Look What I Found, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             You know you just cannot keep me out of used book stores, no matter where I go, girls!!!!!!!!!!  And you find the most unusual things, outside of New York!!!!!!!!!  At one of the antique shops we visited, I found, in good condition, with the original dust jacket, a hardback edition of "The Song Of Bernadette" by Franz Werfel, which is something I always seem to be turning up, even though I have owned said item myself for well over 20 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               However, at a visit to the local used book store in the vicinity--I found, in mint condition, a Fawcett Crescent paperback edition of "Steamboat Gothic," by Frances Parkinson Keyes!!!!!!!!  First of all, I just love books by now obscure romantic authors--and Keyes, along with Taylor Caldwell (many of whose books I devoured, during my teens!!!!!!!!!) were two of the biggest of their day--the Forties and Fifties, trickling down into the Sixtiess, until, today, they are heard from no more!!!!!!  Unless they turn up, in places like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  When I was a child, in Highland Park, one of the hardback  books we had in our house was a hard cover edition of "Dinner At Antoine's," by Frances Parkinson Keyes, which is how I became familiar with both her name, and the restaurant, Antoine's, in New Orleans!!!!!!!!  Amazingly enough, I never read it, much to my regret, now.  But there was a photo plate of one of the dining rooms at Antoine's, which I would stare at on end, which fostered a fascination with New Orleans and that eatery.  Both of which I would visit twice, though I did not not know it, then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    But "Steamboat Gothic!"  Just think, girls!!!!  At over 700 pages, written by Frances Parkinson Keyes, with the kind of romantic cover I remember from my childhood, this was a find just too good to pass up!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't wait to read it, and you know I will give on here a full report to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     This may inspire me to collect all the paperbacks of Frances Parkinson Keyes!!!!!!!!!!!  Monsieur better get ready to clear some more book space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!