Wishes for My TBR Pile #23: More Books to Whet Your Appetite

Wishes for My TBR Pile is a monthly post where I list and sometimes discuss the books I’ve discovered and would like to get and read. I refer to these lists whenever I visit a bookstore or library and can’t decide on what to get.

I’m so proud of myself, y’all! I managed to read one of the many books I’ve listed in these TBR posts. (Actually, I’ve managed to read a few listed in these posts, but I keep forgetting to mention them. Not anymore!) The book is The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang. I included it in my January Wishes for My TBR Pile post and am glad I tried it. It was pretty good and was a quick read.

It’s a silkpunk fantasy novel about twins who’re trying to subvert the growing influence of their mother, who rules as Protector of their kingdom. One of the twins has prophetic powers that the Protector values and wants to use for her own means. However, the story follows Akeha, the twin who is often overlooked. I recommend the story to those who would like to try fantasy with some Asian influences and those who want to read fantasy that has gender diversity.

But back to the reason why I’m posting this. Here are books I’d like to add to my physical TBR:

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Book Haul #39.5: I did good…at Small Press Expo

Earlier this week, I posted the first part of this haul showing books and comics I bought since my last haul. Since that post ran a bit long because I talk too much, I decided to break up the haul into two posts. This one will focus on the loot I got from the Small Press Expo, which is an indie cartooning and comic book event that takes place in September. As I said in my first post, I was on my best behavior this year and kept my purse in my bag so I wouldn’t buy everything I saw, and boy did I see a lot and love them all!

Comics & graphic novels

Book Haul #39: I did good

Oh, book buying. 🙂

It’s been a while since I’ve done a haul, almost 3 months, in fact. Unfortunately, it’s not because I haven’t been buying books. I just forget to post the haul sometimes. For this haul, I think I did good because I attended the Small Press Expo again this year but, unlike last year, I didn’t go overboard and buy everything that caught my eye or that people told me to buy. Yeahie me! 😀 I instead kept my purse in my bag and bought only what I was really interested in. I’ve learned that when attending such things, cons and expos, to keep my purse in my bag. If it’s in my hand, I’ll leave the place in debt.

Unlike recent hauls, this one doesn’t have any books checked out from the library. Not that I didn’t check anything out. I did, but I didn’t get the time to read them so I didn’t see the point in listing them here. With that said, I guess I’m DNF’ing The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I started it but got distracted by other books and then I had to return it to the library. I guess I’ll revisit it some other time. Anyway, here are the books:

Physical books

Book Haul #38: Attack of the e-books

Never had I thought a day would come when I would purchase as many e-books as I do physical ones. I’m spoiled on the sweet deals I keep finding for e-books, but I doubt I’ll like them more than the physical copies. I’ll always prefer holding a book in my hand rather than reading on a screen.

Physical books

Weekend Reads #74: Hooked on Comics

Weekend Reads is a weekly post in which I discuss a variety of topics and mention the books I plan to read on the weekend. This weekend’s topic:

Comic books

I love comic books and graphic novels. Though I used to read the Archie comics as a kid and read Art Spiegelman’s Maus in middle school, it wasn’t until 2015 that I developed a love for this form of storytelling and started to add them to my book collection.

How it all began

My thanks goes to the online book community because it’s reviews by bloggers and vloggers that sparked my interest in comics. I didn’t know much about comics and didn’t understand some of the industry jargon, like distinguishing between what’s considered a comic book or a graphic novel and figuring out what “trades” refer to, but over time, after watching bookish videos and reading blog posts and articles (like “Graphic Novels 101” in issue #23 of the Diamond Bookshelf magazine), I learned and picked up some tips. Visiting my favorite comic bookshop also helped. The employees were always helpful in explaining things to me and recommending comics and MAKING ME BUY THEM!! (I can only visit when I have money because they always tell me about something I’ll like.)

Book Haul #37: E-books & library books of June

And here’s the second part of my June book haul. My plan was to place it all in one post, but I got sleepy while working on the first one and decided to divide the haul so I could go to bed.

June favored me with great e-book deals, which has become my weakness. Why did I subscribe to so many newsletters offering deals?! I just hope that I’ll remember to read the e-books because it’s easy for me to forget that I own them.

E-books

The White Hart by Nancy Springer

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Updraft by Fran Wilde

Book Haul #36: The pretty books of June

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 20th Anniversary Hufflepuff edition

After weeks wracked with indecision about which of the Harry Potter 20th-anniversary editions I should get, I bought the Hufflepuff one because it’s in my favorite color, yellow. Blue is another of my favorite colors and I am a Ravenclaw, but I didn’t like the shade of blue that the Ravenclaw editions were published in. It was too dark. However, this bright yellow suits me well. I paired it with a postcard I bought when I visited the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Hirshhorn museum.

Book Haul #35: Am I going monthly now?

I have another large book haul!! 😀

There are two reasons for this:

1. It seems that I’m doing these monthly now…maybe. I keep forgetting to post book hauls, which is weird because it’s one of my favorite type of post.
2. And because I ran out of shelf space, I’ve started to purchase e-books. I’m also subscribed to newsletters that send me e-book deals everyday and because the prices for those deals are so low, I automatically hit the “buy” button whenever I see them.

Warm weather also has a lot to do with large purchase too, I think. I’m happier in spring/summer and I think I buy more books then.

Anyway, enough excuses! Here’s what I bought.

Physical books

Comics Roundup #15: The Wicked and the Divine, Vols. 1-4

After reading Trang’s review of The Wicked + the Divine, I was convinced to give the comic another try. It was one of the first comics I read when I decided to give the medium a try about two years ago. I was attracted to the title and the minimalist cover design of its first volume. When I opened the book to quickly flip through it, I was hooked. I loved the illustrations. The sellers at the comic book shop then told me it’s about mythological gods incarnated as superstars and that one even looks like Rihanna — I was sold. Anything fantasy that deals with gods and how they affect people’s lives is catnip for me.

Genre:

Fantasy; contemporary

Quick summary:

The Wicked + The Divine is a fantasy comic book series set in present day U.K. about mythological gods who are incarnated as humans every ninety years but die after two years. This time, the gods appear as pop superstars. Everyone loves them and hates them and wants to be them. The story follows Laura, a teenager who yearns to be part of the Pantheon (the group of gods), as she gets tangled in the gods’ affairs.

Wishes for My TBR Pile #20: More New Discoveries

Wishes for My TBR Pile is a monthly post where I list and sometimes discuss the books I’ve discovered and would like to get and read.

These lists come in handy when I’m at the bookstore and can’t decide on what to purchase (though I really don’t need to buy any more books). I often get one or two of the books after featuring them in these lists because discussing them here helps to refresh my memory and interest in them.

And since my last post, I bought Klaus by Grant Morrison, illus. by Dan Mora. Actually, I placed an order for it soon after completing that post. Klaus is a comic book that reimagines the tale of Santa Clause. The art looks pretty cool and I love the book’s overall presentation: It’s a hardback with gold-leaf edges. It’s so beautiful. I hope to read it sometime this year.

Here are some more books I’ve discovered: