Another successful trip to the bookstore.

{ October 18, 2009 @ 3:19 pm } · { Book Buys }
{ Tags: Authors, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror }

Just got back from another jaunt to Borders, $100 poorer and nine books richer.  I absolutely love roaming the various shelves, contemplating the new and exotic people and places waiting for me behind all those intriguing covers. And I always leave feeling refreshed and full of inspiration, excited to curl up and lose myself in the pages.

Today I picked up books from the World and U.S. history sections, as well as from the literature, fantasy and horror sections. I like my trips to the bookstore to be well-rounded and I usually buy titles that will satisfy my love of multiple genres.

I balanced a cup of hazelnut coffee in one hand and the stack of books in the other and plopped my finds onto the counter, where I was welcomed with a shocked expression and an “uh…okay” from the checkout girl. I just smiled and acknowledged my reading-addiction problem, saying that I always overdo it when I go book shopping.  She laughed when I said my husband was going to kill me (he’ll probably just roll his eyes) and replied, “Well, at least you got triple reward points!’  Indeed checkout girl, indeed.

Take a look at today’s buys:

The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen

 I recently finished Sarah Addison Allen’s first novel, Garden Spells, which I found heartwarming, uplifting, and magical so I was excited to see that her next title was available.  If it’s anything like her debut I’m in for a literary treat.

 

A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

A book I’m currently reading – Drood, by Dan Simmons – piqued my interest in this literary master of classic tales.  Somehow I got through both high school and college without experiencing his works (besides getting halfway through David Copperfield my junior year in high school before being distracted by the latest Anne Rice release).  I intend to remedy that immediately.

America’s Hidden History, Kenneth C. Davis

I’m trying to mix in more non-fiction titles and I came across this New York Times Bestseller and thought it looked interesting.  Recently, Tony Horwitz’ A Voyage Long and Strange opened my eyes to how much I really didn’t know about the history of my own country, and I’m eager to learn more and discard the misconceptions on the subject that my brain is undoubtedly clogged with.

1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West, Roger Crowley

Along those same lines I picked up this non-fic title about the siege of the great center of the Western world by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II.  This is a time in history that interests me greatly but I know little about, aside from a class on medieval studies in college (which was fascinating, by the way).  Let’s hope it will shed some light on the subject and give my brain some much needed learning.

Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

This is a collection of eleven essays from one of the most noteworthy writers of our time.  Chapter titles include, “How to Keep and Feed a Muse,” “Investing Dimes: Fahrenheit 451,” and “Just this Side of Byzantium: Dandelion Wine.”  I recently decided to try and resurrect my love of writing and I figured if anyone could give me pointers, Mr. Bradbury could.

The Twisted Citadel, Sara Douglass

This is the second volume in the Darkglass Mountain series, which takes place in the same realm as her Wayfarer Redemption series.  In the first book, The Serpent Bride, Douglass brings back beloved characters such as Axis and his father Stardrifter as well as introduces a myriad of new characters that are just as complex and real.  Like all the Sara Douglass books I’ve read so far, I loved the first Darkglass Mountain book and I’m itching to continue the epic tale and see what unfolds in the world of Tencendor.

Dead as a Doornail and Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris

These are the 5th and 6th volumes of The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, which the HBO series True Blood is based on.  I was surprisingly late to get on the Sookie bandwagon, considering my affinity for vampiric fiction, but the truth is I didn’t even know about these books until True Blood came out.  I was intrigued by the concept of the show so I decided to try out the first title, Dead Until Dark.  After a truly fun and exciting adventure in Bon Temps, Louisiana, I’ve been going back for more to see what happens to Sookie, Bill, Eric and the rest of the cast of living and undead characters.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks

This was a recent recommendation from my cousin and fellow bookophile.  It’s a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller about the haunting accounts of survivors of the horrific worldwide zombie apocalypse, known as World War Z.  I admit I’m a little tentative, only because I’m not a fan of zombies (I find them dull and repulsive at the same time), but I was assured that it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before.  And while I may not be thrilled about the prospect of mindless cannibal corpses, I’m always fascinated with stories of global disasters and the survival of humankind through the breakdown of society, a la Stephen King’s The Stand. 

That’s all for this edition of Book Buys. 

What did you pick off the shelf?