Friday, December 04, 2009

I'm Buying Books for the Holidays...


...does it count if they're for me?

I had a coupon for a free book and a $20 gift certificate from the Poisoned Pen burning holes in my wallet, so after going to see the film 2012, Denis and I hopped in the Jeep and headed for my favorite bookstore. I had carefully compiled a list of books to look for, hoping that I wouldn't choose any that Denis had already purchased for me. Denis and one of the employees chatted while I roamed up and down the shelves. Denis would take my selections up to the counter, which meant that he could take a look at each one and make sure there wouldn't be any duplicates.

I came home with a bag of ten books, and two were free. I think Denis had something to do with getting that second book free. The postcard merely mentioned buying five books and getting the least expensive of the five free, but when he saw that I'd chosen ten, he batted his baby blues and asked if that meant I got two free books, and they said yes. Dummy me wouldn't have thought to ask, being thrilled enough over the one!

You can see my stack in the photo up top. They're sitting here next to me, and I keep wanting to stroke them and murmur, "My precious!" (My name is Cathy, and I'm a book addict.) For those like me who get a kick out of lists, here's the rundown:

  1. Dead and Kicking by Wendy Roberts, the third in the cozy Ghost Dusters mystery series. (I've reviewed other titles in this series.)
  2. Blood of the Wicked by Leighton Gage, the first in the Mario Silva mystery series set in Brazil.
  3. Jade Lady Burning by Martin LĂ­mon, the first in the Sueno and Bascom mystery series set in Seoul, Korea.
  4. An Expert in Murder, A Josephine Tey Mystery by Nicola Upson, a debut mystery featuring one of my favorite writers as a main character.
  5. Phoenix Noir edited by Patrick Millikin, a collection of short stories set in Phoenix written by authors such as Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child, James Sallis and Luis Alberto Urrea.
  6. Effigies by Mary Anna Evans, the third in the Faye Longchamp mystery series.
  7. Murder Off the Books by Evelyn David, the first in the Sullivan Investigations mystery series.
  8. Bitter Recoil by Steven F. Havill, the second in the Posadas County mystery series set in New Mexico.
  9. Cool in Tucson by Elizabeth Gunn, the first in the Sarah Burke mystery series.
  10. halfhead by Stuart MacBride, a futuristic mystery set in Glasgow, Scotland.
Four authors have already been personally taste tested, but now I have an additional six brand new authors to sample! There ought to be an award for such gluttony....shouldn't there?

19 comments:

  1. I loved the "misleading" title of this post. I would say that you had a very successful shopping spree, and I am rather jealous that you are able to drive to The Poisoned Pen bookstore. I hope to be able to visit some year soon.

    Happy Holidays to you!

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  2. Oh I am envious...I can't believe I didn't know about The Poisoned Pen when I lived in Phoenix! The Agony!
    And thank you for introducing me to PaperbackSwap. I just received and sent my first books, and have four more on the way! Talk about gluttony!

    Michele
    SouthernCityMysteries

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  3. Like I said on twitter: You had a perfect day!

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  4. Thanks so much for trying Murder Off the Books. Love the photo! Our baby is in good company in that stack of books!

    Evelyn David
    http://www.evelyndavid.com

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  5. What a great haul!!! I am very intrigued by the Ghost Duster Series...going to start that one in 2010!!!

    You read so many series...how do you keep the characters all separate??

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  6. Hi Cathy,

    I love your blog and was pleased to see one of mine in your TBR pile.

    On the subject of blogs, I'm doing one with five other authors of crime novels. All of our books are set outside the United States, and we concentrate on different areas of the globe.

    We're working hard to make it fun.

    How about coming over and checking it out?

    You'll find us at:
    http://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/
    Cheers,

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  7. Oh man, what a great way to spend the day! A movie and a book buying spree with your hubby and his powerful baby blues sounds like such a treat. Enjoy.

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  8. yup, it counts if they are for you. :)

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  9. Not sure if there is a glutton award, but you are a shoo-in for the "make a list of books interesting" award.

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  10. Wow--looks like you got quite a haul. I am jealous!

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  11. Sounds like you have hours of enjoyment ahead of you. Have fun with them, especially the free books. Free always makes them so much better.

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  12. Molly-- I hope you can, too!

    Michele-- You didn't know about the Poisoned Pen?!? Horrors! (But PBS is one of the best ways to be a book glutton, isn't it?)

    Beth-- I am in total agreement. :)

    Evelyn-- Thank you for stopping by! A pile of books from the Poisoned Pen is one of the best book stacks to be found anywhere. I have to ration my visits there.

    Kara-- You know... that's something I've never given much thought. I must have a natural serial brain! :)

    Leighton-- I'm a follower of Murder Is Everywhere. You are all doing such a great job. Thanks for stopping by!

    Kathy-- I enjoyed every second!

    Hagelrat-- Good! I was hoping so!

    Susan-- Why thank you!

    Lola-- I am very fortunate to live close to the Poisoned Pen.

    Ryan-- It does, doesn't it? :)

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  13. Lol! You are too funny! I can totally see you stroking that pile of books with tenderness.
    Anyway, I don't think it matters that the books are for you mainly. I buy books only for myself because no one else in my family is a big enough reader to actually appreciate a book as a gift.

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  14. great shot of those books, and it looks like you got your "money's" worth!

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  15. What a great shopping spree, Cathy! I didn't know there's a new mystery series out actually starring Josephine Tey! She's one of my favorite mystery writers. I will have to take a look at that one.

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  16. I am also buying books for Christmas - and not only for myself, although I am a serious book addict myself. I think you should just go ahead :-D After all, you are also donating a lot, right, so that must count in the big scheme of things.

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  17. Lilly-- I don't buy books for others because there are no readers for me to buy for. My husband and best friend both enjoy the types of books I read, so I just pass them along when I'm finished with them. :)

    Serena-- It certainly feels as though I did!

    Belle-- I was excited to find that one, too. Daughter of Time is one of my favorite mysteries.

    Louise-- I hope it does! :)

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  18. What a smart husband you have. You should keep him ;) I feel the same way about my books. I rearrange them so often so I can get my hands on them :)

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  19. Stacy-- As long as no one hears us murmur "my Precious", right? ;)

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