Thrift Store Treasures: Music, Books, and an Unexpected Surprise!
I've always enjoyed thrift shopping. I suppose it's the element of surprise that I enjoy the most. Some days when you visit the shops, you'll find nothing but unwanted junk. No surprise there, as my wife and I have donated many unwanted things to thrift stores in our area. Of course there are the other times when you walk in and there are hidden treasures throughout the store.
Saturday was a hidden treasure day.
Photo courtesy of Steve Snodgrass. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
My wife and I had cleaned out some things from our apartment earlier in the week, so on Saturday we drove up to the local YMCA Thrift Store to drop off the items. I generally enjoy going in this particular store. It's where I found the $1 copy of SimCity (2013) that I reviewed a while back, so I've definitely found some hidden gems there before. Plus, since my wife is a teacher, she enjoys browsing through the children's books.
I typically browse through the electronics, music CDs, and books when I go to a thrift store. Saturday was no different, and I made my way around the store looking for various things. Along the way, I spotted several interesting things including six copies of Titanic on VHS, a few Windows 98 PC games (it took a lot of willpower to pass them up), and a lot of classical recordings on vinyl. I chose to skip over all of these things, however, and I headed over to look at the music CDs.
Music on CD
Since I've been to a lot of thrift stores and browsed thousands of CDs, I pretty much know what to expect. Mostly 90s music, classical CDs, and almost always a Harry Connick, Jr. CD. Anyhow, this time I was able to spot several fantastic jazz albums. I love finding CDs because I can rip them into my PC at 320 kbps and enjoy listening to them anytime without an Internet connection. I know this seems bizarre in the era of streaming apps like Spotify, but I still enjoy a nice library of mp3s. Anyhow, here are the albums I picked up for $1 each:
Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet
You can't go wrong with Miles Davis, and this album is especially great since it also features John Coltrane on the saxophone.
Time Out- The Dave Brubeck Quartet
I have listened to this album many times, but I didn't own a physical copy. Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright, and Joe Morello unite for a very fun and entertaining album that contains one of my favorite jazz tunes, Three to Get Ready.
The Sermon! - Jimmy Smith
I've always enjoyed a good organ jazz tune, so when I saw this Jimmy Smith album, I had to grab it. I was even more delighted to find out that the trumpet player on the album is Lee Morgan, one of my favorite jazz trumpeters.
Bonus: Here's one of my favorite tracks from Lee Morgan
Stan Getz and The Oscar Peterson Trio
I admit, I had never listened to this band before picking up this CD, but I'm listening to it as I type out this post, and I've enjoyed it tremendously. Stan Getz and Oscar Peterson are both brilliant on this album.
From Left to Right- Bill Evans
I've always enjoyed listening to Bill Evans's fingers tickle the ivories, and on this album he bounces back and forth between an electric piano and a Steinway grand, making for some nice easy listening tunes.
I hope that if you are a fan of jazz, you've found some new tunes to listen to. I've greatly enjoyed listening to these albums since Saturday.
The Books Section
I already own too many books. In fact, one of my life goals is to read every book I own. I actively make this task more and more difficult each time I visit a thrift store, because I inevitably buy more books. This time was no different, as I discovered copies of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, which I've heard good things about, but never gotten around to reading.
I'm looking forward to reading this series. I grabbed all three books for $2, so I'm sure I'll at least get that much entertainment out of them.
The Spectacular Surprise!
I have, of course, saved the best find for last. Before Christmas, a friend recommended that I read Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind. I enjoy fantasy books, so after Christmas, I bought the book and quickly began reading it. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy read. It's brilliantly written. As I drew near to finishing that book, I knew I would want to purchase the second book in the series, but when I saw the second book, The Wise Man's Fear, sitting on the shelf in the thrift store, I couldn't believe my eyes!
I was thrilled to find this book, since I knew I'd never be able to get a hardback first edition for the $5 price tag it had on it. However, the surprises were just beginning. I opened the cover to see if it was indeed a first edition, and I discovered that the title page of the book is signed by Patrick Rothfuss, the author!
At first, I was skeptical. How on earth does a signed first edition end up on a thrift store shelf? But after confirming the signature on Google images, and with a friend who has an autograph from this author, it does indeed appear legitimate. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to be able to bring home a signed first edition of a book series that I really enjoy.
