More Books!

I’ve been tossing around the idea of putting myself under a book buying ban… But then Half Price Books decided to have a 20% off sale this weekend!  I couldn’t resist!  I found some great titles today and almost all in the clearance section!  I usually start at the clearance rack first and then work my way to the other shelves.  I started to grab book after book!  I couldn’t believe my luck.

• Doohicky by Pete Hautman – I recently finished an ARC by Pete Hautman and loved it.  I saw this one and grabbed it up quick.  And it’s autographed! (see 2nd photo)
• Violin by Anne Rice – Another to add to my growing Anne Rice collection.
• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien – I’ve been looking for this one for quite some time and was excited to see this one in the clearance section!  It has a cool foldout map in the back of the book (see 3rd photo)
• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding – Read the first one, liked the movies.
• Sam’s Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson – I really liked Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas so I wanted to read this one as well.

• Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin – I thought the movie was kind of cute so I figured I might like the book for a quick read.
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – I’ve always wanted to read this book so I was excited to find it in the clearance rack, even if it is the movie edition.
• The Hours by Michael Cunningham – I really like this movie so I wanted to read the book.
• Looking For Alaska by John Green – I’ve wanted to read another John Green novel after reading The Fault in Our Stars.
• The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant – An interesting sounding historical fiction… right up my alley!
• Giants in the Earth by O.E. Rolvaag – I read this book in college and loved it!  I even gave a copy to my mother-in-law for Christmas this year but I misplaced my copy.  And interestingly enough, Rolvaag lived in the town I live in and is buried here.  His son was a Governor of Minnesota too!  If you liked Little House on the Prairie, I would definitely recommend this book.
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – I really enjoyed reading this book in school and have been keeping my eye out for a copy.  Finally found one!

And I even managed to snag two dvds from the clearance section.

• Son In Law – hilarious movie!  I’ve seen this so many times but never get tired of it.
• The Bridges of Madison County – I really liked this book so I was excited to see this, brand new, still in the wrapper.

And last week after I got my car fixed I stopped at HPB on my way home and came home with a few.

• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – I’ve heard good things about this novel so I decided to get it.
• Tracks by Louise Erdrich – I read Love Medicine by her in college and enjoyed it.  This one sounded really interesting.
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie – One of the titles I need to read for the Gilmore Girls Challenge.
• Rose Madder by Stephen King – I have yet to read a Stephen King novel and this one sounded interesting.  It was only $1 so I couldn’t pass it up.
• World War Z by Max Brooks – Another one I couldn’t pass up for only $1.
• Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman – I love the TV show and have wanted to read this ever since Netflix released it.  I scored this one for $2!

Then I got this boxed set on Amazon for $15.

• Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

So those are my Valentine’s Day gifts to myself!  Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

WWW Wednesdays – February 11, 2015

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme now hosted by Taking on a World of Words!  Each week we answer three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What have you recently finished?
• What is up next?

CURRENTLY READING

RECENTLY FINISHED

UP NEXT

In the past week I went on a NetGalley spree so I’ve been reading a lot of ebooks from NetGalley trying to catch up.  There have been some pretty good books on there lately.  All but one of the books in my Recently Finished section were from NetGalley.  I think the two favorites I read were Eden West by Pete Hautman and What Doesn’t Kill Her by Carla Norton!  You should definitely check those out!  Click on the links to read my reviews!

What have you been reading lately?

Book Review: Eden West by Pete Hautman

I received this ARC from Candlewick Press via LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

Expected Publication: April 14, 2015 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Tackling faith, doubt, and transformation, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a boy’s unraveling allegiance to an insular cult.

Twelve square miles of paradise, surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. It is all seventeen-year-old Jacob knows. Beyond the fence lies the World, a wicked, terrible place, doomed to destruction. When the Archangel Zerachiel descends from Heaven, only the Grace will be spared the horrors of the Apocalypse. But something is rotten in paradise. A wolf invades Nodd, slaughtering the Grace’s sheep. A new boy arrives from outside, and his scorn and disdain threaten to tarnish Jacob’s contentment. Then, while patrolling the borders of Nodd, Jacob meets Lynna, a girl from the adjoining ranch, who tempts him to sample the forbidden Worldly pleasures that lie beyond the fence. Jacob’s faith, his devotion, and his grip on reality are tested as his feelings for Lynna blossom into something greater and the End Days grow ever closer. Eden West is the story of two worlds, two hearts, the power of faith, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Review: Almost as soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked.  I had just finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and there seemed to be so many similarities between fundamentalist Mormons and the Grace.  Father Grace, the founder of this religion, grew up in the Mormon faith and has three wives.  This book felt so real.  The way Jacob struggled with his faith and temptations could have been anyone on the planet who goes through the same thing with their own religion.  Despite growing up in this place for 12 years, Jacob begins to become his own person first with the introduction of Tobias to Nodd and then with meeting Lynna.  I thought that this was a very eye opening look at what might be going on in the minds of those who believe wholeheartedly in a religion or cult.  I could not put this book down.  I would definitely recommend this book to family and friends.

Four out of five stars

WWW Wednesday – January 28, 2015

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme now hosted by Taking on a World of Words!  I am glad that this meme is here to stay but I probably would have kept on doing it even if Sam hadn’t taken the hosting over.

• What are you currently reading?
• What have you recently finished?
• What is up next?

CURRENTLY

    

RECENTLY FINISHED

    

UP NEXT

The Forgotten Girls is the last NetGalley title I have approved at the moment so I’m not sure what I will be reading next through that.  I usually have one print book going along with one ebook or Kindle book.

What are your WWWs for the week?