Book Haul May-August 2024

About

This haul encompasses the months of May through August. Obviously, I have not been buying many novels lately. Four out of five of these books are pre-owned. Three of them are from a local bookstore across town, one of them was given to me, and the fifth was ordered on sale from Amazon. Like my April book haul, most of these are by the same author with different pen names.

Miscellaneous

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Ultimate Guide

This book is multiple times pre-owned. A friend passed it along to me once they decided they no longer wanted it. It’s a bit battered and has some marker dots and smears on the cover, but the pages are clean. The design of the book itself is interesting. It has a lenticular banner image across the front, and a magnetic clip, kind of like a journal. The extra fold for the design choice will likely make it take more space on the shelf, so keep that in mind if you’re interested in getting a copy.

What is it?

The book is a companion guide for the Percy Jackson series. It’s is full of information about various characters and lore related things. There are also a few fun extra things, like Percy’s camp activity schedule. I’ve only done a quick flip through, but it seems like an interesting read to get more world building and reminders

Novels

Burning Cove, Vol. 6 by Amanda Quick

When She Dreams is the sixth volume in the Burning Cove series. Burning Cove is seven books long, and probably ongoing. The last volume released was in 2023.

I have the first book, but have not yet read it. I usually like about ninety percent of things by this author, so I grabbed this volume anyway. It saves me money in the long run, because I didn’t have to pay any shipping when buying from a local store that had it pre-owned.

What is it?

A historical romance mystery of some kind, possibly with paranormal aspects.

Eclipse Bay, Vol. 2 by Jayne Ann Krentz

Dawn in Eclipse Bay is volume two in the Eclipse Bay series. I have volume one in my TBR, and the series is only three books long. Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz are the same author, representing different time periods. This one is contemporary, while Quick is historical. It’s probably obvious by now that I tend to grab anything I see available written by this author. I found this as a pre-owned copy.

What is it?

A contemporary romance mystery of some kind.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

Garden of Lies is a stand alone novel. I’ve only seen it around in hardcover until now. Normally hardcover would be fine, but paperback is cheaper and takes less space in the long run. Stand alone novels by this author make good comfort reads for me. As you can probably tell from the spine in the picture, this is a pre-owned copy.

What is it?

A historical romance mystery of some kind.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Vol. 6

The Chalice of the Gods is one of the newer books in the Percy Jackson universe. It’s book six in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Despite being new, it’s supposedly supposed to fit chronologically after the Heroes of Olympus series and before Trials of Apollo. I’m slowly going through a reread of all the Camp Half-Blood stuff, so I plan to incorporate this book, and Wrath of the Triple Goddess, into the chronological order.

What is it?

A modern adventure series focused around Greek mythology.

Book Haul May 2023

About

All of these books are pre-owned from my local book store. There is a big sale going on right now, so my hauls over the summer for novels might be larger than normal.

Some of the books in this haul are later volumes of series I already started buying, but have not yet read. It doesn’t hurt to get some ahead of time if they’re going to be cheaper than getting them elsewhere in case I like them. Others are first volumes for me to try, or later volumes in a series I have not yet started buying for things I’m pretty sure I’ll like, so will save me money in the long run.

The Awakening by Thomas K. Martin

This book is volume one of the Magelord trilogy. I don’t know anything about this. It’s volume one of a fantasy, so I just grabbed it in hopes I might like it.

What is it?

A fantasy of some kind.

Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind

This is volume three of the Sword of Truth series.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Chainfire by Terry Goodkind

This is volume nine of the Sword of Truth series. I do not have volume eight, nor do I have volume ten.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist

This is volume four in The Riftwar Saga. I still need to get two and three at some point if I like the first volume, which is also in this haul.

What is it?

Some kind of fantasy.

Darksword Adventures by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I’m not entirely sure what exactly this is. I will generally buy any book by these authors. Everything I’ve read from them is great. This particular book is a little unusual. I get the impression it’s part story and part RPG game book. I’m not sure what exactly that means, so I’ll have to look into it more later.

What is it?

A complete guide to “venturing” in the enchanted realm of Thimhallan.

Deception by Amanda Quick

I buy everything I can find by this author and her other pseudonyms. I don’t even check what they are about before I get or read them. Amanda Quick is the pseudonym for historical novels, though, so I know that much. It usually doesn’t matter to me to know more, because I tend to like everything she writes.

What is it?

A historical romance.

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson

This is volume one of the Dragon Keeper series. This book is printed by Scholastic, so it’s definitely a children’s book.

What is it?

I think it’s a Chinese setting for a fantasy about protecting dragons.

The Fire Within by Chris D’Lacey

This is volume one of The Last Dragon Chronicles. It’s printed by Scholastic, so it’s definitely a children’s book.

What is it?

A dragon themed fantasy.

The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse

This book is volume one of The Iron Dragon series. I didn’t look at it too closely in the store. I just generally like stories with dragons, so I grabbed it.

What is it?

A fantasy adventure involving dragons.

Heart’s Blood by Jane Yolen

This is volume two of the Pit Dragon Chronicles. I already have volume one, but have not yet read it. It’s a four volume series, so this gives me half to find out if I like it.

