Just a mini book haul

Well, hello my lovelies!

I can't believe we're already in August. The year is just flying past so quickly. 

So, here we are again with more books finding their way onto my shelves. When I went to the Post Office on Monday I was expecting just 2 parcels, but walked out with 4 instead. eBay has been coming in clutch over the last few months for older books that are just ridiculously expensive on Amazon (yes, I would order from independent bookshops however not only are they generally more expensive, but the shipping is unbelievable in Australia). 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a book that I remember from Yr 8 English (way back in the 1990s) and I vaguely remember that I wasn't a fan. Perhaps it was the content, perhaps it was the way it was taught, or maybe - and most likely - a combination of the two, but apart from not enjoying the book we were also made to watch the movie. Not a great movie for Yr 8s. I'm hoping that this time around I will get more out of the book, picking up on the undercurrents and subtleties more than I did at 13.

Next there is The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley and The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. More modern classics to add to my list. And while I have no knowledge of The Camomile Lawn apart from what I read online when searching for it, The Forsyte Saga is a name I remember from my teen years as I remember that the BBC had made that into a mini-series. I have not seen that (at least I don't think so), and after I finish the book I must remember to track down a copy.

Then there is my charming 1889 edition of Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. This was the highlight of my recent eBay searching, and to find it for less than $20 (inc. shipping) was quite the score. It has been just over 8 years since I first read the book - I know, I checked - and I find myself still thinking about it regularly. Surprised that I only gave it 4 stars, but I'll wait until I reread it before messing with my ratings ;D

Anyway, these are the books that arrived in the mail this week. I have been organising the pile of books I've bought over the last 6 months (not all of them, but a good selection) for an upcoming video, and with the new shelves I have come to realise that I really need to go through all my books and be vicious and weed out the books I don't want, have outgrown, are no longer interested in reading from my TBR, or have just hung onto for some reason. So far the donate pile is about 300+, but honestly I should get rid of at least 1000 more. I gave up counting my books in about 2015 and I stopped at just over 3600. Hope my local thrift shops, library and school book drive have room for me.

So, that's it. Let me know if you have any video ideas for me, or if you have any recommendations. I love hearing from you.

Thanks for stopping by, and until I see you next time, 

Jan-Feb Book Haul - Part 1

Hello, my lovelies!

I am so far behind the 8 ball this year, in regards to videos I want to make, that it's not even funny.  So far 2020 has not been a stellar start to a new decade. Although, during all this mayhem in my everyday life I have managed to read at a ridiculous rate, smashing my Goodreads reading challenge goal by February.

In this first of two parts, I have just gone over all the new books that I have added to my library, and the few that I have already read.  Sadly, after filming Part 2 (up soon) I have already accumulated a few more books.  It's a sickness, I tell you.  Then there is Kindle Unlimited... and I think you can guess how my reading month for February went.

Outside of my reading life, things have been chugging along as always. Chronic pain is never fun, but it has really kicked my butt this summer. The hot and humid weather we've experienced here (it's not humid here!) plus the bushfires, etc., just wrecked havoc with my system.  Thankfully with autumn temperatures kicking in, I'm feeling a lot better, but still not yet 100%... well, as good as I'm going to get at the moment anyway.

I'm hoping to do to a big unhaul, or weeding my shelves, in a couple of weeks so if you're interested in that, let me know and I'll see if I can get something up.

Thank you for watching, and until I see you next time, 

 

Uh, Amazon, why did you do this?

So, Amazon did a thing to my book that I'm a little peeved about.

Let me know if this has ever happened to you after ordering online.  I'm genuinely curious as to how often this actually happens, if it does, or did I just get super unlucky?

Thanks for watching, and until next time,

 

Last Bookmail in July

Hi there!

I finally fired up the ol' desktop today and while I was waiting for Norton to update all the anti-virus things, I thought I'd edit another video for you all.

July was a great month for bookmail - I only wish I hadn't ordered all this myself! There are still some items that are currently MIA, however, I have high hopes that the AbeBooks will arrive in the next week or so... but that Powell's order from the US is still not here, and I am getting rather antsy about it.

Okay, I'm off now.  Hope your July reading was wonderful, and that you found something new and interesting, or rediscovered an old favourite.  Thanks for watching, and until I see you next time,

 

Dark Tower issue resolved

Well, hello there.  Hope you’ve had a wonderful day.  My day was pretty average. It was a beautiful winters day with a painfully blue sky that makes you think if summer - but it was way too cold to even consider leaving the house!

Okay, enough of the social pleasantries. You’re here for the book stuff 😁  Here we go...

