A friend introduced me to The Book Thing of Baltimore, which is basically a place where people donate books and a place where anyone can browse through those donated books and get them for free. The books are roughly organized by genre (e.g. mystery, fiction, classics, politics, history), but more or less it’s a matter of having a good eye for authors and titles of interest.
Here’s what I found:
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield (I’ve wanted to read this since it was reviewed on Savidge Reads.)
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry – you know, this had good reviews on the blogosphere, but I had tuned it out somewhat because there were so many reviews of it at the same time. I got a little tired of hearing about it. But it’s free and I should just find out for myself.
Middlemarch by George Eliot – This seems to be a well-loved classic and I haven’t read it.
The Moonpool by P. T. Deutermann – this is the third book in a good thriller series, of which I’ve read the first two books. This one used to belong to the Harford County Public Library so it looks good.
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok – my friend Jenny is dismayed that I haven’t read anything by Potok. I think The Chosen was her recommendation, but I know My Name is Asher Lev is also a highly regarded work of his.
Sagramanda: A Novel of Near-Future India by Alan Dean Foster – this looks like a strange and potentially terrific sci-fi novel. This one used to be the property of the Baltimore County Public Library so it is in excellent shape with library binding.
Tenney’s Landing by Catherine Tudish – I read this collection of short stories several years ago and loved it. Another cast-off of the Baltimore County Public Library.
Trespassers Will Be Baptized by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock – This is a memoir of a preacher’s daughter and thus I could not pass it up. I too grew up as a pastor’s daughter. Hancock’s father was a Southern Baptist preacher in Kentucky and my childhood was in New England so there will be cultural differences, but I’m sure there will be some common ground.
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell – another classic. I’ve seen the mini-series adaptation, but not read any of Gaskell’s works.
A Good Stopping Point 
Your friend Jenny is dismayed? I’m dismayed — Potok is definitely worth discovering. I liked both The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev (though I give the edge to The Chosen since the narrator in Asher Lev starts off younger, and I’m not a big fan of the unreliable or immature child narrator). Both sequels to the books are very good, too.
I’m curious to hear what you think of Sagramanda. The premise sounds intriguing.
I haven’t been avoiding Potok on purpose – I just haven’t gotten around to him yet. 🙂 Yeah, the child narrator can be really hard to pull off, so we’ll see how it works in My Name is Asher Lev.
Wow! I wish I had a bookthing near me. You have some good books there. I have been tempted by The Lace Reader a few times, but always put it back on the library shelf – perhaps next year I’ll get round to it. Enjoy your new books!
You’re so lucky!! You found some really great books. I’m currently reading The Map of True Places, but the Lace Reader is next up on my list as soon as I get my hands on it.
farmlanebooks and toothy – Thanks for the comments. I’m really happy to have discovered this place and would like to go again in the near future, this time bringing some books to donate before taking others home with me.