something queer going on

just_ann_now asked me about books. Since books and food are two of my favorite non-fannish things to post about, I thought I'd combine them and talk about cookbooks. I love cookbooks: I read them for pleasure, which I also find to be a good way to make mental notes of things I'd like to try and to increase my general knowledge of cooking.

We only had a couple of cookbooks in the house when I was a kid, and the only one whose name I remember is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It was (and still is in current editions) a little red paperback. Ours was published in the seventies, I think, and had that terribly 1970s focus on convenience foods and gelatin salads. I don't recall my mother ever using a cookbook except when baking bread or cake; she wasn't very interested in cooking and had a small repertoire of dishes that she made over and over again.

The first cookbook I ever owned myself was Sundays at Moosewood, a vegetarian international cookbook. Have I mentioned that I was a vegetarian (well, actually a pescatarian) from the age of 14 to 30? Sundays at Moosewood was a great help, especially in learning about foods and seasonings that we'd never eaten at home, which was a wide category, covering most vegetables that didn't come out of a can as well as things like fresh as opposed to powdered garlic. I don't have the book anymore, because it got culled in a move after I was no longer a vegetarian, but I remember it fondly.

At the moment I have three favorite cookbook writers: James Peterson, because he teaches technique as well as providing recipes (his Soups and Essentials of Cooking were among the books I had to cull, and I wish I hadn't); Raghavan Iyer because his recipes are great and his writing has incredible charm and personality, and someday I will cook every recipe in 660 Curries (maybe I should make it a project and see if I can get a book deal out of it, like Julie and Julia); and Nigella Lawson because she is cynical and admits to being a lazy cook, which is basically the opposite of James Peterson, and I just really like her, and therefore I forgive her for telling me that plastic wrap i.e. clingfilm wouldn't melt when used to line a cake pan, even though it totally did.

Because cookbooks are ridiculously expensive, I tend to buy them secondhand. Occasionally the store where I work has very good deals on used books, and that's where a lot of my current stash came from.

Besides cookbooks, I also love lists, so have a list of every cookbook I currently own: ( below the cut )

At the end of this month, I have to move across the country (over 1000 miles); I'm in financial difficulties and a friend has generously offered to let me stay with them while I keep looking for a job.

Because I can't afford to hire movers, or even U-Haul, I can only take with me what I can pack into a Honda Civic or reasonably afford to mail. That means getting rid of many, many books and things. Selling them will also help me afford the trip.

So: this is my final, giant, blowout, everything-must-go sale on books, CDs, and DVDs. Many bargains within! Everything I have for sale is listed, including many items not previously offered; this post supersedes all previous book/music sale posts.

Signal-boosting is very welcome, by the way. Please feel free to post about this sale or mention it to anyone who might be interested.

Item condition: All books are paperbacks unless otherwise noted. All books are in reasonable used condition (may be worn but are not water damaged, smelly, torn, etc.) and are not written in unless otherwise noted. CDs and DVDs may show signs of wear to jewel cases, boxes, and artwork/inserts, but discs play fine. If you have any questions about condition or even "what's this book about?", feel free to ask.

Pricing: My prices are competitive with online retailers and my shipping is cheaper. However, if there's something you really want but you can't afford what I'm asking, make me an offer and we can discuss it. All prices are in US dollars.

Shipping: Shipping within the United States is $3 for the first book or DVD set, $0.50 for each additional book/DVD to the same address. For CDs it's $2.50 for the first, $0.20 for each additional CD to the same address. If you're buying a lot I may be able to reduce the price still further; it depends on weight and bulk. Outside the U.S., shipping is the exact cost of postage plus $1 for the envelope (a little more if I have to buy a box). Non-US buyers should be aware that there is no surface/cheap shipping from the US to other countries--be prepared to pay at least $10 and sometimes substantially more for heavy items.

Payment: Payment by PayPal unless I've known you for a while, in which case I'll take a check if necessary.

How to Buy: Comment on this post with your name and mailing address (comments are screened) and I'll get back to you with my PayPal address. (Regarding names: I have to ask for a name--just an initial and surname is fine--because I worry that a package without a name may be misdelivered or, worse, flagged as a suspected letter-bomb and destroyed. I will not reveal your name, I don't keep records of names or mailing addresses after the package is sent, and I promise that every name is gone from my memory an hour after the package is mailed. I'm no good at remembering names even if I wanted to.)


( Poetry )

( Fiction: general, Aubrey and Maturin series, science fiction and fantasy, Doctor Who, mysteries, m/m romance )

( Comics And Comics-Related )

( LGBT studies, gender studies, history of sexuality, and related )

( Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Criticism )

( History and Art History )

( Theory )

( Dictionaries and Language )

( Science )

( Cookbooks )

( DVDs )

( Music CDs )

This is probably the last round of my intermittent book selling--at this point I'm culling books I really wish I could keep! So if you have tastes similar to mine, there's stuff here you'll enjoy.

All books are mass-market paperbacks unless otherwise noted. All books are in typical used-paperback condition unless otherwise noted. If you have any questions about condition or even "what's this book about?", feel free to ask.

Shipping within the United States is $3 for the first book, $0.50 for each additional book to the same address. Outside the U.S., it's the exact cost of postage plus $1 for the envelope (a little more if I have to buy a box).

Payment by PayPal unless I've known you for a while, in which case I'll take a check if necessary.

If you want to buy something, comment on this post (comments are screened) and I'll get back to you with my PaypPal address.

SPECIAL OFFER: The first three orders over $5 (not including shipping) get a 10% off coupon for Half Price Books (all locations), valid until November 24, 2010. (I got them from selling my books there.)

Note: since I know many of you are m/m slash fans, I've marked m/m slashy books with an asterisk (*). Books with actual LGBT characters presented in a way that I consider reasonably non-homophobic are indicated with a hash mark (#).

( 40 sf/f, mystery, and mainstream fiction books under the cut )

I've finally gone through all the boxes I got out of storage, and the result is many more books for sale. There are lots of academic books in the fields of English medieval/Renaissance literature and history, plus an assortment of other genres including (but not limited to) Irish literature and history, science, comics, male/male romance, and a few DVDs.

You can see them all here at my Amazon store.

My prices are, to the best of my knowledge, comparable with those of items in comparable condition on the site. There are sometimes discrepancies of less than a dollar, because when you sell on Amazon people will come along and undercut your price by a few cents, and it's a pain to keep up.

I'm selling some comics--mostly TPBs, with some individual issues; titles include The Authority, Cable and Deadpool, Hellblazer, Lucifer, various X-Men and related titles, and more. My prices are competitive with online sellers at places like Amazon and my shipping fees are lower.

Shipping for TPBs is $3 for the first book, $1 for each additional book (all going to the same address). I can only ship within the United States, sorry.

Shipping and other details for individual issues are explained below (at the top of the "single issues" section).

Payment by PayPal only unless I know you, in which case I'll take a check. (But I'd prefer PayPal even then if possible, just because it's easier for me.)

To buy, please leave a comment with your mailing address and a list of what you want; comments are screened so no one but me will see your address. I'll then get back to you with my PayPal information.

Please feel free to spread the word about this to comics fans you know.

( Here's what I'm selling )