Freeriding

There’s good news, for one semester at least: the faculty, staff, and students of my university will be allowed to ride the city bus for free. I plan to ride as often as possible so that this policy will be extended beyond the fall.

I paid my last bus fare today and rode home from downtown, where I’d attended the Friends of the Library Public Book Sale. I’d bought nine books in five volumes for four dollars. Six of these books are inside two omnibuses by Ngaio Marsh. “She Writes Better than Christie!” is the blurb on the front cover of one of the omnibuses. (No, she doesn’t.) The Friends of the Library Public Book Sale is about the only place where I ever find Ngaio Marsh’s books; curiously, no books by Dame Agatha were available today.

I’d been dutifully reading two chapters, daily, of Dame Daphne, but yesterday I lapsed. I did write four dissertation pages, however. (I still should be able to finish reading Rebecca in two weeks.)

I also am reading one chapter, daily, of The Late George Apley. I should get through that book by the end of August.

P.S. I saw at least two copies of Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators, by Jay Nordlinger, in the “Politics” section of the book sale. You can get a copy cheap if you go in today before 6:00pm. (Here is what I wrote of the book a couple of years ago.)