Sunday, December 13, 2009

In My Mailbox (15)

This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.

I've been somewhat prone to excess this week and this has naturally flowed over into my book buying...


(L-R)

  • The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, Bruno Bettelheim. I saw an author talking about this book on a blog. It's non-fiction, and I'm very interested to know the psychological implications of fairy tales. It was published in 1977 and I think it may be out of print. There are lots of secondhand copies floating around. I got mine from Better World Books.
  • Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr (Book Depository). I'm hoping for a good romancy-Labyrinth hit from this series.
  • The Stepsister Scheme, Jim C Hines (Book Depository). A Smugglers recommendation.
  • The Guardians, John Christopher (s/hand bookshop). YA by the author of The Death of Grass, one of my favourite reads this year. This is the guy who wrote the Tripods books, which are so FREAKING rare that I'm going to have to get them imported s/hand from the UK. Ouch.
  • Love Bites, Lynsay Sands (ARC)
  • The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West (s/hand bookshop). This was put out by Virago Press, a feminist publisher who in the 80s put back in print a lot of books from the early twentieth century.
  • Deathworld 1, Harry Harrison (s/hand bookshop). This cover I remember vividly from my childhood. It looks like a bit of a boysy sci-fi adventure, in a fun way.
  • So Much to Tell You, John Marsden (s/hand bookshop). The author of the Tomorrow series' first book.
  • Friday, Robert A. Heinlein (s/hand bookshop). My dad recommended this when I asked him about sci-fi for girls. My brother said "meh". We shall see ...
  • I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith (s/hand bookshop).
  • The Death of Grass, John Christopher (s/hand bookshop). I needed to own a copy of this book.
  • Child of the Prophecy, Book 3 of the Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier (s/hand bookshop). I haven't read or bought copies of books 1 and 2, but it was only $2 and everyone raves about this author.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (s/hand bookshop). I haven't read this yet. I KNOW *blush*
  • Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey (s/hand bookshop). The first book in the Dragons of Pern series. I just found a four-leaf clover pressed between pages 96 and 97. Lucky!

This week I will WRITE. I will NOT SHOP.

Now I must run. Zapp is making egg and bacon sandwiches ...

15 comments:

  1. I Capture the Castle is on my wishlist. Hope you like it!

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  2. I've had a book buying problem lately too. Hope you enjoy all your new books!

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  3. I love, love, LOVED I Capture the Castle and I have the same edition! I bought it and read it back in 1999 or 2000 when I was working in a bookstore and it was very out of the norm for me plot-wise but I felt like I was reading a beautiful painting the entire time. It was fantastic. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

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  4. ICTC sounds awesome, I can't wait to read it. Thanks guys!

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  5. Great books. I have been thinking about getting The Stepsister Scheme for the longest time. Can't wait to see what you think of it. Happy Reading.

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  6. The last two are very good. Enjoy!

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  7. You HAVEN'T read Hitchiker's Guide yet? That, my friend, is just plain dissapointing.

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  8. I heard Child of the Prophecy is really good. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my very long list. I hope you enjoy your books!

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  9. I watched a movie a long time ago called I Captured the Castle, so I guess it must have been based on the book..it wasn't a bad movie so I am sure the book is better.

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  10. Hmm - I recommended "Podkayne of Mars" and also mentioned Friday (both by RA Heinlein). In the same breath and said that at times Heinlein had me hurling his books at the wall! He has a very strange attitude to women, which you will discover reading Friday (but more so Stranger in Strange Land and Time enough for Love).

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  11. You always have amazing goodies on IMM day. I really enjoyed Wicked Lovely, and I'm mostly envying your four leaf clover. I saw a tv version of The Return of the Soldier when I was a kid and I remember it feeling really intense at the time.

    Thanks for the advice re: The Road, too. I'll definitely start with the book.

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  12. That Fairy Tales book sounds fascinating. I might have to look for it myself. I got a Jim Hines book a while back too, although it was Mermaid's Madness and I got it not knowing there was another one before it. I too haven't read any of the Sevenwaters books even though people have been raving about it. Oh, and a four-leaf clover...Only good things can come of that now. :) Happy reading!

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  13. Holy Crapola a lot of books! Love the cover for I Capture The Castle, that book is amazing, one of my favorites. Also....have an award for you!!!
    http://frankiediane.blogspot.com/2009/12/youll-enjoy-this.html

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  14. Heinlein couldn't write a realistic female character to save his life.

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  15. I Capture is excellent. As is The Uses of Enchantment. I used it for a research paper on the darker aspects of fairy tales, and even though I occasionally thought Bettleheim was an ass (can't recall why) it was great. A few others that I used were even better, as far as from a fun-to-read aspect -- basically, look for anything by Jack Zipes (I used Don't Bet on the Prince, Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, and The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood).
    I haven't read Hitchhiker's Guide yet either, but I did buy the Ultimate Guide, if that gives me bonus points. It looks like a fancy Bible, which amuses me, because people who know me see it and say "YOU have a Bible?"
    Hee hee.

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