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Topic: What's in Your Shopping Bag?

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Subject: What's in Your Shopping Bag?
Date Posted: 9/27/2008 4:23 PM ET
Member Since: 12/10/2005
Posts: 2,851
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Stealing from Valli (the idea, that is), I thought I'd start a thread on what books you bought recently. I hit the jackpot at Border's today. I walked away with 6 books for $20. First, they were having an amazing sale. Select recent trade size paperbacks for $3.99. Second, I had a $5 certificate (Borders cashback credit card program).

I bought the following. If any of them are stinkers, please let me know so that I can recycle them here. LOL!

  • Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone (BTW, those of you who like first editions, may be interested in some of the books she co-authored with her hubby. Warmly Incscribed and Slightly Chipped are interesting reads about book collecting. Out of the Flames tracks the history of the Restitutio - only 3 copies are known to have survived - and what the authors dub the first information revolution, which coinsides with the invention of the printing press. I haven't read it yet.)
  • The Island by Victoria Hislop. Leprosy is a central theme against the backdrop of WWII and post-WWII.
  • Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800 by Jeff Sypeck
  • 1812: The War That Forged a Nation by Walter R. Borneman
  • Pilate's Wife: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Antoinette May
  • The Scroll of Seduction: A Novel of Power, Madness, and Royalty by Gioconda Belli (Juana of Castile aka Juana the Mad)

I went in for a cup of coffee and walked out with 6 books. I'm so psyched!

ALbookbugg avatar
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Date Posted: 9/27/2008 5:30 PM ET
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Six books for 20 bucks! You did great! I've only read one, Pilate's Wife. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to her next book. I've never heard of The Island by Victoria Hislop, but it sounds intriguing. I'm going to have to check that one out.

I made another BookCloseouts order last night  and bought:

  • The Glory by Herman Wouk
  • Elizabeth and Leicester  - Sarah Gristwood
  • The Master of Verona - David Blixt
  • Bird of Paradise - Sarah Gristwood
  • Batavia's Graveyard - Mike Dash
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
  • Brutal Journey - Paul Schneider

After I finalized my purchase, I saw they had Cleopatra's Heir by Gillian Bradshaw and I could have kicked myself for not looking around more. I've had it on my wishlist for ages and the line never moves. Oh well, I really don't need to look around at BCO for a few months. It's only been about three weeks since I ordered about a dozen books from them, and now I've ordered more. I simply HAD to place an order when I saw they had two of Sarah Gristwood's books!

 

ALbookbugg avatar
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Date Posted: 9/27/2008 5:32 PM ET
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The Island sounds GREAT! Would you be interested in a bit of I'll let you read mine if you let me read yours? LOL!

eclecticreader10 avatar
Date Posted: 9/27/2008 11:44 PM ET
Member Since: 6/19/2008
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From half.com I bought:  Circles of Stone - Joan Dahr Lambert, Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks, Auschwitz (non fiction)- Lawrence Rees.  And from Target - The Heretic's Daughter.

Genie and Valli, you guys amaze me.  When do you have time to read all these books?

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Date Posted: 9/28/2008 12:09 AM ET
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  • The Island by Victoria Hislop. Leprosy is a central theme against the backdrop of WWII and post-WWII.
  •  

  • I really liked this book - I think you'll enjoy it. I've been pretty good on buying books lately, but with a gift certificate to Amazon I recently was given, bought The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander, I suspect it'll be a keeper so I was ok with not waiting.
  • RainbowsEnd avatar
    Date Posted: 9/28/2008 12:10 AM ET
    Member Since: 3/18/2007
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    Well, while I haven't actually ordered them yet, I have been seriously contemplating buying:

    The Heretic Queen- Michelle Moran

    The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden- Catherynne Valente

     

    I am first in line for the Moran book, so I will probably just stick it out until that first copy gets posted. The Valente book, however, I think I may buy in the next few days since the WL line is pretty long.



    Last Edited on: 9/28/08 12:11 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
    ALbookbugg avatar
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    Date Posted: 9/28/2008 11:46 AM ET
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    Well, I have another "shopping bag" now! Last night, I got an email from BCO telling me that another book on my wishlist was available - The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie. I'm dying to read this one so I had to go buy it and then it didn't make sense to not go ahead and buy Cleopatra's Heir while I was there. Right?  :-D

    I am so excited to have The Last Days of the Incas coming soon!

    Donna, I will probably never have the time to read all of the books that I have, but that doesn't keep me from trying. I don't normally buy books like this though. I usually go months without buying any at all, and, then, I'll buy quite a few of the books from my wishlist that don't seem to get posted often.  

    The next book I buy will probably be Andersonville by Mackinlay Kantor. I really want to read this one, but I'd prefer to read the trade paperback and it doesn't seem to get posted often. Mass market copies get posted all the time, but I'd rather read large books such as this one in the trade paperback. So much easier to hold and read!



    Last Edited on: 9/28/08 11:50 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
    answerquest avatar
    Date Posted: 9/28/2008 12:50 PM ET
    Member Since: 12/10/2005
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    Valli, You crack me up! I'm always willing to deal with you.

    Donna, Ya gotta have goals in life. Mine is to read every book I wanna read. Reality doesn't mean a thing. ;-)

    hannamatt52 avatar
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    Date Posted: 9/28/2008 7:18 PM ET
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    I haven't really bought anything online lately, but I did pick up the last two books in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord series Enemy of God and Excalibur at B&N recently.

    Spuddie avatar
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    Date Posted: 10/2/2008 7:14 AM ET
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    I actually almost never buy books these days. If I've had a book wishlisted here forever and it's not being coughed up, I generally use the library if they have it available. But occasionally I'll get a wild hair.

    The only two books I've bought in the past month weren't HF books. One was an M.R. Sellars paranormal mystery which are seldom posted here, Love is the Bond, which I ordered from Amazon when I was ordering some grocery items from there. The other was Brisingr by Christopher Paolini and that was actually for my oldest son. It fell into my cart while I was at Target. :o)

    Cheryl

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    Date Posted: 10/2/2008 6:32 PM ET
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    I did not purchase these, but they are my newest acquisitions.  The Heretic's Daughter ( new from the library) and Very Valentine by Adirana Trigiani ( an ARC of her new book that she mailed to me!!!) Reading that one first.

    Pam