Recent purchases.

Let's all ignore the fact that it's been two months since I've posted, and get right to the posting!

I've been doing my darndest to not buy new books lately. I have a tremendous stack (and when I say tremendous, I mean TREMENDOUS) of books I own that I have yet to read. On top of that, I've been trying to get things from the library first, instead of buying them right away. And I've been rereading old favorites that I already own. There's no shortage of reading material at my place, believe me.

And yet, new books still make their way into my possession. I'll be notified that an out of print book I've been trying to find is in stock at Powells, or I'll be able to get a book through work using my employee discount (surprisingly, something I've only done a handful of times in my 18 months there). Almost as rarely, I'll buy a book from Borders, but only if I have a coupon for 30 or 40% off. I'm making progress in keeping the purchases down, but when they happen.....I REVEL in them.

Here are the last five books I've bought:


1. Madensky Square, by Eva Ibbotson
This is one of Ibbotson's older books for adults and has been out of print for some years. I got my copy used from Powells, and have been saving it for the right moment. It's pretty much the last of her books for adults that I have yet to read, and I just can't bring myself to start it. It's about a young seamstress working in Vienna in 1911, and I know it's going to break my heart.


2. Vampire Darcy's Desire, by Regina Jeffers
Thanks to Pride and Prejudice and Vampires, the Austenian Occult genre has somewhat exploded of late (pun intended, kind of), and this title promises to be one of the more intelligent offerings. Darcy is a Dhampir (half human, half vampire) who ends up becoming entangled with the Bennett family while protecting them from the demon Wickham.


3. More Than Love Letters, by Rosy Thornton
I stumbled across this title while reading an interview with Richard Armitage, who plays the dashing Mr. Thornton in one of my favorite period movies, North and South. This title purports to retell the story of Mr. Thornton and Margaret, but in modern day and an epistolary format.


4. A Match for Mary Bennett, by Sister Eucharista Ward
We all know my feelings on Mary Bennett, so I'm excited to be able to read this character study that will give Mary the happy ending she deserves. It's written by a Franciscan nun and is touted as an "inspirational" sequel, so it'll be interesting to see a more religious aspect to the familiar story.


5. The White Horse King, by Benjamin Merkle
This was waiting on my desk at work this morning, and is another of my employee purchases. It's a new biography of Alfred the Great, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and a figure of particular interest to me. As an added bonus, the cover art is one of my favorite paintings, John Pettie's The Vigil!

With Christmas approaching, I'll be scaling back the book purchases even further. Unless another out of print book becomes available from Powells. Or I come across something at work that I can get at great discount. Or I find something at a thrift shop. Okay, I'll probably keep buying books.