A Year Of #BookMail

As 2017 draws to a close it's time to reflect on some of the book mail I've gotten over the past year. Let's open up that mailbox one last time...

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

It's been a great year for books and I anticipated 2018 is going to be even better. There are so many books coming out next year I *have* to have. I'm scared to think how much money I spend on books in a year, I don't even think I want to add it up but as my grandmother always says "books are never a waste of money." 

The one thing I haven't received this year was a parcel from my bookstagram secret Santa. I'd signed up for Bookstagram Secret Santa (#LiveLaughSantaTales17) thinking it would be a fun, positive experience but it's turned out to be pure hell. I sent my package to my recipient way back on Black Friday and it was received by my person on that following Tuesday and it took nearly a week to get a thank you. But I looked past that and was eager to get my package from my secret Santa. The deadline for packages to be sent out was December 11th and so far I have received nothing. (And I know this isn't a case of mail theft because I live in a locked apartment building and my grandmother is home all the time even if I step out for a little while.) I'm really starting to get discouraged and depressed by this whole business. I put out money that I didn't really have to spare to send someone a gift in good faith that I'd be receiving something from someone in return and I'm kind of angry that so far I haven't gotten anything. I'm going to wait until I get the mail on December 26th before I go ballistic but I would never do this again. I know this is supposed to be the season of giving but I'm not that generous.

#BookMail Thursday #30

This #bookmail Thursday I've gotten the last of the books I'm getting this month. I'm really excited about both of them. One was a Book Depository purchase and the other is an ARC I won on a book blog. 

Book Depository Mail:
Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone: Ravenclaw Edition

OMG! I am in love with this edition. Not only are the pages and cover awesome but I love all of the Ravenclaw entries and illustrations at the beginning and end! 

Book Blog ARC:
- A Map For Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor

I won this book from abellafairytale's book blog. I believe it's a debut by this author but it sounds really great! I plan to read it before it releases in August. 

***
There are quite a few awesome books coming out in August. Which ones are you most looking forward to?

#BookMail #29

This week's book mail post is a day late but not necessarily a dollar short (unless you count the dollars in my checking account!). My mailbox this week contained...

My Half Price Books Order:
- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
- Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

My Book Outlet Order:
- Unforgiven by Lauren Kate

I didn't realize when I ordered from Half Price Books that The Dead House, Stalking Jack the Ripper, and Defy the Stars were all ARCs but it's really cool that they are! I can't wait to read them. (Or reread in the case of The Dead House!)

July Still-Waiting-On:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Ravenclaw Edition by J.K. Rowling (from Book Depository)

#BookMail Thursday #28

I broke my book ban for the sake of Prime Day and some other great deals this week...

Amazon Preorder &  Prime Day Purchases:

- Because You Love to Hate Me 

Not only does this book have a gorgeous cover but I was drawn to the idea of a collection of stories about villains. I was going to wait for the release date before buying but I ended up preordering it last weekend so it would arrive on the release date. 

- Because of Lila by Abbi Glines

I was waiting for Because You Love to Hate Me to come in the mail Tuesday and decided I needed a break from fantasy so I decided to read a sample of Because of Lila (I planned to get a paperback copy if Abbi Glines is going to be part of ApollyCon's 2018 Virtual Signing). Turns out, I couldn't stop reading so I one-clicked and spent the whole day reading it. I don't regret a thing. Only that it's finished. 😭

July Waiting On:

- Unforgiven by Lauren Kate (Scored a bargain from Book Outlet - it was only $2.72!!!!)

- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Ravenclaw Edition by J.K. Rowling (from Book Depository)

Half Price Books Sale Splurge:

- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

- Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

***

As a bonus, for buying Because of Lila on Prime Day I also get $1.26 off my next ebook or print book purchase on Amazon before July 25th. I'm actually thinking of putting it toward an ebook for my grandmother's birthday, which is coming up on July 17th. She scored a great deal and got her very own Kindle on Prime Day. It came in the mail yesterday. 

#BookMail Thursday #26

While this week I technically didn't have any "book mail" because I've been adhering to my book buying ban. I did make one little splurge when I went to Barnes and Noble for the first time in at least eight months last Friday. My book splurge was...

