OMG I spent HOW much?!
Well today was payday. The first full payday without a huge car payment (oh Yeah!), no insurance bill due; I just have to pay rent and pay back money I borrowed from one of my many sons to pay the cable bill. (really, I only have three sons - and the son-in-law)
The problem is that I went a little crazy at the bookstore. I paid for a hardback (hey, I had a 40% off coupon- that brought the price down! waaayyyy down) and just went nuts buying some paperbacks that I've wanted for a while. Then I bought my middle son a book by Tom Holt, a two-for-one book,
(two stories in a pretty good sized book). Flying Dutch and Faust Among Equals are the two novels in this big boy. Tom Holt is one of those writers that are extremely (very extremely) smart, yet can write a funny book. You might not understand everything he writes, but you'll laugh while reading it. Lots of improbable twists and scenarios in his stories, but they're great stories. I had three of his books around, but lately I can only find one (Little People). I've read Falling Sideways and Nothing But Blue Skies. Great reads.
I did all this (buying way too many books) even though my husband had given me money twice in the last two weeks to go book shopping. Man, there was a lot of books I wanted. There still is a lot of books I want, some that haven't even come out yet, like Betrayals by Lili St.Crow (aka Lilith Saintcrow). I haven't even finished reading Doubleblind (ANN AGUIRRE...undignified squee here...ahem.)
I had briefly considered ordering this from the Book Depository so I could get the UK cover, but then Borders sent me a 40% coupon. 40% off! How could I pass that up? I couldn't. I only paid $15.59 for a $25.99 book. That's a pretty good deal.
I bought a few books by authors that I've been following for awhile, such as
Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow. I'm ashamed (kind of) to admit that I haven't finished Hunter's Prayer, the second in this series yet. I blame B.A.D.D. and we moved while I was in the middle of the book. Then, after I finally unpacked it, I misplaced it for awhile. I'm pretty sure I know where it is now, but I'm going to use both of these for the 2010 countdown challenge.
I also found in mass market size (hell-a-cheaper than hardback)
Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong. Living With The Dead features Karl and Hope (one of my favorite characters in the Women of the OtherWorld series). Here I have to admit again (I don't really, but hell, I'm on a roll) that I haven't finished Personal Demon. Yet. I want to though. I've just been......having a hard time concentrating on a single book. (yes, that's it!) That's what my first personal reading goal was all about- focusing on one book at a time. It hasn't been entirely successful, but I have managed to read 40 books this year-so far. I am focusing on about three books at a time now.
The next book,
Armed and Magical by Lisa Shearin is the second in a series. It is, alas, yet another series that I have started the first book, but seemed to have put aside for other books. (That sentence reads very awkwardly, but I'm not sure how to fix it) I'm not sure why (except for that pesky B.A.D.D. again), because the first book, Magic Lost, Trouble Found really is worth reading. So I'm investing in this one and soon I will buy the third book, The Trouble with Demons. Because I want too. So There!. (Ahem, again- sorry, feeling a little obnoxious secondary to family sh--)
I found some new (at least new-to-me) authors also.
Bitter Angels by C.L. Anderson is science fiction, about smugglers, slavery, murder and iminent war in outer space. I skimmed a few pages in the middle, and it looks good. I used to decide on new books by reading the first page, but now a lot of writers are really focusing on the opening pages, and some books seem to - well let's just say they change within a few pages, losing my interest. Not all, just some. So now I check out the first page, skim further in, and look in the middle to see if it's going to stay interesting. I then have to force myself NOT to read the ending, it is a temptation. Bitter Angels seems like it will be a good read, so I'm going to try it out (just as soon as I read some of my TBR pile - yeah right. I'm reading it pretty soon!)
In a departure from my usual M.O. of only buying urban fantasy written (or seemingly written by) by women, I picked up Child of Fire by Harry Connolly. Harry- his man name prominently displayed yet I bought the book. (I must be maturing. Old dogs can learn new tricks!-at least old bitches can. geez, there is that obnoxiousness again!)
