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| (graphic via Victoria Lynn) |
Hey! You didn’t expect to see me again so soon, did ya? But I’m back midweek with some exciting news. Blogger and author Victoria Lynn is having a super fun blog party and giveaway this week. She’s celebrating the growth of her blog, Ruffles and Grace, and all the friendships she’s formed with the blogging community.
Giveaway
Yesterday’s part of the giveaway was fashion-oriented, and the part I’m participating in today is about as bookerly it gets! Here’s how it works. Myself and several other book/writer bloggers are all posting about summer + books in some form or another today. You get to enjoy said posts, and by doing so, you can enter Victoria’s massively epic giveaway! Details can be found on her blog HERE. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!
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| (graphic via Victoria Lynn) |
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| (photo via Victoria Lynn) |
The items she’s giving away are:
-A book bundle including
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Left to Die by Ivy Rose
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Martin Hospitality by Abigayle Claire
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Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter
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Harvester by Gene Stratton Porter
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London in the Dark by Victoria Lynn herself
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The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo (link leads to my review)
-A Book Bestie (aka book protector) by Ruffles and Grace, Victoria’s Etsy shop
-Some special handpicked notebooks
-A book themed tote by Ruffles and Grace
-A small leather journal
Does that not sound fantabulous? I actually just ordered a Book Bestie last month. You know how awful it is to shove a book in your purse or backpack, and take it out later to find the cover’s been bent? Well, a Book Bestie is just the fix, because you slide your book into it, then shove that inside your purse/backpack/bottomless Mary Poppins carpetbag. Presto, no more bent covers! I’m loving mine so far, even if it is too large for my usual purse. It’ll be perfect for toting novels–ahem, textbooks–to and from school, and it’s even large enough to fit bigger notebooks too.
But on to the summer book haul I promised in the title! What better time to share alllll the books I acquired this summer than now, when summer is (sadly) ending?
Summer Book Haul
I thought my bookshelves were stuffed before, you guys. Ha. The stacks are slowly invading my entire room now! Take a look at the fourteen new additions to my collection:
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| Where am I supposed to put these beauties? If you have spare bookshelves lying around, ship them to me! Actually don’t. I don’t have room for more shelves either. |
There’s something special about the circumstances around a book–where you found it, why you bought it, who gave it to you. There’s always a story leading up to a book. Maybe the book was borrowed from the library before you decided you simply must possess your own copy, and marched straight to the bookstore to buy it. Maybe a dear friend gave the book to you just because. Maybe you “visited” the book in the bookstore several times, as some of my friends like to do, before committing to it. Maybe a perfect stranger recommended it to you. Maybe you sniffed it out in the dusty corner of some forgotten second-hand bookshop. Whatever the case, there’s always a story surrounding the story.
Today I’d like to briefly share a few of my own stories.
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| bought: April 2017 |
Okay, so April is technically to early to count as summer, but hush–I couldn’t leave these two out! While gallivanting around Banff, Alberta with friends on a college trip this spring, I naturally gravitated toward the nearest bookstore. (Am I the only one who must visit the bookstore of every new city I travel to? Yeah? Just me? Okay.) While there in Chapters, I snagged these.
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer // TBR (to-be read) // bought because of Sleeping Beauty research (and that gorgeous, silky smooth cover).
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine // read this month, half on the plane and half on vacation // bought because it’s been on my TBR probably since it came out, and the premise is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.
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| bought: sometime during the summer of 2017 |
I was supposed to be shopping for birthday gifts, I swear. I was supposed to be finding things for somebody else. But like any self-respecting book dragon, I snuck a peek at the discounted section of my local bookstore on my way to the birthday cards. And this baby was on a really, really good sale. I couldn’t say no.
Emissary by Thomas Locke // read the library’s copy two years ago // bought because I loved it . . . and also because I needed that cover on my shelf, honestly.
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| won: September 2016 |
Remember that 100-for-100 challenge I participated in last summer? Well, entrants were eligible to win a book from Go Teen Writers, and I ended up winning! I picked Jill Williamson’s book on world-building. But a funny thing happened, and I sort of fell through the cracks on their end of things. Not until I came across old emails while cleaning up my inbox did I realize, “Oh, I never did get that prize, did I?” So I contacted them, and they were incredibly sweet about it all. And Storyworld First arrived in the mail this summer! Hoorah!
