Book Blogger Hop - 2 September 2022

Book Blogger Hop

 About the Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, Billy @ Ramblings or a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

September 2-8, 2022

AOTW: 

Kind of? There is no bookstore in the town I live in. There’s only a used bookstore in the next town to the north and Walmarts that don’t have the best book selection in the towns to the north and south so I usually have to go about 35 miles to get to the nearest chain bookstore to look for new books. Most of the time, I order books online or directly from the author in the case of indie books.

🔱🔱🔱

What about you?  Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your post!

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

 This week's TTT is about recent additions to our bookshelves. If you're anything like me you're in a constant state of getting new books. I try to trade or donate an even amount to balance the amount of books I get every month though. These are ten of my most recent book purchases, ARC arrivals, and ebooks...

1. Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

2. The Night Country: A Hazel Wood Novel by Melissa Albert

3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

4. Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake

5. Firespell by Chloe Neill

6. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

7. Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin

8. Ashlords by Scott Reintgen

9. Oasis by Katya de Beccera

10. Letters to Molly by Devney Perry

What books did you recently add to your book collection?
 Let me know  in the comments & drop me a link to your TTT!

Happy Reading Bookdragons!

Bookish (And Not So Bookish Thoughts) - 11 April 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Happy Thursday Bookdragons! 

1. I've taken a break from most of my weekly posts this week because I'm really trying to read 70,000 words in my writing project, Monsters & Mist. I'm about 2700 words from that goal now even if I still don't know how much more needs to go into this first draft. I need something that will sew the current point to the ending. 

2. I had a great time last week at the mall. It was a relaxing day out and I'm grateful for it because I've been buried under a pile of stuff at my day job since.

3. It snowed. Seriously. Like 6 inches of the white stuff today. At least it gives me the perfect excuse to kick back and read Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee. So far it's a good read!

4. Game of Thrones the final season starts this weekend! Who else is excited??? I haven't had a chance to start the second book yet but right now we're caught up to the middle of season 4. 

5. I only bought one book this week. Repeat by Kylie Scott. I've read so much fantasy and sci-fi lately I need a break to read some contemporary books and Repeat just came out. I am thinking of buying Praying for Rain by BB Easton though. I saw it on #bookstagram  and read an excerpt on Amazon so I might have to one-click!

6. I am currently finishing my second cup of coffee but I am still tired. I wonder if there will ever be a time in the future when I am not dog-tired and wake up without a backache. #StillLivingtheFutonLife

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.

Retailer Review: Book Depository

To start off the week I'm doing something a little different. A couple weeks ago I ordered from an online bookseller that I've been hearing about for months but hadn't tried yet. Prior to ordering, I had some questions, as the retailer was based in the UK and I live in the US. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the answers I was looking for and I'd heard mixed reviews about the retailer before I ordered. So today, instead of a book review I'm doing a Retailer Review to hopefully clear up any questions anyone like me might have.

What is Book Depository?

Book Depository is an online book retailer owned by Amazon with a fulfillment center in the United Kingdom.

What Can I Buy On Book Depository?

You can find almost any book you're looking for on Book Depository, often at a great discount. You can also find books that have UK covers (such as the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas which has white covers for the UK editions). 

Okay, I want to order. How much is shipping?

Shipping is free on all orders worldwide (unless you live in some obscure country that isn't listed - but the US or Canada, for instance, are definitely free)

***

Questions I had that I couldn't find answers to:

Question: Are there any additional fees? (Customs fees or otherwise)

Answer: I did not get charged a customs fee. However, I did get charged a small foreign currency charge from my bank. It was extremely small, 12 cents, and I'm not sure if this was just my bank or whether all banks charge this fee. 

Question: Is there tracking available? How soon will I really get my order?

Answer: No, there is no tracking. For U.S. orders the website estimated shipping between 5-8 days and I got my book about 7 days after it had shipped, which is more like five if we only count business days.

***

The main thing I was concerned with was the customs fee and some reviews I'd seen online where people didn't get their order.

I only ordered one book from Book Depository to test it out but overall I was happy with the service. I got my package in a timely manner, it was packaged well and it was the item I had ordered in perfect, new condition. 

The only thing I think Book Depository could improve upon is to get tracking numbers. I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to knowing where my packages are and when exactly I will receive them so I'm kind of obsessed with tracking numbers.

The Verdict:

Will I order from Book Depository again?

Yes!

Retailer Rating:

4.5 of 5 Stars!

#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)