The Small Town Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. I loved it so much I gave it to my daughter-in-law to read and asked her to write a review on it. Here is what she said:

Dewey is a must read for all cat lovers. It is the touching story of a town who loved a cat and the cat who loved them back. It is funny, touching and sad. He lived his life among books in a small town in northwest Iowa. The author describes Dewey in exquisite detail; this is truly a love letter to a very special cat who captured hearts around the world as the most famous feline resident of a library ever.