I hope you've enjoyed this look at my trip to the thrift store on Saturday. I'll definitely be going back in the next few weeks to see what else I might discover! I encourage you to get out and support your local thrift stores, especially since many of them use the proceeds to fund local programs and help people get jobs!
As always, thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think in the comments, and I'd love to hear about any great finds you've picked up at a thrift store!
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I have at one time or another owned four of the five albums on vinyl or cd. Somehow I've never heard of Bill Evans. That Fender piano is familiar though. Wonderful sound. I think my favourite Miles is Sketches of Spain, but they are all good. Take Five/BlueRonda a la Turk was on the jukebox at my local diner when I was a young hippie. I recognised the cover but don't remember Jimmy Smith so a trip down memory lane is in order this weekend. If @enchantedspirit complains it's your fault. Stan Getz and Oscar Peterson are both brilliant - nuff said.
Speaking of jazz piano, Have you met Fats Waller? If not, allow me to introduce you: Ethan, Fats; Fats, Ethan.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fats+waller&qpvt=fats+waller&FORM=VDRE
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Thanks for the recommendation! I think I would enjoy listening to these albums on vinyl, but jazz albums like these are some of the most expensive and rare vinyl albums to find these days.
I remember I was in a record shop in Raleigh, NC when I first heard the Lee Morgan album I linked to in this post playing over the in-store speaker system. I went up and asked the guy at the counter what the music was, and he reached behind to the record player, grabbed the album art, showed it to me and said "It's not for sale." Of course I immediately downloaded the mp3 version on my Amazon music, and the remastered version sounds incredible, but there's just something about listening on vinyl.
Anyhow, thanks for your other comments. I've always enjoyed Bill Evans, and I've listened to the Oscar Peterson album now, and I'll be listening to it again.
Blame me all you want if you get in trouble with @enchantedspirit. I always love introducing people to new music.
I have to admit I seldom go to thrift stores but maybe i should I never thought of the areas other than clothing
I have read all the Stieg Larsson Series and loved them such brilliant story telling,
And how cool is that a signed first edition what a find
Yes, most thrift stores like Goodwill have the majority of their stores dedicated to clothing. That's why I like the YMCA store. They have many more things than just clothing. Furniture, electronics, sporting equipment, books, jewelry, etc. Of course most of these things are very secondhand, so the condition varies wildly, but it can be a lot of fun to explore the store and find valuable things.
Thanks for the recommendation of the Larsson books. I'm looking forward to reading them.
I'm super excited about the signed book.
I must check out if we have a YMCA store here it may well be worth an occasional visit :) \
Have a great day
That is a very sweet hidden treasure. Congrats on the signed book. I always hope to find something like that, but just don't have the time to really look for finds like this.
Thanks so much. I will say that it takes some time to discover great finds, but it's worth it when you do end up finding a treasure. I wish there were more thrift shops in my area that I could visit more often, but this store is probably the best one around.
Thanks for your comment!
You can tell a lot about a person by what they buy ... and what they value. This post revealed some interesting things about you. Interesting, but not all that surprising. Still, it was fun to go with you on your shopping spree. Keeping The Weasel out of the thrift shops just got a whole lot harder. Fortunately, he doesn't insist I go with him.
This excellent post was included in our new curation effort The Magnificent Seven -- a collaborative work by @enchantedspirit and @catweasel. You have received a 100% upvote from each of us to show our appreciation for your post. To see your creation showcased here ... and the fine company you keep ... please visit this link.
We appreciate your support both for our work on this project and for the other creators of exceptional content who make it all possible. (Follow @catweasel to catch our future Magnificent Seven posts. He's really not as annoying as you might think. <--- He always makes me say that.)
Thanks so much for including this in the Mag 7. I'm glad you enjoyed the post, and I do apologize for the unintended consequences with @catweasel. Hopefully, he'll find some more good things in the near future.
I suffered this addiction too at one stage - and I still suffer the after effects. I've been shifting boxes and boxes of precious books out of harms way and also to make space for less literary accumulations to go - time that could so much better be spent posting and curating on that desk that must go in some of the space so cleared! Still busy in In fact and I'll willingly pass on a whole plane load, if you are willing to pay the airfare from this side of the planet dear Ethan!