As you can tell by the title of this post, my issue regarding a used book I purchased from AbeBooks was resolved... but I’m not sure how I feel about it.  As previously discussed on both my IG, and BookTube, I ordered what should have been the reissued edition of The Song of Susannah (Dark Tower 05) by Stephen King. I particularly wanted this book because on the matching covers that form a larger landscape image when put together. But anyhoo, when the book turned up in the mail on Thursday, 18/07/19, it was not the right edition.  Yes, I know that sounds shallow and smacks of consumerism, but I want the edition that I’d paid for.

Seeing the error, I emailed the seller. They were lovely to deal with (so this isn’t a drama queen post about shitty customer service) and after me supplying them with the details they requested, I woke up to an email stating I was being refunded the full cost of my order (inc. p&h).  Now, while this was expected, I would rather have received the correct edition.

So, the hunt for The Song of Susannah begins anew.

Wish me luck, and on that note I’ll bid you a fond adieu, and until I see you next time,

Bookmail Quickie

It was a beautiful winter's day yesterday, so I walked down to the post office.  Thankfully I live close by as I came home with a few parcels - and one of those was something I was very eagerly awaiting.

Things did not go according to plan (as the thumbnail hints) and I'll get into that in the next post, but until then, I hope you enjoy the bookmail unboxing ;-D

Thank you for watching, and until I see you next time,

 

The Dark Tower is coming

Like I said when I posted this on IG, Yah! My Dark Tower bookmail is starting to trickle in 😊

I read The Gunslinger about 18 months ago, and just never continued on with the series as I didn’t have the next books. There was also the very real book problem of trying to decide which edition to get. Unfortunately by the time I decided on these US ones (in this very odd, tall mass market paperback format), they seemed to be going out of print for some of the titles.

Thankfully, these two were easily obtained from Amazon AU, while the rest had to be sourced from AbeBooks, and Powell’s (from America), which is a whole other story.  Fingers crossed the used books I bought match this edition.

Okay, now to find space for these new books... 

Weekend Reading + Bookmail

I tried to get this up last Friday, but thanks to more NBN maintenance - thanks Telstra! - I wasn't able to get it up. So I just ended up filming a wrap up of what I ended up reading instead. 

If you have read any of these books, leave a comment below as I'd love to connect with fellow Constant Readers ;-D

Thanks for watching, and until I see you next time,

 

Bookmail & Wrap Up

Sorry about the delay.  I've been having a few issues with the new Mojave OS ever since I updated my software from Yosemite.  It's been slow, and sluggish, and yesterday I couldn't force quit a program that was preventing me from shutting down the computer, so I had to pull the plug - oops, power outage.

Today I think I've gotten some of the kinks ironed out, but it's still so frustrating to feel like you're being held hostage by your iMac.  Finger's crossed I can actually shut down properly today.

Anyway, last week was quite a good week for me.  Two of the books I've been wanting to read - to see if I want to continue on with the series - were actually at my library.  I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but trust me, in a small regional country town, having any of my paranormal romance or urban fantasy series on the shelves is major.

I'm still on the fence in regards to Torpedo Ink.  I enjoy the overall story, but the messed up lives, the abuse, and the extremely graphic nature of these books is starting to get to me.  It's like the Anita Blake books all over again.  If you have any thoughts on the matter, let me know in the comments.  I'd seriously love to discuss this with anyone who is having problems with the direction the series is going in.

Thanks for taking the time to watch my videos, I hope to get more up soon.  And until I see you next time,

 

Bookmail, Funko's and a New Camera!

OMG!  I can't believe I actually spent so much 😵

Yes, I am now coming to you with the Canon EOS 200D, and I am beyond excited about finally owning a DSLR.  I've been wanting one for years, but could never justify the expense (soooo expensive in Australia!), however when my old trusty Nikon Coolpix started to fail I decided I needed to invest in a quality camera that was versatile and would allow me to use it for various projects.

Do I love it?  YES!  Am I freaked out by spending so much? YEEESSS!

Anyhoo, it will take me a little while to get myself sorted out with a filming setup, so don't worry if a few video's look funky, I'm working on it.

Thanks for watching, and until I see you next time

 

Back in the swing of things

This heatwave is ridiculous!

Hi there, my lovelies!  This is only going to be short so I can get hurry back to the AC in the living room as it's getting very very hot and muggy.  Seriously, what's up with this weather?

Anyway, I don't have any hauls planned for the next couple of videos, but I'm hoping some Top 5, or perhaps a bookshelf tour might be on the cards.  Let me know below if there is a specific video you would like me to do, and I'll put it on the list ;-D

Okay, I'm roasting in this room.  Thank you for watching, and until I see you next time...