Storyworld First by Jill Williamson // TBR // won in a giveaway; selected because I’m always ravenous for writing tips.
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| bought: June 2017 |
While enjoying a day in the city with my middle sister, we visited Chapters, and I snatched up these two lovelies in anticipation of our upcoming vacation. (I have this thing about being very selective with my holiday reads.)
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall // read this month // bought because some of my dear internet friends, including Deborah O’Carroll and Mary Horton, highly recommended it!
Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand // read this month // bought because I first heard of it from Katie Grace, I thought the idea of a young girl’s fiction running parallel to her reality sounded cool, and that cover is beautiful.
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| bought: July 2017 |
On another city excursion, this time with my brother, we were browsing Chapters (again) when my gaze landed on this book. And a spontaneous, completely not-premeditated book purchase ensued.
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron // on my TBR now that I own it // bought because a) Sharon Cameron is fantastic, b) that cover is equally fantastic, and c) the premise made my eyes widen right then and there.
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| bought: August 2017 |
So I went to Realm Makers. And Realm Makers had a bookstore. And this bookstore happened to contain a huge number of books by Enclave authors, indie authors, and just all-around cool-sounding Christian authors that big chains don’t carry on their shelves. So what does a reader do? She buys as many as she can fit in her suitcase because this is way better than ordering them on Amazon.
By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson // TBR // bought because Jill is an amazing human and I’ve been wanting to try her books forever.
A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes // TBR // bought because only like nine million of my friends have been flailing about this dystopian trilogy for years.
Orphan’s Song by Gillian Bronte Adams // TBR // bought for the same reasons (plus I need an excuse to buy Songkeeper, which boasts one of my favorite covers ever–are you sensing a pattern?)
The Beast of Talesend and The Tomb of the Sea Witch by Kyle Robert Schulz // TBR // bought because a) Kyle’s a fellow Silmarillion host! and b) Deborah O’Carroll‘s review of The Beast convinced me.
Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland // on my TBR now that I own it // bought because his classes were so informative, and again, I’m on a constant hunt for writing advice.
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| bought: August 2017 |
While on vacation with my family, yes, we did find a bookstore. The nose for books must be in the genes. I wanted to buy a book (why I would want to spend more money on books, after flying home with a suitcase full of them, I can’t figure out), so I finally settled on this one.
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs // TBR // bought because I own the first book and it feels wrong not to finish what I started and buy the rest of the trilogy (even if the first book fell a little bit short of my expectations).
Do I have a problem?
Yes. Yes, I do have a problem. It’s the same problem afflicting most all book dragons alive, and I don’t regret one bit of it! But I definitely have my reading cut out for me for the next few months. I may not even set foot in the library for a while–horror of horrors.
I share this problem. These all look like such good books. I think you will really like The Blood of Kings series, Jill is such a good writer.
Just another one of the joys/trials of being a book dragon, am I right? XD I'm reeeaaallly looking forward to that one, yes! I've been meaning to read it for the longest time.
I have read none of these books (except By Darkness Hid which I got free on Kindle…) but they all sound fantastic and have been on my TBR forever.
Yeah, I think I remembered that By Darkness Hid was free on Kindle, but I bought a paperback anyway! (E-books and I just haven't clicked yet, lol. :P)
I have not read any of these. xD But they sure all look pretty!
Haha, thanks Angela! XD What's next on your TBR?
Oh, the joys of getting more books! I love getting books. New books, used books, books in the mail, books from a store. It all gives me delight even if my shelves are full and I must search for new nooks to shelve my growing collection of treasures. 🙂 Sounds like you had a really fun summer of collection books!
Me tooooo! 😀 Adding any book to my collection gives me a little thrill. I'm going to have to get creative with storing this summer haul, though! Did you buy any good books this summer?
