Bookstore Buys (Or My Recent Trip to the Used Bookstore)

 You guys!  I'm pretty sure that now is the time for an intervention when it comes to me acquiring books.  Aack...I'm drowning in books to read.  I had all of these good intentions for getting a bunch of reading done last week and then I managed to not finish anything.  Anything at all.  So what does a girl do when she has a bunch of books (and by a bunch I mean a ton) just waiting to be read?  Apparently this girl goes to the used bookstore and buys even more.  In my defense, this is a rarity for me for this exact reason.  I have TOO many books!  I usually save up books that I've read for credit and when my pile is big enough I'll take them down and bring home more. (The logic there eludes me as well.)  But that's what I do.  And since my pile was definitely big enough I cut away for a little me time on Saturday and went book shopping.  It was lovely!  Especially since I found myself in vintage book heaven!  I found so many old mysteries and gothic romances that I finally had to tell myself to stop because it was getting to be a bit ridiculous (and I couldn't carry any more).  I also managed to leave with more then I brought back for credit.  I swear that I never mean to do that.  Since I was in bookish bliss, I thought I would share pictures of the books I found at the bookstore.  Especially since some of these covers are just amazingly horrific/gorgeous....I really like the cheesy old covers if I'm honest.  Give me more!  Here is what I grabbed:

Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and Phyllis Whitney....OH MY!  I'm so excited to read each and every one of these!  I'm already a huge fan of Barbara Michaels so it is always nice to stock up on her books (I'm kind of hoarding them).  I loved The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart so I just cannot wait to read more by her.  I've never tried Phyllis Whitney but I really want to!  Plus I found a copy of  Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen just after I talked about it in my wishlist post.  How exciting is that??? I've got lots of good reading ahead of me as soon as I figure out which one to read first :)

I might be a little quiet this week as my son has his first baseball games of the season.  I'm hoping to snap up some good pictures though and share them in a Wordless Wednesday post.  And I have a TLC book tour scheduled for Thursday so maybe I won't be as quiet as I'm saying.  It all depends on how much I get accomplished each night after the ball fields :)  Happy Monday and Happy Reading!!!!

On My Wishlist (Radar) Books #15

On My Wishlist is my way of sharing all of the books that I cannot wait to get my hands upon and read. These are a mixture of books that are about to be released along with some older titles that I really want to read as well. (All summaries are from Goodreads).

I couldn't remember the last time that I did one of these posts so I looked and it has been months.  Months and all of these glorious books coming out that I just keep adding to my wishlist.  It is almost a bit ridiculous when you look at my to read list on Goodreads but it sure doesn't stop me from adding more!  I will admit that one of my favorite things to do is find new releases to pine over.  Here are just a few of the books that I'm currently pining over:

The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones

"The Next Time You See Me is the story of how one woman’s disappearance exposes the ambitions, prejudices, and anxieties of a small southern town and its residents, who are all connected, sometimes in unexpected ways. Emily; Susannah; Tony, a failed baseball star-turned-detective, aspiring to be the county’s first black sheriff; and Wyatt, a fifty-five-year-old factory worker tormented by a past he can’t change and by a love he doesn’t think he deserves. Their stories converge in a violent climax that reveals not just the mystery of what happened to Ronnie but all of their secret selves."

I've wanted to read this book basically every since Amy recommended it and stated that Gillian Flynn recommended it.  Hell yeah, I definitely NEED this book just after hearing that!  This is a must read for me if Gillian Flynn has praised it.  Just that easy!  

Night Keepers by Jessica Andersen

"The end of time looms, and Mayan demons have surfaced from the underworld to trigger an apocalypse. But as the final day approaches, the descendants of ancient warrior-priests prepare to fight back....

As a Miami narcotics detective, Leah Daniels never knows how her day will turn out. But she certainly doesn't expect to be strapped to a stone altar as the human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual meant to coax a demon from the underworld - or to be saved by a handsome warrior-priest king, who claims to recognize her from his visions."

I have been wanting to read this one for some time but sadly my library system doesn't have a copy.  I'm thinking that I'm going to have to pick it up from the bookstore the next time that I'm there.  It just sounds so good and I'm in the mood for some paranormal romance!  Plus, (and don't ask how this has happened) but it seems that I have a different book in this series already sitting on my shelves.  I don't know how I always manage to do that but now I definitely NEED this book as well!

Parasite by Mira Grant 

"A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives... and will do anything to get them."

OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!!  I am so FLIPPING excited to hear that Grant has a new book coming out!!!!  Now, I can finally read Blackout because I'll have a different book to look forward to.  This is a must read for me and I'm already chomping at the bit waiting to get my hands on it.  Seriously, I NEED this book!!! I WANT this book!  Ugh...how am I going to possibly wait until October for this book to release?  Oh yeah, and it even sounds good too :) 

Lost by S.J. Bolton

"Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 11-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. The victim will be another boy, just like him. The body will be drained of blood, and left somewhere on a Thames beach. There will be no clues for London detectives Dana Tulloch and Mark Joesbury to find. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney’s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, on leave from her job as a London police detective, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can’t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive."

This may be the BEST wishlist post EVER!!!!  ANOTHER new read from one of my favorite authors!!!  Both of the books that I have read by this author have been five star reads so I'm literally bouncing in my seat just thinking about this book!  Yay, yay, yay, yay!   At this point, I'm convinced that I NEED all of the books!  All of them!!!!  At least this one is releasing in May which is a lot closer than October!

Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre

"Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work for the Criminal Investigation Department, keeping citizens safe from things that go bump in the night. He’s a hardboiled cynic with an uncanny sixth sense; she’s determined to justify her promotion as the first female detective in her division. Together, they’re trying to keep a black tide from drowning the city.

But when the second body surfaces, murdered with the same type of infernal device, the entire CID must face the truth. There’s a madman on the loose, twining magic and blood… and only Mikani and Ritsuko can unravel the intricate, lethal conspiracy before the Royale killer completes his macabre plan, unleashing old, forbidden magic on an unsuspecting populace. If the maniac succeeds, it could mean the end of everything…"

Now what would a wishlist post be without some steampunk?  I'm a huge fan (as I'm sure you guys know) and feel like this is a MUST read!  Besides, how awesome is this cover????  I want this one!  I NEED this one!!!  I feel a common there here...all of the books, you guys.  All of the books!

Okay, I need to stop here or I'm just going to keep pining over books that haven't released yet.  Aack!  Now I'm starting to remember why I don't do these kinds of posts so often.  It is going to be bad on my bank account because these are some books that I HAVE to have!  At least it means that I have lots of good reading to look forward to!  What books have you added to your wishlists lately???  

A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Hannah Griffin was a girl when tragedy struck on her family s farm. She still remembers the flames reflected against the newly fallen snow and the bodies the police dug up - one of them her mother s. It was the nation's worst murder scene in decades and the killer was never found.Twenty years later Hannah is a talented CSI investigating a case of child abuse when the past comes hurtling back. Years of buried questions are brought to life. A killer with unfinished business is on the hunt. And an anonymous message turns Hannah s blood cold: Your Mom called..."

My Thoughts:

Hmm...this is a difficult book to write up my thoughts on and share with you all.  This book really started off with a bang for me.  It easily pulled me into the mystery that surrounded Hannah Griffin and I was instantly hooked.  The author does an amazing job of really making the reader question what is going on and I couldn't figure it out.  There are all of these questions and Hannah is a bit of a mystery herself.  Before I knew it I was reading as fast as I could so I could see how it would all end.  And end it did leaving me slightly frustrated.  Now I'm the kind of reader that doesn't mind a few questions here and there.  I actually like it when it is done right and the author leaves me wondering...thinking about the book days after I've finished.  (Spoiler Warning) But what really didn't work for me in this book is that nothing is really resolved.  The book ended and I was left looking at it wondering if I was missing pages.  There were too many questions that the author left unanswered in my opinion to leave me feeling fully satisfied when I finished.  It definitely affected my reading experience and my overall rating of this book.

Even though I ended the book less then pleased, I overall enjoyed it.  Which is weird when I say that but this is an author that I do want to read more of.  Olsen did an amazing job with the atmosphere of the story and it captivated me from the very beginning.  In fact, I think that this book really, really would have worked for me if it was part of a series and we could learn more about Hannah and her childhood.  But that's just my opinion on it!  I'm not sure what else I can say other than this book was good but not great.  I can't help but wonder if I would have enjoyed this book more if I had known that I wasn't going to get all of the answers.  Overall, recommended but with a few reservations.

Bottom Line:  This is a dark, thrilling book that just didn't quite meet my expectations.

Disclosure:  Checked out from my local library!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?? (April 22nd)

It's Monday! is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and states:

"Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!"

