su-lin, yen and i went to the national library book sale at suntec, and i was determined only to buy hardcovers in good condition. (su-lin teased "but aren't you a carnal lover of books?" while yen sympathised "we're getting to the age where we care that our books are too tatty") and what do i find but a perfectly pristine and beautifully illustrated norton juster that i've never read before called alberic the wise and a tale quite unlike his other thurber-like fantasies.

and i am also happy to have got tim o'brien's in the lake of the woods. tim o'brien is someone i keep meaning to read but never quite put down on any list. i had encountered him when i was in jc, through the things they carried which is as moving and powerful a book as i've ever read.