Book Haul: Ebooks Galore

I haven’t done a book haul post in months, my last one was in June. I thought it would be a good idea to put up a blog update on books that I’ve acquired since then. I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten more ebooks than physical books recently but let’s start with two packages that I’ve received:

I won a giveaway that my friend Brandy hosted on her blog. I chose A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty because I’m excited to read it. I’ve been hearing good things about this book and I like that it has a whimsical cover. I have the NetGalley edition of this but the formatting is a bit off so I would prefer reading the hardcover.

I can’t get over how generous Laura Florand is, she was nice enough to send me a signed copy of The Chocolate Touch! It’s been weeks (or has it been months?) since I finished reading the galley of this and I still need to work on a review. Let me just say that I loved it – the Amour et Chocolat series really is one of my favorite discoveries this year.

Moving on to ebooks. I bought a couple of titles based on several recommendations:

Protecting What’s His by Tessa Bailey
His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey
Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey
Confidence Tricks by Tamara Morgan

Wowza, how smexy are those Tessa Bailey covers? Her Line of Duty series was recommended by both Mandi of Smexy Books and Mina V. Esguerra. I’ve read all three and I liked Officer Off Limits the best. I’m so behind on reviews so I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the chance to review these. Confidence Tricks was recommended by Laura Florand – the premise reminds me a little of Fate’s Edge.

These two titles were available for free on Amazon so I grabbed them as soon as I could:

Her Favorite Temptation by Sarah Mayberry
The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry

Some galleys that I received for review / got approval on NetGalley for:

Snow-Kissed by Laura Florand
Well-Played by Katrina Ramos Atienza
The Corrupt Comte by Edie Harris
Stay With Me by Elyssa Patrick
Wild Child by Molly O’Keefe
The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Making It Last by Ruthie Knox

Last but not the least, even my current read is in ebook format:

That’s a lot of ebooks! And most of them are romances. I think that says something about the kind of reading mood that I’ve been in. I do want to read more fantasy but it’s just that it’s so easy to get into contemporary romances. Anyway, Sunday is almost over in my part of the world. How was your weekend? What are the books that you’ve bought or received lately?

Book Haul: Kinokuniya Part 2

Kinokuniya was having a sale last weekend and since my flatmates are members, I went with them to see if I could take advantage of the 20% discount. I know I keep harping on how expensive books are here and I usually rather buy copies in Manila for UK or US editions that are also available there. So when bookstores have sales here, I usually aim for books that I can’t get back home or through Book Depository like Aussie titles. Most of the ones I wanted were out of stock but it made me happy that Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty was there.

I’ve been wanting to read Nicola Moriarty’s books for a while now and I’m glad I will finally be able to try her writing. I got an extra copy to swap with my friend Maggie of Young Adult Anonymous, I know she’s a fan of Aussie fiction as well.

I was walking around the bookstore, trying to decide what else to get and I was just thinking that it would be great if I could find books similar to Laura Florand’s since I enjoy reading her books so much. Lo and behold, The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan pops up! I knew it was a sign that I should grab a copy. It’s rare for me to buy a book just based on the cover and synopsis because I usually rely on reviews from fellow book bloggers. Let’s see if this lives up to my expectations.

That’s a French-themed postcard made out of washi tape right beside the book. What about the rest of you, have you bought or borrowed any books lately?

2013 California Book Haul

I was pretty excited by the fact that books are a lot more affordable in the States than in Singapore. Sometimes, books are even cheaper than their list prices when you order them off Amazon. I visited Barnes and Noble several times but didn’t get anything because I realized I would save more if I got them from Amazon. I had such a hard time deciding which books to get but finally narrowed it down to the following:

Star Crossed by Jennifer Echols
The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand
The Chocolate Kiss by Laura Florand
House of Shadows by Rachel Neumeier
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

I look forward to trying out Jennifer Echols’ adult novel, I hope it’s just as good as her YA books. The Laura Florand books were recommended by Michelle when we met up. I wanted to get a fantasy book in this stash and I’ve heard good things about House of Shadows so that made me curious. Eleanor & Park was a no-brainer given how much I enjoyed Attachments, I don’t have matching editions for these two but that doesn’t really matter. I’ve been looking for a copy of The Blue Castle for AGES but I was kind of disappointed when I saw that this edition isn’t a proper paperback – it looks kind of like a textbook.

These three I got during my meet ups with Maggie and Michelle:

The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Last but not the least, guess who walked into a grocery store and came out with a book? I couldn’t resist when I saw The Best Man by Kristan Higgins.

I think this is a pretty good haul, I didn’t have to worry about going beyond my luggage limit. I would have loved to get more but I had to be practical about the cost and how I’ll take these back to Singapore. I’m excited to read all of these!