Last week was a really solid week for me because I was able to finish up two books.  This week I'm hoping to do the same (or maybe even read more) thanks to the upcoming read-a-thons.  First up I'm joining in the week long Spring Into Horror Read-a-thon.  I've participated before in these week long events and they are always lots of fun!  Plus, I usually manage to read more than on an average week.  I'm looking forward to knocking some books off of my TBR list!  Then next weekend is Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.  I usually have to work whatever weekend this falls on but not this weekend!  I'm super excited and I'm planning to sign up as a cheerleader again.  I'll read (unofficially) but there is no way that I will find the time to read for a full 24 hours so cheerleading it is.  It's going to be lots of fun and I'm really looking forward to it!  So that's the plan for this week but first let me show you what I read last week.  Last week I read the following two books:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs was a reread but was just as enjoyable as the first time that I read it!  I'm a huge fan of this series so I really liked going back to the beginning where we first meet Mercy.  I'm going to reread the next couple of books before I continue on with the series where I left off.  I highly recommend this series and will write up my thoughts on the reread later this week.

If You Hear Her by Shiloh Walker was a really solid romantic suspense which is what I have been in the mood for as of recently.  This book was unexpected at times but I really wish I had the second part of this trilogy in my hands RIGHT NOW (I'm sure if you've read this book already then you understand).  I'm going to try and write up my thoughts on this one too at some point this week.

I'm currently reading the following books:

I'm hoping to make really good progress with all three of these books thanks to the read-a-thon.  Maybe I will even be able to finish the first two books.  Beautiful Creatures is quite the chunkster but you never know.  I've got lots of good reading ahead of me so I'm going to wrap this up and get some reading done.  Happy Monday!

Library Loot - Ambitious

Library Loot is hosted by Marg and Claire, and is a fun way to share about your library addiction.

If you've been visiting my blog long enough you probably know that I'm a library addict.  I always love to browse the shelves and find a few books to take home.  And by few I usually mean a lot.  Let's not look at the fact that I'm supposed to be reading exclusively from my Kindle during April to help knock out a few reads on there.  I still have quite the stack of library books checked out and would like nothing better than to read them all :) 

I've been reading a lot more from the romance genre this year which has been reflected in my library finds.  I especially have been in the mood for some romantic suspense as of recently so if you have suggestions please feel free to share!  Here are some of the books that I've brought home with me recently:

Don't you just want to read all of these???  I sure do!  I just need to figure out how I'm going to find the time to read them all....but that's the fun part about the library.  If I don't get to them all, I can sure grab them again next time.  Happy reading everyone!!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (thoughts)

There are some books that hit the book blogging world by storm and it seems that almost everyone has read them.  I'm usually one of the last ones but that doesn't really bother me.  Because I have a tendency to shy away when a book is getting "too much" buzz.  I'm weird like that.  But I am so glad that I finally read this one because it was OH SO DELICIOUSLY good! 

This book is about a man (Nick) and his wife (Amy).  But that's all I'm telling you.  Because either a) you've already read this book, b) you've already read enough reviews to know what this book is about (and whether you want to read it or not), or c) your planning on reading it in which case you should go in knowing as little as possible in my opinion.  Or you could be like me and pick this book up solely because the author is Gillian Flynn and you had such a good reading experience with another of her books (for me that was Sharp Objects which I also highly recommend).

This book surpassed all of my reading expectations (and I had high ones thanks to Sharp Objects)!  Although I had a hard time at the beginning connecting to the story, before long I was completely and utterly hooked.  I can see why reviewers either love or hate this book.  This is such a dark book at times and it isn't always easy to read.  Ms. Flynn, I bow down to your expertise as a writer that knows how to make the reader squirm.  None of this bothered me in the slightest because I love a good dark read.  The author gives the reader the opportunity to really get to know the main characters in such a way that they almost feel like real people.  Love them or hate them but don't ever accuse Flynn of not fleshing out her characters.  I was so wrapped up in the story that I would think about it when I was doing other simple things like the dishes.  I was completely absorbed by the end...even after finishing the book I thought about it days later.  I could never guess what was going to happen next with this book, and the ending just blew me away because I didn't see it coming.  Tricky, tricky!  Even now just talking about the book makes me want to reread it and experience it from the very beginning.  I will now officially read anything/everything that this author writes which is high enough praise!

Do I even need to wrap up my thoughts on this book for all of you???  I enjoyed every moment that I spent in the dark, twisted world that this author created.  I found myself endlessly fascinated with the characters that she created in this book for many different reasons.  And I basically want Flynn to write as many books as humanely possible just so I can enjoy more books like this.  If you want a book where you should always expect the unexpected than I would highly recommend this one!  As for me, I plan on reading Dark Places when I'm ready and in the mood for another dark thriller.  My expectations will be set ridiculously high from this point on.  Enough said :)

Bottom Line:  This book will be on my top reads for 2013 this year...I can guarantee it!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from NetGalley thanks to the publisher.  It also fits in with my personal goal to read as many Edgar Prize nominees as possible.  I couldn't be more pleased with the results of this personal challenge!

