Newest Purchase

I had a pretty great book haul in September. Some new books, some used ones. Even a free one, thanks to a Twitter contest! Here’s what I picked up:

 

I’ve blogged about most of these already, so I’ll keep this short. But LOOK at that gorgeous purple Drop Caps from Penguin Books! Sorry if you follow me on Twitter and get annoyed by my constant retweets, but it was well worth it. Even the pages are purple on the outside!

The bottom green book I threw in to the picture because technically…I own it. But, that’s definitely a husband book. I may read it, eventually, when it makes it way into my TBR rotation. We’ll see if I even understand it. It’ll be awhile before that happens though.

And of course, I finally have a Sherlock book. I’ve read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, but I haven’t yet read this one. I couldn’t resist it, when I saw it on the clearance rack!

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Trees of Reverie September Readathon Daily Bookish Challenges Day Fourteen

You’ve just started to work at a bookstore or library – what are your top ten go-to book recommendations?

1. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
2. Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin
4. The Thorn Birds by Colleen Mccullough
5. Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
6. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
7. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
8. Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
9. Quiet by Susan Cain
10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Top 3 Favorites

These are not the usual three that I give when people ask for my three favorite books, but they rank pretty high. And, since I just picked them up on clearance at Half-Price this week, I’m anxious to reread them soon.

Bel Canto was the first book by Ann Patchett that I read, and the beauty of the prose instantly attracted me to her work. I’m thinking about sneaking it in before I reread Game of Thrones now that I have it in my library.

If you love dogs, and haven’t read The Art of Racing in the Rain, what are you doing with your life? This is such a lovely book. You’ll definitely hug your furry friend much tighter after this.

Memoirs of a Geisha transports the reader to another culture, another time. Even in the cruelty of WWII, the magic of a geisha works on you, and everything is lovely for a little while. At least until the makeup is washed away.

These books are must reads in my opinion. Must owns, really. I was so glad to finally grab them for myself.

Raven Stole the Moon

The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, so when I saw Garth Stein’s name poking out from the Half-Price clearance shelf awhile ago, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t realize he had a second book out, so I grabbed Raven Stole the Moon. Since then, the book has patiently waited on my TBR shelf. Since I was doing the readathon, I figured now was a perfect time to pull it out and give it a go.

It was a little slow to start, and way different from his first book (which was narrated by a dog). This was about a couple struggling to deal with the loss of their son, and possibly their marriage as a result. Stein uses Alaskan Native American legend to help with the mourning process in a very unique way.

I struggled with that a little bit, because I wasn’t sure what direction he was going to go. But, in the end, it turned out really beautifully. Maybe not EXACTLY how I wanted, but probably how it should have ended.

I’d give this about 3 stars. Not spectacular, but so-so. I like how Stein writes, I just didn’t so much like the plot in this book.