Best Kept Bookish Secret

Incoming book alert! Check out all of these unused books I purchased for only $30 (excluding Maggie Stiefvater's Blue Lily, Lily Blue).

From top to bottom:

• Tamora Pierce's Alanna: The First Adventure
• Sharon Green's Silver Princess, Golden Knight
• Leah Cypress' Mistwood
• Amanda Hocking's Switched, Torn, & Ascend
• Leigh Bardugo's Shadow & Bone
• Kiersten White's The Chaos of Stars & Mind Games

Where'd they all come from for such a low price, you ask? Alright, friends. I'm about to let you in on a very juicy bookish secret-- one you will most definitely thank me for. I only just discovered it recently myself, but you better believe I wasted no time in taking advantage of it.

It's called Book Outlet.

They sell discounted books offered at 50-90% off the original list price. Book Outlet's books are marked down so low because they are from a publisher's excess inventory. The books are unused and in excellent condition, unless they come from the Scratch & Dent section-- my personal favorite section. The Scratch & Dent books show some signs of handling or scratches, but they are structurally sound, overall. The best part is they are even cheaper. Like $2-3 for a hardcover cheap.

The only downsides would be cost of shipping and length of time it takes to ship-- but even so, it was cheaper to order those titles through Book Outlet than it was to order them through Amazon with Prime 2-day shipping. Trust me, I checked first before placing the order.

You're welcome.

And just for the record, I was not paid for this post, and I have no affiliation whatsoever with BookOutlet.com other than the fact that I use it and love it.

Have you heard of Book Outlet before? Am I the last one to be in the know? What were your experiences like? If not, do you plan to use the site in the future? I'd love to hear from you.

Linking up here and here.

Book Review: Philippa Rice's Soppy: A Love Story

Soppy: A Love Story by Philippa Rice

Image via Tumblr

 

*I received a free digital ARC of this title via NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. What a charming, sweet, and understated graphic novel.

Mostly illustration, not a ton of text, the beauty of Soppy is in its subtleties. The illustration is deceptively simple in technique, and only three colors are used: black, white, and red. Even so, Soppy packs a major emotional punch.

Viewing the comic from the standpoint of being in a long-term, loving relationship, I find the content completely endearing. Rice depicts the tender, everyday, and sometimes under-appreciated moments between lovers. 

Image via Tumblr

Some scenes are so relatable that I laughed out loud: “I'll cook if you wash up. If you phone for the pizza I'll answer the door when it arrives.” & “Are you asleep? No. *both fall asleep*”

 

Having never read anything of Rice's before (even though she's kind of a big deal on Tumblr, apparently), I did not have any major expectations going in, and because I didn't have advanced knowledge of her work, I think I was able to enjoy Soppy all the more. It turned out to be such a delicious surprise.

I fully intend on purchasing a physical copy to add to my graphic novels shelf. 

My Rating: 5 Stars

Reading Recap -- May 2014

Hello, June! See you next year, May. You were a banner reading month.

1. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa → Book Based on a Myth
2. Fangbone! Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex
3. The Egg of Misery by Michael Rex
4. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong → Book with Magic
5. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews → Book with a Mystery
6. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden → Book that became a Movie
8. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White → Book without a Love Triangle
9. Evermore by Alyson Noel → First Book in a Series
10. Futurama Adventures by Eric Rogers

Still haven't made a Bingo yet, though. How's your reading coming along?

Library Booksale Haul

I've gone to a few library booksales this year, and I've learned that they are a treasure trove for ladies lit. (my replacement term for chick lit.-- still not a great substitute, but I really dislike the term "chick lit."). I'm torn between loving and hating the fact that they're overwhelmingly pink.

• Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus
• Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
• Fannie Flagg's Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
• Ceclia Ahern's P.S. I Love You
• Sophie Kinsella's Confessions of a Shopaholic
• Janet Evanovich's One for the Money
• Joyce Carol Oates' Blonde

Not a bad haul for a buck a piece or less. Now if only I could read them as fast as I buy them...

Used Bookstore Spoils

This past weekend, I traded in some books at the used bookstore, and I came home with some lovely (and inexpensive) finds that have been begging to get crossed off my wish list for months now. Behold:

• L.M. Mongomery's The Story Girl
• Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
• Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted
• Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle
• Julie Kagawa's The Iron King
• Alyson Noel's Evermore

And don't they just look oh so pretty stacked together like that?

