The wifie and I have a little tradition whenever we make the trek up British Columbia's Sunshine Coast to visit the in-laws. 

It's a visit to Powell River's institution of a used book store called Kingfisher Used Books right on the main drag.  Of course, there's not much more to Powell River than the main drag.  Location, location, location.  Correct?

Getting to Powell River is a trick in and of itself.  From Vancouver it's 2 ferry rides and and a couple hours in the car.  And that second ferry, well, you can expect to wait.

This particular visit to Kingfisher was EPIC.  The thing I like best about the used book store is that you don't tend to find the hidden gems, they find you! 

The find of the day this go 'round is E.L. Doctorow's first novel, Welcome to Hard Times. 

I've never read any of his stuff before, but his name seems to be floating on the wind these days.  This one jumped up and bit me.  The story is right out of HBO's Deadwood although Doctorow's writing of it predates the series by 40 years.  Set in the Dakota Territory back before it was part of the Union, it's a tale of hope, fear, life, and death. 

I could not put it down!

Here's my 'best of' quotes from the book:

Human Nature

"This town was in the Dakota Territory... Really there was no excuse for it except that people naturally come together."

What's in a Name?

"Always the ghost city is one with name full of promise.  Is that not so?  We must have care in our naming not to make this mistake..."

Definition of an Optimist

"Well now Blue I always liked you, yessir.  If you was hanging by your fingers from a cliff you'd call it climbin' a mountain."

Importance of Courage

"Mayor, all the soft yellow spines in the world stack up to nothing when the Bad Man comes.  I'll tell you that, I know it."

Human Error

"A person cannot live without looking for good signs, you just cannot do it....if a good sign is so important you can just as soon make one up and fool yourself that way."

Turn, Turn, Turn

"... but words don't turn as the earth turns, they only have their season."

Seize the Day

"Really how life gets on is a secret, you only know your memory, and it makes its own time.  The real time leads you along and you never know when it happens, the best can be is come and gone."

Talk is Cheap

" 'Oh, Lord,' she wailed, 'oh, Jesus God, spare me from this man, this talker--' "

Human Nature redux

"I walked... my eyes on the town.  It had no earthly reason for being there, it made no sense to exist.  People naturally come together but is that enough?  Just as naturally we think of ourselves alone."

Well said!  And well done!  Viva Kingfisher Used Books!

Enjoy!