Stacking the Shelves: The Pre-Christmas Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

One week until my Christmas holiday vacation. Thank god. I'm so tired of work right now. It's brutal. Thankfully, I got some fun goodies to make me feel a little better during this rough period. And yes, of course there's some FBAA stuff. Because I'm an addict.

Well, the first thing I got technically isn't FBAA-related. Of Wings and Ruin by Debbie McQueen is a book I've had my eye on for a while, so I got it on Kindle. Finally. I'm hoping I enjoy it. I'm 12% in right now, so I can't really tell. I also received my FairyLoot edition of Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, but it came damaged. I'll share picks when I have a better copy. Oh, and my second hold of Abaddon's Gate came in, so I can finish reading it before the end of the year.

Prettygal pins had a Black Friday sale. I got a print and bookmark from the Plated Prisoner series, a print of Kingdom of the Wicked characters, and a Kieran pin and bookmark of the FBAA men. And boy oh boy, am I loving that bookmark. That's all I got this week, though. I normally wouldn't share such a small haul, but I didn't want to have these items shoved into the next week's (or the week after's, depending on when I'm able to post) Christmas haul.

What books have you bought/received lately?

The 2021 End of the Year Book Tag

So 2021 is almost over. Wow. A lot has happened. I got a new job, a new place to live, a new couch, an Etsy addiction, and more. Ha ha. It's been an expensive journey. Let's hope I can tame the fan art-obsessed beast that's within me during 2022. I have little hope.

We only have a few weeks left, so I thought I’d do the End of the Year Book Tag. Even though it's pretty late. Okay, very late. I’m not sure who this tag was created by, but I found the questions on Green Tea & Paperbacks blog. So, let’s get this party started!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Kind of. I have one I haven't finished, but I was only a chapter in, and I don't think it's a priority. Now, Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey, the third book in the Expanse series, was a book I checked out via my local library's Libby app. Unfortunately, I only got 56% through before I had to return it. I'm hoping my second hold comes in soon so I can finish it up.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

It's almost winter, but I'll still answer this question. I'm reading These Hollow Vows now, and while it's not a specifically autumnal storyline, the FairyLoot edition does give some fall vibes. Also, I'm going to try to read Caraval as well, and that gives me autumn vibes too, for some reason. As for winter books, I don't have anything to transition to that season. I'll have to search for one.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Nope. I'm doing this tag too late in the year for that. I don't even think I had an anticipated December release overall. However, this month's FairyLoot box hasn't come in yet, and I don't know which book it'll be. So it's going to be a surprise until I spoil myself by looking at Instagram photos.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan (currently reading)
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

Not really. If I get to The Poppy War, I think that one will be a hit. However, I'm probably going to save it for 2022. I want to start that year off right.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2022?

Yep. I have to read A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin in order to continue my goal of reading one A Song of Ice and Fire book each year. I also want to read the last two books in the Serpent & Dove trilogy and For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten.

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Alright, there you have it. My End of the Year Book Tag answers. What would your answers to these questions be? Let me know in the comments below!

Stacking the Shelves: The Book Club Christmas Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Only two weeks until the holiday break/vacation. I am beyond ready for it. I am so sick of the darkness, and I'd like to get out and run during the daylight instead of the 15 minutes before it gets completely dark after work. But anyway, this week was a decent book haul experience, with some other ordered goodies that just came in.

My book club did a gift exchange for two books on our Amazon wishlists. My friend chose Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins and For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten for me. Both are books I've been wanting for a few months now, though I think I'm going to hold off on reading Ex Hex until next Halloween season. But we'll see... Oh, and my B&N order of FBAA came in. It actually came in around Thanksgiving, but I wasn't home and my front office had it, which meant I couldn't access it for a couple of days.