 

More Stephen King bookmail

When I went up to the post office this morning, I didn't expect to get a pile of Stephen King stuff.  It makes me so happy when I can add more Kingly items to my collection ;-D

Although some of the items mentioned in the video were bought from Amazon (US), they were actually ordered through Amazon AU as Amazon still won't let Australians order from any of the international Amazon sites.  I've got to say, being geoblocked from all the other Amazon sites sucks severely.  The small pool of items Australia has access to from overseas on the site is very frustrating - especially when an item is available on just about every other site, but Australia's!

Anyway, that's a rant for another day.

Of the film adaptations that arrived in the mail today, I'm most excited to watch 'Salem's Lot (1979), and Silver Bullet (with Corey Haim).  I've now read both the books that these movies are adapted from and I'm intrigued to see how the adaptations used the source materials.

There are still more items winging their way to me, but I just couldn't wait to tear into the packages so there will be another haul towards the end of October, early November.

So that's it for today.  Let me know what your favourite Stephen King movie is, or what book would you most like to see adapted.  I always love to hear what fellow Constant Readers think about any screen adaptations.

Thank you for watching, and until I see you next time...

King Book Mail (+ one)

Hello, and welcome to my newest Kingly book mail video!

Sorry this will be quite short.  There are some major storms brewing so I need to get off the computer ASAP.  All of these items arrived in the last few days, so I just had to film a book mail video - so I could get them off my desk!  I have left links for all the editions mentioned in the video in the description area.

I hope you enjoy this, and until next time...

October Reading Update

So, my October TBR is coming along pretty well.  I am taking part in #Victober this year, as well as my own Halloween Reads challenge.

Victober 

• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
• Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell

Halloween Reads

• Thornyhold - Mary Stewart
• Pet Sematary - Stephen King
• Four Past Midnight - Stephen King

Of these five books, I have so far completed Thornyhold and Jane Eyre - both on the 1st of October - but since then I have not picked up anything else from my set TBR.  I did read Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness (which I bought on the 28th September), and one historical romance on my iPad, but since then I signed up for a trial of Netflix, and I have been hooked! ;-D

This weekend I am planning on starting one of the four short novels from Four Past Midnight, maybe Secret Window, Secret Garden?, anyway, I won't be missing out on any Stephen King because I can now watch Gerald's Game and 1922 movies that they adapted for Netflix.

A proper review video for Jane Eyre, Thornyhold, Time's Convert and whichever Stephen King I finish, will be up later in the month.  Until then, I'm heading back to catch up on some Netflix.

See you later,

 

Bookmail - Les Mystères de Paris

Bonjour, mes amours!  Yes, I have acquired some more translated French literature.  Why do I keep doing this to myself?  They have all been massive chunkers, but oh well, at least I have a few options for my Big Book challenge for 2019 ;-D

Today Les Mystères de Paris by Eugène Sue arrived, and I swear I thought it was a multi-book package when my post lady, Rosie, handed it to me.  She even felt up the package asking if it was more than one book.  I had ordered this a couple of weeks ago, and wasn't expecting it quite so soon.  As you know AbeBooks can be a little on the slow side when it comes to estimating the arrival date of the parcels.

Les Mystères de Paris was first published between 1842-1843 as a serialized novel - think Dickens - and inspired a whole new genre of mystery, the city mystery.  Novels in this genre include
Les Mystères de Marseille by Emile Zola, The Mysteries of London by George W. M. Reynolds,
Les Mystères de Londres by Paul Feval, Les Mystères de Lyon by Jean de la Hire, there are many more, but you get the drift.  It also, according to WIKIPEDIA, inspired Alexandre Dumas (at the prompting by his publishers) to write his masterpiece of revenge, The Count of Monte Cristo.

Anyway, I am in no rush to tackle this just yet.  I might wait until there is a readalong, perhaps?  But until then, this book will now go onto my ever increasing Classics TBR bookcase.

Thanks for watching, let me know in the comments if you have read Les Mystères de Paris, and if you have, what did you think of it - no spoilers please ;-D.

And until next time,

August Book Haul, Part 3 - Classics

Yes!  I have finally come to the end of this rather large (and if I'm honest, a pain in the arse) book haul.  Remind me not to do this again any time soon ;-D

As you can see, my collection of classics is growing steadily.  Enough so that I now need a large bookcase to keep them all together - they are scattered around various locations in the house at present - and with 3 very large bookcases crammed into the spare bedroom I feel the time has come to perhaps call a cabinet maker to make some custom shelves that cover a whole wall.  Expensive, I know, but there is so much wasted space in using standard bookcases that I think it will be worth it in the long run... maybe?