Oddly enough, the two covers (Bitter Angels and Child of Fire) look eerily similar. How much do you want to bet that this will be a new trend in urban fantasy covers. A more serious look? I don't really like these type of covers, they are not attractive to me (they remind me of all the blah covers out there in the 70's- that's the 1970's for you younguns) but the book is a promising book. It's about magic, sorcerers, and hunting down rogue magicians. The main character is a man, who's not as powerful as his female boss. I've seen this book reviewed recently, which is why I picked it up in the book store (even though it's written by a MAN). I did the skim in the middle, and checked out the first page....but I also read the aforementioned review.
And last, but probably not least....is Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler.
I love this cover. It reminds me of a cartoon/tattoo/anime mix. Thank goodness the book is going to be a good read, because I really wanted this one BASED ON THE COVER, which is rarely a good reason to buy a book. I think this book was released as an e-book before being printed up as a mass market book. Then again, maybe I be trippin'. yep, just tried to check, and now I can't find any reference to Tempest Rising being an e-book. I musta been trippin'; trippin' hard. Anyway, back to the book. Tempest Rising is about a girl, murder and selkies. Not a spoiler, this info is on Nicole Peeler's blog. But the cover - outstanding. Love it. Want to frame it, but the book's a little thick to hang on the wall. Not only is the cover pretty cool looking, but her blog has a great background. {wish I was that talented :( } If you check out her blog, you can also see the cover to the sequel, the second cover is outstanding also.
I'm conflicted - sometimes I envy (with GREEN, Noxious envy) talented people, and sometimes I just really respect the talent. Most of the time I'm in awe of all the talents. Someday I'll find my own talent. probably under a rock, all shriveled and shivering. (ugh) That's assuming I ever look for my talent.
So tonight, (now it's really last night) was a fun trip to the bookstore. I have one more mini-splurge in mind (nose rings and thermal shirts for the cold weather) then it's back to conserving my money. (except for maybe a new pair of shoes, I need a new pair for winter)
The problem is that I went a little crazy at the bookstore. I paid for a hardback (hey, I had a 40% off coupon- that brought the price down! waaayyyy down) and just went nuts buying some paperbacks that I've wanted for a while. Then I bought my middle son a book by Tom Holt, a two-for-one book,
(two stories in a pretty good sized book). Flying Dutch and Faust Among Equals are the two novels in this big boy. Tom Holt is one of those writers that are extremely (very extremely) smart, yet can write a funny book. You might not understand everything he writes, but you'll laugh while reading it. Lots of improbable twists and scenarios in his stories, but they're great stories. I had three of his books around, but lately I can only find one (Little People). I've read Falling Sideways and Nothing But Blue Skies. Great reads.
I did all this (buying way too many books) even though my husband had given me money twice in the last two weeks to go book shopping. Man, there was a lot of books I wanted. There still is a lot of books I want, some that haven't even come out yet, like Betrayals by Lili St.Crow (aka Lilith Saintcrow). I haven't even finished reading Doubleblind (ANN AGUIRRE...undignified squee here...ahem.)
I had briefly considered ordering this from the Book Depository so I could get the UK cover, but then Borders sent me a 40% coupon. 40% off! How could I pass that up? I couldn't. I only paid $15.59 for a $25.99 book. That's a pretty good deal.
I bought a few books by authors that I've been following for awhile, such as
Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow. I'm ashamed (kind of) to admit that I haven't finished Hunter's Prayer, the second in this series yet. I blame B.A.D.D. and we moved while I was in the middle of the book. Then, after I finally unpacked it, I misplaced it for awhile. I'm pretty sure I know where it is now, but I'm going to use both of these for the 2010 countdown challenge.
