Pre-Yard Sale Book Heist

My mom is planning to rid the household of the accumulated debris from various homes over the past thirty years. What we can't sell, we'll either donate or take to the dump. My minimalist heart is absolutely singing with joy at the prospects of a nearly empty garage... even though it's at my parents' house, not mine. It will be the project of a lifetime to get my husband on board with my agenda, and stop keeping everything he comes across. "But I could use that!" is the common complaint when I start rooting through the piles and boxes and containers that people haven't seen in years. Well, if you could use it, then why don't you? If it's not seasonal, then why is it sitting out in storage? There are certain things that don't get used often but also shouldn't get thrown away, of course; specific tools, for instance, or childhood keepsakes. But there is really no reason to keep the amount of useless stuff that most of us have piling up in our homes. I'd much rather do a clean sweep several times a year and keep the clutter to a minimum, instead of live amongst boxes and bags or stuff I never even look at, let alone miss.

So anyway, because of the yard sale, we're going through a bunch of the boxes that have been there since my parents moved-- not this time, the *last* time-- and I found a few treasures. For instance, I grabbed the following books to read through the next time I get a few minutes to myself:

-- The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch.
Can't wait to read this one and use up a whole box of tissue at the same time. At least it's motivating, though!

-- A Stir of Echoes, by Richard Matheson.
I loved the movie by the same name, so I wonder what the book will do differently...

-- Eats Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss.
This one is purely for the nerd in me. Grammar is sort of my secret super-power.

-- The Conversation Piece 2, by Bret Nicholaus and Paul Lowrie.
I enjoyed all of the little questions and conversation starters the last time I read it, and wonder how our answers will change this time.

And, of course, because I'm a total grown-up, The Ultimate Adult Only Joke Book. You know, just to improve my vocabulary and such. ;)