2014 Reading Progress Report: April

At this point, I've read 22 out of 50 books-- accomplishing 44% of my reading challenge and putting me at 7 books ahead of schedule.

1. Keri Arthur's Darkness Unbound → Book at the Bottom of the TBR Pile
2. Kiersten White and Jim di Bartolo's In the Shadows → Book Set in the Summer
3. J.K Rowling's Harry Potter: The Prequel → Book with a Lion, a Witch, or a Wardrobe
4. Gena Showalter's The Darkest Night → Book Written by Someone Under 30
5. Jean Webster's Daddy-Long-Legs → A Classic YA Book
6. Irene Hunt's Up a Road Slowly → Book with a Female Heroine

 
I am basically a book reading machine, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Book Journal: In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim di Bartolo

Let's talk about how great this book is, shall we?

First, I should say that I won it as an ARC in a First Reads giveaway, but that has no bearing on the rave review I'm about to give it. In fact, when I win books, I generally have low expectations. This time was no different-- I wasn't expecting much. I was unfamiliar with both the author and the illustrator, and the title and cover didn't do much for me. They're a bit generic for the fantasy genre, but once I cracked the book open, I was completely smitten.

The artwork is phenomenal. Really dark and moody and powerful. At first, I was thrown off by the back-and-forth between the two storylines of illustration and text, but after a while, once the dichotomy of the two clicked for me, I really admired and appreciated the decision to keep them separate.

The plot is full of action and suspense, and despite its swift pace, the author also takes time to flesh out the five main characters. For such a short book, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to connect with and root for them, which is a real testament to Kiersten White's writing. Also-- the ending is perfection. I won't say anymore.

This book completely won me over and is a new favorite of mine, which so rarely happens these days. I would recommend it to all YA fantasy and graphic novel lovers. It's such a treat for the eyes and mind. READ IT!

You can also find my review on GoodReads.

2014 Reading Progress Report: March

Over 3 months into 2014, and I've read 17 out of 50 books. I've accomplished  34% of my Reading Challenge, putting me at 5 books ahead of schedule. I've also marked off 7 spots on my Bingo Boards. Yeah!

1. Veronica Roth's Insurgent → Book Heard about Online
2. Shannon Hale's Austenland →  Book Set on a Different Continent
3. Steve Nile's Daughters of Fly in my Eye
4. Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist → Book Your Friend Loves
5. Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches → Book with Non-Human Characters
6. Claudia Gray's Evernight → Book Set in High School
7. Jeaniene Frost's Up from the Grave → Book Published this Year
8. Keri Arthur's Darkness Unbound → Book at the Bottom of the TBR Pile  

I have to say-- I'm really proud of my progress. It feels like I'll hit 50 books in no time.

Incoming!

Picked up some new used books this weekend. They've been on my wish list for ages now.

• Annette Curtis Klause's Blood and Chocolate
• Claudia Gray's Evernight
• Diane Wynne Jones' Cart and Cwidder and Drowned Ammet
• Patrick Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go
• Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning

• L.M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle
• L.M. Montgomery's Mistress Pat
• L.M. Montgomery's A Tangled Web
• Ann Rinaldi's A Break with Charity

Yes, I'm running out of shelf space, but that only drives me to be more creative with the way my books are stacked. As Tim Gunn might say, "Designers book lovers, make it work!"

2014 Reading Progress Report: January & February

So far, January and February have been productive reading months for me. 

At this point, I've read 9 books in 2014. According to GoodReads, this means that I've accomplished 18% of my Reading Challenge, currently putting me at 4 books ahead of schedule. I also marked off 5 spots on my Reading Bingo boards (I'm counting the 5 graphic novels I read as 1 book).

1. Adam Sexton's Shakespeare's Macbeth: The Manga Edition → Graphic Novel
2. Richard Appignanesi's The Tempest
3. Darren G. Davis' Wrath of the Titans
4. John Matthews' The Chronicles of Arthur: Sword of Fire and Ice
5. Chuck Dixon's Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Volume 1: Prodigal Son
6. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire → Book with an Incredible Fight Scene
7. Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss → Book with a Color in the Title
8. Marissa Meyer's Cinder →  Book Set in the Future
9. Nora Roberts' Chasing Fire → Book by a Female Author 

Here's to keeping the momentum going! How's your reading going so far this year?