More FBAA items! I know. I know. I have a problem. I don't even remember why I got this order. I mean, it was on my to-buy list, but I think I just randomly panicked about it selling out and decided to go for it. The FBAA print in the middle is by Bxromance and it's sold by EnchantedBooksShop, a German fan art store. I'm trying to collect most of Bxromance's FBAA pieces, so I needed it. Now, I only have one more to go from A Court of Candles. I also bought the Poppy and Hawke magnetic bookmarks in their shop. They're very cute. Enchanted gave me a free Feysand print too, which I might re-gift. I haven't decided yet.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The November FairyLoot Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and now I have to go back to working five days a week until Christmas time when I take a week-long vacation made up of unused personal days. I am so ready for it. Beyond ready. *sigh* Like most weeks this year, I've gone a little overboard in the book and fan art purchasing department. Thankfully, most of these were pre-ordered items that just arrived. Buuuuut I also ordered a few more things that won't arrive until next month. Oops.

I read Gild by Raven Kennedy for this month's book club, and we all decided to go ahead and read the sequels together as well. So I purchased books two and three. Unfortunately, I was stupid and bought the physical copies instead of the ebooks, which meant I spent $$$ on a couple of paperbacks, even using Amazon. While I very much like to support indie authors, I hate the expensive prices. I guess I just need to encourage myself to buy ebooks more often to save some money.

Up next, I have an order I made from A Touch of Magic Designs. They had a "Three's a Party" surprise pack of six prints of various trios. It included Will, Tessa, and Jem from the Infernal Devices trilogy; Silas, Nathaniel, and Elisabeth from Sorcery of Thorns; some Caraval characters I don't know the names of; Mal, Alina, and the Darkling from Shadow & Bone; Poppy, Kieran, and Hawke from FBAA; Chaol, Celaena, and Dorian from Throne of Glass. I also bought another FBAA print from them and received a free print for spending so much. It's of Lorcan and Elide, I believe, from the ToG series. I was a bit disappointed in this pack. I think I'll be getting rid of all of the prints except the FBAA ones, the trio ToG one, and the Sorcery of Thorns one. But even the FBAA print that came in the pack wasn't super great. I had some issues with Kieran's depiction. Namely, his finger is super long.

Next, I have a free ebook I borrowed from my library via Libby. It's Katee Robert's Neon Gods. I'm not sure if I'll get to this one soon, so I may need to renew my hold. I really do want to read it, but it seems like all my library holds come in at the worst time.

Here, we have a pre-order I've been anxiously awaiting. I've been collecting Sallteas's character pins over the past year. She's only released three sets of these so far in this style, but I've been buying each and every one. I pre-ordered Cardan, Jude, Reid, and Lou earlier this year and the pre-orders came with free stickers. To save a little money on shipping, I combined this order with my Kieran order I made in September. I also bought a Roth bookmark too. Additionally, I have the pre-order swag I got from C.S. Pacat for pre-ordering her book, Dark Rise.

And last, I have November's FairyLoot. Am I super impressed with this box? Absolutely not. I reeeeeaaallly need FairyLoot to hurry up with their book-only option. I think it's coming soon. Possibly. Which is great, because I'm tired of receiving a bunch of junk I have to try to sell. The travel mug and towel are just useless for me. Well, the towel isn't useless, but it's not my aesthetic. And, while I love FBAA, the reading journal is something I'm not sure I'll actually use. I also am not a big fan of the color palette of the book, Jade Fire Gold. Dark green and pink? Ugh. It would've been better if it was black and pink. Plus, the stencil design on the edges isn't great quality. However, I am really looking forward to reading this one. If I end up liking it, I may buy the U.S. edition.

What books have you bought/received lately?

November Wrap-Up & December TBR

Winter is coming. Ick. I love autumn, but I do not like that it leads in to my least favorite season. I'd 10x rather be warm than cold. Especially because I like to run outside, and you can't run outside very often when it's freezing. But anyway, books. That's what you're here for, not my weather complaints.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in November

Heartstopper: Volume One: 3 stars (ebook, not pictured)
A Clash of Kings: 3 stars
Foolish Hearts: 3 stars
Shielded: 3.5 stars 

Gild: 3 stars

Dark Rise: 3.5 stars

Aurora's End: 4 stars

A Marvellous Light: 4 stars

I read eight books in November. Wow. I haven't done that in quite a while. Only one was an ebook, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and it was actually a library ebook from Libby. The rest were physical books: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, Shielded by KayLynn Flanders, Gild by Raven Kennedy, Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, Aurora's End by Kristoff and Kaufman, and A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I finally finished A Clash of Kings! Sadly, I have to start A Storm of Swords in 2022, but for now, I'm done with my year-long read of one book in the ASOIF series per year. Yay! Other than that, the only other major goal I accomplished was reading both library books I had on hold, Aurora's End and A Marvellous Light, and reading three books I owned prior to 2021: Foolish Hearts, A Clash of Kings, and Shielded.

