BEA 2013: the book haul

by | Jun 9, 2013 | Book Haul | 11 comments

As I mentioned, I picked up a lot of books at BEA. So many so that I had to make Many. Tough. Choices. about which would go where: some went with me to France, some went to my mother’s house and some were left in London for when I go back. These photos were taken the one and only time all these books will ever be together: in the NYC hotel room! So, apologies in advance for the low quality.

Let’s break this down, shall we? Links all go to goodreads and hearts denote the books I am most looking forward to!

Young Adult:

Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi:

Middle Grade and Graphic Novels:

Non-Fiction:

Misc Adult Fiction:

Extracts:

  • United We Spy (Gallagher Girls, #6) by Ally Carter (signed)
  • Prodigy (Legend, #2) by Marie Lu (signed)
  • Unhinged (Splintered, #2) by A.G. Howard

Well, that took an eternity and a half to put together. Out of all the books I picked up, I took only 15 back with me to read over the next month or so – let me know if you want to know which!

Book Haul: May 2013

by | May 5, 2013 | Book Haul | 8 comments

Another month, another book haul a-la Stacking the Shelves (Tynga’s Reviews) / Mailbox Monday. Over this past month the books have kinda just kept coming – mostly due to my inability to pass up a good deal. So, to save my sanity and to avoid breaking the Goodreads servers while getting links, I’m separating the books I’ve received as of late. Let’s start with the books I’ve received for review; I’ll be back later with the (much bigger) stack of recent purchases.

For Review:

  • With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent – Yup, I have 2 copies! That means… giveaway! (It will be up this month along with my review.)
  • Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne – I received Heart-Shaped Bruise for review when it first came out, but still haven’t gotten to it.
  • The Hit by Melvin Burgess – Not sure if this one will be my cup of tea, but intriguing premise nonetheless!
  • Shipwrecked by Siobhan Curham – I am a wee bit confused by this synopsis… “Lost” meets “Gossip Girl”? What?! Could be brilliant – guess we’ll find out!
  • Angelfall by Susan Ee – Yup – Angelfall!  I bought the e-book of this eons ago but never got round to reading it. But this gorgeous UK printing by Hodder? It has be dying to get started on it. It is really rather shiny.

Read any of these? If so, let me know what you thought of them! I am always looking for first, second, third, fourth opinions. 😉

A BetterWorldBooks Haul/Love letter

by | Feb 16, 2013 | Book Haul | 12 comments

BetterWorldBooks - HaulBetterworldbooks have been on my radar for a couple of years but, for some unknown reason, I’d never gotten around to ordering anything from them. They are an awesome company that rescue books from landfills and then resell them online (with free international shipping). They give a lot of their profits to literacy campaigns so, on top of the knowledge that you’ve recycled a book, every purchase goes to promoting literacy worldwide. So when their 30% off New Year’s sale (for 10+ books) came out, and I knew it was time to place an order!

I very methodically went through my goodreads wishlist and looked for books that I’d had on my list for a long while – and preferably books that had only been released in the US. All the books I ordered were former library books, so I selected only hardcovers, because I figured those would be in the best condition. (Although, annoyingly, two turned out to be paperback – both are in good condition, though.)

The total: 11 books for just over £35 ($55)!

A few days after I’d placed my order, I received what I consider to be the cutest confirmation email… ever. Take a look and then try to tell me they aren’t brilliant:

Hello Kay,

(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note – it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)

Holy canasta! It’s me… it’s me! I can’t believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I’ve got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can’t believe I’m leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already – the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge – so many memories. I don’t have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it’s time to see the world!

I can’t wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol’ brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I’ve had, I’m ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn’t take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I’ve found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.

Eagerly awaiting our meeting,
[signed by my books]

So, here’s what I picked up:
  1. Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
  2. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
  3. Other by Karen Kincy
  4. The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson
  5. Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci
  6. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
  7. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
  8. A Golden Web by Barbara Quick
  9. The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
  10. Godless by Pete Hautman
  11. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

Despite the few paperbacks that got thrown into the mix, I am very happy about the quality of these books. Even though they were library copies which meant I did have to spend some time removing dust jackets (often making small tears the hardcover), I am super happy with the final results! The pages inside are spotless and (with dustjackets on) the books look almost new.

Thanks Betterworldbooks!

– One Happy Bunny

Book Haul: October 2012

by | Oct 7, 2012 | Book Haul | 5 comments

Another week, another book haul a-la In My Mailbox (The Story Siren) / Stacking the Shelves (Tynga’s Reviews) / Mailbox Monday. I got bought some great titles this week – including some that have been on my wishlist for quite a while…

October Book Haul 2012
  • Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link – I bought this short story collection for my Short Story Challenge.
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – Is it weird to be a fan of an author that I’ve never read? Because if it is, then I’m super weird ’cause I adore Neil and have never read a thing of his.
  • A Study in Sherlock (Anthology) and Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles by Kim Newman – Nothing beats a bit of Sherlock fanfiction.
  • Hounded by Kevin Hearne
  • Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King – I admit it: I only bought this because it had wolves on the cover. I thought, “Well, since I’ve always been meaning to try Stephen King, I might as well try this wolf-y one.” Also, short stories!
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemesin – I have yet to read a bad review for this book, so I am rather excited to see what I think!
  • Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead  – I haven’t started Mead’s Dark Swan series yet (this is book 3) but I trust her enough to buy the books as I see them!
That’s all for this week! What did y’all find in your mailbox?

