Welp. Please don’t yell at me, okay? I KNOW I’m supposed to be on a book buying ban, but I still had a $50 gift card from last year and we were doing inventory at my store this past week. So I had to either buy my books or put them back on the shelf. I chose to buy.
So these are some of the books I bought! All will have videos at some point! Tell me what you think. And tell me which books you’ve recently acquired. Now watch, please.
Johnny Reads 
That’s a pretty sweet haul! I’ve read a few of them, but not most of them. In Cold Blood is just… it’s… man. It’s good. Yes, it’s true crime, about the murder of a family on their farm. I read it in high school. I don’t like true crime, usually, but that one is good.
And even though I adore fantasy and YA and MG and all that, I just couldn’t get into Percy Jackson as much as I was hoping. I think it has more to do with the author’s voice and style than plot. The plot is good.
I tried to read The Book Thief, but I could NOT stand the style of writing. Very choppy and glaring, to my POV. However, it is the book I’m going to try and re-read from your reading challenge: read a book you didn’t like the first time. I’ve never seen the movie, but I know a lot of people loved it.
The others I haven’t read, but have a few on my TBR list. I look forward to hearing your take on them.
Enjoy!
P.S. Using a gift card does NOT count against a book buying ban. Not to my mind, anyways. 🙂
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Uh oh. You couldn’t get through The Book Thief? And you didn’t much care for Percy Jackson!? Oh no. I also came to realize I was way off on Slaughterhouse-Five. Whoops. The surprising thing I’ve learned is that In Cold Blood is on the school reading list down here. Seems a bit odd, even if it is critically acclaimed. Also, I agree with your gift card stance!
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You may like both of those books much better than I did. It was more about writing style, and it just didn’t read well for me. But everyone has their own tastes when it comes to style and such. I’m sure you’ll like them.
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Well I hope do. I’ve been under the impression that Percy Jackson is pretty great. And The Book Thief. Hmmm. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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Yes, they’re both purported to be wonderful, but I don’t always like what’s popular, so maybe it’s me. Meh. We’ll see.
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I know. And by reading Percy Jackson I’ll have an excuse to watch the first movie again and see Alexandra Daddario. 😍
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Hahaa!! Is she your second love after your fiancee, Jennifer?
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Shhhh. My girlfriend might see. But yes. Her eyes are mesmerizing. 😍 And she’s so funny on Twitter!
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Oops. Sorry. I hope she doesn’t troll your WP feed. I’ll have to google the mesmerizing eyes.
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They’re like giant blue globes. 🌎
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I listened to the book thief because I the zon was kind enough to give it to me for free as a reward for having bought another book. It really liked it. I can’t remember who read it, but they were very good. I don’t know how it would read but I enjoyed it, although it was immensely sad.
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Hmmm. Well hopefully it reads as well as it’s read.
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I would have thought it would, but then I guess it depends very much on personal taste regardless of what anyone else thinks.
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Sometimes I try putting myself on a book ban and it never works. Nice stack. Hope you enjoy reading them.
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Well I was pretty successful for mine. Until I was basically given an ultimatum. *shrug*
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I read In Cold Blood back in high school. My reading teacher used to give me extra assignments because I liked reading so much and that was one of them. All I can say about it is just WOW. I have an addiction to young adult books so it’s not my particular cup of tea but it’s definitely a vivid read!
I personally love Rick Riordan and the Lightning Thief, that book actually made a few friends of mine enjoy reading for the first time ever.
I saw the movies for Unbroken and the Book Thief and enjoyed them, I’m curious to see what you think of the Book Thief as I’ve been wanting to read it for quite some time now!
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Sounds like you have experience with nearly my whole haul! My degree is in criminal Justice and I love crime fiction, but I’ve never really taken to true crime. Hopefully I enjoy In Cold Blood. I have no real expectations for the others. The Book Thief seems interesting and Percy Jackson is just so much different from anything I’ve read. I guess we’ll see!
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I love Greek mythology so it was interesting how Rick Riordan incorporated it all. Have fun reading!
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I will! 😊
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I’ve heard Middlesex is awesome. I’ve been wanting to read that one for awhile.
I haven’t given Percy Jackson a chance yet, but I’ve always felt like I was born 5 years too early for it, if you know what I mean. I would have eaten it up in middle/elementary school, but I think I was nearly graduated from high school by the time it caught steam. And as an adult, I generally have trouble getting into Middle Grade series (which makes me sad, believe me). But maybe the author writes at an all-ages level, like JKR does. And I think Percy ages throughout the series too, so it gets more mature as the books go on. Let us know what you think of it! I’m curious about this one.
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I definitely will. Have you seen any of the movies? I really haven’t read any middle grade series as an adult at all. So I really have no expectations. But I think Rick Riordan started out writing for adults, right? So I’m sure the writing will be very readable and hopefully enjoyable. Another blogger really praised Middlesex. I’m really looking forward to that one, as well.
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I saw both movies and enjoyed them. And even as a mostly heterosexual female, I uh….I enjoyed watching Alexandra Daddario too *cough* I could hardly believe her eyes weren’t digitally manipulated somehow, but lo, they’re real.
I don’t know much about Rick Riordan, but he seems to be a real expert on mythology! He’s spun off Percy Jackson into other series about Norse and Egyptian gods too.
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Hahaha she’s gorgeous! Her eyes are out of this world. I loved her in San Andreas. I’d love her in anything. I’m obsessed with her eyes. AND she’s seriously hilarious on Twitter.
And yes, Riordan has found himself a market that he can capitalize on over and over again. He just started a new series and I think he might be starting another one soon. Makes sense. Just keeps selling books and making money by writing.
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I’ve bought and read Middlesex, and I thought it to be a fantastic book. It covers quite a delicate range of topics, but the author does describe everything in such a gentle, yet honest way that I couldn’t feel offended or repelled. I just felt with his figures, deeply from the heart. But I had the same experience a few years ago, when I was reading The Virgin Suicides. I think he is one of the few writers who can find beautiful words for gruesome things.
I read and actually blogged about In Cold Blood (You might have read my post about it?).
And I’ve read The Book Thief. Loved it. One of the best books about the Nazi era I’ve ever read. But I read it in German, so I wouldn’t know the sound of the original. And of course it has another impact on me probably as well, being a German girl, than it might have on a person with a different nationality. I absolutely loved that it was told from the perspective of death, and that death showed all this twisted kind of love towards mankind…you bought some great things there. Have fun reading!
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Hmmm. Well now I’m really looking forward to reading it. I’ve only read one book about Nazi Germany. It was a book written by a Holocaust survivor. I read it in middle school and even though I don’t remember every minute detail from the book, it is one that’s stuck with me. I’m definitely looking forward to it, as well.
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