Books Bought/Received in November

In total, I bought six books this month: FBAA books 1-3, ASITE, and the Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy, which for some reason, I decided not to take a picture of. Lol. I bought the FBAA series and ASITE in hardcover from Barnes & Noble since they were having a 20% off orders of $60+ sale. I basically got one book for free. Yay! And I ordered Gild, Glint, and Gleam from Amazon. I also received two free ebooks that I technically "bought" on Kindle called Nightfall by L.H. Cosway and If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell. And finally, I received my November FairyLoot book, Jade Fire Gold, but I paid for that back in August.

Currently Obsessed With

I actually have an obsession this month. And boy, is it coming on strong. I think I may be feeling a little bit of my Narnia, GoT, Harry Potter obsession level for this show. This is both a good and bad thing.

Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime is sucking me in. It doesn't have the greatest CGI and some scenes are a little clunky, but I'm just having a lot of fun with it. I'm not a book reader for this series, so I don't have to nitpick like some people. Thankfully. But I do know a few things about the book series since I used to work at Tor and worked a little on the series' mass market copies. But yeah. I'm so excited for tonight's episode. As for other shows, I'm watching Hawkeye on Disney+ and re-watching the '90s X-Men cartoon. I also watched Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Red Notice over the holiday with my family.

December TBR

Here you can see at least two of the Plated Prisoner books that I forgot to photograph earlier. Ha! Currently, I'm trying to read Glint and Gleam for next week's book club, and I'd like to get to These Hollow Vows and Caraval before the end of the year. There are a few others I'd like to read, but I'm keeping my TBR pretty loose. I think I may want to mood read soon, and I don't want to force myself into anything.

***

Okay, well, that's the month of November, plus some December sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves: The Glossy vs. Matte Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I don't have a giant pileup of items to show you this round! I'm so proud of myself for getting this done before I had too many photos to share. Though, I do have to admit, I've still gone a little overboard and overestimated my ability to read things quickly.

First up, I've got two library books and an Amazon purchase. The library books are Aurora's End by Kristoff and Kaufman and A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I'm excited to read both of these, but they're due back to the library on December 9, so I need to read quickly. This is why I don't like borrowing new releases from the library. There just isn't enough time to get to them. The Amazon purchase, Gild, I've already read, as it's the November book club read. We may or may not end up also reading books two and three in the series, which means even more I need to read in a short period of time.

We can't let a week go by without any FBAA items in the haul, can we? So, here's my shame pile. Barnes & Noble was having a 20% sale for orders over $60, so I decided to go ahead and treat myself to the original hardcovers. I kept putting off buying them because I wasn't sure if I wanted to get custom sprayed edges. Alas, I am cheap, so I decided to nix that idea. However, as many of you probably know, there's a current paper shortage affecting the publishing chain. So the AKOFAF copy I originally received came with a glossy cover, not the matte version it's supposed to. I had to take the glossy version to my local B&N and trade it for a matte one. I was super happy they even had a version in stock. I was worried I'd have to locate a secondhand copy online somewhere. Now, I'm just hoping I don't have to repeat the process when my FBAA copy arrives. For some reason, it was shipped separately.

Next, I have a free ebook I downloaded on Kindle. Nightfall by L.H. Cosway. I have no idea what this one is about. It just a had a pretty cover, and someone on Instagram shared that it was free. So yeah. I'm a simple creature.