What is it?

A dragon themed fantasy.

Hung Out by Margaret Weis & Don Perrin

This is volume three of the trilogy Mag Force 7. I usually buy Margaret Weis novels because they are fantasy in theme, but this one is a science fiction style story instead. I need to get the first book to find out if I will like it.

What is it?

A science fiction fantasy, maybe a space opera. I’m not really sure.

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

This book is volume two in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. I haven’t read Stalking Jack the Ripper, yet, but I’ve heard great things about all books in the series. My plan is to read Stalking Jack the Ripper first before reading this one. I just happened to find this one first.

What is it?

A historical fiction mystery.

Icons by Margaret Stohl

This is volume one of the Icons duology. I added this to my list back in 2018.

What is it?

Post apocalyptic dystopia, I think. I haven’t looked into it much.

Idols by Margaret Stohl

This is volume two of the Icons duology. The store had both, so I figured why not just get the whole thing.

What is it?

Probably a post apocalyptic dystopia.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

This book is volume one of the series The Great Library. I skimmed the description in the store, and saw it’s basically dystopian in theme, and that was enough for me to grab it to try.

What is it?

A dystopian series involving books, and maybe the Great Library of Alexandria.

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

This is volume one of The Riftwar Saga, which I think is a four book series. I apparently added this to my list sometime in 2016. I don’t really know what it’s about, but it sounded interesting at the time I when I read the description.

What is it?

Some kind of fantasy,

The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick

This is volume two of the trilogy Ladies of Lantern Street. I don’t have volumes one or three, yet, so this will be shelved until then. I think this series crosses over with Acrane Society and Ghost Hunters at some point, because I recall seeing some mention of characters from it while I was reading those.

What is it?

A paranormal historical romance.

The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind

This is volume seven of the Sword of Truth Series. I do not have volume six, nor do I have volume eight.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind

This is volume five of the Sword of Truth series. I do not have Faith of the Fallen for volume six.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind

This is volume two of the Sword of Truth series.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Tale of the Thunderbolt by E.E. Knight

This is volume three of The Vampire Earth. I already have volume one, but have not read it, yet. If I like volume one, I will be sure to get volume two.

What is it?

A post apocaliptic fantasy.

Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind

This is volume four of the Sword of Truth series.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind

This book is volume one of the Sword of Truth series. It looks like a fantasy series with thick volumes, so I grabbed as many of the series as I could find on the shelf. It’s cheaper to get them this way than to try one volume and order them later. This way I have a large chunk of the series, and I didn’t spend much on them. So if I like it, I’m good for a while, and if I don’t, I can just donate them or something.

What is it?

An epic fantasy, I think.

Manga Haul May 2023

About

All of the books in this haul are either from Amazon or my local bookstore. Two of the manga are pre-owned purchases. Everything else is new.

Don’t mind the purple dot. My camera app just has that randomly now.

Comics

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise

From what I can tell, this is the second omnibus in the recommended reading order. This is the library edition. There’s another version of the omnibus, but it looks like it is paperback only. This one is hardcover, and the description implies it has more content than the other version. After getting this one, I now have one through three.

What is it?

A comic omnibus of The Promise that continues the story from the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Manga

Black Cat, Vol. 20

These are out of print and tend to be expensive, so it’s a slow journey completing my collection. I’m grabbing whichever volumes I can find at a decent price, and in decent condition, whenever I find them. This volume puts me at three left. I almost have them all!

What is it?

An action adventure starring an ex-assassin gunman turned bounty hunter, and supernatural powers.

Inuyasha VIZBig Edition, Vol. 4

I’ve already read the Inuyasha manga, but I’ve never had my own physical copies. I’m working on that with these editions. It’s not a high priority, though, so I won’t be getting them often. This puts me at approximately twelve volumes out of fifty-six. Each VIZBig volume contains three standard volumes.

What is it?

A Japanese time travel adventure romance with demons.

My Happy marriage, Vol. 2

I read and reviewed volume one of this manga already. It appears to be releasing rather slowly compared to the norm. Both the light novel and manga currently only have a few volumes each in English, but I highly recommend trying the series in whichever format you prefer. It’s very good. I just hope volume two holds up. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to reading this volume, yet.

What is it?

A Cinderella inspired historical romance with paranormal aspects.

Noragami Omnibus, Vol. 5 (volumes 13-15)

I’m getting these as they release, and I have plenty to get started on whenever I feel like it. It’s just a matter of fitting them in. I have no idea when that will be, but they are on my long list of things to get to.

What is it?

An urban fantasy focused around gods and the spirit world.

Skip Beat! Vol. 48

I’m up to date on my collection for this series. It’s in my pile of things to read in the near-ish future, and I will be keeping up on purchasing the latest volumes as they come out. I’m excited to catch up on reading these. This series is one of my favorite shojo manga.

What is it?

A revenge showbiz story with comedy and romance.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 14

One more volume after this one and my collection for the series will be complete. Once I have them all, I will add it to my read soon pile.

What is it?

A romance story about an incompetent ninja girl sent to woo Lord Hanzo.