I Got All These Books For Less Than $5.

[@valeriaocon7862]

In 2019, I went to New York for the first time to celebrate my 25th birthday and walking around Brooklyn with a friend I found a copy of Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Billy Goldberg and Mark Leyne. I remember I was so excited because it was the first time I found a book left there, alone. I still have it and cherish it so much. Like a gift from New York to me.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaoooo omg. Such a classic NYC moment and book. Truly you find things you couldn’t make up even if you tried. Glad my city was kind to you

[@maralidina8430]

i'm about to watch the whoke vid but girl you look criminally stunning today like omg??? lip colour and shirt combo?? GORGEOUS

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you, baby. Mama tried this day! Big hugs xoxox

[@jazzgirlie]

My local thrift store sells paperbacks for 33¢ and hard backs for like a 99¢. It’s unhinged and amazing.

[@oopsgirl44]

Reading this rn (early morning for me) makes me feel better about the world!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omfg. Never let that thrift shop close

[@opaldawn]

Dang, those are great deals!

[@ElinWinblad]

Mines 35¢ even hardcover and educational books - only thing is there isn’t great finds every week due to city demographics for my tastes but every other month or so I go and get at least 10 😅😅

[@neptunescoven]

also i am obsessed with you & your account and you are a fashion ICON

[@Kiki-oo3bw]

a literal treat everytime she uploads

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Muah!

[@oyasumikisi4935]

I used to leave books I'd finished in the Paris subway, hoping someone would be happy to find it. I would love to find a book on the sidewalk, but living in Iceland I don't think it would be safe to leave books outside, since it can rain at any time.... at least I've never seen books out there.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Iceland! Oh my gosh, I’ll reach out if I ever make it there. Heard only beautiful things about your country. I’ll bring some books to leave on the side of the road 😏

[@ellias]

the way i screamed, the gold blouse is STUNNINGGGGG!! always looking forward to a new video from you babes 💕

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

The blouse was a gift from the GAWDS ✨✨✨

[@merramarie]

I found Prozac Nation, Into the Wild and the complete short stories of Oscar Wilde in a free book thing by the side of beautiful houses in Yonkers last time I visited nyc 😊

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

!!!! NYC knows what is UP! Funny enough, was just thinking of Prozac Nation the other day…

[@caleba9648]

If you guys ever visit Maine, I feel like you'd love the book selection at Big Chicken Barn Books. The first floor is an antique store and the second floor is a HUGE used bookstore of varied rarities and subjects. I've found some amazing gems there. And yes, the building is an actual old chicken barn.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I just added it to my want to go list. Not far from Acadia?? I’ll take it. Looks like I’ll be getting lost in there one day. Thank you!

[@caleba9648]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson you’re welcome! I am lucky enough to live close to Acadia so I do what I can to bring it up to people I think would enjoy it. It’d make a lovely trip for you both. It’s VERY busy during May-August so I’d recommend going in September. Seasonal businesses are still likely open then but it’s much less busy

[@evangelinepoe8952]

Just subscribed to your channel and am so enjoying your vids and personality. it was early morning and I was out to play with my new camera. Big smile on my face and in my heart. Driving down the road past a university, big sign Book Sale. It was to start in ten minutes, so I thought why not. Grabbed one of their big paper bags. Filled it with about 12 hard-backed classics, most of them first editions in near perfect condition. 25 cents each. One of them was Longfellow's poetry including Evangeline (this is the forest primeval...)which I had read many, many moons prior at 11 yo. and loved it. (saw your Acadia ref. ) I still smile and whisper a thank you out into the 'wondrous void' when I think about that day 20 years ago.

[@JemimaRose]

absolutely in love with your shirt!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

It was a thrift STEAL. Thank you, I feel like a tacky, fabulous queen

[@collected-stories]

I loved The Trial, but I read it 40 years ago, and I don't remember a thing. LOL. Read Trust in January and loved it. I didn't know anything about it going in and to see how the 4 parts relate to each other. The others sound fascinating, and some will end up on my TBR.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Just finished trust! Will have a video on it up later today-I had mixed thoughts, but dang, I read that so fast!

[@cathyg.9996]

Great haul! Trust is a phenomenal novel and it also won the Pulitzer. I’m sure you will love it! Love your hair and your top - you look beautiful as always! ☺️

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Love ya! Big hugs! Just finished Trust-will have a vlog on it today. Mixed feelings, BUT wow, Diaz can WRITE!