Wow, looks like a lot of great books! I think the only one of those I've read would be The Penderwicks! That's one of my favorite books of all time. 🙂
The Penderwicks was SUCH a precious book!!! It may become one of my favorite summer reads. <3 (By the way, hello, Goodreads friend! XD)
SO MANY BOOKS *scrambles to add most of these – the ones I haven't already read, anyways – to my own tbr* xD. I can't wait until you read A Time To Die! It's one of my favorite books of all time (and I'm super jealous that you got a physical copy, as they're not being sold from Amazon right now!) – you'll have to let us know what you thought of it once you're done! (also, your book-pictures are awesomeness <3)
~ Savannah | Scattered Scribblings
MY EVIL PLAN IS WORKING. Ahem, hooray for growing TBRs! XD Oh my sweet tea, I can't wait for A Time to Die either!!!! o.o (That's right, I think there were some printing issues with Enclave because of a financial hiccup when Gilead Publishing bought them/joined them/whatever it was that happened… I hope they go back in print soon.) Oh trust me, I'll be reviewing it! XD (D'aww, thanks! I took them in a hurry so I wasn't sure how they'd turn out.)
That's such a beautiful book haul! I would also like to buy A Time to Die, Orphan's Song, and Beasts of Talesend some day. I'm such a penny-pincher, I try to limit myself on how many books I buy. Most of what I read comes from the library (or out of other people's bookshelves).
Thanks, Blue! I thought so too. 🙂 I'm usually picky about which books I buy as well. Most of the time, if I don't know the author, I borrow it from the library to see if I like it enough to buy. But somehow this summer I ended up splurging! XD (But oh, bookish friends/family who lend you books = wonderful.)
All the pretty covers!! I don't want to be the bookworm that buys books just because they have beautiful covers, but I guess I sort of am anyway. . . Books are just gorgeous! Posts like this make me so excited. 😀
I'll admit, covers are a big factor for me too! (If you couldn't already tell from this post. *cough*) I take just as much pride in how a book looks on my shelf as I do from owning the story inside! XD
My sister and I share a room, and she just moved ALL her books onto our bookshelf, and we literally have an entire wall that's mostly books. They're almost all schoolbooks and they're not mine, but it still makes me very happy! 🙂
Also wow! you respond to comments fast! I'm impressed.
Oh fun! I used to share a room with one of my sisters. But ahhhh, a whole WALL full of books sounds like the dream, even if schoolbooks are included! *sighs wistfully*
LOL, thanks! I'm not always this fast, but I try to respond to all my comments within a week for sure. Within a couple of days is ideal, but sometimes I get too busy. 😛
I'm so excited for the giveaway, I love books and I hope to self publish so it's right up my ally! 😀
Same. Victoria is super generous! All the best with your self-publishing journey, Livy! 😀
I’m looking forward to reading Storyworld First by Jill Williamson soon! And your so right, The Forgetting has a stunning cover!
Oooo! I SO wish I when to Realm Makers! I will have to check some of those books out, but I have read A Time to Die, and I’m looking forward to reading Orphan’s song… as soon as my brother is done with it;).
Sweet, same here! It looks like a really helpful book. And oh my heart, The Forgetting… *swoons*
There's always next year for Realm Makers! I don't know where it will be located next summer, but I think they'll be announcing it within a few months. Ahh, hope your brother hurries up with Orphan's Song, for your sake!
I will never complain about more Tracey posts! 😀
Wow, that does look like an epic giveaway. And all the books you've acquired!!! *activates fangirl mode* I absolutely agree, that the story of HOW you got certain books is just as special as the book. I love, love, LOVED hearing the stories of how you acquired these treasures. (And, girl, I always INSIST we visit at least one bookstore every single time we go out of town. It is a necessity of life! The obsession is real.)
I don't think I've ever heard of Spindle Fire but DAT COVER. I WANTS IT, PRECIOUS. Also I've been DYING to read Ink and Bone. You really can't beat that premise!
A copy of Emissary is actually sitting on my shelf. I MUST READ IT. (And I'm so glad I'm not the only who ends up buying themselves something whilst gift shopping. I am so guilty. XD)
Your Realm Makers book-haul is SPECTACULAR. I think you're gonna love ALL of those! Especially By Darkness Hid. It may be my favorite series after the Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire series. o.o That's how good it is!
"…because only like nine million of my friends have been flailing about this dystopian trilogy for years." <—SAAAME. That's why I FINALLY got around to reading A Time to Die recently. And it was VERY good! Except the second book is STILL unavailable in paperback and I neeeed it! D:
JUST ALL THE PRETTY BOOKS! <333 This post made my book-dragon heart happy!