And last, we have If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell, a companion novella to Fangirl, one of my favorite books of all time. I don't know much about this other than it follows Cath's now-older college roommate. I would've liked to have reread Fangirl before diving into this, but I think Kindle has this one on some sort of borrow period for Prime members, if you want to read it for free that is. I could just buy it for like $2, but I'd rather not until I know if I like it. Like I said earlier, I'm cheap.

Well, that's the end of this Stacking the Shelves. I have quite a few more things on the way, some of which might already be here by the time this post goes up. My November FairyLoot, FBAA hardcover, some character prints and pins, and maybe even the second and third installments in the Plated Prisoner series. We shall see...

What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The Pile Up Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I have got to stop waiting so long to post a new StS. Things pile up and it makes coding these blog posts super irritating. Well, not super irritating, but tedious. Very tedious. I truly hate the new Blogger format. It was so much easier when I could just copy/paste from my Microsoft Word template. Curse you, Blogger! But anywho, here's the stuff that I spent money on/received in the past few weeks. 😁

I acquired quite a few ebooks since my last haul. Fortunately, two of them are borrowed from my library's Libby app, so yay free reading! I've actually already read and returned Heartstopper, and I'm trying to get to Abaddon's Gate now. I also bought two ebooks, the first of which is Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox. It was super cheap on Kindle, so pre-ordered it back in October.

The second ebook I bought in October was A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout, which I...brace yourselves...didn't love. I have very mixed feelings when it comes to this book. I kind of just wish JLA had focused on writing The War of Two Queens and not tried to write a prequel series. But, who knows, maybe I'll enjoy the second book in this series more or even like this one more once I re-read it. That's the pattern I've noticed for myself when it comes to this fantasy series.

Oh, what do you know? More JLA books. Haha. These are my FairyLoot FBAA replacements. Two of the three arrived damaged, so FairyLoot sent me non-damaged copies. I thought it was funny that I got replacements for the two books I don't like as much versus my favorite in the series, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. So at least that one arrived in perfect condition.

Up next we have the October FairyLoot box. Now, I was not thrilled with this box. I still am quite miffed that FL decided to put a spinoff book into their monthly subscription. It's so strange to me that they did that. Now, I have to read Caraval and its sequels before I can even get to this one. Ugh. As for the goodies, I love the character cards! I wish FL would include these for every book they do! They're the kind of extras I want in a box! Not trinket dishes and too-pointy keychains. Seriously, if you're going to make a keychain, don't make it pointy enough to potentially stab and rip someone's bag. The KOTW blanket is cute, but it could've looked better. Overall, it was a meh box, just because I'm not in the Caraval fandom, but I'm really looking forward to November's box!

Please don't judge me for the next few photos. Yes, I've gone overboard once again on the JLA fan art. And no, I don't think I can stop. Yikes. Above, you'll see my ASITE pre-order incentive came in. It's the bookmark and the temporary tattoo. I need to buy some original cover FBAA hardcovers and put the tattoo in the book. A lot of people have done that, and it looks great. The other prints are from Redbubble. That snuggling baby Kieran and Cas is EVERYTHING!

And next, we have a more spicy order from Talia Nobel on Etsy. She finally opened her shop after taking a long break, and I jumped on it at like three a.m. I wanted that specific print from that specific AKOFAF scene. It's my favorite scene of the entire series. If you read it, you know what I'm talking about. 😉

Here we have some baby FBAA magnetic bookmarks. There's Kieran, Hawke, and Poppy. Aren't they adorable?! This and the next couple of photos are all from Alsaces_art. I spent waaaaay too much money on her Etsy shop. I've had to sell a lot of extra stuff to make up for these orders.

Here are some other JLA characters and baby Cassian and Nesta. Fun fact: The Harbinger and Dark Elements bookmarks of Trinity, Zayne, Layla, and Roth all came a day after I finished the final book in the Harbinger trilogy, Grace & Glory, which I did not like. So I think the mailman was just trying to rub my face into the fact that one of my more anticipated 2021 releases majorly disappointed me.