Barnes and Noble Splurge:
Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis
Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Remember how I was talking about wanting to get Given to the Sea a couple weeks ago? The problem I find lately is that since I'm far away from the nearest Barnes and Noble and my local Walmart doesn't have the best selection of YA novels, I've been buying most of my books online. Sure, there's nothing wrong with that, they're usually cheaper than when you buy them at the store but other than reading the first few pages you can't really get a feel for whether you'll like the book or not when you buy online. For me, I always read the last few paragraphs of a book to determine whether I will like it or not and you can't exactly do that online. I was craving the ability to flip through books at an actual bookstore, so when I had the chance to get out of the house last week and go to Barnes and Noble I was over the moon. 

I got to look at so many books I'd been considering and realize that most of them I wouldn't have liked anyway, therefore saving me money. I finally decided on these two books because I've wanted them for a while and they both look like good reads. Hunted has such a gorgeous cover (actually they both have awesome covers but Hunted's cover is just so shiny in person and you can't tell that from photos). 

While I love shopping online it was nice to be able to hang out in my happy place for a little while. I've said it before but I mean it now when I say this will probably be my last book splurge for a while. 

***
Have you bought any new books lately? What did you get?

#BookTag Saturday: The Taylor Swift Book Tag

For this week's #booktag Saturday I chose: The Taylor Swift Book Tag. Now, I'm really not a fan of TS's music, in fact I downright hate it, but I can set that aside to do this prompt. I found this prompt on Goodreads in my favorite group, Coffee Break YA / NA and it was originally created by The Book Life on YouTube.

1. For ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ pick a book (or book series) that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.

Answer: The Revelations Series by Leanne Rathbone (Grace & Divine)

2. For ‘Red’ pick a book with a RED cover.

Answer: The Elite by Kiera Cass

3. For ‘The Best Day’ pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

Answer: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

4. For ‘Love Story’ pick a book with forbidden love.

Answer: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

5. For ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ pick a book with a bad character you couldn’t help but love.

Answer: Roar by Cora Carmack (Cassius)

6. For ‘Innocent’ (written b/c of Kanye West!) pick a book that someone ruined the ending for.

Answer: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

7. For ‘Everything has changed’ pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development. 

Answer: Celaena Sardothien/Aelin Gathathynius from the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

8. For ‘You Belong With Me’ pick your most anticipated book release. 

Answer: Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones 

9. For ‘Forever and Always’ – Pick your favourite book couple. 

Answer: Feyre and Rhysand from A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

 10.For ‘Come Back, Be Here’ pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much. 

Answer: The Obsession by Nora Roberts (because my mom wants it and I won't give it to her!)

11. 'Teardrops on My Guitar' - A book that made you cry.

Answer: Just An Illusion: EP by D. Kelly

12. 'Shake it Off' - A book that you love but have to shake off the haters.

Answer: See Me by Wendy Higgins

13. 'Stay, Stay, Stay' - A book you wanted to go on forever.

Answer: The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman

14. 'All to Well' - Find a book series you wish was longer.

Answer: The Eurona Duology by Wendy Higgins

#BookMail Thursday #25

All week my Kindle and mailbox have been stuffed with new books! This is my book mail for this week and last week:

Last week:

Signed Copies of:

The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

The Shining by Stephen King

ARC: Just An Illusion: EP by D. Kelly

eBooks: 

Cursed by the Gods by Raye Wagner

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

The Shadow Children, The Shadow City, and The Shadow War by L.C. Hibbitt

This Week:

Sexy Stranger by Kendall Ryan

ARC: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco - won in a giveaway!

Signed Copy of Road by Cora Carmack

Signed Copies of:

 Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh

When Your Ship Doesn't Sail

We've all been there. Falling in love with two characters that we just know belong together. Watching them interact, from that first meet to the first kiss to the inside jokes and cute nicknames, but then you get halfway through the book or the series and you start to see that the author is pairing one of your OTPs with someone else! 

You feel like:

How could the author do this to you? Doesn't he/she see that character A and character B are perfect for each other?!?!  Besides character C isn't even right for character A!

Okay, so you calm down. The book isn't over yet, there's still time! The author might surprise you by joining your characters together at the end of the book... or series... right?

You feverishly finish the end of the book, staying up all night until your eyes are bloodshot and itchy and the author did the unthinkable. Character A and Character C ride off into the sunset leaving poor character B all by him/herself. 