[@kdove2259]

The only reason I read one of my favorite novels was because my husband was once assigned it in college, then he never read it, but it somehow stayed in his shelves, and I came along, merged our libraries, and unearthed the lil book hiding beneath barcode stickers and scuff marks. The Grass Dancer by Susan Power! Highly recommend

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh wow. Okay, that sounds great. Dang. Also, same thing kind of happened to me with a Jon Krakauer book. Oleg bought it, didn’t read it, I conquered and loved it

[@ginal2643]

The film of Trial by Orson Wells is fantastic. Excellent special effects for its time. Effectively feels very confining & haunting.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

!!! I believe that. Sometimes I think this new CGI looks more fake than older movies’ attempts at animation

[@laindarko3591]

Funnily enough, I found my copy of Kafka's "The Castle" on the side of the road! Also, at this point I get pretty much all of my books from Goodwill and a used bookstore run by my local library where most books are sold in the range of $1-$2 (and all profits go to the library!) I love book shopping this way because I end up finding really interesting niche books I would never have heard of otherwise.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Agreed! Almost exactly why I shop the way I do. I basically pick my books based on how they intervene in my little sphere. I wish there was a bookshop around here that donated to libraries

[@rileylawson9958]

Keep us updated on Vacationland!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I will! Think I’ll pick it up soon!

[@radiantchristina]

Great haul! A General Theory of Oblivion is one of my favorite books.

[@radiantchristina]

oh, and i have never found a book in the street. I live in south florida which is a cultural wasteland. The only somewhat option i have for used bookstore is the Goodwill. There are literally no book stores in my city so I purchase mostly online. Funny story though --- i have been known to do huge unhauls of my books only to go back into Goodwill a month later and buy some back

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Really??? Okay, amazing, I feel like I picked up a good one, then

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg hahahaha that is legend status

[@nourananook]

I’d love a video on how you choose the books you want to read! I’m French and some of the books you mention i have never heard of (so watching you is one of the ways I find inspiration, thanks for that!). Do you read others’ reviews, just browse in libraries, are influenced by a beautiful book cover?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I love that idea! I’ll workshop that a bit. But basically I try to read books how the end up in my lap. Like, if I see it for free on the side of the road, I’ll pick it up. Or, If it’s for cheap, I’ll pick it up. Rarely have I found a horrible book that way. OR, when I want to purchase a book, it’s usually something I’ve wanted to read for YEARS

[@pallaviaggarwal1308]

AH i recently read a general theory of oblivion, it's such a great read, really beautifully written!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Really!!? Only hearing good things about it, so I’m excited!!!

[@javaguy5783]

Where I live in Brooklyn , we have roads but no free books? LoL.

[@WRam-fo2sc]

Our local church used to have flea markets every other month. I always gravitated towards the smorgasbord of books piled six inches high, one on top of another with only their spines showing and all spread out across six tables. I was in literal heaven (pun). Hiding in a box on the floor between the other books the church deemed inappropriate to sell was my greatest find: a first edition paperback of "Pet Sematary" with its creepy cat cover. Price: $0.25.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Haha! Love the pun. No way!! What a wild discovery. I love that we’ll never know who had the book before, but you have it now and it’s a treasure

[@damianp564]

I haven't read his writing yet but John Hodgeman is comedy gold in the short lived TV series, Bored To Death. Henry And June is a good read. I really like Anais. A life well lived as far as I can tell.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Ohhh, I didn’t realize he was an actor, too. That makes me like it more haha

[@karakask5488]

W.E.B. Du Bois said his name was pronounced Du as in Sue and Bois with the oi as in voice Trust is funny, I'm not sure I liked it while I was reading it, but now it lives in mind and pops up in weird ways.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you for the clarification! And basically same sentiment about trust. Thought the writing exquisite, but kind of wanted more

[@camillodimaria3288]

Ha… ! 😊 yeah, I’ve found books in nyc a buncha times, here & there. I’ve even left books in places, sorta inconspicuously. The one I remember finding leaning against a subway pillar was Midnight’s Children. I didn’t know a lot of the books you mentioned. The Trial is a great romp that warrants revisiting cuz it’s so rich & puzzlingly mazy.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Ooooh, such a good find. NY’ers leave the best gifts for people to find (sometimes it’s a nasty gift, but a gift nonetheless hehehe)

[@xxzcfdxc]

Off topic but Omg that shirt is stunning!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you! And it’s silk!!!

[@lisaplummer8144]

I nearly spat out my coffee when you read the Vacationland jacket. :D

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hahahaha right??? I wanna have fun like that!

