New Haul: Spring Book Outlet Order

I've never been someone who takes great stock in sponsored videos, no matter how much I like the YouTubers doing the promoting. The fact that I actually followed through the link and made it all the way to Book Outlet was a feat in itself... and that I not only found plenty of cool books I've been looking for, enough to satisfy the $35 minimum purchase to qualify for free shipping on my order, was quite another!

I used to think that Book Outlet was something akin to a dream come true - I mean, all of those great titles, for around $6 or under? Come on - to the point where I didn't think I should actually order from it. We've all been burned by Amazon before when it comes to purchasing secondhand or lower-priced, non-retailer books, so I kind of assumed that ordering from an outlet retailer would be more like that.

Thankfully, they proved me wrong in abundance, and I was able to pick up six new titles - plus one gift for a sister! - for around $35. 

While some of them might have a little wear and tear around the jacket, or a surplus Sharpie marking across the top and fore edges, they are almost completely new, to the point where one of my siblings picked one up and, gently stroking its pages apart, whispered, "The spines haven't even been opened yet!" And if their condition and pricing can inspire that much awe in a high schooler, then you know for sure it's legit.

But enough about #deals. Here are the books I decided were worth a last-ditch, pre-vacation book order!

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3), V. E. Schwab
I've read the first in the series, and already own the second, but couldn't resist the pull when I saw the third was available in paperback for such a low price. This is one of those series I wish I had bought in hardcover exclusively as they came out, so I'm happy to get even a third of the trilogy in this kind of condition. Schwab's enrapturing intermeshing fantasy worlds of drab Grey London, vibrant Red London, bleak White London, and collapsed Black London, grabbed me immediately, and are one of the reasons I started collecting her work in the first place, so I'm excited to finish the trilogy soon.

Wink Poppy Midnight, April Genevieve Tucholke
I've been on the lookout for Tucholke's works since I raved about a short story collection she edited  late last year (but more on that later... tee hee hee). I had this YA mystery novel in my sights since it first came out, but it never generated enough hype to really guarantee my full attention. However, now that I know what the author is capable of, that deliberately abstract blurb on its inner flap has really caught my eye for Spring!

Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, edited by Manjula Martin
Who doesn't wish they could quit their day job, and become a writer full time? Or, in my case, who wishes they could have a job at all, and would love for it to be that of an actual writer? In this collection of personal testimonies from writers like Roxane Gay, Cheryl Strayed, and Nick Hornby, the details of what it means to be a working author in the modern world are laid out in as objective a means as possible, to see how art interacts with commerce in publishing, and its paychecks.

A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, Stacy Schiff
I - like the lucky many related to those with ample disposable income and an incurable penchant for live musical theater - got the chance to see Hamilton in Feburary with my family. While I love the musical itself, my one critique of it, is its exclusion of one of my absolute favorite founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin. True, he was in France for quite a bit of the time, but it's not like we don't know what he was doing there... and that's why we have veteran historian Stacy Schiff on the case.

Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths, Philip Freeman
Surprisingly, out of all of the books I got through this order, this title is the only one I can really see reading soon in my foreseeable future... at least, according to my most recent Top Ten Tuesday! What can I say, sometimes you really just feel like doing a deep-dive back into Greek mythology, and it's the kind of feeling you have to just roll with, because who knows when you're going to experience it again?

Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
I've been a big Stardust fan for a while, but I only really developed an obsession with Gaiman after I powered through American Gods two summers ago, then became infatuated with the Starz adaptation of the novel this past Fall. I figured that it was just about time to branch into some of his other works, so what better place to start, than another title with a TV accompaniment? 

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

Remember that comment I made about a rave review for Tucholke earlier? Yeah, that was for this short story collection, involving new twisted YA horror vignettes inspired by genre classics. At the time of my original excitement, my younger sister sent me a frantic "Get me that book!" text, but alas, as it was a library rental, I didn't quite feel comfortable shipping it off to the UDistrict of Seattle with her. Which is why I jumped at the chance to buy her her own copy, of course! With the fervent hopes that she'll be willing to share again come October, obviously. 

Well, that's my Spring Book Haul, courtesy of Book Outlet! Admittedly, I have bought other reading material since placing this order - like Lev Grossman's The Magician's Land - among other non-reading things, too, like a new stack of embroidery hoops, and a calligraphy nib set and gold ink for my cousin's bridal shower invites, which are sure to occupy my time as well. Still, with this kind of influx of hot new stuff into my shelves, I'm pretty sure I'll be finding plenty of reading time in my schedule soon enough.

What's new in your Spring TBR? See any good bookish sales lately? Which of these new titles should I pack on vacation? Let me know, in the comments below!