Book Haul #43: Congrats to Me! First for the Year!

Ah!!! Y’all! This is my first book haul for the year!

Can you believe it? I certainly can’t. I’m doing so great at limiting the amount of books I buy. I wish I could say this is because of good budgeting, but instead it’s because I ran out of space so I’m more circumspect about what books I spend my money on. That means my library sees a lot more of my face these days.

Since this is the first haul of the year, I have a lot of books to show — about 30 or so, in fact. But that doesn’t mean I bought 30 books! Oh, no no nooo. I only bought about 13. (Yeahie me! 😀 ) 

**The book titles below are linked to Goodreads. Any I’ve read/reviewed are linked to my review.**

Purchases/Gifts

E-books

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

I borrowed the e-book of this from the library last year but quickly got hooked and realized that I needed my own copy. Since I didn’t want to lose my highlights and such, I bought the e-book. It’s such an entertaining story. I highly recommend it if you want to read a mystery/thriller that will keep you hooked throughout. Also, if you’re interested in art, history, or religion, you might enjoy this too.

The Stolen Throne by David Gaider

I think this is the first Dragon Age novel based on the game…? I don’t know. I saw it on the Tor/Forge blog for a deal of $2.99 and since I was curious, I bought it.

Comics

Motor Crush, Vol. 1 by Brenden Fletcher, illus. by Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr

I think I bought this a few days after I saw a review of it on Graphic Novelty². I love the cover because the character looks like a total bad ass and from the Graphic Novelty² review I learned that the character’s name is Domino, which made me think of the movie Domino starring Keira Knightley, which is loosely based on the life of the bounty hunter Domino Harvey. I really liked that movie.

Anyway, since I got the Barnes & Noble special edition, I received a free poster that looks pretty cool.

Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Fiona Staples

This is actually a gift, or rather a trade, I guess. I bought The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 6: Imperial Phase, Pt. 2 and my bro bought this, so we traded since I’m collecting the Saga comics and he’s collecting the WicDiv ones.

Afar by Leila Del Duca, illus. by Kit Seaton

I’ve seen this comic book around and I got curious about the Black girl on the cover. Also, Barnes & Noble had a buy 2 get 1 free for Image comics (love Image!!!), so I got this and Motor Crush and another comic book that’s not yet published making this the first time in years that I’ve pre-ordered something.

Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Which is missing from this photo, but I bought it to read for a bookclub called Lit on H Street that one my favorite IG booklovers created. If you’re in the Washington, D.C. area, you are welcome to join the bookclub.

Sing, Unburied, Sing wasn’t what I expected. I guess I’m still processing it. I wasn’t as affected by it as many who’d read it were. It just didn’t really stand out.

Salvage the Bones

The Fire this Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race

Men We Reaped

There was a giveaway at the end of the bookclub meeting and I WON!! 😀 I got these 3 books by Ward. I was so surprised that my name was selected. Now I own all Jesmyn Ward’s books.

Beautiful covers

Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales illus. by Kate Forrester

I had a coupon for 25%-off a purchase at Chronicle Books…something like that. I’m subscribed to the publisher’s newsletters because I like the design of some of their books and they give out coupons every now and then. I used it to get this beautifully designed and illustrated book of fairy tales. It was a hard decision because there was another book entitled Ghost Tales that was just as eye-catching.

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

I love the cover of this book!! 😀 I can’t wait to read it. I think I’ll read through all the Bardugo books before starting on this, though I don’t think it’s necessary to do so.

I won this in a giveaway hosted by Sara LaTourneau, who’s a blogger on here and is also an author and poet. (Thank you so much Sara!!!! 😀 )

An epic & poetry

Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

I’m currently reading this. It’s a family saga based in Uganda that stretches over a number of years. I initially borrowed the book from the library but was hooked on the writing after a few pages and had to purchase my own copy.

Take Me with You by Andrea Gibson

I’m not a fan of poetry, so I don’t often read it. But when I saw this little book in Barnes & Noble, it was hard to walk away from it. So I bought it and carried it home with me.

More pretty covers

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

I’m looking forward to this one. I think I’ll like it. I placed an order for it soon after reading a review of it on African Book Addict, in which the story is described as “a dark, layered tale based in and out of the spiritual realm, which focuses on how past traumas deeply affect one’s well-being and mental health.” That makes me so curious about it.

Mother of the Sea by Zetta Elliott

This is a novella that looks like it’s historical fantasy and is set during the African slave trade on a slave ship. I really hope it’s good. I bought it because I think it’s fantasy and because I like the cover, which looks better on screen to me.

PageHabit

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson

This arrived in the January PageHabit box with a packet of tree-friendly pencils. It looks like it might be an interesting read, but I was disappointed with this box because I was subscribed to the fantasy book box but it’s obvious from this book’s synopsis that it’s science fiction, dystopian sci-fi to be exact, of which I’m not a fan. I wouldn’t be so upset if there wasn’t a sci-fi box, but there is one so I don’t know how a sci-fi book ended up in the fantasy box. Maybe there are some fantastical elements in the story that’s not mentioned in the synopsis.

The Midnight Front by David Mack

This arrived in the February PageHabit box with a stack of mini notebooks, which look so cute. I also got a beanie (I think that’s what it’s called…I call it a tam. It’s a winter hat) in the box that has “bookworm” labeled on it. This book is a fantasy novel, but it’s one I’m not interested in reading. It seems like it’s urban fantasy (I’m not interested in that sub-genre) and it’s alternative history set during World War II (I’m tired of World War I and II books)… I probably won’t read this one.

