March Book Haul! (And a cry for science fiction recommendations)

The end of February was my birthday, and my parents bought me a few books, and I received some bookstore gift-cards as a gift, so March was a good month for new books! Here's a quick look at what's new to my shelves this month.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee 

Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Poems by Maya Angelou

I've been craving science fiction and fantasy reads lately, and science fiction is not a genre that I have a lot of experience with. I decided to use my gift-cards to buy Chambers' novel since I have been hearing really great things about that series, and I LOVED the movie version of Vandermeer's Annihilation so I thought those two would be an okay place to start with science fiction. If you have any recommendations for me, please let me know!  

New Year, New Books: Book Haul

I know I just posted about intending to read more of the books I already own, but I couldn't pass up the Book Outlet Boxing Day Sale, and I have been holding onto some credit from my favorite bookstore, so I picked up a few new reads. I'm really excited to get to all of these, and I think I will read them fairly soon, so I don't feel too guilty about picking them up.

Book Titles link to Goodreads.

From Book Outlet

Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey

 This looks like a really cute read. Austen inspired  with spies added in? Yes, please.

And I Darken by Kristen White

I've heard lots of great things about this series, so I couldn't resist picking it up. I love a good YA fantasy series, and I think this one is going to deliver. 

The Muse by Jessie Burton

 I'm currently reading Burton's The Miniaturist and even though I'm only a few chapters in, I'm loving it, so I'm glad to have this one on hand to pick up soon.  

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

This one caught my eye on Goodreads a while back. It's got a super unique premise: a group of mediums contributing to the WWI effort by communicating with fallen soldiers. 

Yesternight By Cat Winters

I'm a big fan of Cat Winters paranormal historical fiction, and I'm a few books behind on her releases. I've been picking them up whenever I come across them; I believe this is one of her adult novels. I have no idea what this one is about, but Winters is an auto-buy author for me, so I know I will enjoy it. 

From the Bookstore

All the Crooked Saint by Maggie Stiefvater

I couldn't pass up a signed copy of Stiefvater's newest release, especially when I had credit for the bookstore. I'm a big fan of The Raven Cycle, but that's all I have read from Stiefvater, so I'm eager to read more of her works. 

What have you bought in the new year? 

Feminist Nonfiction Haul (I mean, you can't say you're surprised)

In this post, I talked about how out of control my feminist nonfiction TBR list was, so naturally, I bought some of the books off of it. I thought it was about time I got around to reading some of these books, and the first step to that is having them on hand. I've now got quite a pile on my unread shelves, but I have been really loving reading nonfiction lately. I think nonfiction is easier to read than fiction when I'm super busy because I can go a week without picking up my book and not feel totally lost. Here's a look at the three new nonfiction additions to my immediate TBR.

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon

I've had my eye on this doorstop of a novel about this mother-daughter literary duo for a while now. 650 pages seems about right for these two literary ladies who had such exciting literary and love lives. I am really interested in both authors personally, as well as their works, so I think I will really enjoy this one. I can see this one being the perfect winter read. 

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

I actually had this one out from my library as an ebook and read fifty pages before I knew I had to own a copy of this because I was itching to mark and tab every chapter. I loved how insightful Steinem is in this novel, and I am really looking forward to reading more about her and her work. I'm also looking to pick up her essays sometime in the near future. 

Savage Beauty  by Nancy Milford

Yet another doorstop of a biography I have had my eye on for ages. Millay is one of my all-time favorite poets and typing up my Literary Look post on her had me itching to read more about her. I know she was pretty unique for her time and I'm really interested to read more about the tidbits I already know and learn completely new things. 

Recently Purchased: Two Classic Mysteries

I went on a long- weekend vacation last weekend to the beach and of course I manged to sniff out a bookstore. This bookstore had a huge bargain section downstairs with tons of U.K. editions, and other editions that are hard to find in the states. I manged to limit myself to two classic mystery novels.

                                 

I haven't read anything by Raymond Chandler yet, but I own the novel (and have seen the movie version) of The Big Sleep. I am confident I will enjoy Chandler's novels as I love the drama of Noir Crime films, so I'm sure I will enjoy the source material. I don't know anything about this one, I just picked it up on a whim, but I can't wait to get into it. 

I have seen the movie version of The Maltese Falcon and loved it of course, so I'm eager to read the novel. Even though I have already seen the ending, presuming that the film ending doesn't differ from the novel, I don't remember a lot of the details, so I still think I will enjoy the book. 

Let me know your thoughts on Crime Noir and classic mysteries! I'd love to hear them. 

Book Outlet Haul!

I treated myself to a Book Outlet order the other day, as their recent change to free shipping on orders of thirty-five dollars or more to the U.S. sucked me in. It's so easy to load a chart full of books on there, and I managed to pick up some book I've been eyeing for quite a while now. Here's a look at what I picked up!

