Last books of June

Just a quick update from my phone (sorry about the messy format. I wish blogger would address this issue) to show you the latest books I have added to my bookshelves.

On Saturday I dropped by a local charity shop and found The Dark Griffin by K.J. Taylor.  This is the first book in The Fallen Moon trilogy.  I've been looking for this book for almost 18 months, but nothing - well, not for a reasonable price anyway - and there it was.  Practically the first thing I saw.  So lucky to find this.

Next, at the same charity shop, I saw a copy of Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey.  Cover is so colorful and stylized that I had to get it.  I'm sure I'll enjoy it as I do love fantasy.

And finally, my postman dropped off my copy of The Quick by Lauren Owen yesterday.  This sounds like an interesting story, a Victorian Gothic mystery from what I remember.

I still have one more book I'm expecting in the mail this week.  A steampunk if I remember correctly.  Then I need to pre-order two books for series I'm reading.  A neverending cycle ;-D

I bought more books!

Just a quick hello - Hello! - and an update of why I could never commit to a full on book buying ban. While out shopping yesterday I wandered into my local Big W (for a plant pot) and completely lost the plot.  I ended up getting two of the books {above}, and put a stack on lay-by.  I'm soooo bad.

They had a boxed set of the Penguin Children's Classics down to $15, as well as a boxed set of the Percy Jackson series for $24! Unfortunately these were both in paperback, but for these prices I didn't care!  So by now I thought I'd done pretty good, but no.  There was more discount goodness in store for me around the end of the aisle.

There I found a hardcover book - with slipcase - celebrating 50 years of James Bond posters and a trade paperback of Daughters of the Storm which I have been eyeing off for months now.  They were down to $10 each people... $10 each!  With one final book, Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly, added to my armful I realised that I had to get out of there.  Considering that about two weeks ago Big W had been a spontaneous 10% off Saturday for ALL books and I'd gone nuts and put so many books on lay-by yesterday's splurge was crazy - but I love them!

I'll post some photo's of all the pretty books once I get them in my hot little hands.  I hope you have had better luck resisting the call of the pretty books.  If you haven't, let me know down below what you bought ;-D

Until next time,

New books delivered!

I love the postman!  Well, not really.  But I do love when they bring such pretty books to my door ;-D

Today's parcels arrived a while ago, however in the rush to get other stuff done I forgot to show you my new books!

Swallowing Darkness is the 7th book in the Merry Gentry series.  I have an ugly UK trade paperback (seriously, have you seen those cover designs... UGLY!) and I have the others in these lovely hardcovers.  So when I happened across this one while browsing on AbeBooks.com I had to get it.

The second parcel was a copy of the Breeds series by Lora Leigh that I did not own yet.  Aiden's Charity comes somewhere after Jacob's Faith.  I have only just started it and although these books include some very sexy times, they are one of my guilty pleasure reads ;-D

Let me know if you'd like to see an overview of any of these series.

Until next time, my lovelies.

Huge Book Order for April

Yes, I know that I really should be used to this by now.  However I was not technically on a book buying ban - wouldn't even delude myself by trying to attempt one - so I can take some comfort in that.

I have ordered more than a few books from my favourite online retailers (my local chain store bookshop has a poor range) and I had two discount vouchers to use as well which made the damage done to my wallet slightly less.

My spending has been reasonable so far this month, but today I went a tad overboard.  I couldn't go down to celebrate ANZAC Day as I'm sick, and I didn't want to either a) give it to anyone else, or b) catch something that will make me feel worse, so naturally I ended up online.  Today wasn't supposed to be about buying books.  I just wanted to catch up on some YouTube and do a few other bits and pieces.  But did that happen?  NO!  Last night my mother asked me to get a book for her so it all started from that request. 

Today I managed to order...

