Posting a bit late because I was gone all weekend… This week I discovered that I’ve been relying too much on the Sausalito Public Library (my local library) and need to leverage the San Francisco Public Library more. The Sausalito library is great because wait times are usually not that long (less demand). But, their selection of ebooks and audiobooks, as I found out this week, is just not as good. Meanwhile, at least half of the books on my wish list are available on ebook from the San Francisco Public Library. Sure, I’ll have to wait for many of these, but at least now I don’t have to wait for ones I really want to read to go on sale! I can just put them on hold at the library!
I was so excited about this discovery that I turned around and went a little crazy pre-ordering books that are coming out in the second half of this year. The good thing about pre-orders, though, is that you don’t have to pay for them until the release date. Still, I limited myself to only the ones that were cheap, or that I’m absolutely 100% certain that I’m going to drop everything and read right away.
Inbox (books acquired)
- Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark (library, audiobook) — Before we get to the pre-orders, I have acquired a couple of audiobooks from the library because I have some weekend road-trips planned with my hubby. So, I started scouring the library audiobook selection to see what was available that we might want to listen to in the car. This first one was on a Nancy Pearl recommendation list and it’s the story of how this town in Oregon was formed back in the early 1800s. Hubby and I have a soft spot for Astoria, and the history sounds fascinating. I was thrilled that this was available at the library and I think it will be a big hit.
- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (library, audiobook) — This is another selection for our upcoming weekend road-trip(s). We read the first book (The Rosie Project) out loud to each other and thought we’d give the sequel a try. Sequels can be tricky, and we’re really hoping it doesn’t end up being a re-do of the first book. Still, I wanted some fun fiction to balance out the serious non-fiction selection.
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Kindle, pre-order) — For anyone that read and loved Fangirl and hasn’t heard yet, Rainbow Rowell is writing the Simon Snow story that plays a major part in the plot of Fangirl. So now we’ll know the real story. This is her first fantasy book, and I’m so very excited to read it. I will be dropping everything in October when this comes out so that I can read this book immediately.
- The Harvest (The Heartland Trilogy Book 3) by Chuck Wendig (Kindle, pre-order) — I am planning on reading the second book in this “corn-punk” YA trilogy in June, and the third book is only $3.99 on Kindle, and I know pre-orders are really important to authors, so I ordered this one so it will be ready to go in July and I can read it after the inevitable cliffhanger that will be the end of the second book.
- Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Hardcover, pre-order) — This book comes out in October. I added it to my list before it even had a cover design, I think. Amie Kaufman is one of the co-authors of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World (and the upcoming Their Fractured Light, see below…). These books are the first new YA space operas I’ve seen since in recent years and I LOVE that someone is writing YA space operas. They have been light on the science and heavier on the romance than most space operas, but that’s kind of a given for YA. This book, however, sounds like it might be a little more sci-fi and maybe not as much romance… Still, this is another one I’ll be dropping everything to read when it comes out. I originally ordered it for Kindle, but then I saw a booktube video by someone who got an advanced copy at a book conference, and I realized that this is going to be better in hardcover. So I switched my pre-order.
- Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (Kindle, pre-order) — When I was buying Illuminae, I realized that the third book in this series is coming out in December and I immediately pushed the pre-order button. I have no idea how this slipped past me. I should have been all over this…
Outbox (books finished)
- X-Men Vol. 4: Exogenous by by Marc Guggenheim, Dexter Soy, Harvey Tolibao (trade paperback) — I think this series just keeps getting better. This one was very “Lady X-Men in Space,” which I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the many pop culture references. Though, now I’m more than a little curious about the backstory of Rachel Grey, who was featured a bit more in this story arc. I’m also a little curious about a couple new side characters introduced in this story: Deathbird and Agent Brand. Nothing a little Wikipedia can’t help. There is one page in here that just stopped me in my tracks because it is just absolutely gorgeously drawn. I seriously wish I could have it as a poster for my wall. There are several other panels throughout with excellent artwork, and I have to say, this is the first one where I really noticed the artwork. So good.
- Ms. Marvel Volume 2: Generation Why by by G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt, Adrian Alphona (trade paperback) — This continues to be a great new series. I’m loving the direction she’s taking this story. It’s cute, and funny, and I love the addition of the giant teleporting dog. This one was a little more “theme-heavy,” but it worked well with the story, so I didn’t mind.
- Boomerang by Noelle August (Kindle) — I had the opportunity to sit in a lounge chair by a hotel pool in L.A. this weekend, and I picked this out of my “vacation reads” stash. When I selected it I knew it was a “new adult” romance, but with a cute and slightly different take on the general formula for these sorts of books. What I didn’t realize was that it takes place in L.A. So, that was a cool coincidence. I really enjoyed the romance and the fact that the two characters were both interesting outside of the relationship. I also appreciated that the guy was not the brooding, possessive type with creepy stalker-like tendencies. So, if you need a good “chick flick” type romance to read pool-side, I recommend this one.
Queue (what I’m reading next)
- We started both Astoria and The Rosie Effect during our road-trip this weekend. Of the two, we are enjoying Astoria more.
- I started Blightborn after I finished Boomerang (one word titles that start with a “B” book theme?), and I got just far enough that I’m sucked in. So, I’m pretty sure that will be what I’m reading next.
- And, I hate to say it but I think I might “DNF” The Innocents Abroad… so far the humor is just coming off really snarky without saying anything insightful or even interesting, and I’m just not into it. I think I maybe prefer Mark Twain’s fiction to his non-fiction…
That’s it for this week! Hope you are all enjoying your summer reading!
(Reminder: the format for my weekly inbox/outbox posts was adopted from Book Riot’s weekly column of the same name…)
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