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<\/a><\/p>\nIf you\u2019re a traveling collector, you can start your vacation planning with \u201cFlea Market Secrets: An Indispensable Guide to Where to Go and What to Buy\u201d by Geraldine James. Even if you\u2019re not going very far, you can dream of visiting \u201cThe Flea Markets of France\u201d by Sandy Price or the \u201cMarkets of Paris\u201d by Dixon and Ruthanne Long. The soon-to-be-released \u201cJunk Gypsy: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder & Wander\u201d by Amie and Jolie Sikes \u2014 the \u201cThelma and Louise of the design world\u201d \u2014 promises unique roadside finds a little closer to home, on the back roads of Texas. Whether you\u2019re traveling by car or by armchair, you\u2019ll need something entertaining to read. Antiques dealers are legion in the mystery world, and at the library you\u2019ll find the \u201cTrash n\u2019 Treasures\u201d series of murder mysteries by Barbara Allan in e-book form, such as \u201cAntiques Maul\u201d and \u201cAntiques Roadkill.\u201d The library also has the Lovejoy mysteries by Jonathan Gash (\u201cFaces in the Pool,\u201d \u201cThe Ten Word Game\u201d), starring a roguish and not-entirely-aboveboard antiques dealer, and the Lara McClintoch mysteries by Lyn Hamilton (\u201cThe Chinese Alchemist,\u201d \u201cThe Moai Murders\u201d), which lead the reader around the world in pursuit of antiquities.<\/p>\n You might have to drag the kids with you while you\u2019re treasure hunting, but it\u2019s never too early to train a connoisseur of junk. I started bottle digging in New England with my dad when I was 8 and entered high school with a wide knowledge of knickknacks gleaned from hanging around an antique shop after school. If your child or grandchild shows enthusiasm for anything with a patina, introduce them to \u201cKid Pickers: How to Turn Junk Into Treasure\u201d by Mike Wolfe and Lily Sprengelmeyer. They might go beyond the shoebox-of-stuff phase and turn into a collector with a discerning (or in my case, kitschy) eye.<\/p>\n What do you do with all the great old things you couldn\u2019t pass up? You could make your home \u201cFlea Market Fabulous\u201d with the help of Antiques Roadshow personality Lara Spencer. Or maybe you\u2019ll have to settle for just being \u201cFlea Market Chic\u201d with designers Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell. Once you\u2019ve found your treasure, the library can loan you the current issues of \u201cWarman\u2019s Antiques and Collectibles or Kovels\u2019 Antiques & Collectibles Price Guides.\u201d Not that you\u2019re going to sell your new acquisitions, of course \u2013 you just want to see if you got a good deal!<\/p>\n Second Saturday Concerts<\/strong><\/p>\n The Friends of La Mesa Library and San Diego County Library have partnered to offer a series of free music concerts at La Mesa Library during January\u2013June 2017. Concerts will take place on the second Saturday of each month at 1 p.m., and will feature local talent in a family-friendly environment. The Second Saturday Concert series kicks off on Jan. 14 with singer-songwriter Jim Earp, whose music can be heard at JimEarpGuitar.livejournal.com. Come in and enjoy more than an hour and a half of live guitar performance and song.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n