Anyway, I have more video's to edit, including a bit of bookmail from this morning, that I want to get up asap.  So I will leave you here, and until I see you guys next time,

Hey, I actually finished a book!

It's been a boring couple of weeks where I just have not had the inclination to pick up a book.  This does not happen often, but when it does, it's a real problem. Thankfully, my mum lent me her copy of Nora Roberts new book, Shelter in Place, and that did the trick.  Roberts is an almost guaranteed good read so... 'Thank You, Mum!'.

However, I only picked this up after finishing The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie.  I don't know what it was about this book, but it took me three reading sessions to get through this teeny, tiny, little book of 192 pages.  I know, right.  I've read three books in a day (1000+ pages worth) and done it again the next day!  Yet, trying to get through this Poirot was like pulling teeth.  Which is silly considering I actually liked it, and I can't wait to see the new BBC adapation.

Yes, April to mid June has just been the pits.

Thankfully it looks like that slumpy, grumpy, not-reading time is over and I've been enjoying rereading some old favourites which I will be talking about in my next video.

So until I see you next time,

 

Easter Book Haul

Hello again.

Due to unforeseen circumstances (aka, pulling a muscle in my back/hip) the video I'd planned on filming has been put on the back burner for now.  Instead I filmed a really quick video on Easter Sunday so I could share with you the bookmail that had been trickling in over the last week.

I was hoping to save all my parcels, and some still aren't here!, until I had them all in a glorious pile and then I'd open them on camera.  However, I got so excited when I ended up with 5 parcels in one day that I forgot about that and tore into them - oops! ;-D

Anyway, I've already devoured two of the Amanda Quick titles, Til Death Do Us Part and The Girl Who Knew Too Much, and they were just the thing I needed to get me out of the reading funk I'd slipped into after binge watching seasons 1 & 2 of Wynonna Earp (ps. such a great urban horror/western series!).

Still have to get to the two cozy mystery books, as well as the final two Jayne Ann Krentz novels and The Immortals (which I have my fingers crossed for because I love a good urban fantasy with gods and goddess' in a modern setting).

So with all that reading still to do I'm going to love you and leave you.  And until I see you next time,

 

Really late bookmail

What the hell is going on with the postal service at the moment?  I finally received some mail today that was as much as 6 weeks overdue (Misty's letter) and my order from Awesome Books was 2 weeks late.  Even my Funko and Booktopia order (in the flat oversized parcel) were late.  Is it the pre-Christmas postal panic?  I don't know - and I don't particularly care.  I am only worried about my orders getting to me in a reasonable amount of time!

Okay, now that that mini rant is out of my system - I actually didn't indulge in a hissy fit in the video - I will say that for once, all of the used books I ordered from Awesome Books arrived in very good condition.  There is always one item that looks like it's been dragged through the bushes backwards, but today, not a problem.

So out of everything that I opened this morning, the biggest surprise came with the green Harper Perennial spine you can see above on the video titlecard, it is sooo floopy and very much smaller than other editions of the book I own.  I'm trying so hard not to go into video spoilers, but if you've read the book you'll know how much of a chunker it is.  On the plus side, I now no longer have to worry about emailing sellers asking for refunds (and then quibbling about the refund of postage as well) so that's a huge plus.

I was also going to haul the books I discovered at a local thrift shop last week (and I have been posting images on IG) but that would have made this video super long so I might just leave for now.

Anyway, so happy to finally have all my missing orders here, I'm only waiting on two books I won on Twitter comps over the past two weeks.  I'm now going to clean up this mess around my desk and try to find a spot for them on my shelves.  Wish me luck ;-D

And until I see next time,

 

More King Swag

Yes, I'm back with some more King stuff ;-D

I had a great King inspired week, with bookmail and funko's arriving in the post - God, I love bookmail!

Last week I tried ordering from a new bookshop that sells rare, collectible, hard to find and out of print books.  If you're in Australia and are trying to locate a certain special book, try MARLOWES BOOKS.  They were super helpful, and my order was posted quickly and arrived in a few days.

On the home front I'm not doing a huge amount of reading thanks to the mini heatwave that has hit parts of Australia.  So I won't be adding reviews any time soon - although I do plan to start adding those in the future.  I've got a few 'scripts' written, but I'm just lacking the energy to film them (and my old camera is acting up), so they'll just have to wait.

Oh, and when I filmed this I completely forgot that my Dark Tower funkos had arrived on Monday (durp!), but I'll do a video on my King funkos when I have them all.

Okay, I'm out.  And until I see you next time,