Book Haul #46: Back to It

Can you believe that I haven’t done a book haul since May??!! I can’t believe it. I used to do a book haul damn near every month, but I’ve slowed down a bit on my book buying and have leaned more toward borrowing books from the library. Also, I simply forgot about book hauls. But I’m back again with one and since it’s been a while, this one will be quite long and I’ve probably already mentioned some of the books on here. Anyway, I do hope you’ll see something that interests you.

Purchases

Digital

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Evicted: Poverty & Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

A benefit of doing “Down the TBR Hole” posts is that I’m reminded of books that I placed on my TBR and forgot about. That’s what happened with this one. I mentioned it in my first Down the TBR Hole post. I’d forgotten that I wanted to read it and was glad when I saw an e-book deal for it for just $2.99.

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon

I bought this because Sarah of Dragons & Zombies and I were both interested in buddy-reading it, which we did, but we both decided to DNF it because after a fairly interesting beginning, the story started to drag and got boring, mostly because all characters simply talked about what they did instead of doing anything. Ugh! It wasn’t good.

Physical

Black Dog: The Dreams of Paul Nash by Dave McKean (illus.)

I had no idea what this is about before I bought it. I immediately fell for the cover when I saw it in Barnes & Noble and had to buy it. Turns out that it’s a graphic-novel biography of Paul Nash, who was a surrealist painter during World War I. I still haven’t read it yet, but I learned that about it when I googled it after buying it. If you want to see some sample pages, take a look at this Guardian article.

The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell

The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales edited by Dominik Parisien

Cinderella: or the Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault, illus. by Camille Rose Garcia

Alone by Christophe Chaboute (illus.)

I saw all three of these on Book Outlet and couldn’t pass them up. I’ve wanted to get a copy of Alone and that edition of Cinderella for some time now and have been waiting until I see them available again on Book Outlet. And I saw a detailed review of Starlit Wood on YouTube that convinced me to get the book.

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

The second novel in Hobb’s Rain Wild Chronicles. I got this to get ready for my buddy-read with Emily of Embuhlee liest.

Circe by Madeline Miller

I HAD to get this beautiful copy of Circe. Oh my gosh! I love the cover design and the dust jacket. Can’t wait to read it! 😀

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

I saw these two at a used bookstore for $4 each and had to get them. They are both books I’ve always wanted to read. I’ve read a few pages of I Am Legend already and quite like it though it doesn’t seem to be anything like the movie. (I’ve heard the book is better, of course.)

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Borrowed

Digital

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I read this and thought it was okay, but it wasn’t as magical and captivating as I thought it would be. I don’t plan to continue with the series. It’s linked to my review.

The Circle by Dave Eggers, narr. by Dion Graham

I borrowed the audio book and attempted to listen to it, but I found it hard to be engaged in the story. I also didn’t like how it’s narrated, so I gave up on it.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, narr. by Ruthie Henshall

This was a reread by audio book and I enjoyed it and was able to keep up and pay attention to what was going on, but the story didn’t stick in mind when done. Audio books are just not the best for me. My plan was to reread and review this, but I’ve since forgotten much so I won’t post a review for this.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, narr. by Jim Dale

I was in the mood for Harry Potter, so I reread this by audio book. It’s the worst Harry Potter book to listen or read when stressed out because of how angry Harry is in this story.

Angel Stone by Juliet Dark

This seems to be the last book in the Fairwick Chronicles, which I started, and now finished, this year. I kind of miss it already.

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

I recently read this romance novel and really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t mind trying more of Alyssa Cole’s work.

Physical

Pandora by Victoria Turnbull (illus.)

Geis: A Matter of Life and Death by Alexis Deacon (illus.)

The Red Threads of Fortune by J.Y. Yang

These three are linked to my reviews. They all received middling ratings from me. They are all fantasy and decent reads. Pandora is an illustrated children’s book, Geis is the first in a graphic novel series that strikes me as YA, and The Red Threads of Fortune is the second novella in a fantasy series based in Asian culture.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

After the failure of Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, which I mentioned above, Sarah and I decided to give dragons a try so we read the first Dragonriders of Pern book. It was an improvement from Sheepfarmer’s Daughter but for me, there were some dull spots. I liked the dragons though.

All the Ever Afters: the Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller

Unfortunately, I’ll have to return this to the library unread. I read a couple and stopped. I’m just not in the mood for it.

ARCs

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

This was published in the U.K. in September last year. It’s the memoir of the owner of the largest second-hand bookstore in Scotland. It will be published in the U.S. by Melville House Publishing this September.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

A historical fiction novel about “a heroine who must struggle to come to terms with her place in the world, and the surprising doors a newfound power can open.” The novel will be published by Graydon House Books in October.

That’s all I’ve got for now.

I guess I’ll post another of these in a few months. 😉