 

She is not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick and The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Adieh 
Sedgwick is one of my all-time favorite authors, but his back log of books can be difficult to find in the U.S. so I always scoop his novels up when I find them. This one is about a teenage girl who is blind, and that's all I want to know.  I read The Wrath and the Dawn on audiobook last winter and really enjoyed it even though the romance was a bit odd and cheesy; it was so entertaining. I'm eager to see how the story wraps up, and these books are designed beautifully.

 

N or M by Agatha Christie and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 
I have been devouring Christie's novels this year; they are so fast paced and quick to read. I've read one other Tommy and Tuppence mystery and enjoyed it, so I picked up this cute edition when I saw it. I featured The Lottery in my creepy TBR post and mentioned how I'm craving all of the creepy reads lately. This one is sure to deliver. I haven't read any Jackson yet, so short stories are the perfect place to start.

 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia
Garcia's work is stunning. She has a few illustrated editions of fairy tales out, that I have been eyeing for ages. I couldn't pass up the beautiful hardcover of this one when it was like five bucks! Here's one of my favorite illustrations I saw as I flipped through.

 

I Shall not be Moved by Maya Angelou and My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Angelou is my idol. I love and respect her work and her outlook on life so much. I have read almost all of her autobiography series and a few of her poems, and it's safe to say she is one of the best American writers in history. This is a collection of her poems. Surprisingly, I do not own any of Angeou's works in physical copies, so I'm always on the look-out for them. My Brilliant Friend and Elena Ferrante are two of the most talked about topics in the book world right now, and I finally bought book one. I found book two for fifty cents in a library sale and snatched it up before I even had book one, because these books are rather expensive in the States, and I'm glad to have found book one for a bargain as well.

That's all for my Bookoutlet purchases! I always end up with a cart full when I browse that site!

Used Book Haul!

I went a little crazy in the used section of my local bookstore. I had some credit I had been hanging onto for a while as I was so indecisive as to what I wanted to spend it on. When I was browsing recently, I found a couple books that I have been keeping an eye out for, and a couple more that just caught my eye, so I went for it! Be prepared, I also made a Book Outlet order recently, so that post will be coming too... oops!

Tea: Addiction, Exploitation, and Empire by Roy Moxham

Two things I love are tea and history. I am a history minor, but since I have finished my degree, I have missed learning and studying history on a regular basis. I think this book will be a perfect fix for that learning void. I love approaching history through an object or artifact, and tea has such a long history and world-wide significance. I'm really eager to get into this one and love the images included in the book.  

On the Pleasure of Hating by William Hazlitt

I have quite the pile of these Penguin Great Ideas sitting on my shelf that I need to get to, but when I saw this one on my bookstore's shelves, I couldn't pass it up. These are near impossible to find in America, unless you buy online, and I love the compact design they come in. This is an author I know absolutely nothing about, but the concept sounds really interesting to me, and it has been on my wishlist for a while. 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

I just finished and loved (and reviewed here) my first Water's novel Fingersmith, and loved it! So naturally, I had my eyes out for more of her works. I wasn't planning on picking up this one next, but since I found it used, I might have to. The concept of this one, oyster-girl turned music hall star, sounds really interesting. 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I love historical fiction so this one has been on my wishlist forever. I decided to finally go for it when I found a used hardcover copy. I have really high hopes for this one, and plan to get to it very soon. 

Those are the books I've picked up lately! I'm really keen to get to all of them very soon. Let me know your thoughts about these ones! 

Library Haul (and what I will be reading next)

I've got a few things out from the library right now, both in physical form and ebook form, so I thought I would share them with you as they will be what I am reading and reviewing next. I've really been loving getting my YA new releases from the library lately, especially contemporaries, as those tend to be really hit-or-miss for me.

The Hate You Give 

by Angie Thomas

Add on Goodreads

This book has been everywhere lately, and rightfully so! I've already read this one and loved it! I'll be reviewing it soon, as well as buying a copy for my classroom! 

This book is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and follows Starr who witnessed the shooting of her best friend by a police officer. 

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Add on Goodreads

I'm currently reading this one, so again watch out for a review soon. I didn't even though this book existed until a couple weeks ago, is it just me or is no one talking about it? I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe earlier this year and loved it, so I was eager to pick this one up. It's not grabbing me as fast as Ari and Dante did, but I'm only about fifty pages in. 

This novel focuses on a Mexican-American teenager starting his senior year of high school. Sal is the adopted son of a gay dad, and that's really all I know at the moment! This one has a lot of potential and I have high hopes. 

Piper Perish

by Kayla Cagan

Add on Goodreads

I really don't know much about this one expect the main character is an artist. Art is a book buzzword for me, so I decided to place a hold on it. I've been eager for more YA books with art elements ever since Nelson's I'll Give You the Sun.

Piper is in her senior year and dreaming of art school in NYC. But as things start to shift in all parts of her life, will her art be enough to get her through?