Now you feel like:

But you're not giving up! After all just because nobody else gets it, you still love the relationship that could have been if only the characters had been given a chance...

And if you see someone shipping the other character with your character? You think, how can someone not see that character A would be so much better off with character B?!?! But in the end...

Your friends don't get it. They tell you it's just a book. The characters aren't real. But shipping characters can be a real problem, especially when your ship doesn't sail. 

You're determined that no matter what...

Because...

And even if you have to write your own fanfiction, your OTP will always live on in your heart!

At least until you find your next set of characters to ship. Bottomline, sometimes your characters end up together, sometimes they don't. But it's the passion you have for those characters that is what's important.

What were the last characters you shipped hard? Did they end up together in the end? Let me know in the comments!

#BookMail Thursday #24

This #Bookmail Thursday was completely not my idea... my grandmother wanted the new Nora Roberts novel, so I merely ordered that and another book she wanted from Amazon while ordering a candle making kit for myself. This is this week's book mail...

Come Sundown by Nora Roberts and The Good Widow by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

About Come Sundown:
A novel of suspense, family ties, and twisted passions from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obsession...

The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it’s kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine’s aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don’t talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she’s dead. But she isn’t. She is not far away, part of a new family, one she never chose—and her mind has been shattered…


When a bartender leaves the resort late one night, and Bo and Cal discover her battered body in the snow, it’s the first sign that danger lurks in the mountains that surround them. The police suspect Cal, but Bo finds herself trusting him—and turning to him as another woman is murdered and the Longbows are stunned by Alice’s sudden reappearance. The twisted story she has to tell about the past—and the threat that follows in her wake—will test the bonds of this strong family, and thrust Bodine into a darkness she could never have imagined.

About The Good Widow

Bestselling authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut in this twisty, emotional thriller.

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiancé. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not her husband. And most certainly not his death…

Yes, I'm Still Waiting On...
Signed Copies of:
- Roar by Cora Carmack
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
- The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
- Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
-Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh

-Sexy Stranger by Kendall Ryan

Contemplating:
I got a $5 Amazon Gift Card, so I'm contemplating buying this book:

About Given to the Sea:
Kings and Queens rise and fall, loyalties collide, and romance blooms in a world where the sea is rising—and cannot be escaped.

Khosa is Given to the Sea, a girl born to be fed to the water, her flesh preventing a wave like the one that destroyed the Kingdom of Stille in days of old. But before she’s allowed to dance an uncontrollable twitching of the limbs that will carry her to the shore in a frenzy—she must produce an heir. Yet the thought of human touch sends shudders down her spine that not even the sound of the tide can match.

Vincent is third in line to inherit his throne, royalty in a kingdom where the old linger and the young inherit only boredom. When Khosa arrives without an heir he knows his father will ensure she fulfills her duty, at whatever cost. Torn between protecting the throne he will someday fill, and the girl whose fate is tied to its very existence, Vincent’s loyalty is at odds with his heart.

Dara and Donil are the last of the Indiri, a native race whose dwindling magic grows weaker as the island country fades. Animals cease to bear young, creatures of the sea take to the land, and the Pietra—fierce fighters who destroyed the Indiri a generation before—are now marching from their stony shores for the twin’s adopted homeland, Stille.

Witt leads the Pietra, their army the only family he has ever known. The stone shores harbor a secret, a growing threat that will envelop the entire land—and he will conquer every speck of soil to ensure the survival of his people.


The tides are turning in Stille, where royals scheme, Pietrans march, and the rising sea calls for its Given.

#BookMail Thursday #23

As last week's post was posting I received a bargain books order from the Edward R. Hamilton Book Club where I had found some great buys, most under $5.00!

Bargain Books Order:

Wicked by Joanne Fluke

Midnight Crossing by Charlaine Harris

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

Wicked Ways by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush

The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks

The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston

Death by Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson

I also was lucky enough to get an eARC of...

Trust by Kylie Scott

June (Still) Waiting On:

Signed Copies of:

- Roar by Cora Carmack

- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

- The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

- Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

-Obsidian and Stars by Julie Eshbaugh

-Sexy Stranger by Kendall Ryan