And last, we have one of my stupider purchases, not because I bought it. I'm happy with the quality, for the most part. (There were a couple that came a little faded/off-color, but most were fine.) I was so excited when Alsaces dropped these bookmarks in her Etsy shop, so I was ready to make an order ASAP. Unfortunately, her shop isn't easy to navigate and some of it's in Spanish. I have no problem with that, I just wish I had calmed down enough to not add multiples of items to my cart by accident. Now I have four Hawkes, two Maidens, two Red Dress Poppys, two Poppys, and two Red Outfit Hawkes. *sigh* Needless to say, this was a very expensive order. But at least I have some extra gifts for my book club friends.

What books have you bought/received lately?

October Wrap-Up & November TBR

Well, spooky season is over. We're now getting closer and closer to winter. Ick. I hate it. I love fall vibes and weather (normally, when it's not raining every single day), but I am not a fan of cold. I'll take summer heat any day of the week over freezing temperatures. But anywho, let's talk about books.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in October

Empire of the Vampire: 4 stars
Rage & Ruin: re-read
Grace & Glory: 3 stars
A Shadow in the Ember: 4 stars (ebook)
Hostile Takeover: 3 stars (ebook)

I read five books in October. Three were physical books: Rage & Ruin, Grace & Glory, and EOTV, and the last two were ebooks, A Shadow in the Ember and Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox. So three JLA books this month. Wow. Of course, Rage & Ruin was a re-read to prep for Grace & Glory, which I did not love, btw. It seriously disappointed me. I also was very meh about ASITE and EOTV. This year just hasn't been a good reading year. Hopefully, I'll pick up a 4.5 to 5 star read sometime between now and the start of 2022. Oh, and unfortunately, none of the books I read in October were books owned prior to 2021. But I'm hoping my November TBR can help with this.

Books Bought/Received in October

In total, I bought three books this month: ASITE and Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox, the two ebooks that released this month, and I pre-ordered FairyLoot's edition of Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa, which won't arrive until February. However, I did receive five pre-ordered physical copies in October. The October FairyLoot box with Once Upon a Broken Heart came in as well as my replacement FairyLoot edition of Gods & Monsters after the first copy arrived damaged. Earlier in the month, Dark Rise arrived from a B&N order. And, my parents brought me my August FairyLoot box, so I now have These Hollow Vows and Afterlove. I won't be keeping Afterlove, as I just don't think it'll be something I'm into, but the copy does have pretty pink edges.

Currently Obsessed With

Like September, I don't have much I'm obsessing over. I did get a little into the spooky season and watched some Halloween movies, though. And of course, I had to watch my favorite...

Yep. Hocus Pocus is my all-time favorite Halloween film, as I'm sure is the same for a lot of people. It's just so good. It's witchy with talking cats and magical books, but it also has amazing humor and wacky vibes I love. I don't care for scary Halloween movies. I don't really like horror films. I'm more of a Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Casper kind of girl. Other than HP, I watched Underworld one and two as well as continuing with season three of What We Do in the Shadows.

November TBR

Only one repeat in this month's TBR! Yay! I'm so excited that I managed to knock those Harbinger books off my TBR. That was really bumming me out. But now, onto reading some books I've owned prior to 2021. I checked to see how many books I've read of the physical copies I owned prior to 2021, and it wasn't looking good. So I'm trying to get through some of these before the New Year. Will I get through them all? Nope. But I'm hoping for at least three. Maybe five. I'm also continuing to read A Clash of Kings and I'd like to get to These Hollow Vows, a 2021 acquisition.

***

Okay, well, that's the month of October, plus some November sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves: The Replacement Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week has been a lot better than the past couple of weeks. Thank goodness. My new shelf space is organized, my minimal Halloween decorations are up, and I have the most amazing wall art that I need to share at some point that I'm so excited about. But, for now, let's discuss books.

