Pineland Books

Very demure. Very mindful.

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. On the left, an abridged edition, on the right the original, complete version.

VP of Customer Engagement delivered this copy of John Le Carré’s The Russia House (an excellent read) to recent contest winner !

Hey! Let’s do a contest. One lucky follower will receive this copy of John Le Carrés The Russia House (good read, I enjoyed it!). Book sent free of charge!

Here’s the rules:
1. You must follow this page.
2. Tag someone in the comments who likes to read books.

In 24 hours President Darby Ann will help select and announce the winner!

Last year I set myself a goal to read 52 books, an aggressive aspiration that required ultimately an unsustainable pace. I didn’t make it. I didn’t come close. At the close of 2023 my tally came to.....18. In my defense I did read a lot of New Yorkers.

Books Read in 2023:

- 1 Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (Maybe you have my copy, currently MIA?)
- 2 The City and the City by China Melville
- 3 Legacy by James Kerr
- 4 Sacrifice by Michelle Black
- 5 Mans Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl
- 6 Ballpark by Paul Goldberger
- 7 The Night Manager, by John Le Carré
- 8 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- 9 Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
- 10 Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
- 11 A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré
- 12 In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen
- 13 Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
- 14 A Private Spy: The letters of John le Carre edited by Tim Cornwell
- 15 Gavin at War: The World War II Diary of LTG James M. Gavin edited by Lewis Sorley
- 16 The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- 17 The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham
- 18 Naive and Sentimental Lover by John Le Carré

This year I’ve set myself a goal of 24 books, which feels more attainable.

What are your reading goals for 2024?

A problem that I have is that when I see a copy of a book for sale from one of my favorite authors I have to buy it, even if I already own a copy (or multiple copies).

Unpacking the books I brought back with me from the trip…

Behold, the Christmas 2023 Pineland Books book tree.

Designed by

I finished this New Yorker from 2015 the other day. I have a stack of New Yorkers that I carry around with me and have since 2012. On my first deployment my mom would send me New Yorkers to read and I enjoyed them so much that when I came home I became a subscriber myself. Like all New Yorker subscribers I quickly started building a pile of issues I didn't have the chance to read yet (they send a new one every week, who has the time!).

This pile (or collection if you are being kind), with magazines ranging from years to weeks old, has come with me all over the world. I have brought it with me on trips to Nigeria, Somalia, Israel, Mauritania, moving houses in North Carolina, across the Atlantic when we moved to France, back to North Carolina when we moved back to the States, and now back to Africa again for a work trip. Slowly, issue by issue I chip away at it.

For me the appeal of the New Yorker is I can travel with them and then throw them away when I’m done, thereby lessening my travel burden. Bring five issues with me, come home with three maybe. Two gone, we call that progress! I’ve since ended my subscription to the New Yorker, through no fault of their own, under the premiss that until I can catch up with what I currently have I should probably stop adding more.

The backlog is now reduced by one and in a couple of days I'll probably go through another one or two and by the time it's time to go home I'll probably still have a pile with me but the stack will be a little smaller than it was when I got here.

This is the absolute perfect description of the business plan behind :

“This isn’t really a business-it’s a slow moving garage sale. When the books are gone, I’ll close up shop”.

Re-reading this classic as it’s felt very relevant to life recently. It’s repetitive and a bit of a slog but there’s no better depiction of the day to day absurdity of the military.

One of the many perks of being a boutique used bookseller, in addition to the fame and fortune, is having good inventory to pick out birthday gifts for your friends.

Heads up this classic is coming your way!

Very happy with these six finds from 6 for $20 sidewalk sale

Looking forward to reading this, thanks to who picked it up for me

This is a dog and books account now i will not be taking questions at this time.

Always great to have our favorite customer swing by!

Victor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”.

A timely gift form and book #5 finished on the year. The first half is excellent, the second a little more technical and more of a slog.

Overall a recommended read, particularly if you are going through some stuff.

Large selection of Michael Connelly books available. The perfect spring break or weekend read.

1 for $10, 2 for $15, 3 for $25 and if you want four you are a great person and I’m willing to make a deal.

Not happy working those 40 hour work weeks? New Years workout resolution already fallen apart? Ok here’s the plan

Step 1: Turn your work week in to four hours.
Step 2: Use four hours from that extra ~36 hours you got lying around to transform your body
Step 3: Rule the world.

$10 each or $20 for both which is still $10 each.

Don’t negotiate with me I’m terrible at it.

The in Pinehurst, NC.

Did I clear them out of all their Le Carré? Yes, yes I did.

Start them young

📸 :

Fifth Street Books in Mebane, NC.

My kind of used bookstore. Huge selection, good prices, nearly incomprehensible organization.

2267 US-70, Mebane, NC 27302, United States

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

One of my favorite books ever, the reason I am an Arsenal fan and a sports classic.

Why is this for sale? In a brief moment of insanity and self-doubt I forgot that I already owned a copy and bought another one brand new. My mistake is your reward.

$10 to a deserving home.

Give one take one little libraries: charming community enhancers or diabolical nemesis of the used bookstore?