The Sunday Salon: Reading

Good morning everyone!  I'm feeling refreshed and better than ever thanks to my week long blogging break.  I didn't comment, I didn't write up posts....I just mainly read.  And it felt great!  Well I did do other things (Mom things) like work, laundry, and clean with a dash of rinse and repeat.  But I stayed away from the blogging world and just relaxed for a bit.  It was nice but I'm ready to dive right back in.  Especially when I look at my list of unreviewed books which just keeps on growing!

I have the feeling that I'm going to spend most of this week playing catch-up.  I have lots of books to share about and posts that need to be written.  Plus, I should probably get around to visiting all of your blogs since I have a ton of posts starred in my reader.  But that is neither here nor there.  Instead let me share about some of the books that I have been reading since I talked to you last.

First up I finally finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  OMG, you guys this book was unbelievable!!!  I don't want to share more because I'm saving it all for my review.  Suffice it to say that I think you are either a fan of this author or you aren't.  I most certainly am and that is all.  Wow!

After that I picked up A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashley Macnamara because I needed something completely different than Gone Girl.  It was definitely the right choice and I found myself swept away with this historical romance.  I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future because this was a solid read!  More on that to come with another review :)  Do you see how far behind I am???  Yikes!

All of this means that I've read/finished two books for the informal Spring Kindle Cleaning Challenge that Staci and I are doing.  I'm pretty proud of myself already because I have a tendency to read books on my kindle a lot slower than I do actual print books.  It is easier to get distracted by Twitter on my Kindle I guess :)  Anyways, I'm currently reading the following books:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl is my book that I'm reading at work.  A co-worker lent it to me so I'm reading it on my lunch and breaks.  It is okay so far but nothing that really makes me want to dive in.  I'm going to finish it (because she was nice enough to lend it to me) but I have a feeling that it is going to take me awhile.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs is a reread and thank goodness that I picked this book up again!  I'm hooked and I had definitely forgotten how much I enjoy these books.  I stayed up until almost midnight reading and I'm hoping to make a good dent in the book today.  I love, love, love this series and I'm so glad that I'm rereading these first ones!!

There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is my current read on my reader.  I've just barely started but I've been wanting to try this author for some time now.  I'm really looking forward to diving in and knocking another book off my list of NetGalley reads.  It makes me feel so accomplished so thanks to Staci for motivating me to do this  :)

There you have it: lots of reading going on and definitely not enough review writing.  I'm going to spend my Sunday doing lots of laundry and cleaning out my daughter's room.  After that I'm going to work on catching up on a review or two while commenting and visiting all of you.  Happy Sunday!!

Water Park Fun!

 The other weekend we took the kids to an indoor water park for my son's birthday.  The kids had a blast (as evidenced by the pictures) and swam their hearts out.  Literally, as my youngest fell asleep sitting up in the restaurant while we were eating dinner.  LOL!  It was classic and quite funny at the time. 

This weekend we are on our way to Ohio for a short trip to see my stepdaughter.  Lots of driving but it will be worth it!  Because of that though, I'm taking a short blogging break that will probably last throughout next week.  Baseball practice starts next week, the trip, and all other life stuff is really going to cut into my blogging time.  And since I'm working on cleaning out my Kindle this spring I will definitely be reading in my spare time.  I'm over halfway through Gone Girl and OH MY GOD!  Staci even created a lovely button for us to use so if you want to join in you should!  I'll see all in a week or so :) 

Knocking Out NetGalley Reads in April

I suppose that I should really say review copies for my e-reader since some of this are from Edelweiss as well.  Ehhh, technicalities.  Either way, I'm planning on spending the majority of the month with my nose in my Kindle.  Because I have entirely TOO MANY books on there waiting to be read and especially review copies.  Staci over at Life in the Thumb said that she was going to do this in April and I couldn't resist joining in (even if this is completely unofficial).  Since I have no self control it seems when it comes to requesting books, I need to take the time to actually read some of them (and write up the reviews of course).  I've also got a couple of physical review books that I want to get started on so we will see.  But I'm definitely focusing on my reader and all of the books on it!!  I decided to come up with a list that I particularly want to get read, and I'm going to TRY to stay on track.  LOL!  Here is what I'm hoping to get read:

I picked a varied bunch of books to help keep it interesting.  Unspoken was picked for me in one of the Goodread's groups that I belong to for my TBR read of the month.  I've been wanting to read A Most Scandalous Proposal since reading Lisa's review on it.  And Staci has Cover of Snow on her list also so I couldn't resist reading it myself :)  Now it's time to see how many of these I can actually get read!

So tell me, do you have no self control when it comes to NetGalley and Edelweiss??