The Hobbit - Tolkien

The Return on the King - Tolkien {both these Tolkien books are beautiful cloth-bound editions!}

A Darker Shade of Magic - V. E. Schwab

The Winter Sea - Susanna Kearsley

Heraclix & Pomp - Forrest Aguirre

MOAB is my Washpot - Stephen Fry *

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides *

Lady Audley's Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon *

Cut Throat - Sharon Sala {this was mum's request!} *

On Thursday I went a little mad and ordered,
A Blight of Mages - Karen Miller
Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle {Barnes & Noble leather editions!}
The Arabian Nights
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

and earlier in the month I ordered - and am still waiting for mind you - these titles;

The Shining - Stephen King *
Tennant of Wildfell Hall - Emily Bronte
Shirley - Charlotte Bronte
Hounded - Kevin Hearne
Wolfsbane - Patricia Briggs
Air Bound - Christine Feehan

And I am still waiting for The Dragon of Despair* by Jane Lindskold to find it's way into my post box as I ordered it over 4 weeks ago!

* AbeBooks {I can now finally find my OOP editions, God bless them!}

Amongst this rather large amount of books that will be winging their way to me during May I have tried a few new editions.  There are some Penguin English Library books.  I just love the spines and the lovely almost suede feeling of the covers!  As mentioned, the Sherlock Holmes volume is one of those gorgeous B&N leather bound editions with the gilding.  Today I seemed to have a thing for hardcovers, so I hope that they have that they have dust jackets, and there is also a smattering of my usual mass market paperbacks.  Yes, I know that they're quite delicate as the spines almost always break, but they are reasonably priced which matters a hell of a lot when books cost so much in Australia! 

I could tally up all the money I've spent on books this month, but I think I'd keel over in shock.  Thankfully I was able to use some 10% off vouchers - thank you Book Depository! -  and Booktopia always has some amazing bargains.  Even op shops have some great titles.  I found my The Fry Chronicles - hardcover! - at a local thrift shop for $4 last year! 

Speaking of thrift shops, I nearly forgot to mention the great books I found yesterday when I went looking for some cheap bowls {I use them for plant saucers - they look nicer and are easier to keep clean inside!}.  As soon as I walked in the door I was sidetracked by the books.  I haven't been to my local St. Vinnie's in months, and I'm so glad I went because I found a couple of books that I've been meaning to get - as well as one that I'd just put in my wishlist!

As per usual, I spent more time and money on the books than I did on the items I actually went for.

Well, I think I've spent enough.  Have to leave you all as I'll just want to start compiling another cart full of books if I keep thinking about them for much longer ;-D 

Okay, must go watch a DVD to take my mind off this dead tree purchasing ...

Until next time,

 

Latest order arrives

Hi there!  It's been a little while since I've updated this blog - apart from a review or two - and even when my postie dropped off my latest book order, I still didn't get around to adding a post  ** shameful **  but better late than never so here goes nothing ;-D

As you can see from the pic above, I only received the last four books from 3 separate orders, but they included the two books that I was most anxious to get my hands on, Graceling and Throne of Glass.  I've heard great things about these two books and watched more than a few YouTube reviews, so when I came across them while perusing Book Depository I just couldn't resist.  One of the books, Going Once by Sharon Sala, is for my mum, but Ghost Seer by Robin D. Owens sounded very interesting (and was a much shorter read) that I started it that night.  Sadly to say it didn't quite live up to it's premise {read review here} but thems the breaks.

In the mean time I've read Graceling, and am still gathering my thoughts before posting a review, while Throne of Glass has been put on the top of the TBR pile while I get through some many overlooked library books that are due any day.  Am currently putting together a new list for books to buy - I just can't help myself ;-D - although I may need to buy a 4th big bookshelf to house all the great books I've been wishlisting!

So, that's all from me today.  If you have any recommendations of books you think I should try then let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

 

Book splurge

I spent the last two days visiting family back home.  Got to spend some time with my mum - who is recovering from hip replacement surgery - and, along with my aunt, we went shopping yesterday.  It was a bit of a circus.  Getting my mum in and out of the car and setting up the wheel chair each time, but we all enjoyed the day out.  Got to go to Spotlight and buy some more fabrics.  Thought I'd better do that before hitting the shopping centre (and the bookshops!).

