BOOK SALE: Adding to my library

Even though I didn't get there until late Saturday morning, I found some true gems at the Unionville High School PTO's annual used-book sale.
My most notable find was "Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle," a 1966 compilation of modern poetry that took me back immediately to my Sixties elementary school days, when we'd order popular paperbacks through "Scholastic Magazine." "Watermelon Pickle" was always one of the selections.
Even though I'm a huge fan of quick-and-direct purchasing on the Internet, it's great to take some time and just browse for a change. I was impressed by the large foreign-language section, and I enjoyed browsing through the "collector's corner" of older books. I bought a little 1911 volume, "Truths: Talks With a Boy" (I was amused when the volunteer wrapped it up for me in brown paper).
I saw half-a-dozen different editions of one of my favorite books, "Jane Eyre," each with a different cover illustration of the governess and her would-be bigamist employer.
There were plenty of bestsellers by Clive Cussler, Nora Roberts, Alexander McCall Smith and Tom Clancy still on display, along with multiple copies of "Three Cups of Tea," "Bridget Jones' Diary," and "Eat, Pray, Love." I've finally accepted that I am just not smart enough to enjoy Muriel Spark's writing. Nor did I purchase any of the green-covered Virago Modern Classics series of books by lesser-known 20th-century female authors in which my sister has long been trying to interest me.
My vote for the most unusual volumes on offer: "A Glossary of Plastics Terminology in Five Languages" (can you believe no one snatched it up immediately?) and "Lawnscapes: Mowing Patterns to Make Your Yard a Work of Art" (the book cover is Astroturf!).
I overheard some entertaining conversations among book sale browsers. Two high-schoolers were looking through the boxes of "Cliffs Notes" (conveniently next to the "Classics" section). The girl remarked that she found "The Old Man and the Sea" boring. The boy said he enjoyed "Macbeth" and "The Odyssey." A younger boy presented his selections to his father for approval: the dad gave the thumbs-up to a dictionary but vetoed an M-rated videogame.
In one corner was a bulletin board of items that the volunteers found in donated books, among them a map from the Louvre; a handwritten recipe for "Simple Lasagne"; an article about getting your Christmas cactus to bloom; and a bookmark from the old bookstore at the Parkway Center in West Chester, the precursor to Chester County Book Company.
I hope the PTO made lots of money for its programs. Several people have told me what great stuff they found. And as I left, the ladies on the cash desk told me that the dates for next year's sale have already been set: Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25.

It's a book! It's a door mat!

This is the display of items found in donated books.