First up in this haul is one of two replacements I had to get from FairyLoot due to damages. *sigh* I'm pretty sure the shipping facility FairyLoot uses just shoved a crushed copy of Gods & Monsters in a box and sent it to me. Because the box my first copy came in was completely fine. But, thankfully, FairyLoot sent a replacement super quick. Now, I'm just waiting on my FBAA FairyLoot replacements to arrive. Oh, and I thought I'd go ahead and share the September FairyLoot books, since I didn't in my last StS. I originally wasn't going to keep them, but nobody is buying these. So, I thought I'd at least read them first before taking the copies to my used bookstore. I know the books will be fine reads, I just think the US copies look better than FairyLoot's "exclusive" editions.

And last, but certainly not least, I finally received my August FairyLoot box! Yay! My parents came to visit a couple weeks ago, and they brought it with them. I was so excited for this box, and then I realized once it shipped that when I changed my shipping address on FairyLoot's website, it didn't update. Thus, the box was sent to the 'rents' house. But now I have one of my most anticipated fall 2021 books. I also love the pin banner, which I desperately needed and is already in use. I am getting rid of the second book, Afterlove. It's just not my cup of tea. But otherwise, this was a solid box.

Well, that's all I've received in the past few weeks. Next time, I should have some swag and one or two pre-ordered ebooks. Maybe my replacement FBAA editions will be in too? Let's hope. I don't think I have any physical copies incoming, sadly, other than FBAA. Maybe a FairyLoot pre-order will ship out soon? That'd be fun.

What books have you bought/received lately?

September Wrap-Up & October TBR

I can't believe we're into October now. Wow. I feel like I spent the entire month of September so stressed out that it just flew by. I think October will be pretty much the same. I have big work projects and a possible mini family vacation happening as well. *sigh* I really just want to stay home and read, but it's probably not going to happen soon.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in September

Oaths of Legacy: 4 stars (my review)
Storm & Fury: re-read
Bitter Sweet Love: re-read

I only read three books in September. Technically, it was only 2.5, since Bitter Sweet Love is just a novella. But I'm counting it as three since I'm disappointed I couldn't get through the entire Harbinger trilogy this month. Stupid life, being all stressful and causing me to not want to read. Other than the two Dark Elements/Harbinger books, I read Oaths of Legacy by Emily Skrutskie, a NetGalley review copy. It's the second book in the Bloodright series, and I very much enjoyed this installment. I'm excited for book three. So, overall I read one ebook, re-read an ebook, and re-read a physical book.

Books Bought/Received in September

I spent a lot of money on books in September. Some of it was planned, some of it was not.

In total, I bought 15 books this month; 14 were physical copies and only one was an ebook, Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa. It was $0.99 on Kindle. Thankfully, I only pre-ordered one FairyLoot book, which was their edition of Vespertine by Maragaret Rogerson. It won't arrive until later this year. I also had two B&N pre-orders that shipped this month, which mean I was charged in September, though one didn't technically arrive until October, so it's not pictured here. Under the Whispering Door is the one that did make it. My major book  expense was when I went to my local used bookstore, Hooked on Books, and ended up grabbing way too much. I'm not going to list everything here, but it was 11 books total. Oops. At least they weren't full price. All in all, I paid for 15 books this month, including the one ebook and one FairyLoot pre-order; however, I actually only received 13 of these within September.

As for books I received in September but didn't pay for in September, my pre-order of both FairyLoot's and Bookish Box's FBAA books finally arrived, bringing my total FBAA book count to eight physical copies, in addition to the ebooks. I also received my September FairyLoot with Defy the Night and Beasts of Prey, both of which I'm trying to sell, but I don't think anyone will buy them. Ugh. I paid for September's FairyLoot in August with my six-month subscription plan. My pre-order of the FairyLoot edition of Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa came in, along with my UK EOTV copy. I think I paid for EOTV back in July, since Book Depository charges when you check out. I also "bought" a free ebook of Fortune Favors the Cruel by Kel Carpenter on Kindle. And lastly, my friend got me a copy of Deal With an Elf King by Elise Kova as a late birthday gift. In total, that's 25 books I received: two ebooks and 23 physical copies, only eight of which I've read. Yikes. My TBR is going to fall over and kill me one of these days.

Currently Obsessed With

Not a ton of obsessions in the month of September. But I am getting prepared for spooky season with the TV show I'm currently watching. Oooooo...