As you can see, I raided the discount book bin at mum's Big W.  There are so many books in that store, compared to my local Big W, so I was actually able to find a few books.  There was one in particular that I was really chuffed to find as it is OOS (out of stock) at all the online book stores that I've tried to buy it from.  So you can imagine my surprise when I plucked Written in Blood by Sheila Lowe out of a pile at the bottom of the bin (I actually found 2!).  I also found two more books in the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn, plus a Joan Hess Claire Mallory book, and the big score was the final book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. 

Then last night I remembered the email I'd recieved on Thursday from Book Depository which was for a voucher for an extra 5% off and I just couldn't help myself.  I was going to get another 2 books, but their prices had increased by about $2 each (I'd missed the pre-order period), so I'll just keep them in my wishlist and wait until the prices come down again.  In the end I bought books that were in series I'd been collecting. 

I've been trying to curb my book addiction lately, but as you can plainly see- it doesn't seem to be working all that well.  Next month there are more books coming out in some of the other series I've been getting.  Oy, it's a never ending cycle ;-D

 

More new books

One of the local discount warehouse stores in town is closing down - relocating? - and a big trestle table full of books was down to $2.40 ea!  Yes, that's not a misprint.  Hardcover, paperback, trade, you name it, they're $2.40.  Unfortunately I already had my arms full with a big shopping bag and only managed to find 3 books amongst everything on the table, but they sound interesting.

LOVE this cover!

•  The Griffin's Flight - K.J Taylor (Aussie author)

•  Eon - Alison Goodman (Aussie author)

•  A Cup of Light - Nicole Mones

•  Dreams of Gods and Monsters - Laini Taylor

The fourth book actually came from Big W, but I just couldn't pass it up as this trade size book was only $12.96!  Cheap as chips.  What surprised me the most was that 2 of the books I picked up were by Australian authors, and I had not read books by 3 of these authors!  I have book one in the trilogy by Laini Taylor and I'm now hunting for book 2 so I can get up to date before beginning Dreams of Gods and Monsters.  Fingers crossed I'll have be able to get through a few of the books in my TBR pile before my MUST buys next month - Cast in Flame, Book of Life and Magic Breaks.

Happy reading!

Upcoming Books for 2014

I'm looking forward to buying these upcoming titles.  The covers themselves are just so enticing I'd probably buy them anyway - even if I wasn't already collecting the series ;-D

May 27, 2014

June 24, 2014

A perfect way to spend the day

 

I think I had a nearly perfect day yesterday.  After buying a few necessities (books), I came home and settled down on the couch to dive into the newest residents of my bookcase.  I had a cup of tea, a few chocolates and biscuits for nibblies, a cat by my side and a nice warm lap rug.

 

With the rain coming down, and not a sound to be heard from the neighbours, I was in book heaven.  It's so rare to get the right conditions to really have a great read.  My favourite time, as you have probably figured out by now, is a cool rainy day when I'm not likely to have to stop every 20 minutes because someone is talking too loud, or mowing.  When you can snuggle up on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea and a nibbly, no television or music... ah, nirvana...

 

So, of the 9 books I picked up yesterday I managed to finish 7 yesterday.  I was up until nearly midnight but I just couldn't seem to put them down!  There were a few surprises in the bunch, and I will put up a short review on each as I go back and give them a second read as all the story lines are bleeding into one another in my head at the moment.  As for my favourite.... well, that actually happens to be the last book of the day.  It's actually one my mother has had for years, but I just never really paid attention to it.  It is Linda Howard's To Die For.  I am giving it a second read again today, and have even found the next book, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and have it sitting in my wishlist.

 

Hope your weekend is as book filled as mine.

 

Happy reading!