A Lot of Book Loot.

I wasn't game for editing a review for today, so I was looking for something different. Then, my husband obnoxiously said, "Why don't you show them all those new books you've been getting?" He's a smart man.

I used to be really good about showing new books, but I haven't done a book loot post or picture in a really long time! I don't even remember what I have/haven't posted about. But, I think I gathered a good chunk of titles to show off, and while they don't include everything I've gotten in the last six months (that would be embarrassing), this includes a LOT of what I have gotten.

I do want to note that I purchase almost all of my books. Once in awhile I get a book for review, but considering what I do review, that isn't very often. :) And I am aware that the amount of books I buy makes me seem ridiculous, but I'm perfectly okay with that. I like buying books. And generally speaking, I stick to my monthly book budget (which Matt (the husband) strictly enforces). In any case, here are books that are new to my shelves.

**All the pics were taken on my phone, so I apologize if they aren't perfect. I'm not a photographer by any means. :)**

(This and the next ____ pictures were taken in our office. The shelves I have in here are YA, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, and History type titles-you'll see some peeking around in some of the pics).

I've heard a lot of good things about Kristen Cashore and her books, and I finally picked up Graceling after Christmas with a gift card. It was an AMAZING book, so I ran out and picked up Fire and Bitterblue as soon as I finished. Fire was also pretty good, and Bitterblue has been sitting on my nightstand waiting for me to read it. I read both Graceling and Fire in long sittings, so I am saving Bitterblue for such an occasion. Most likely I will get to it during the readathon on Saturday.

Next up is a wide assortment of YA titles (from left to right):

• Requiem by Lauren Oliver: While I didn't love Delirium or Pandemonium a whole lot, I wanted to see how the series ended. It was a good series, but not my favorite. This one is coming up in a review soon.
• Sever by Lauren DeStefano: This is the third title in the "The Chemical Garden" series. I own the other two titles as well (Wither and Fever), but I haven't read them yet....Yeah, I know.
• Half-Brother by Kenneth Oppel: I got this one at our school book fair. I'm not entirely sure why I picked it up (I think a couple of my students were talking about it?), but it looks interesting enough.
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young: This is another title I picked up at the book fair. I remember reading really good things about this one, so I figured it was worth a shot!
• Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans: This one was a no-brainer since Lenore is a book blogger that I really love. I bought this when it debuted, and I've heard that it has a new title now (The 2 in the title confused buyers-thought it was second in a series). I'm looking forward to reading it!
• Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: This was another book fair buy. I really liked the cover, and one of my students purchased it as well. She generally reads things that I've read in the past, so I figured I might as well.

 

This is another chunk of YA (from left to right):

• Seraphina by Rachel Hartman: I really love dragon fantasy, so when I saw this, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. I didn't know when I bought it that it was in a series, so I might wait till all of them are out before reading (I tend to do that with fantasy series-I like to read them ina  row).
• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: I'm not sure why I picked this one up-I think from a blogger recommendation? It looks interesting enough, so perhaps a readathon title.
• The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow: I did a big unit on the Holocaust with my history classes, and I've been gathering titles to use as supplemental material in the future. This was at the book fair and won an award. I'm hoping to read this one, as well as a huge chunk of Holocaust lit, this summer (an event will be happening-look for it if you're interested!).
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: This was another Holocaust lit era title that I was going to save, but then our media specialist convinced me to read it, so I did. My thoughts on it will be going up soon.
• Every You, Every Me by David Leviathan: I really enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Leviathan and Green when I read it last year, so I wanted to pick up something else by Leviathan. This was the first book I picked up and read...and I wasn't a big fan. I found out after the fact that it was a bit of an experimental book, so I'm going to read more by Leviathan soon (see below).