I have a dream of having a huge library room in my house someday. Therefore, I collect books. I'll probably just end up like you and have boxes and boxes of them with nowhere for them to go, but right now, it's nice to dream.
Not sure if I can spare the airfare unless the shipping company would accept STEEM! haha
Thanks for your comment and your support on this post. I really appreciate it!
Some of mine at one stage made up a kind of semi-public library on shelves op to the ceiling in a family guest-house I ran. Much appreciated by all guests, but alas a little over exposed...still waiting after more than a decade for a guest of a guest professor, who even left a promissory note to return one of them - and others just disappeared.
But even that's ok, as my effort collecting them kept these valued volumes preserved to add to someone else's quality of life . I may feel a little sore at those who could not discipline themselves to return, but then, imagine the joy of the innocent ones that inherit the books from them in turn!
You can really find hidden gems are these stores. Many people make a business out of finding deals at discount stores, garage sale ect. This is where you find the treasure as you say! :)
I don't think I'm lucky enough to try to find treasures for a living, but it is always fun to happen upon something like this when you least expect it! Thanks for stopping by!
@ethandsmith, I always enjoy finding hidden treasures.
Congrats on finding a first addition. Really cool that you had just finished the first book of the series.
It's a great feeling to stumble upon something nice in a shop like this. I appreciate your congratulations and your comment. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!
I came in to see the podcast and got reeled in with this post! See what happens to me?! LoL
The Dragon Tatt books are great, I like that you included links to music (who doesn’t love Miles?), awesome find with the authors sig (lmk how the book is, any good?) peace out. xx 🦅
Thanks for stopping by to check out this post on your way to the podcast! haha
It seems like everyone likes the Dragon Tattoo book, so I'm excited to read it soon. I'm also glad you enjoyed the music! I've been listening to these albums throughout the day, and I've enjoyed them very much.
The signed book is the second in the series, and I highly recommend the first book in that series. It was great, so I'm excited to read the second one. Thanks again for stopping by!
Yeah you distracted me! LoL
I know your ploy now .. oh yeah go look at my podcast ... you’re in it .. hahahhaha
Let me know what you think about the tatt books! She’s my kinda girl, so sad the writer died. New books from different writer are supposed to be good. So says my mom but she’s a Pollyanna lol
What’s the series about re signed book series? I need your review before I get it LoL
I really did enjoy including your post in my podcast! I'm glad you found your way to my other blog while you were here. haha
I'll definitely let you know about the Millennium series. I didn't even realize until you said it just now that they have attempted to add more books despite the author dying. So over to Wikipedia I went to read about it. Apparently he might have written material for a ton more books! I suppose we'll never know.
The Kingkiller Chronicle is the name of the series that the signed book is in. There are currently two books, The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear. The series follows the story of a legendary man who is living in disguise in a small town to avoid danger and the spotlight, but a Chronicler finds him and asks him to tell his story. The story takes him three days to recount, and each book describes one day of the main character telling his story.
It's fantasy, so the story involves magic, legends, kingdoms, history, and other typical fantasy themes, but it's told wonderfully, and I don't think I can reveal much more without spoiling anything. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy fantasy novels at all.
Like I said, I've only read the first one so far, but I'm looking forward to reading the second. Thanks again for your comment!
I was kidding! But thank you for taking the time to actually answer me. Im On cooldown or id upvote your response. So sorry. I’ll come back tomorrow’s morning! The book sounds super interesting, I’ll look into them for sure. xx 🦅
No worries. I never expect a vote, but I appreciate you wanting to! I do recommend the books, so you'll have to let me know if you ever get around to reading them. I'll do the same with the Larsson books. Perhaps I'll even blog about them!
Not if I beat you to it! Hahahaha muahahhahahhah heeeeee
Okay too much coffee 😬
Woah, this is the absolute dream!! I've never read Patrick Rothfuss but you're about the sixth person to recommend him to me in the past month...feels like he's following me around. Maybe this is a sign I've gotta read The Name of the Wind. I absolutely love thrift-store treasures, I hope you'll do more posts about your thrifting adventures!
Highly recommend The Name of the Wind. I'm reading some other books before I come back to the second in the series, but I enjoyed the first one tremendously.
If I go thrift store shopping again in the future, I'll be sure to seek out some more treasures so I can blog about them! Thanks for stopping by!