[@wickerlibrary]

a general theory of oblivion sounds sooo good, immediately added that one to my tbr

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Right??? Honestly, sounds like my ideal life tbh

[@BooktalkTamil]

Im here for her gesture more than just books 😂❤

[@HeatherB81]

I wish Seattle was a city like NYC where people leave books on their front stoop for any who shall want them ❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

It’s gotta stop raining! Haha I have to time my jaunts around the city for book hunting by the weather!

[@nancyegee2804]

Eustace Conway has been on the Mountain Men TV series on the History Channel for several years. The Last American Man was really fascinating. He and his crew teach bushcrafting on his land in NC, Turtle Island Preserve, if you ever have the urge to try your hand at that again.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

No way! I love the History Channel. I watch that and HGTv when I visit my parents. Excited to read TLAM

[@reaganwiles_art]

Can't wait for the Lispector taughts Inspector. Let's inspect her together.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hahahaha!! That should be on a t shirt

[@malumstella]

i have been unfamiliar with archipelago books but happened to pick up my first (kibogo by scholastique mukasonga) at the library yesterday! excited to read ^_^

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

No way! She’s fantastic. Archipelago has such a great curator

[@jcjcayenne1234]

I love this but as a native NY'er I would say that the books being left on the street, thrift book etc. tend to be in hipster, transplant heavy, gentrified areas. There's not even one bookstore in walking distance of where I live.

[@Ingriddddddddd]

I am a Bronx book lover with no local options. I tried to find a local spot recently that would accept book donations for children’s books and found nowhere nearby. I don’t feel comfortable leaving books in random places. I’d love a free book swap meetup or if someone knows about free drop off sites that would be great.

[@natbatrat-d7e]

quick tip for new yorkers: not sure if that’s still a thing but last summer i got SO MANY books for $5 at out of the closet thrift store (a couple of blocks from atlantic terminal) because they had a deal where you’d pay for the bag and put as many books as you could in it for free. and also the profit went to HIV testing so that’s a slay.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Whaaaaat?! I didn’t know this. Obsessed with this. Putting closet thrift store in my ‘to go’ spots

[@natbatrat-d7e]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson and on top of it, i’m pretty sure there’s also a salvation army a couple of blocks from it where all the paperbacks are $1 and all the hardbacks are $2 so i’m so sorry in advance for the state of your bookshelf after a trip there

[@meghanfaith2185]

I have spotify premium and they recently added on 15hrs a month of audiobook listening time for peeps with the premium account and let me tell you it has quadrupled the number of books Ive been able to read 😭😭😭❤️The past couple books have consisted of Motherhood by Sheila Heti, Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray, and currently Death Valley by Melissa Broder. ALL!!! INCREDIBLE!!!! Exceptional and stylish content as always!!!!

[@hipanna2773]

i wish european spotify-havers had this😭

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg. Wait, do we love Death Valley? I’m waiting to get the audiobook from the library. I have YT premium-that’s my only indulgence hehe

[@cathy2142]

I go to the 14 little free library book boxes regularly❤. Do you have these too? They look like woodwn mailboxes with free books❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yes! We have some! Sometimes I’m afraid to stick my hand in one in NYC, but I do hehehe

[@carolyn4717]

I thought I would love trust and I did not! Will be interested to hear your thoughts

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yeah! I just commented on another post about how I finished it and wanted more, but I can’t stop thinking about it so it’ll probably be a favorite from the year. But right now it sits at ambivalence

[@nissasbookcorner]

looking gorrrgeous today queen!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Luv ya. Big smooooch

[@MothsAreTheBest]

Perfect timing!! I have to do the disheeeeees✨

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg, I have the same watching habits lmao

[@treya7165]

I love family sagas too! Could you recommend some?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

White Teeth by Zadie Smith and East of Eden! Two of my favorites

[@VinceLA91]

The book about a man on trial that you read may have been Albert Camus' The Stranger.

[@chiarapatsias]

please read Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a family story, sisterhood and Little Women all over the story

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg. Where does it take place? I need a good sister story

[@chiarapatsias]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson Chicago (mostly) and NY, starting in the 80s

[@javaguy5783]

What?! You didn't read "Eat Pray Love" ? Shocking. You should get on that one. Great read.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I think I would like it honestly haha

[@Whtpaper]

I loved Trust. Enjoy.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Finished it! Loved the writing and sped read through it. I wanted a bit more, though. But I think about it often. Will probably be a favorite from this year haha

[@Whtpaper]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson I felt the same

[@daisyt1982]

I like to give books away for free. I have a small free library in my garden where people can pick out a book for free and take it with them. I always look in other small free libraries to see if there is anything I like. Many people in the Netherlands have such a library in their garden. there are five in my neighborhood. I check them out weekly for new books.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

You have your own free library!? Oh my gosh, I love that and it’s so sweet. If I ever have a garden or a place where people can stop and spend some time, I’d love to do that.

