Book Haul
I woke up this morning to a pile of books arriving. A super great way to wake up is to wake up to a book haul arriving in the mail. All my books came from Abebooks, one of my favorite used book sites for when I can’t get to my local used bookstore or the bookstore doesn’t have what I want.
The Books, a Partial List
The top one, the Random House Hostess set, is a two-volume set, with one volume being a book of etiquette and the other one a cookbook. This is replacing the set my grandmother gave me when I was younger. I wore the books out and also misplaced the slipcase in a move, so this set is important to me since it was a gift. I’m excited over the fact that it is in such excellent condition, too!
Next from the top is a 1996 reprint of a book, Craig Claiborne’s Kitchen Primer, which I loved when I was in high school. The illustrations were so pretty, and it sparked off my love for cooking. The one I remember checking out almost once or twice a year was an older print, but my new copy is in much better condition with a dust jacket. I have it on a bookcase that isn’t in sunlight and is partially hidden by the trim, which should help keep it nicer. I’ll have a bookshelf tour up soon once I take pictures of my paperback bookcase.
The Chic Simple books with Cooking [the dust jacket is faded, but that’s the worst damage] on the bottom were also favorites. I already have Clothes, Women’s Wardrobe, and What Should I Wear?, and added Accessories, Dress Smart, Home, Cooking, Woman’s Face, and Work Clothes to my collection. These books aren’t just for a collection, but I like the aesthetics, even though they’re going on 30 years old now. Some examples may be dated now, but a lot of the advice on how something should fit and how to find quality and take care of your clothes is timeless.
Updates
2020 was not a good year for keeping up with this blog. I have ADD and I was moderately depressed at least until November 3, then I was just Anxious until Jan 20, which made for an excellent birthday present. I tried to do a 30-day book challenge, but I’m going to do that in June instead, and a fun bookish tag for April.
What I’ve Loved in 2021
As for what I’ve read lately, it’s been a slump, mostly trying to decide what to read from my TBR.
I picked Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches/All Souls series, which I inhaled in February. Three books, three days. And they aren’t thin books, either! I enjoyed the entire series, though it got rough during the second and third books because of a character’s motivations and subsequent actions. I’ll have an in-depth review next week with explanations and appropriate content warnings. The TV show is on my list to watch, for sure, so look out for my thoughts about it.
Another book I’ve read recently was The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, and it’s one of my favorites. I’ve reread it four times that I could remember the dates of, according to my Goodreads. I’m working on a review for next week, hopefully.
What have you been reading lately? In between scrolling social media and phone games or was that just me and my family?