I also found in mass market size (hell-a-cheaper than hardback)
Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong. Living With The Dead features Karl and Hope (one of my favorite characters in the Women of the OtherWorld series). Here I have to admit again (I don't really, but hell, I'm on a roll) that I haven't finished Personal Demon. Yet. I want to though. I've just been......having a hard time concentrating on a single book. (yes, that's it!) That's what my first personal reading goal was all about- focusing on one book at a time. It hasn't been entirely successful, but I have managed to read 40 books this year-so far. I am focusing on about three books at a time now.
The next book,
Armed and Magical by Lisa Shearin is the second in a series. It is, alas, yet another series that I have started the first book, but seemed to have put aside for other books. (That sentence reads very awkwardly, but I'm not sure how to fix it) I'm not sure why (except for that pesky B.A.D.D. again), because the first book, Magic Lost, Trouble Found really is worth reading. So I'm investing in this one and soon I will buy the third book, The Trouble with Demons. Because I want too. So There!. (Ahem, again- sorry, feeling a little obnoxious secondary to family sh--)
I found some new (at least new-to-me) authors also.
Bitter Angels by C.L. Anderson is science fiction, about smugglers, slavery, murder and iminent war in outer space. I skimmed a few pages in the middle, and it looks good. I used to decide on new books by reading the first page, but now a lot of writers are really focusing on the opening pages, and some books seem to - well let's just say they change within a few pages, losing my interest. Not all, just some. So now I check out the first page, skim further in, and look in the middle to see if it's going to stay interesting. I then have to force myself NOT to read the ending, it is a temptation. Bitter Angels seems like it will be a good read, so I'm going to try it out (just as soon as I read some of my TBR pile - yeah right. I'm reading it pretty soon!)
In a departure from my usual M.O. of only buying urban fantasy written (or seemingly written by) by women, I picked up Child of Fire by Harry Connolly. Harry- his man name prominently displayed yet I bought the book. (I must be maturing. Old dogs can learn new tricks!-at least old bitches can. geez, there is that obnoxiousness again!)
Oddly enough, the two covers (Bitter Angels and Child of Fire) look eerily similar. How much do you want to bet that this will be a new trend in urban fantasy covers. A more serious look? I don't really like these type of covers, they are not attractive to me (they remind me of all the blah covers out there in the 70's- that's the 1970's for you younguns) but the book is a promising book. It's about magic, sorcerers, and hunting down rogue magicians. The main character is a man, who's not as powerful as his female boss. I've seen this book reviewed recently, which is why I picked it up in the book store (even though it's written by a MAN). I did the skim in the middle, and checked out the first page....but I also read the aforementioned review.
And last, but probably not least....is Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler.
I love this cover. It reminds me of a cartoon/tattoo/anime mix. Thank goodness the book is going to be a good read, because I really wanted this one BASED ON THE COVER, which is rarely a good reason to buy a book. I think this book was released as an e-book before being printed up as a mass market book. Then again, maybe I be trippin'. yep, just tried to check, and now I can't find any reference to Tempest Rising being an e-book. I musta been trippin'; trippin' hard. Anyway, back to the book. Tempest Rising is about a girl, murder and selkies. Not a spoiler, this info is on Nicole Peeler's blog. But the cover - outstanding. Love it. Want to frame it, but the book's a little thick to hang on the wall. Not only is the cover pretty cool looking, but her blog has a great background. {wish I was that talented :( } If you check out her blog, you can also see the cover to the sequel, the second cover is outstanding also.
I'm conflicted - sometimes I envy (with GREEN, Noxious envy) talented people, and sometimes I just really respect the talent. Most of the time I'm in awe of all the talents. Someday I'll find my own talent. probably under a rock, all shriveled and shivering. (ugh) That's assuming I ever look for my talent.
So tonight, (now it's really last night) was a fun trip to the bookstore. I have one more mini-splurge in mind (nose rings and thermal shirts for the cold weather) then it's back to conserving my money. (except for maybe a new pair of shoes, I need a new pair for winter)