Mr. Curio's Vintage Books

Tag: dailyprompt

  • Just one of the best fantasy books of all time!

    Just one of the best fantasy books of all time!

    Which book have you read more than any other?

    My goodness! That is like asking me who is my favorite child!

    I will admit, when I was a lad, I was really obsessed with J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The set was a Christmas gift from my parents – a paperback set that included The Hobbit and came in its own slipcase. I guess they thought a four volume set would keep me busy for awhile. 😉

    By my senior year of high school, the books had become so dog-earred from reading, they were falling apart. Many moves and transitions after high school, they were lost to the wind. I still miss them.

    I must admit, I loved the books so much that when the movies came out, I refused to watch them. I already knew the characters, and what everything should look like, and how everyone would act. The movie would ruin it. Isn’t that what people say about every movie? The book is always better. Peter Jackson was treading on hallowed ground!

    I finally did see them almost two decades after they were released. Enough time had passed for me to soften my views. I will admit, they didn’t disappoint me as much as I thought they would. I really enjoyed them, actually.   Honestly, Lothlórien, was exactly as I expected it 🙂

    As for The Hobbit movie… I won’t get into that 😉

    Image from a seller on eBay. I have no affiliation,  but its the only image I could find of this set. This is the exact version I owned, released in 1981. Click here to see the eBay listing.
  • Its the same thing I’m obsessed with as an adult!

    Its the same thing I’m obsessed with as an adult!

    What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?

    It doesn’t take a psychic to know that books have been my life-long obsession.  But I will say that my tastes have changed over the years.

    As a small boy, my favorite subjects were anything on dinosaurs.  This was way before the days of the Jurassic Park franchise. Then it evolved to snakes and insects. I could now wander through the nearby forest identifying all kinds of fauna.

    Around the same time, I swarmed up on old Ripley Belive it or Not paperbacks. What fun reading about the strange and unexplained! I think it was my love of that genre that got me into Ray Bradbury. I was hooked on his writing after reading Halloween Tree. Something Wicked This Way Comes and October Country are still among my favorites.

    In high school, where you have to read certain books, I GOT to read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Let’s not forget Orwell’s Animal Farm!

    Today, I still read as much as I can. Subjects vary, but I tend to read more fiction in the summer. I’m especially fond of historical fiction. I’m currently on A Boy Between Two Worlds a biographical novel detailing the true story of Waldy Nods, the mixed-race son of a Dutch mother and Surinamese father in Nazi-occupied Netherlands.

    I’m drawn more to academia in the cooler months. Philosophy, psychology and neuroscience are among my go-tos. I recommend everyone check out Beau Lotto’s Deviate. It is a fascinating look into how our brains work.

    My obsession has led me all the way to staring my own vintage bookstore. I love finding old books with interesting topics. At the end of the day, learning new things and staying curious is best thing anyone can do for one’s self.

    Please feel free to puruse our titles. If you find something interesting, use BLOGGER10 for 10% off your first purchase!

  • It comes as no surprise

    It comes as no surprise

    How do you unwind after a demanding day?

    I read, of course!

    You may think that after a busy day of searching for books, researching books, taking pictures of books, cataloging and listing books, I’d be all “booked out.”

    On the contrary!

    There is nothing better at the end of a long day than settling into my old leather recliner, faithful cat companion, Jinx, on my lap and a hot cup of Earl Grey tea at my elbow.

    They type of day I have will often dictate the book I choose. A particularly busy day calls for something fun and lighthearted.  Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest comes to mind.

    A normal busy day draws me to some of my favorite Ray Bradbury stories with his vivid imagery,  lyrical prose and exploration of human emotion. I also enjoy how he cleverly juxtaposes the fantastic with the ordinary.

    If the day has been light, and my brain can take some extra flexing, I love reading up on some of my favorite philosophers like Schopenhauer or Kant. I mean, who doesn’t love Kant?

  • I owe it all to Mom

    I owe it all to Mom

    Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.

    I would not likely be in this place, doing what I do, if it wasn’t for my mother.

    She instilled in me a love for books at a very early age. I remember when I was just a little nipper, I’d leave my books carelessly on the floor. She told me, “Books are your friends, treat them well.” I gave her a look only a stubborn eight-year old can give, and she explained further. “Books always have something to teach you. They will never let you down.”

    So, it was around that time, mom started taking me to the public library every other Wednesday night, maybe as a way to respect the written word. I loved it there. It was so quiet and it smelled good, like ancient wisdom. We would spend at least an hour there meandering through the tall shelves. So many things to learn and know about!

    At that age, I gravitated to snakes, dinosaurs and Ripley Believe it or Not books, but I explored many other things as I got older. It is where I first discovered my favorite author, Ray Bradbury.

    My mom’s words still ring in my ears to this day. More than just the sheer possession of books, she instilled in me the love of learning and staying curious.