The show I've been somewhat binging over the course of September is What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary style vampire show. My sister wanted me to watch it, and it's fun. Not super funny, but it has its moments. The third season isn't quite as good as the first two, though. I can't remember if I've been watching anything else besides weekly episodes of Animal Kingdom on TNT. That show will end this month, sadly. But after I catch up on these two, I'll probably dip into some Halloween movies as well as some paranormal shows like Lucifer.

October TBR

Once again, more TBR repeats for the month of October, unfortunately. I only have to re-read one Harbinger book before I get to read Grace & Glory for the first time and I may actually be finished with it by the time this post goes up. Maybe. Other than those two, I'm still working my way through A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Sadly, I've fallen behind on this one. I'm going to have to step up my reading to get this one done by the end of the year. Or I could just read more than one chapter at a time. Ha! My other major TBR books are EOTV and Jennifer L. Armentrout's A Shadow in the Ember. Both are book club reads. Everything else I read will just be for fun. No plans needed. :)

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Okay, well, that's the month of September, plus some October sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!

Stacking the Shelves: The Double Special Edition

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week has, like last week, been stressful. Not solely because of work, though that has played a small part. I've been feeling icky over the past week (it's not the C-19 word, I know that for sure). But, the sickness is over, and I have energy once again. Oh, and now it's mysteriously October?! Where did September go?

First up in this haul is the September FairyLoot, which was a total dud. The box was just awful. The edition of the book was subpar compared to normal FairyLoot quality, and I totally prefer the US hardcover design. I'm actually trying to sell my box, minus the tarot cards and monthly theme art items, but seems like everyone else is trying to sell their boxes too. If I end up being unable to sell the box, I'm thinking I'll read the book, and if I like it, I'll buy a US copy to take to Apollycon and get signed by the author.

Another FairyLoot order came in. My FBAA pre-order! YAY!!!! While I don't really love the covers of these editions, the inside designs are to die for! I plan on displaying the naked books and framing the reverse dustjacket art. However, I'm waiting to hear back from FairyLoot before I frame anything because my TCOGB copy had some damage to the front cover that has indented both sides of the jacket. My FBAA jacket also had some damage to the corner flaps but it isn't as terrible. Still sad, though. I hope I can get new dustjackets.

More FBAA items? Are we surprised at this point? So I ordered some magnetic bookmarks (and one sticker) from Etsy. This is part one of two orders. Though technically, it's three orders and I just had two shipped together. I honestly spent waaaay too much money on these chibbi bookmarks. It's insane.

This is the last of my 2021 pre-orders. Of physical books, that is. I still have one ebook waiting to be downloaded in October. EOTV I ordered from Book Depository, and it arrived super banged up. It honestly looked like a used book, not a brand new hardcover. BD decided to ship the ginormous book in a bubble mailer. WTH!?! Why would a book company send an international order in a bubble mailer? It makes no sense. I contacted BD, though, and they gave me a tiny refund. I didn't even know they gave partial refunds. I just wanted to encourage them not to use bubble mailers for international orders. Also, my pre-order of Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat arrived. It was the final book in my B&N fall 2021 pre-order purchase. I'm excited for this one, and I really hope it's good

Lastly, we have the FBAA Bookish Box special edition set, with associated trinkets. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this box. The books are super nice and better quality than they appeared in sneak peeks, the T-shirt and blanket are uber soft, and the Dominique artwork is fantastic! The candle and bookmarks are good too. I'm a little meh on the necklace and the keychain though. The keychain just because it's a little too sharp to put in my bag. I don't want it to cut holes in my bag if I do put it on my keys. I will say, though, BB's editions are my least favorite of the three versions we've gotten. But that map! It's very pretty! I'd show it, but I'm too lazy. ;)

Well, that's all for this post. I can't believe I received all of this in just a single week. It's crazy how all of my pre-orders are coming in at the same time. Next time, I should have another FairyLoot edition and my August FairyLoot box (which was hanging out at my parents' house), so it'll be another good book week.

What books have you bought/received lately?