Two new books in the former native speaker's library

Well, they're not "new," per se. But I did get new copies of them--and for pretty good prices.

• Politics of Difference in Taiwan, ed. T. W. Ngo and Hong-zen Wang (Routledge, 2011). This cost me only $10.57 + tax for a hardback edition. (Unfortunately, it's now back up to $165...)
• Tanners of Taiwan: Life Strategies and National Culture, by Scott Simon (Westview, 2005). This cost only $6.02 + tax for a paperback. I see it's selling now for $4.99, but delivery for that is $5.99. So...)

I'm contemplating not teaching this summer, which would give me some time to read some of these books, which might just be a fantasy, like the one I had about finishing my dissertation and having lots of time to read my pile of books. The pile of books has grown, but the time for reading them hasn't. (The other worry about not teaching this summer is that I'm afraid we might have to 喝西北風.)