And more YA-sorry these are harder to see (from left to right):

• Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: I adored Between Shades of Grey and count it as one of my favorite reads of 2012, so it was a no brainer that I would pick up her sophomore title. I still haven't read it (I KNOW), so perhaps another readathon contender?
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith: Yet another title I bought at the book fair. This is one I have definitely seen on a number of blogs. And it looked cute. So I bought it.
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson: Maureen Johnson is hilarious on twitter, but I didn't own anything by her! I've heard wonderful things about this, so when I saw it at the book fair, I snatched it up (it was the last copy). However, it's part of a series, so it'll probably sit for awhile until the rest are published.
• Just One Day by Gayle Forman: I really loved Forman's other two books (I read them in the fall), so I bought this on debut day. Again, it has a sequel coming out, so I'll probably wait to read it until that one is out too.
• Every Day by David Leviathan: This seems to be one of Leviathan's more popular titles, so after not really loving the other title (above) I decided to pick this one up as well. I already know this is going in the readathon pile, so hopefully I get to it soon.
• Shades of Earth by Beth Revis: I bought and read Across the Universe when it came out and enjoyed it. However, while I own A Million Suns, I haven't read it yet. I will say that I'm disappointed that couldn't wait to change the covers to these more "unisex" versions until they released in paperback (not lying about why they changed covers-boys weren't buying the others). And while I like THIS style of cover better than the cheesy star, couple covers, I'm one of those morons that likes books to match (see my PEL collection as evidence). 

This is actually the newest title being added to my collection-it arrived on Thursday! This is the new collection of Willa Cather letters (I pre-ordered), and I'm looking forward to reading it for my Willa Cather Project. I will say that this book is a lot bigger than I was expecting!

I switched locations, can you tell? The rest of the pictures were taken in our living room, which is where I keep my classics. Above are the two newest additions to my Penguin Clothbounds and Puffin Hardcovers. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is the newest clothbound (although, I just found out Vanity Fair has been released, so I will definitely be buying it soon). This is one of my favorite books of all time, so I'm excited to have it in such a lovely edition. I also found Matilda by Roald Dahl at Pottery Barn Kids when I went shopping with my mom and niece. My mom was semi-embarassed by my squealing when I saw it. I don't know if Puffin has released any others to go with their set, but I will continue to add on as they release (let me know if you've heard anything!).

(To my knowledge, I think I own all of the Penguin Clothbounds and Puffin Hardcovers with the exception of Vanity Fair and the 2 titles that only had one printing and were only available in the UK-Madame Bovary and Crime and Punishment).

New PELS!

I'm not going to give titles, because I am pretty sure I have bought more than what these three pictures will show you. I know that I finished collecting the Dickens titles (all 16 of his major works), as well as the Hardy titles and Trollope series (The Chronicles of Barsetshire). My shelves are filling up with these lovelies, and I think I only have about 28 to go? Not bad considering I started collecting about a year ago and there are 100 titles (or that could be considered sad...or pathetic...or obsessive-you pick).

I really like the difference in the covers for the Dickens titles (the 5 on the right). That's one thing I love about the series as a whole-each book has a very distinct cover. Another of my favorites is the title for Robinson Crusoe-the gorgeous green with the leaves near the left. 

I find it funny that some titles are really hard to find. I struggled to get a copy of Howard's End by Forster (the white title with the umbrellas). It was "sold out" on The Book Depository for a long time, so I finally went searching on Amazon and found a copy. The same recently happened for another of Forster's titles. Odd, right?

And I want to point out that I love that Hardy cover on the far right-Under the Greenwood Tree. It's beautiful in person.

And a few more-including some by Henry James, Trollope, and Irving. The white one on the far right is Ethan Frome by Wharton. This is my third copy of the book (I KNOW), but I can't help it. The other two editions I own are the old Dover Thrift version that I was given from my 12th grade English teacher (we all got a copy to keep when we read it together) as well as another Penguin edition. Wharton is a favorite of mine, so I don't feel bad hoarding her books.

And say hi to Lily down there. :)

And, from a couple weeks ago, Sparty on my bookshelf with all the PELS as a background.

Anyway, there you have it-a whole lot of books I've purchased in recent months. And, if you're looking for them, I've bought all of my PELS (with the exception of Howard's End and a couple others) through The Book Depository. I haven't found any of them in a physical bookstore around here, so I just order them in batches and have them sent. My only complaints are that it takes a bit of time to get them, and they always come packaged individually, even when I order a number of them together. I find that annoying and a waste of packing supplies! They're also pretty affordable-obviously the thicker titles cost most, but they cost the same as any other edition. The covers are beautiful (some more so than others), and they're well made.

And before anyone asks, I do read my copies (I also read my clothbounds). As I have purchased, I've gone through my shelves to pull any duplicates in other editions that I might own. I have a stack of dupes for an upcoming giveaway, so look for it. :)

Hope you enjoyed seeing some new books! Let me know what you've purchased recently!