My Book Outlet Book Haul

I finally got book buying itch recently during Book Outlet’s July sale and so I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a nice little box full of goodies. If you aren’t familiar with Book Outlet, it’s an online bookseller that sells new and used book at serious discounts. They focus on selling overstock, bargain bin, etc. books so you’re always getting a really great deal. They also have special sales all of the time which lowers their crazy prices even further. I think I usually average around $7 for a brand new hardback… Yep, you read that right! The only downfall to Book Outlet is that they currently only ship to Canada and the U.S. But if you are able, I highly recommend checking them out!


Book Haul

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Hush (Hush, #1) by Dylan Farrow

I haven’t seen much on this book since its release, but I’ve had it on my radar ever since that cover was first revealed. It’s so pretty, right?!

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Layoverland  by Gabby Noone

The synopsis of this book sounds like so much fun. I am here for a little bit of purgatory!

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Seasons of the Storm (Seasons of the Storm, #1)  by Elle Cosimano

A Jack Frost retelling?? Yes, you heard that right!

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Decline and Fall  by Evelyn Waugh

This is apparently an English classic and humorous tale about 1920’s high society. I had never heard of until recently but it does sound like a lot of fun!

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Tilly and the Bookwanderers (Pages & Co., #1)  by Anna James

I have been on the biggest middle grade kick recently and this book sounds like it has everything that I love about that genre. Whimsical fun set amongst classic children’s novels coming to life sounds like the makings of a new favorite to me.

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The Girl and the Witch’s Garden  by Erin Bowman

I find Bowman to be such a good author. She had me hooked from her debut novel so I’m really excited what she can do with her first foray into middle grade.

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Pachinko  by Min Jin Lee

I feel like I’ve put off this award-winning novel for far too long.

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Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite  edited by Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker

I will fully admit to still loving any story to do with vampires. I feel like there’s something that will never not be badass about those bloodsuckers. I also know that Schwab’s story is currently being filmed as a new show for Netflix, so you know I have to check out the original before it arrives!

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From Unseen Fire (Aven Cycle, #1)  by Cass Morris

I am very much into a fantastical alternate history version of Ancient Rome. Reviews say this book focuses a lot of the plot on political intrigue which makes me very excited!

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A Tale of Magic… (Tale of Magic, #1)  by Chris Colfer

Another middle grade that I’ve heard some pretty good things about!

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The Luxe (The Luxe, #1)  by Anna Godbersen

I actually read this series back when I was in high school but I don’t remember much about it except that I really enjoyed it. I plan on doing a buddy reread for it with Geronimo Reads soon to see if we both still enjoy it this second time around… Controversial Opinion (for me): I actually prefer the original covers with the dresses, as they definitely reflected the Gilded Age setting much more.

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French Exit  by Patrick DeWitt

This sounds like such a funny, weird and quirky story that would be nice palate cleanser from my usual fantasy novels. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a novel set in Paris?

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My Calamity Jane (The Lady Janies, #3)  by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows

I read the first book about Jane Grey but haven’t read the second one on Jane Eyre but I do own it, so I hope to pick them both up soon to finish out the series.

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The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1)  by Colleen McCullough

I’ve read some of Colleen’s other books and enjoyed them so I’m glad to pick up this one. It’s another Ancient Rome setting.. I’m sort of sensing a theme here. Haha!


What books have you recently purchased?  Have you read any of the books I just ordered?  If so, what did you think of it?

Exciting January 2020 Releases

Yes, I’m finally back! I’d like to apologize for my mini absence over the last few weeks, just had a lot going on with work and then the Thanksgiving holiday. I was also in a bit of a reading slump, but I luckily knocked that out over the past weekend by finishing two books! Which has really gotten me into back into the reading spirit and looking forward to the upcoming holidays where I can just do all of the binge reading that my heart desires. With that being said, I started thinking about all of the awesome releases that are coming in the new year, especially in January. And I really want to highlight some of the ones that I’m most excited about.. and if I can introduce you to some new ones at the same time, even better!


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A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

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Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani

Seventeen-year-old Kira Fujikawa has never had it easy. She’s bullied by the popular girls in school. Her family ignores her. And she’s also plagued with a secret: She can see yokai, the ghosts and demons that haunt the streets of Japan. But things accelerate from bad to worse when she learns that Shuten-doji, the demon king, will rise at the next blood moon to hunt down an ancient relic and bring the world to a catastrophic end.

Not exactly skilled at fighting anything, much less the dead, Kira enlists the aid of seven powerful death gods to help her slay Shuten-doji. They include Shiro, a kitsune with boy-band looks who is more flirtatious than helpful, and O-bei, a regal demon courtesan with covert reasons of her own for getting involved.

As the confrontation with Shuten-doji draws nearer by the day, the fate of Japan hangs in the balance. Can Kira save humankind? Or will the demon king succeed in bringing eternal darkness upon the world?

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Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Beatrice Fox deserves to go straight to hell. At least, that’s what she thinks. On her last day on Earth, she ruined the life of the person she loves most–her little sister, Emmy. So when Bea awakens from a fatal car accident to find herself on an airplane headed for a mysterious destination, she’s confused, to say the least. Once on the ground, Bea receives some truly harrowing news: not only is she in purgatory, but she has been chosen to join the Memory Experience team. If she wants another shot at heaven, she’ll have to use her master manipulation skills to help 5,000 souls suss out what’s keeping them from moving on.

There’s just one slight problem. Bea’s first assigned soul is Caleb, the boy who caused her accident, and the last person Bea would ever want to send to the pearly gates. But as much as Bea would love to see Caleb suffer for dooming her to a seemingly endless future of listening to other people’s problems, she can’t help but notice that he’s kind of cute, and sort of sweet, and that maybe, despite her best efforts, she’s totally falling for him. And to make matters worse, he’s definitely falling for her. Now, determined to make the most of her time in purgatory, Bea must decide what is truly worth dying for–romance or revenge.

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Oasis by Katya de Becerra

In this young adult thriller for fans of Lost and The Twilight Zone, a group of teens are saved when they come across a mysterious oasis. But who will save them from the oasis?

Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archeological dig site in the desert with four close friends … and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit.

Their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed … until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, and shade–and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As reality begins to shift around them, they question what’s real and what’s a mirage.

The answers turn Alif and her friends against each other, and they begin to wonder if they’ve truly been saved. And while it was easy to walk into the oasis, it may be impossible to leave …

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Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

The year is 1911 when twenty-year-old heiress Peggy Batternberg is invited to spend the summer in America’s Playground.

The invitation to the luxurious Oriental Hotel a mile from Coney Island is unwelcome. Despite hailing from one of America’s richest families, Peggy would much rather spend the summer working at the Moonrise Bookstore than keeping up appearances with New York City socialites and her snobbish, controlling family.

But soon it transpires that the hedonism of nearby Coney Island affords Peggy the freedom she has been yearning for, and it’s not long before she finds herself in love with a troubled pier-side artist of humble means, whom the Batternberg patriarchs would surely disapprove of.

Disapprove they may, but hidden behind their pomposity lurks a web of deceit, betrayal and deadly secrets. And as bodies begin to mount up amidst the sweltering clamour of Coney Island, it seems the powerful Batternbergs can get away with anything…even murder.

Extravagant, intoxicating and thumping with suspense, bestselling Nancy Bilyeau’s magnificent Dreamland is a story of corruption, class and dangerous obsession.


What books are you excited for that are coming out in January? Do you enjoy reading new releases or backlisted books more? Are you excited for any of the books on my list?