A Good Book Day

Sometimes the garage and/or estate sale book hunt proves fruitless. I’ll go for weeks without finding something that tickles my fancy.

I am in a bit of a Harry Potter book drought. I’m currently in need of book five, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, (hard cover, used, in excellent condition) and the only one I’ve seen was a rather too well loved edition in a Tallahassee Goodwill shop. The search continues.

But I did find a couple of book gems at a yard sale outside of Havana, Florida, on Friday. While a good portion of the country’s population was out scrambling for Black Friday deals I was in a bucolic setting surrounded by a wonderful variety of goods–some antiques, some kitsch, and a whole lot of books. I bought two that I found amusing.

The first one I found is this automotive maintenance log written by my two favorite car guys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi.

Frequent NPR listeners know Tom and Ray as “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers.” For years they hosted the wonderful Car Talk show, dishing out humor, car maintenance advice, and good conversation about everything.

Folks called into the show with questions about their cars, and while they’d eventually get a constructive answer or solution, they’d also get good-natured ribbing, maybe a history lesson, and sometimes even relationship advice. Tom passed away in 2014, but past episodes still air on some NPR stations. It remains one of my favorite radio shows.

The book, while primarily a travel journal and automotive maintenance record, includes many of the witticisms and driving tips from the show.

I told Studly I need a new car so I can put this to use. He wasn’t moved to action.

The second book find is one I know will come in handy as I learn to be a colorful raconteur.

As always I had to first checkout any bookmarked pages:

What a terrific resource for a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. If only I knew someone who fit that bill.

There’s much to explore in my two new-to-me books. If you need a good wisecrack or one-liner you know who to contact. Of course time is of the essence in most cases, so I probably won’t be of much help. But in regard to car maintenance questions, perhaps I can be your new reference point.

Let’s see, “What’s the best tip for driving during a blizzard?”

Or do what I did, and move to Florida. Problem solved. I’m really good at this. Next question….

Peace, people!