It’s Barnes & Noble Employee Appreciation Week, which means a bigger discount, which means my resolution to Read Five Buy One went out the window. Again.
Once again my insane organizational skills helped make this whole purchase navigation easy! I created a list on Goodreads of books I wanted to look through before buying. Over 30 made the list, and I ran all over the store to fill two baskets. Then sat in a corner and read the first few pages of each. Still interested? Applied the page 69 test. Still interested? Read a snippet from the last quarter of the book. Still into it? It went into a BUY NOW YES basket. Clearly all these books passed! (And the others I put back in their rightful place — made sure to utilize proper bookstore etiquette.)
Adult fiction pile
Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid is a modern retelling of my favorite Jane Austen book. Skimming through, it also seemed a bit more believable of a modern retelling than Joanna Trollope’s Sense & Sensibility. Swap Bath for Edinburgh, diaries for social media, and carriages for sports cars. You’re set.
The Swiss Affair by Emylia Hall is something of a tragic romance while a reserved character studies abroad in Switzerland. I loved the prologue, the first chapter made me fall in love with Hadley, and glancing through the rest of the book made me nostalgic for my trip in England and anxious to see how Hadley’s experience turns out.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was recommended to me countless times by other booksellers, bloggers, and customers. I didn’t bother flipping through it because…because.
Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon is my inner nerd pleasure read. Academics? Check. Traveling all over Britain? Check. Literary exploration? Check. King Arthur? CHECK.
The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy was highly recommended by one of my managers after she heard about my love for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Letters from Skye. She mentioned it so often that I caved, read some pages, and had to stop myself from devouring it entirely at the store.
YA and MG pile
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier would’ve been perfect for my graduate thesis! Creepy, Gothic, Victorian feel. Just about everything in MG and YA fiction lately has that Gothic feel now, and I’m absolutely loving it. Kind of reminded me of Long Lankin (although I seriously hope it’s not as scary, because holy wow).
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson because duh. Why am I so late boarding the Matson wagon?
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas has been on my radar for ages now, and after reading the first few chapters I’m upset I didn’t pick this up earlier. Fantasy fans, why didn’t you pressure me to read this?
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick apparently has one of the greatest YA boyfriends ever (don’t worry, Matt Finch, you’re still my man), lacks teenage angst, and is just a great story of a good, healthy, trusting relationship. I’m all for that, says this Sarah Dessen fan.
I’ve also acquired two ARCs (Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick and Secrets of the Lighthouse by Santa Montefiore) and breezed through Gayle Forman’s coda Just One Night. It’s been a great week for books, and a poor one for my bookshelves! Now to rearrange them again…
Did you go to BEA? How was it, and what did you enjoy the most? If you didn’t go to BEA, what bookish things did you read/acquire/do this week?
Scribbles & Wanderlust 
5 thoughts on “Extra Discounts Mean Book Hauls!”
BringMyBooks
Oh my goodness – I love your book purchasing methods! I find it so funny how we all have our own! I’ll have to send you a picture of the piece of paper I’ve been carting around for the past two weeks with titles, authors, prices, discounted prices, IS or need to order, and definitive yes or no boxes. HA! I have to do two purchases only, one on the first Friday and one on the last … otherwise I’m more of a goner than I already am!
My Life Next Door – I just read this recently and while I really liked it (and yes to the boyfriend!), there were some very … interesting? developments towards the end & I’d love to know what you thought of them!
Soldier’s Wife – has been on my nook for OMG so long – if it’s amazing tell me so I can add that to my “finally-read” pile!
Roger & Amy’s – Yes. Just. Yes. Can’t wait for Since You’ve Been Gone!! (Still need to read Second Chance Summer though … should I add that to my to-buy list for next week??)
Jojo Moyes – Yep.
Happy reading!!
Laura
When it’s not on a Goodreads list, my list is on receipt paper and folded into my name tag. That poor plastic pouch needs to be replaced every two months, it’s so torn and packed! Your method is so thorough and organized!
MY LIFE etc and SOLDIER’S WIFE — Will let you know!
ROGER & AMY — I’m only 15 pages in and I’m already in love. Mostly because of the comment towards the beginning about the English teacher yelling at Amy in her head on ending sentences with prepositions, so she just tells him to “off fuck.” Wow. (And yes! Buy Second Chance Summer! It seems all nice and normal and summery and then WHAM tissues will be necessary!)
Amy Peveto (@AmyPeveto)
I just added The Night Gardener to my TBR over the weekend. Looks very creepy and totally awesome.
Never heard of McDermid’s adaptation, but you can bet I’ll be researching it. I read Austen’s novel a couple years ago for the Gothic Reading Challenge and really got a kick out of it; hope the adaptation does it justice.
Laura
There was a Gothic Reading Challenge?! When?! What books were read? I would’ve been ALL OVER THAT. I’m obsessed with Gothic literature. (Except that Austen’s Gothic was more satirical commentary on Gothic lit, but that’s to be expected of Austen. Hilarious, that woman.)
A.M.B.
I think I’m going to check out Val McDermid’s modern retelling of Northanger Abbey (especially now that the original is so fresh in my mind). Thanks!