Book Haul: September 2012

by | Sep 23, 2012 | Book Haul | 3 comments

Hello fellow book lovers! It’s been months, but I am back with a big book haul a-la Stacking the Shelves (Tynga’s Reviews) / In My Mailbox (The Story Siren) / Mailbox Monday.

These aren’t all the books I’ve acquired since my last post, but it’s a fair bunch of them. I also picked up a bunch at Eastercon, where I met a tonne of authors and covered for a radio station with another presenter. The segment was broadcast months ago, but  is not online yet. Once it is, I will do a mini (belated) wrap-up!

Moving on… For Review I received:

Sept Haul 2012
  • The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George – This cover is really, really lovely. Hope what’s inside is as good as what’s on the outside!
  • Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan – I’m reading this right now and – after a few horrible pages – am quite enjoying it! Reviewed the first in this series here.
  • Breathe by Sarah Crossan – I actually requested this one; it just sounds super awesome. Sarah’s blog tour is coming round soon, so you should see her one the interwebs soon.
  • Zombies Don’t Cry by Rusty Fischer – This sounds absolutely hysterical and is on my very-soon-to-read pile!
  • Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton – This is book… 21 (?!) of the Anita Blake series. Seeing as how I am on book four of this series, I think it will be a while before I get to it. Though I have to say, the new UK covers are gorgeous.
  • Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich – I’ve never read a book by Janet, but I know she’s super popular. This is the second book in a series – anyone know if I can get away without reading the first?
  • The Chemickal Marriage by Gordon Dahlquist – This cover is GORGEOUS and the book sounds fab – but, again, it’s the third in a series. Do I need to go out and buy the first two?
  • The Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith – This is supposed to be candy-covered brilliance. Not sure why I haven’t read it yet…
  • 1.4 by Mike A. Lancaster – Again, this is the second book in a series that I haven’t started. I have 0.4 on my kindle, though. May splash out on the paperback if I like it, as the cover is so freakin’ creepy!
  • The Watcher by Charles Maclean – This is a re-print of a horror novel that came out in the 80s. I was surprisingly intrigued by the premise, despite it not being my genre.
  • Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt – This sounds rather painfully good. I think I’ll have to get myself in a zone before I start it.
  • Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley – This sounds rather fun, and I’ve heard great things about the author.
  • Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – Usually I am not a fan of historical novels, but this one sounds really, really good! And it has had fantastic reviews.
  • The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman – This is the second in a series, but I think I can get away without reading the first. I hope so, anyhow, as this one sounds super-super cool! Like a Season 4 Supernatural episode…
  • Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee – Reading the summary for this one, I’m not sure quite what it is going for. It’s a dystopian, post-apocalyptic… horror novel? I think so, anyhow.
  • The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore – This series isn’t up my alley, so I passed it on to an actual teenager (surprise, surprise!).
  • Dissing You Already by Kate Kingsley – Again, not really my kind of book! Passed this one on as well.
  • Shadow of Night and A Discovery of Witches (not pictured) by Deborah Harkness – This is one of those series that has had some fantastic crossover appeal. I am eager to see why so many people liked it!
  • Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer – I have never been attracted to Jodi’s books, but this one sounds brilliant. Contemporary fiction mixed with a fairy tale = just my cup of tea.
  • A Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder – I have had mixed feelings about Maria’s books; I really hope this book lives up to the quality of Poison Study and not the “meh”-ness of Fire Study.
  • Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne – This one sounds super creepy!
  • The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty – Since I knew this wasn’t going to be my kind of book, I passed it on to a friend… who really, really enjoyed it. Apparently, if you are looking for a new chick-lit-type author, check out Nicola.
  • Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler – This is written by he-who-is-also-known-as Lemony Snicket! I read some rather polarized reviews for it, so I am curious to find out what I think of it…
I was going to include a bunch of books that I bought as well, but after that I am rather exhausted! You’ll see them next week.
Any suggestions, people? I’ve got Zombies Don’t Cry and Breathe up next on my TBR pile, but I’d love some input!

In My Mailbox (January 22nd, 2012)

by | Jan 22, 2012 | Book Haul | 11 comments

In My Mailbox is a lovely meme for book voyeurs hosted by The Story Siren. 
This is my first IMM of 2012 and I actually do have quite a few books that need to be shown – but due to the nature of, well, my life, I only have one photo! They rest of my books are off in countries where I am currently not.

For review:

Bought:

  • Eona by Alison Goodman – I haven’t actually read Eon yet, nor do I even own it. But I have heard so many fantastic things about this duology that I am convinced I will enjoy them both.

 
 

Also for review:

  

Bought:

  • Angelfall by Susan Ee – Alert the media: this is a self-published novel that I purchased on my own volition. I am stunned by myself – but I read fantastic reviews of this book and am convinced that it will be brilliant.
  • Hana by Lauren Oliver – This Delirium novella had be quite excited when I first heard about it… but then I read quite a few disappointing reviews for it. Oh well.
  • Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott
  • Genus by Jonathan Trigell
  • A subscription to Lightspeed Magazine – I had been reading the free Lightspeed stories online, but decided that I should just go ahead and subscribe to the Kindle version of the magazine… especially now that it contains both Fantasy and Lightspeed stories. It’s a fantastic mag, and if you want to read some unexpected, unusual stories I would highly recommend it!

And…. the signed book:

  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – SQUEE! I was so epically disappointed when Maggie did her first UK tour while I was not there…. but luckily, Foyles saved me a signed copy. Because they are awesome like that.
*wipes brow* I’m pretty sure that’s it – when you put off posting your IMM posts for a month, things start to pile up!