Good, because they'll keep coming whether you like it or not! ;D
I'm glad the stories were enjoyable, because part of me felt like I was just journaling this book haul for my own benefit. XD (It's not just me! The obsession is definitely alive and well…)
If Spindle Fire ends up being as amazing as the premise sounds, then I think it'd be right up your alley! Same with Ink and Bone (although there were a few minor quibbles I had with it).
Ooooh, Emissary is a fun one. I didn't realize you own it! (Lolzy, aren't we terrible? XD)
I'm thinking the same! But…oh…my…goodness. Really? Your favorite series after DIOM and OOF?! OKAY. THIS JUST SKYROCKETED TO THE TOP OF MY TBR.
Seeing you reading A Time to Die got me excited to read it all over again! I sure hope the second book gets reprinted soon. D:
Glad to hear it! It made *my* heart happy just to stack up all these books for the photo shoot.
Thank you for participating in this great giveaway.
Marilyn
My pleasure, Marilyn! Best of luck!
That's a lot of BEAUTIFUL books!!! I hauled several new books home myself this summer. My stack of Peter & Catherine Marshall books has grown considerably, along with my Corrie ten Boom titles. I snatched up quite a bit of fiction too.
Some of my books that I'm currently not reading have actually been booted out of the bookshelves, into a box in the closet. 🙁
Why, thank you! It's such fun to see one's collections or series growing on the shelf. ^_^ The only Corrie ten Boom book I've read was "The Hiding Place" during high school!
Awww, how sad! Some of my older books are located in a family shelf in the basement, so I sometimes forget I even own them. D:
AAAAHH By Darkness Hid and Orphan's Song and The Beast of Talesend and The Tomb of the Sea Witch are some of my fave books EVER! How delightful you were able to pick them up at Realm Makers!! ^_^ I have a book problem too. XD SO MANY PRETTY BOOKS! Thanks for sharing! 😀
I KNOOOW! And the fact you love them so much makes me even more excited to read them!!! 😀 LOL, don't we all have that book problem? XD Thanks for commenting, darling!
I recently bought the entire Lunar Chronicles!!!! EEEEEP. I love those books so much, they're so pretty and they smell so good…. <3<3
Oh my goodness, so jealous! 😀 I'm considering buying them all at once as a boxed set too… They must look gorgeous on your shelf!
Wow! These look like some good books. 🙂 I've never read The Penderwicks in full, but I was at a friend's house once and took it from her shelf while everyone else was running around being loud at midnight. XD It's super cute.
I've had A Time to Die since Christmas, but I still need to read it, of course. There's just too many books!
Nice post. 🙂
Hahaha, I love it! That would be me too–sinking into a book instead of being a party animal. XD You should definitely finish The Penderwicks if you get the chance. I know I'll be on the hunt for the sequels!
AHHH, I WANT TO READ THAT ONE SO MUCH. o.o But yes, the TBR just never ends!
You have some great picks here! Hollow City is my favorite Miss Peregrine's Book and I love By Darkness Hid and A Time to Die! Orphan's Song is good too!
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
Thanks, Tori! Oh really? That makes me more excited for Hollow City! Sooo many wonderful books to read… Thanks for commenting!
I love this giveaway!! Your header is so pretty!
Isn't it fun? Awww, thank you, Lilly! I'm glad you like it. ^_^
*gazes at all the beautiful books* That Storyworld First by Jill Williamson looks REALLY good! I might have to look for that one. 😉
From flipping through it, it looks like a really good book to actually WORK through, you know? Not just read, but use right on the spot. ^_^
All of these books look fabulous, but may I just say that The Penderwicks is my favorite series ever (well, it's tied with Lord of the Rings), so I hope you enjoy it!
Tied with Lord of the Rings? Well, that's a huge honor! 😀 But yes, ahhhh, The Penderwicks was a completely LOVELY book! I adored it and hope to get my hands on the others sometime! <3
Well, don't we all have the problem of too many books? My bookshelves have had multiple rows of books for years…
Maybe it's just me. 😀
*nods gravely* It's a bit of an epidemic, I think. Lolzy, I've got multiple rows/stacks on certain shelves as well. I just want enough room to properly display them ALL…is that too much to ask? XD