[@aliceguimaraes8359]

Damn, I'm reading the trial right now :O

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Do we like it???

[@aliceguimaraes8359]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson yes, but we're also puzzled 😵‍💫

[@tiachu]

I TOO LOVE A DEAL!!! I’m going to adopt your motto 🤝

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh, YOU MUST!!! Free is for me, baby!!

[@Sthemingway]

I saw Fred Ward at a mall in Atlanta in the early 2000s. Had I not recognized him from films, I would have thought he was any other guy at a mall. He was walking and looked very much on his way somewhere. I pretend I'm the only person in that place who knew who he was.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh, wow. I love that. I love when actors are normal. And just smile and have a day to day routine.

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

What a find…Trust! I really enjoyed that one.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Finished it last week!

[@mame-musing]

Family saga recommendation: “The Buddenbrooks” by Thomas Mann. The rise and fate of an upper middle class German family in late 19th C.

[@KarlaCarlson-oh2fw]

Just starting rereading it. I remember really liking it in college.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I haven’t read any Mann! I feel I should

[@mauddouglasa]

Just put down 'The Trial' 2 minutes ago to watch this video. Have to read it for school.....scary, creepy moment.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

What! Our worlds are colliding

[@neptunescoven]

I'm from London UK and all the books that I thrift are at least £2 idk how people find books for free/worth literal pennies!😭

[@faezafaeza7798]

You look gorgeous❤❤❤❤❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much

[@demonorse]

I've read some of Kafka, that being said, I bought a book of Kafka's diaries, and couldnt finish it, mostly because it was the rambling rantings of a lunitic.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hahahaha sometimes I feel that way with the classics. Way over my head (or do I even care to decode it?)

[@margot_polo]

reading Trust right meow

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh babes, can’t wait for the update

[@Handmedownmac2]

Yet another banger

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

💕

[@matchingbirthdays4happiness]

Hi

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hello!

[@nicolebegovic1483]

7:20 RIP headphone users

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaooo omg. Literally. ‼️ Sorry about that

[@mafaldajmf]

I need a tutorial for that hair, stunning!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I have a vlog with a tutorial! But it’s basically the magic of the Calista hair thingy

[@crystalclear6660]

Do you live near a train track? Just curious. Kept hearing what sounded like a train go by in the video.

[@AshArtois]

thank you for not forgetting about South Dakota :) Do New Yorkers really come here? lol

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmao!! I actually love South Dakota. Have a whole video on this channel dedicated to traveling there. Been there many a time

[@Samantha-sk1jq]

jsyk du bois pronounced his name “du boys” !

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Life saver. Thank you. I looked it up on one of those name pronunciation sites and it was giving me like 30 pronunciations 😒

[@mariancastillo8147]

You are Jan from the office

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaoooo first time I’ve gotten that, but I’ll take it

[@littlebookish5287]

I have the very same top

[@littlebookish5287]

I need to know the full outfit .. for a friend

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Wait, really? I thrifted this and it has no tag-do you know the designer?? All I know is Made in USA and 100% silk, so I snatched it!!

[@littlebookish5287]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson mine is also thrifted wow!!!!! But the tag says h&m uniform sector hehe

[@JohnSeney]

Welcome back to the only real city 😏😸 Anais Nin has gotten a lot of hate for no good reason, her "sexy" stuff is really not and there is much more to her writing than just that. She is an acquired taste because of her oddball style but hardly an "erotic writer" as we understand the term nowadays. Her and Miller did actually attempt a cockamamie business of writing pornography at one point but it went nowhere. Miller, the Ed Wood of American letters, himself repudiated "erotica" and wrote none of it in his later decades, not even in his infamous love letter collection to the 50 year younger Brenda Venus 😐😼 "The Last American Man," wow, dramatic, I guess it's all over for the other hundreds of millions of us, oh wait a minute hasn't the "last American man" cashed his very pedestrian checks thanks to Gilbert's book? I don't know, not very Grizzly Adams of him 😸😁

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh wow!!! Look at that full history! I’m excited to read Nin to see how she holds up to today’s standards of shocking haha. I’m ready for it all! And yes, NYC is THE city!!

[@JohnSeney]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson You know it! 👍

[@teneshaanderson4761]

I cannot believe you’ve never read trust

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I knoooow! Just did, though! Mixed emotions, but stellar writing