Let me know if you've read any of these! 

Recently Purchased: Two Classic Memoirs by Women

You might remember this post  from earlier in the month where I showed my latest book purchases by women authors. Well, I am continuing that pattern, and here I have my latest book purchases, and one from the library, all of which are by women! I'm hoping to get to these soon because I have very high hopes for them.

From the Library

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

This is a short collection of essays based around feminism that has been quite popular since its release. Essays are not my usual genre of reading, but because these are so short, it's been rather enjoyable reading. I'll be reviewing this one soon. 

Purchased

Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neal Hurston 

I haven't read any of Hurston's full length fiction yet, but I am really interested in reading her memoir. I have of course heard never-ending praise for Their Eyes were Watching God and have enjoyed the few short stories of hers I have read. I really don't know anything about Hurston's biography so I was happy to discover this existed and even happier to find it used at my local bookstore. 

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

This one has been high on my need-to-buy list since I read and loved Circling the Sun by Paula McLain, which is a fictional account of Markham's life in Africa and as a female pilot. This memoir written by Markham connects with the novel Out of Africa by Karen Blixen, as Markham is one of the characters in that group of people and is featured in the movie version and possibly the book (I'll let you know when I read it.) 

I may have to make March a month of reading memoirs because I have so many that I am dying to get to.  

Recently Purchased: Works by Women

I've been slowly spending my Christmas money on books, and of course, everything I have bought, has been written by women! I started this spree by buying volumes 2-5 of Ms. Marvel by Willow G. Wilson, and continued it by buying the books below. These books have been on my to-buy-list forever so I'm glad to finally have them.

Out of Africa, Isak Dinsen (Karen Blixen) 

 Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

I have been meaning to get my hands on something by Adichie forever now, and I'm glad to have two of her novels now. I bought both of them in the gorgeous patterned editions, and I'm hoping to collect them all because I love them. I have been wanting to read Out of Africa ever since I read Circling the Sun. Next on my to-buy-list is Beryl Markham's West with the Night, another read inspired by Circling the Sun. I have been craving books set in Africa ever since reading that novel and have rounded up quite a few for my shelves with this haul. 

What's your favorite Adichie novel? What was the last book you bought yourself? 

Book Outlet Haul!

I made a HUGE Book Outlet Haul the other day because they had so many books that were on my wishlist! Of course school has started so my time for reading and blogging is short, but I'm really looking forward to reading all of these as soon as I can. This haul consists of adult fiction and middle grade fiction. I have been loving middle grade lately as it is so quick to read when I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to reading.

Adult Fiction 

Almost Famous Women, Megan Mayhew Bergman

short story collection about women that were close to famous men/women but 

were not famous themselves

Radiance, Catherynne M. Valente

"decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood"

from Goodreads 

How to be Both, Ali Smith

A novel told in two parts, one taking place in Italy during the Renaissance, 

the second in the 1960s.  

 At the Water's Edge, Sara Gruen

A historical fiction hunt for the Loch Ness Monster. 

A Love Like Blood, Marcus Sedgwick

A vampire story that takes place in the 1940s.

Sedgwick is one of my all-time favorite authors and is an auto-buy for me.

Middle Grade Fiction

The Tell-Tale Start, Gordon McAlpine

I'm reading this cute middle grade about the great-great-great-great nephews of

Edgar Allan Poe aptly named, Edgar and Allan Poe.

Once Upon a Midnight Eerie, Gordon McAlpine

Book two in this series. There are three out currently.  

The Case of the Missing Moonstone, Jordan Stratford

A young Mary Wollstonecraft solves mysteries with literary 

connections in this series.  

Kat, Incorrigible, Stephanie Bergis 

This is a Jane Austen-esque middle grade series, but with magic! 

Have you read any of these? Thoughts? What was the last book you bought? 

Recently Purchased: Here's What I Bought to Console Myself About the Start of School

While you're reading this, I am currently on my third day of my last semester before I student teach (hopefully, don't want to jinx myself here.) So to fight off the back-to-school-blues, I have purchased a few new reads.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I have been seeing this poetry collection everywhere, as I am sure you have too, and I have been meaning to pick it up forever. I finally treated myself so I would have a quick read for the beginning of the semester. I am trying to get into modern poetry, as I usually read classic poetry, so leave me any recommendations you may have below. I have flipped through this and loved the illustrations and the few poems I have read. I have had a hard time saving this one for the start of the new semester.  

The Dumb House by John Burnside

I have heard lots of things about this one too, it sounds quite disturbing and I'm interested to see what themes it deals with and how it deals with them. 

Just Add Color Circus

My mom treated me to a new coloring book for the new school year, and I love this one. The images inside are so beautiful! I highly recommend checking this one out if you see it in the bookstore. I can't wait to listen to an audiobook and color during my homework breaks. 

What have you bought lately? Any modern poetry recommendations? How about coloring book recommendations?