Book Haul #58: From Old Year to New

Umm…so it’s been a while since I’ve done a book haul and I hadn’t even noticed. Of course that doesn’t mean that I stopped buying books (if only). I’ve just been busy the past couple months and didn’t have time to post my book hauls (or anything else) on Instagram, which is what I use to alert myself to do a book haul on here. Smh, I’m behind on so many things.

So this might seem like a large haul (kinda), but it’s only because I hadn’t posted one of these since October.

Purchases

U.S. cover

The Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault, illus. by Nadia Fabris

I saw this beautifully illustrated children’s book in Barnes & Noble when a guy was buying it for his kid and I immediately thought I had to get a copy for myself, lol. It’s so gorgeous, and I love the cut-outs.

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner

The cover of this one got to me. As soon as I saw it, I bought it. Millie at Millebot Reads and I plan to do a buddy-read of it.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

I’m so happy to have a copy of this book! I plan to read it this year. I wanted all the hype to blow over first, and I’ve avoided all reviews of this book. I don’t want to be spoiled in any way. I actually got a free copy of the book (because I buy too many Penguin Random House books) because I signed up for Penguin Random House’s Reader Appreciation Rewards program where you earn points for buying their books. After a certain amount of points, you get a free book. I signed up because I buy a lot of books and most are published by PRH. And it paid off because I got the Starless Sea for free!! 😀

Btw, if you haven’t yet seen the gorgeously designed UK cover, check out Millie’s post to feast your eyes on it! (I so want it too!!)

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since reading this New Yorker article about the author and her book and watching Rincey’s review of it.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Penguin Random House is good to me, y’all. Leading up to Black Friday, or maybe Christmas (I forgot), PRH sent a coupon in their newsletter for a discount on their books. I used it to get this drop-cap edition of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. My plan was to read it for Christmas, but that part didn’t work out. It looks great on my shelf though.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charles Mackesy (illus.)

This is Barnes & Noble’s book of the year. I bought it because it was endorsed on the back by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the last time I’ll buy a book based on author endorsements. Many people love this book. I don’t. The illustrations are great, but I’m not as taken by the messages and such in it. There wasn’t anything enlightening about it. It didn’t seem as special as everyone made it out to be.

The Inheritance by Robin Hobb & Megan Lindholm

It’s a book of short stories by the two names Robin Hobb writes under. (I forgot which is her real name…maybe it’s Robin Hobb.)

The Ink House: A Gothic Mansion Colouring Book by Rory Dobner (illus.)

I forgot where I first saw this coloring book, but I immediately fell in love with the illustrations and the concept, so I had to get it. It’s beautiful. (I actually thought it was simply an illustrated children’s book at first.)

The Old Nurse’s Story: A Ghost Story for Christmas by Elizabeth Gaskell

I recently visited Kramerbooks in D.C. to meet a friend and have some tasty liquor-filled hot chocolate to warm me up 🙂 and while there, I picked up this little gem. I love the cover.

Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World & Its Ecosystems by Rachel Ignotofsky (illus.)

I absolutely love this illustrated children’s science book that’s crammed with a bunch of facts. I need to dedicate a couple months to reading all the picture books I own, seriously. I saw this in a Barnes & Noble and could not leave without it.

Every Tree Has a Story by Cecile Benoist, illus. by Charlotte Gastaut, transl. by Sylvia Rucker

Another gorgeous illustrated book I saw while browsing Kramerbooks. I absolutely love the illustrations and love that it’s all about trees. I couldn’t stop staring at it.

Robin Hobb’s Soldier Son trilogy

Shaman’s Crossing
Forest Mage
Renegade’s Magic

I didn’t know Robin Hobb had written another set of stories, so I was beyond happy when Emily of Embuhleeliest kindly informed me of these books. Now that I have them, we intend to buddy-read them! 😀

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From friends

The Deep by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, & Jonathan Snipes

A coworker loaned me her copy of this novella, which I’ve since read and have yet to review. I’m in the minority on this one because I didn’t like it as much as everyone else.

These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card

I received an ARC of this book from a coworker. The description compares it to Homegoing, so that piqued my interest, and also that it’s about a Jamaican family. The novel will be pubbed on March 3.

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Library books

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since completing Angels & Demons. I wasted no time getting cracking on it this year.

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

Here’s another novella I read but didn’t like as much as everyone else. It was a decent read though. (I’ve yet to post my review.)

The Colors of History: How Colors Shaped the World by Clive Gifford, illus. by Marc-Étienne Peintre

I loved this children’s nonfiction picture book that’s all about color. It reminded me of Kassia St. Clair’s Secret Lives of Color. (Review TK)

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe

I picked this up at random at the library simply because I remember the dude from Dirty Jobs TV show on the cover. I like it so far. It seems to be based on a podcast he hosted.

Walk the Wild With Me by Rachel Atwood

Another random find at the library. I picked it up because of the cover and the writing seems like something I might like, so….yeah. Then I read an interview with the author over on DJ’s blog and it made me more interested in the story.

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And so, that’s the end of it.

That’s all the books I acquired since October. 

We’ll see if I read them all by October 2020. (Ha!)

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