Recent Additions: June 2015

books and other stuff i've received lately.

I have been on a book buying spree lately. On my standards. Because this may not seem like a lot to many of you but considering the number of books I bought last month and then the books I bought this month, it’s actually quite a bit for someone who usually goes like 3+ months without buying a single book. I’m not sure what sparked this change in behaviour though I literally just think it was me waking up one day realizing that there are so many books I “need” to own that I don’t.

There are also few books in this post that I didn’t buy but we’ll get into that bit a little later. For now, these are the books I bought this month!

THRONE OF GLASS BY SARAH J. MAAS
Because I love Throne of Glass, it’s one of my favourite fantasy series and it’d be blasphemy if I didn’t own a copy of it.

Throne of Glass featuring a postcard that I received from Asti. Just thought I would throw it in here because it is ADORABLE.

THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE BY SARAH J. MAAS
I know I had The Assassin’s Blade in last month’s Recent Additions but I never ended up getting to it. Because library deadlines are always horrible for me. Also it was this really gross and smudgy looking copy and while I love the library, I’m also really picky about the library books I get because if it’s too dirty looking, I am staying far far away from it because THINK ABOUT THE GERMS. So anyway I returned it because there were holds on it but I decided since I’m probably going to buy a copy of it anyway because I freaking love Throne of Glass and Celaena, why not do it now so I don’t have to worry about deadlines? Which is a smart move on my part because it’s taken me like five days just to get through four chapters.

LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR BY STEPHANIE PERKINS
Again, I love Anna and the French Kiss, it’s one of my favourite series so it’d be so wrong to not own this book. Doubly so since I already own Isla & the Boy Next Door. AND it was on sale for $5.99 so it was just too good to pass up, even if it is the old, maybe slightly cringey cover.

WRECK THIS JOURNAL BY KERI SMITH
If you’re ever in Toronto, you need to go check out BMV which is the best bookstore ever. I go there to get all required reading books for school and sometimes other books as well. They usually have a fantastic selection of books from all different genres for a significantly cheaper price and they’re usually all in pretty great quality! I found this book at a BMV for $7.99 and since I’ve had my eye on it for ages, I just had to get it. I haven’t completed any of the prompts yet but I had a little flip and some of them are FRIGHTENING (like the dead bug one. EW.) but hopefully it’ll be fun.

EAT PRAY LOVE BY ELIZABETH GILBERT
I found this book at a sale for $1 in relatively good condition so of course, I had to get it. I read Eat Pray Love a long time ago though, like maybe four to five years ago? So I don’t totally remember it besides the fact that I did like it. It’s not really a book on my list of novels I was just DYING to get a personal copy of but it was a book I liked enough and if I saw it on sale for $1, I would get which I did. And I do like travel books so even if I read it and suddenly despise it, at least there would be the travel component that I’d still enjoy. Although really, it was $1. I barely even get a cup of cheap convenience store coffee for $1 so I think the loss, if it is indeed a loss, won’t hurt too much.

And now for the books that I didn’t buy. So fun little story: before we all part ways for summer, my friends and I decided to do a book swap of all our books and kinda pass books to each other to read. A little awkward because I showed up with only 2 books and everyone else had like ten but anyway a fun time was had by all and we all ended up with a bunch of great summer reading material. Here are the books that I was lent / am going to read this summer (and tell me if you’ve read these books and what your thoughts were) (and also thanks friends, I guess??).

ONE DAY BY DAVID NICHOLLS
I remember watching the One Day movie like five years ago and actually really liking it even though all the critics thought it was horrible but I actually thought it was really cute! And I really liked Jim Sturgess but anyway. Since then I’ve been meaning to read the book so I’m actually very excited for this one. I mean I guess I already know how it ends but it’s about the journey, not the destination right? And while I certainly remember what happens at the end (hint: it involved a lot of tears from me), the rest of the movie remains fuzzy for me so this might be a fun chance for me to get reacquainted with the story.

IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY BY NED VIZZINI
To be very honest with you, I never really had any interest in reading this book. I know a bunch of people absolutely love this book but it just wasn’t the type of book I typically read. However, I do know a LOT of people love it and it does sound like a very well-written book, not to mention an insightful and important one so I’m open to giving it a shot and going for something I don’t usually go for.

THE QUEEN AND I BY SUE TOWNSEND
British authors are my favourite and though I haven’t read anything by Sue Townsend, I have heard good things and when I heard about this book, it just sounded right up my alley. Like a riches to rags type story with the Queen and her family at the center of it all? Sign me up!

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE BY LAINI TAYLOR
To be very honest, angels still make me apprehensive whenever I find them in the pages of my books. The idea of angels just make me super uncomfortable but I have heard very good things about this series so again, I’m willing to go for something I don’t usually go for.

THE DARKEST MINDS BY ALEXANDRA BRACKEN
So the only thing I really know about this book is that my friend and a bunch of other people really really like this book and this series. And as I have high faith in all of you, I am sure that this book is every bit as good as you guys say (but KNOCK ON WOOD just in case).

MR. PENUMBRA’S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE BY ROBIN SLOAN
Another book I only have a very faint idea of its premise although I hear it is good. All I know is that I was going to read this for my independent reading assignment last year but then changed my mind to read The Night Circus. We shall see how it goes then?

As excited as I am for all of these books, I am also overwhelmed by the sheer number because this, in addition to the other books I have but still haven’t read, makes for a very big number. But I guess there’s no better time than the present as I’m on summer vacation to get through all these books right?

What about you? What books have you gotten recently? What are your reading plans for the summer? And do you have any words of wisdom for me before I read any of these books (ie what should I know beforehand, what should I prepare myself for etc)?