Book Haul: Times Book Sale

I veered away from my usual Sunday library visit because my friend invited me to go with her to the book sale organized by Times. Since books are pricey here in Singapore, I wanted to take advantage of the availability of bargain books.

I was delighted to discover that there were several shelves of books in that place and all of them were being sold at a discounted price. So of course, we spent a few hours browsing through everything. I was pleasantly surprised to see novels written by Filipino authors available in the sale:

I was thrilled when I saw this edition of The Queen of Attolia because I don’t have a copy of it yet and one can never have enough copies of one’s favorite books:

Remember when I said that I haven’t bought books for myself ever since I moved here in Singapore? I’ve only purchased books given as gifts to friends. For my own reading, I just borrow from the library. Well, I made up for that with this stash:

Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart
Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Kiss It by Erin Downing
Hangman’s Holiday by Dorothy Sayers
Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy Sayers
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
The Chocolate Run and The Cupid Effect omnibus by Dorothy Koomson

I got all of these for only SGD 32. Not bad, right? I like seeing them all lined up on the shelf in my room. Yay for more books! What about you, what books have you bought or borrowed this week?

Book Haul: Hong Kong Edition

I have a Postcard Love Hong Kong edition post and now it’s time to talk about books. I kept looking for a bookstore the whole time we were there but only found one on our last day. Good thing I did because I ended up buying several items! Here’s my loot from Swindon Books in Tsim Sha Tsui:

This is what’s inside the bag:

UK edition of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, one my favorite reads last year
A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
Pride and Prejudice Penguin mug
Some bookmarks

I wanted to get so many other books that I haven’t seen in local bookstores like Adorkable, Wonder and one of the Harry Potter signature editions. But I already used my credit card several times during the trip so I thought I’d grab only two books – one that I’ve read (I’ve been interested in The Scorpio Races UK edition since last year) and one that I’m interested in reading. I also saw the Penguin passport holders but they only had two designs for it: The Road and The Lost Girl and I haven’t read any of those. I thought there’d be more designs but when I searched online, it looks like it comes in only those two versions. So I got a Pride and Prejudice Penguin mug instead:

Pretty, right? I have a feeling I’d eventually end up buying one of those passport holders the next time I see it in a foreign bookstore. I also got a Starbucks Hong Kong edition tumbler to add to my collection:

Got any good books recently? How about book-related items like mugs or bookmarks?

Book Haul: Guys, Girls and Postcards

Remember my post about Mina V. Esguerra’s latest book? I won a copy of it! Got the package from Mina last Friday:

That Kind of Guy by Mina V. Esguerra
Lucas ♥ shirt (Lucas is the swoon-worthy main character in Fairy Tale Fail)

Thank you so much for this, Mina! I already finished reading That Kind of Guy this weekend and I hope to review it soon. I had lunch and dinner with friends in Fort last Saturday so I was able to squeeze in a visit to Fully Booked’s branch there:

I used the last of the gift certificates (GCs) that I received for my birthday and I’m kind of sad that I don’t have bookstore GCs anymore but yay, new books:

Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairly in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cat Valente
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
Will Barnet book of postcards

All three of these books were the last pieces left so I felt like I was meant to get them! I’m sure I’m not the only one who rationalizes book purchases that way. I’ve been wanting a copy of Girl in the Arena for a while now so I decided to grab it while it’s still available. I’ve also heard good things about Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland and I love that it has chapter illustrations:

So I’m not even familiar with Will Barnet’s work but I decided to buy the postcard book because I went through the artwork and I liked what I saw. It contains 30 postcards but I don’t think I’ll be sending them out anytime soon.

It was a pretty good weekend, book-wise. Also went out for dinner last night with the family – our Mother’s Day treat for my mom. Belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! How was your weekend? Were you able to buy any books?

Book Haul: Diana Wynne Jones Edition

From what I’ve seen in the interwebs, Book Haul isn’t a meme or a feature in a particular blog but it’s a pretty catchy term for books recently bought or received. Thanks to my friend Holly for the heads up on this. I feel like the past couple of days in this blog have been dedicated to Diana Wynne Jones. Remember when I said I wanted a copy of Fire and Hemlock? Well, I dropped by Fully Booked to check if they had copies of that and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore and look what I ended up buying:

Three titles by Diana Wynne Jones:
A Tale of Time City
Fire and Hemlock
Dogsbody

I couldn’t help it! They looked so pretty side by side and I know that Fire and Hemlock and Dogsbody have been out of print for a while so might as well get copies while I still can. And look who wrote introductions for those books – Ursula Le Guin, Garth Nix and Neil Gaiman. I used a Fully Booked gift card that I received for my birthday. I think this is the longest that I’ve had gift cards with me, it took me more than a month to use this one. Whenever I get a bookstore gift card, I usually use it right away. In case you’re wondering what those pretty prints in the background are, those are summer dresses that I bought from one of my favorite clothing stores, Forever21. What are the tin cans in the upper left? It’s funny because they’re labeled as postcards but the tin cans are too small to contain postcards:

One tin can is carnival-themed while the other is travel-themed and they contain lomo-esque stickers and small cards. I have to confess that I’m a sucker for cute things like these, which is why I ended up getting two.

