April -June Book Haul: “To Buy, Or Not to Buy?” Edition
Hello everyone! Welcome to the second book haul of 2020! Look how time is flying so quickly even though most of this period was spent in quarantine/lock down. I hope everyone is safe and doing okay despite the whirlwind this year has been.
My Goodreads Challenge is currently at 86 of out 150 books! Wohoo! I’m ahead of schedule, but am lagging in my other reading challenges. For the second half of the year, I’ll put my focus on those. I’ve been un-hauling books and acquiring new ones too. So I guess that’s not too bad. I’m also currently caught up Netgalley reads and other review copies, so I’m very happy about that.
I’ll spend the rest of this year focusing on un-hauling some books for sure. But for now, here are the latest editions to my book collection!
Bought
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon – I have always wanted to read Rochon’s books so I was excited to pick this for BOTM (which I’ve now cancelled). It’a got some good reviews.
Satoko and Nadao Vol. 1 & 2 by Yupechika- I love finding multicultural graphic novels and this one looked good. It’s about friendship between a Japanese woman and her Muslim roommate.
Fullmetal Alchemist (3 in 1 -volumes 10-12) by Hiromu Arakawa – My all-time favorite series. I’m collecting the whole series for my manga collection.
Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill – This is the first book in the sequel series to the Chicagoland Vampires books (which I still have yet to finish). I’m excited!
Eat the Sky, Drink The Ocean by Various Authors – This is an anthology of stories with comics included. I have been trying to get into more short story collections as of lately.
The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli – I’m trying to grow my romance book collection and when I saw this book for sale, i wanted to get it. Plus it’s on my TBR.
The Highlander’s Promise by Lynsay Sands – I love Romance Highlander books, and Sands has written a lot before that I really enjoyed. Looking forward to reading this!
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang – I really like historical fiction, and the synopsis intrigues me.
Headliners by Lucy Parker – I’ve heard some buzz about this book so I bought during a Harlequin sale.
Every New Year by Katrina Jackson – Another author everyone in the romance community keeps taking about. I love the cover.
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat – I’ve read this in the past and my copy got water damaged. I found a newer copy at a secondhand book store. (Review)
Shadow of the Fox & Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa – I was absolutely blown away buy the first book in the series and now I’ve started to collect these books. (Review)
A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang – This was a gift from my OTSP Secret Sister! It’s been on my TBR for a while, so I’m excited to have a copy.
ARCs/Review Copies
Hate Crush by Angelina M. Lopez – This follows the story of Princess Sofia who owns a winery and is trying to shake up the industry despite her odds. In order to bring positive PR to her winery she reluctantly reunites with her old flame, Aish, for a fake romance for the press. Sofia and Aish are both haunted by their tumultuous past. (Review)
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri – Tokyo Ueno Station is a story set in modern Japan. The narrator, Kazu, is a homeless ghost and takes readers through his story as he reflects on his past and his current surroundings at Ueno station. got the sense it was a novel about observations and bringing awareness to social issues. (Review)
Rebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander – This is a fun book that explores the word of libraries with a fun fantasy twist. The world of libraries in this series is much more complex than you think. They have special powers and the library itself has many magical qualities. (Review)
My Summer of Love and Misfortune by Lindsay Wong – The MC in this novel is such an unlikable character in this story. I felt like she deserved some of the things that happens to her because she brought them on herself. On a positive note I did enjoy all of the travel aspects of the novel. The writing was so descriptive. (Review)
The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan – This focuses on the themes of grief and family. So many times the Sweeney sisters have been pushed to a brink where their relationship might be strained and their own personal lives. Through reflections of their past its an opportunity for them to strengthen their bond and open up to one another. (Review)
Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake – In Nowhere on Earth, the action kicks off the story right away and we find our main characters: Emily, Aiden, and Bob thrust in the frozen tundra of Alaska. Alone in the wilderness they are on the run from the “men in black”. It’s a Sci-Fi story set among a lush wilderness backdrop. (Review)
Attack of the Stuff by Jim Benton – This graphic novel follows the life of our very expressive Bill Waddler who is the main protagonist of the story. Bill has the special ability to be able to hear all types of objects and even animals. He can’t find a way to turn off his special ability so he decides that maybe the best decision would be for him to retreat to the serenity of nature. (Review)
Mercy of the Lawless (Captive Series #5) by J.A. Dennam – I’ll admit that I have a hard time reading Westerns (Romance), but it had me hooked into the story after the first few chapters. The book reads more like Romantic Suspense and I like that among the backdrop of the Wild West it has plenty of things to keep the reader engrossed in the story. (Review)
What We Deserve by Alyssa Nohar – This follows the story of Amaya who is headed to college in the fall. She struggles with anxiety on a daily basis, making some of the simplest day-to-day tasks even more difficult. What I like about it is that it portrays diverse young adults from different backgrounds and shows their transition of growing up. (Review)
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee – This was a funny lighthearted and angst filled romance novel about love and baking! Review to come soon!
The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha – The blurb for this says it has a Gray’s Anatomy feel. I’m so intrigued. Review to come soon!
Dominion by Various Authors – I’m pumped for this anthology of Black speculative fiction. The cover design along has me hooked. Review to come soon!
That concludes my April-June book haul! What books did you buy these past months? What books have you recently added to your TBR? Tell me in the comment section below.
86 books read!! Way to go, that’s awesome! I went a little crazy buying books because Open Books was having an online sale (half of ALL USED BOOKS) and I couldn’t resist — though in my defense I spent under $40 which is not that bad. I now can’t remember what all I bought, so it’ll be a nice surprise when the package arrives!
Thanks Jenny! That sounds like a good sale. I’ll have to check out Open Books in the future.