Treasure Hunting

I may have a problem. 

I biked to the library today, a pilgrimage that has become quite the weekly ritual for me. Upon entering, I noticed a giant sign for a used book sale. Thinking it was just the usual shelf or two of old and yellowing retirees, I casually strolled into the upstairs room where the sale was being held. 

Clearly, I was wrong. 

I stepped foot into what I believe is the largest used book sale I have ever laid eyes on. I thought the old man at the UCI vendor fair had a pretty wide selection, but this spread definitely tops his. The attendant at the door told me that I could purchase a bag for two dollars, as he motioned toward a stack of brown paper grocery bags. While I was initially confused at what he meant, it suddenly dawned on me that the two dollar cost was not for the paper bag itself, but for the CONTENTS of the bag... 

...which pretty much means as many books as I can fit inside it. 

After immediately texting my fellow bookworm Rante about this marvelous opportunity, I dove straight into the stacks. Few things are more exhilarating than browsing spines and finding a title that catches your eye-- a book that was mentioned to me in class, a lesser-known story collection by one of my favorite authors, a recommendation, an intriguing title... 

It was also great to see so many children, sprawled out on the carpeted floor with their little noses buried into little paperbacks. I think that the older generation sometimes has this notion that the next generation is going to some sort of intellectually-depraved hell because of technology and the like... so seeing these children so engrossed in pages of adventure really affirmed my faith in the future of society. 

Rante and I left the book sale, each struggling to carry ripped paper bags brimming with hardbounds, paperbacks, and magazines... our minds simultaneously brimming with excitement. 

Thus begins a life of hermitage, as I shut myself in my room to read forever.