Too bad these cards are too small to send as postcards. They’re just the right size for bookmarks though:

So, so, so. Got any good books lately? Or have you purchased anything cute and fun that you’d like to share? Leave a comment and let me know.

In My Mailbox: Mid-March Edition

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

I was surprised when I already got the packages from my latest Book Depository purchase because it only took three weeks for them to arrive and they all got here at the same time.

Want to see what’s inside those packages? Here you go:

The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
Northlander by Meg Burden
The King Commands by Meg Burden
Postcards from Ladybird

You might be wondering what that manly chest is doing in my IMM post. I don’t usually read historical romances but I made an exception for Joanna Bourne’s novels when I saw a Sounisian recommend them. I enjoyed reading them, which is why I’m looking forward to her latest. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Meg Burden’s novels came in trade paperback format instead of mass market. And yes, that’s another postcard set! I’m going to do a Postcard Love update once I’ve taken pictures of those Ladybird cards. Speaking of postcards, got this lovely Sarajevo one from Maja of The Nocturnal Library:

Thanks Maja! I also met up with my college friends for a joint celebration (my birthday isn’t until the end of the month though) and these are the early birthday presents that I received:

Trese graphic novels by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo: Murder On Balete Drive, Unreported Murders, Mass Murders, Last Seen After Midnight
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Fully Booked gift cards
Muji notebook and colored pens

So I had a pretty great week in terms of books acquired. Can’t wait to read all of these. What about you, what books did you get in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox: February 29

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

Woohoo, our super slow internet connection at home (we’ve been having problems with our provider) finally let me post something on the blog! I haven’t done an In My Mailbox post in a while but since I received books the past few days, I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate everything into one post. It’s always nice to get something in the mail, isn’t it? Even if it’s just a postcard. So imagine my delight when I got several packages. Last week, I got Book Depository packages and some postcards:

Inside the packages are my Postcards from Puffin set and my physical copy of Code Name Verity:

Then I got another package from the lovely Michelle of See Michelle Read:

Thank you, Michelle. I knew you were sending me a copy of Whiskey Road but I was pleasantly surprised by all the goodies that you included. Love the Valentine’s card and the Julie James bookmarks. Last but certainly not the least, I got a package from one of my favorite authors today:

It’s the Aussie edition of The Piper’s Son! Ahhh, it looks even better in person. I’ve been wanting to grab a copy of this because of the gorgeous cover. I also can’t wait to read The Gorgon in the Gully. I have a feeling reading about Jonah Griggs’ little brother will make me want to reread Jellicoe Road. What’s even better is both books are signed:

THANK YOU so much, Melina Marchetta! I will treasure these books and put them in the highly prized section of my bookshelf, maybe next to my signed copies of Megan Whalen Turner’s books? What about the rest of you, what books and goodies did you get this week?

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Edited to add: got another package and postcard in the mail today! Yay, my pre-ordered copy of Sarra Manning’s latest adult title, Nine Uses for an Ex-Boyfriend, finally arrived. The awesome bookish anime postcard is from fellow postcard+book lover Alexa. Thank you, Alexa!

In My Mailbox: The Mary Edition

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This meme is about books that you received or bought during the week.

For the past two weeks, I was able to acquire five actual books, four of which were written by someone named Mary.

The King Must Die by Mary Renault
The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault
My Brother Michael by Mary Stewart
The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Not included in the picture because it’s an ebook, Interim Goddess of Love by Mina V. Esguerra:

All of them have such pretty covers, don’t they? The Mary Renault books were recommended by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Wein, and I’m really excited to read them. I bought the two Mary Stewart books because I want to collect all of her romantic suspense novels. Five Flavors of Dumb is a gift from a good friend of mine, fellow Filipino book blogger Tina of One More Page. Thank you, Tina, for the belated Christmas gift! Here’s another bookish gift that I received from Celina:

It’s a leather bracelet that says “READ” and I love it. Thank you, Celina! I’ve already used it. I know it’s not book-related but I also received this postcard from a friend who’s visiting Paris, I think it’s the first postcard that I’ve gotten from France:

Sigh, it’s only the first month of the year and I’ve managed to buy several books. Note to self: read these books before buying new ones. Let’s see if I can read the books in my TBR pile instead of steadily increasing its number. What about the rest of you, what books did you get this week?