I don’t think I get on well with book boxes. I prefer to select the book I want. I prefer the Book of the Month Club box and would have continued with it if it gave the option of trade paperbacks instead of hardcover. I do not like hardcovers.

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ARCs

The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French

I looked forward to reading this since the first time I heard of it, but unfortunately, it’s not working out for me. I received an ARC of it from NetGalley but so far I’m uninterested in the story. It’s not as exciting and interesting as I thought it would be. I’ve been toying with DNF’ing it. I still haven’t yet decided.

It’s slated to be published on June 19. It was previously self-published.

1001 Islands by K.T. Munson

I placed this here because I received an e-copy of it from the author, but I think it was self-published back in 2015 (that’s the year I see on Goodreads). I’m currently reading this as well, but have lost interest in the story as other books call to my attention. As with Grey Bastards, I’m trying to decide whether or not to DNF it.

School for Psychics by K.C. Archer

Another ARC I received through NetGalley. I forgot where I first learned of this book, but I placed it on my TBR last year December so when I saw it on NetGalley, I immediately requested it.

It’s slated to be published on April 3. I should start on it soon.

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Library books

Physical

Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly

I was glad when I saw this at the library because the reviews of it I’ve seen all said it’s great and the story sounded interesting. I’ve since read and reviewed it and agree that it’s great. I’m glad I picked it up and am looking forward to the next book.

It’s a dark, atmospheric middle-grade fantasy novel about a girl who has the ability to play with shadows.

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani (illus.)

I describe this as a magical realism YA graphic novel about an Indian-American girl learning about her culture and family. It’s a heartwarming story that I recommend. I enjoyed it and have wanted to read it since I first saw it advertised last year in bookish newsletters. I’m glad I found a copy at the library.

The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang

This is a silkpunk fantasy novella that includes gender diversity. I wanted to read it because I like the cover and was surprised when I got hooked on the story. I was so surprised to see a copy of the book at my library that I grabbed it to check out before anyone else could.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay

Just about all Harry Potter fans are excited about these illustrated editions except me. I was interested in them, but once they were published and I saw that they weren’t as stuffed with illustrations as I thought they would be, I lost interest. I resorted to just borrowing them from the library. I’ve attempted to read this one, but lost interest, which was surprising to me. I guess I’ve reread Harry Potter too many times and since I don’t like Kay’s illustration style much, this edition failed to keep my interest.

Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez (illus.)

This is a sweet middle-grade fantasy comic book about a girl and her imagination. I enjoyed reading it so much and I LOVE the illustrations in it. I highly recommend you all check it out. The illustrations are bright and so cute too. It was a good read and I’m glad it was waiting for me at my library.

Audubon: On the Wings of the World by Fabien Grolleau, illus. by Jérémie Royer

This is a nonfiction graphic novel about John James Audubon, the noted American ornithologist. I haven’t yet started this, but was glad my library had it because I’ve wanted to read it for some time now. I follow the publisher Nobrow Press on IG and got interested in this book because of the pictures they posted of it.

Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain

I recently visited the library and picked this up at random because the title sounds cool. I have no idea what it’s about, but I hope I’ll like it.

Digital

Nearly all of these are audio books.

A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, narr. by Roy Dotrice

I’m liking audio books more and more, but I mostly use them to reread books I’m already familiar with, such as these first books in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I’m currently listening to A Clash of Kings and once again I’m swept up in the story because of Tyrion. I like it when he acts as Hand at King’s Landing.

The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, narr. by a cast of actors

I’m also reading the Lord of the Rings series by audio book because I think it’s least likely for me to be bored by it in that format. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find a good narration of the stories. I don’t like the BBC production and didn’t enjoy Rob Inglis’s narration of The Hobbit. Now I’m trying a NPR production of the books that isn’t too bad so far. The only thing is The Fellowship of Ring seemed awfully short and made me wonder if parts of it were cut (it wasn’t).

This will be the first time I’m reading The Two Towers.

The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

I don’t know what possessed me to borrow this book or why I’d added it to my library wishlist, but I enjoyed every moment that I read it. It’s a paranormal romance novel set in upstate New York (if I recall correctly) about a woman who has nightly trysts with an incubus. I was surprised that I enjoyed it, but it’s exactly what I was looking for in the witchy books I’ve been searching forever for. It was entertaining.

This is the only library e-book on here.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, narr. by Finty Williams

This was such a great read. It’s the first new-to-me book that I read on audio without first reading the physical copy. It was an interesting experience. I was in between audio books and needed something to make it through the work day, so I downloaded this from the library and was glad I did. Williams did such an awesome job narrating it and now I want to reread it by physical copy. I need to see the movie too.

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff, narr. by Eliza Floss

So I thought listening to this would make it less boring, but that didn’t work. I was interested in it at first, but now I’m not, so I might DNF it and have to give away the physical copy of it that I own. I really don’t pay attention when listening to it. The topic is interesting, but I don’t like the tone Floss uses to narrate it — she sounds kind of sarcastic — though that’s the tone parts of the book is written in. It just doesn’t work for me.

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Ok. That was a lot.

Let me know if you’ve read any of them.

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