Thursday 4 September 2008

Recent buys

I haven't done a recent acquisitions post in ages, June I think, so I fancy it's time for one of those. I don't actually think this is all of them by any means. *cough cough* These are just the ones I haven't stashed away somewhere or are to hand because they're to be read for challenges. I was thinking the other day that if someone ever abolishes charity shops I would be in a right pickle. There's no easier way to get a quick book fix in the UK, if you're able to get to them, (apart from the library and I indulge in that pastime too...) and not only are the books cheap, you're also helping out someone less fortunate than yourself at the same time. So anyway, here are a few of my latest purchases that I don't need to feel guilty about buying at all!



These six are four charity shop buys and two new. I'm going to read Twilight for the latest RIP challenge and have a feeling I might want to read New Moon fairly quickly after, along with the rest of the family, so thought those were worth investing in new.

This particular Barbara Vine I've had recommended to me by several people so nabbed it quickly when I saw it in the Tiverton Oxfam shop. Holy Fools I've had my eye out for for a while too so that was likewise nabbed quickly. And the other two just looked interesting, particularly The Cruellest Journey, by Kira Salak, which is the story of a woman's journey up the Niger by canoe, following in the footsteps of Mungo Park, two centuries ago.



This lot are three new books and four charity shop buys.

Black Sun Rising and Shadow Bridge were recs from fellow bloggers who have loved them and I always take notice of good fantasy book recs. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue is a book I've wanted to read forever so I had no hesitation in adding it to a recent Amazon order to get free postage.

The rest were all from charity shops. The Vanished by Celia Rees is the book I'm reading at the moment for the RIP challenge and I'm loving it. Diary of a Provincial Lady is a book I read a few weeks ago so you may be wondering why I bought another copy. Well, it seemed to me it was too big for just one book and when I glanced inside I saw that it included not only that book but three sequels - The Provincial Lady Goes Further, ... in America and ...in Wartime. Was I delighted? Oh yes. The other brilliant find was yesterday in Teignmouth's Oxfam shop, and that was two brand new Sherlock Holmes books, one of which, The Sign of Four, I've been hoping to spot in a charity shop as it's the next one I want to read. I have it in a huge omnibus but it's too heavy to hold so I've been collecting these lovely little paperbacks.

So, all in all I reckon that's not a bad haul, with some interesting reads to come there.

16 comments:

Nan said...

I love the look of the Delafield cover, and those Penguins!!

DesLily said...

wow! Well, I have the Stolen Child but gosh knows when I will get to it lol... and I can't help but notice 2 more Sherlock Holmes! lol I wish there were places like you have to get books over here!!.. but of course then I wouldn't have room for my new bed when it comes!

oh btw.. I FINALLY got Lirael! so now I have them all.. again, now they wait until I have RIP done with.. I guess I should do a photo like yours too.. lord help us! hahahaha

Anonymous said...

I don't do the charity shop rounds often enough, which is actually probably quite a good thing. When I do, I tend to come out with a bag full of books.

Nice book loot you've got there. I think I'm going to try and mooch a copy of Twilight.

Ana S. said...

How I miss charity shops. Those are some great finds! The Stolen Child is one I really want to read as well. And I also want to read more Sherlock Holmes - I got a nice edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes recently and I really looking forward to diving into it.

monix said...

I have that edition of the Delafield and love the cover. If you are reading all the Joanne Harris books, I have a duplicate copy of Blackberry Wine so email me if you would like it. If only the weather would improve, I could bring it to give to you in person over a cup of tea at Knightshayes.

Cath said...

Nan, the lovely cover on the Virago Delafield cover is apparently from a Vogue magazine. That rather surprised me but I'm not sure why. Yes, the Penguins are lovely aren't they?

Hi Pat. I'd like to get to The Stolen Child quite soon - seeing as I waited so long to get hold of it. Yep... 2 more lovely Sherlock Holmes books. Pat, you could read the Abhorsen books for the RIP challenge. They have many elements of YA horror in them, as well as fantasy, and would suit the challenge quite nicely, imo.

Quixotic, yes charity shops are a terrible temptation and I really ought to keep away. The trouble is we have several good ones here in Tiverton and you can almost always pick up bargains or interesting finds. As for swapping/mooching books, have you looked at the ReadItSwapIt site?

Nymeth, yes our charity shops are a great source of reasonably priced books. But possibly too much of a temptation if you're as weak willed I am! I'm planning to read The Stolen Child quite soon as I love the sound of it. Hope it lives up to my expectations...

Monix, is it ever going to stop raining? I had to go out in the wind and rain this morning and wire the runner beans to a stake to stop them from falling over. I felt like Margot in The Good Life! I'll drop you an e.mail in the morning about the book.

Jeane said...

Oh, I loved The Stolen Child! Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

Cath said...

Jeane: I plan to read The Stolen Child as soon as I can and will of course be reporting back. :-)

Danielle said...

I wish we had Oxfam shops here--I always hear of people finding such good books at them. I rarely check out second hand shops as I never expect to find anything good! I hope you enjoy A Fatal Inversion--I read it recently and really liked it. It starts out a bit slow, but if you stick with it, it is well worth it! You're very good to not have bought anything since June! I wish I was so good. Enjoy your new books! :)

Anonymous said...

I hope you enjoy the Stephenie Meyer ones. I really must read more Joanne Harris and The Stolen Child looks good too.

Cath said...

Danielle: Oh I've bought plenty of books since June - I just haven't posted about them. LOL. The charity shops in the UK are particularly good for book bargains and Oxfam specialises in books these days. It can be a dangerous place if you little will-power about book buying. I will certainly remember to stick with Fatal Inversion.

Rhinoa: I've only read one Joanne Harris myself - Gentlemen and Players, which I thought was fantastic. It's not her usual fare though and I'm not sure that I'll like her other books as much.

Anonymous said...

These books look scrumptious! :] The UK publishers have really nice covers. I'm especially eying the Sherlock Holmes and Holy Fools' covers. Cath, hope you manage to get through these temptations. ;]

Cath said...

Orchidus: Nice book covers are a terrible temptation to me. I often prefer the US covers to ours to be honest but yes, those Sherlock Holmes covers *are* very nice.

Nan said...

Cath, I wanted to tell you that I just got a juvenile fiction book at the library called Kitty and Mr. Kipling - Neighbors in Vermont! It was published in 2005, and I haven't looked it up to see if it is available over there. The author is Lenore Blegvad.

Tara said...

You know, I though I had read A Fatal Inversion, but it turns out I only own it and haven't gotten to it yet. Something to look forward to. I love that Virago cover- so delicious. I will be curious to know what you think of the vampire series; I have not ventured into those books yet myself.

Cath said...

Nan: Thanks for the tip-off, I'll look that up when I have a moment.

Tara: People who have read A fatal Inversion tell me it's excellent and I plan to read it quite soon. I'm not so sure about the vampire series. I'm really *hoping* to like it but I've been reading M.R. James's ghost stories and he's such a class act. I just need to force myself not to make comparisons.