Friday, September 25, 2009

My Last 20 Books, Second Edition

Actually this will be My Last 21 Books, since I normally review three books per week and don't think it's fair to leave one of the poor things out of the post.

This semi-regular feature was inspired by those folks who never seem to have enough to occupy their time, so they attempt to do so by criticising others. There exists a group of souls who think book bloggers are drowning in free copies of books sent by publishers. Their criticism is twofold: (1) Supposedly said book bloggers rolling like flotsam in the sea of gratis literature pay for this luxury by writing nothing but glowing reviews on all these books. How else could they remain within hailing distance of the USS Book Bounty? (2) Plain and simple...Sour Grapes.

This feature was inspired by them, but does not continue because of them. I'm simply a curious person who likes to keep tabs on where my books are coming from. I have a good idea and could keep the information to myself, but sometimes it's good to see everything down in black and white and to share it with others.

Here's the list:
  1. Bound by Sally Gunning. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  2. Death Mountain by Sherry Shahan. Obtained from author.
  3. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Obtained from publisher.
  4. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  5. The River by Gary Paulsen. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  6. A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory. Obtained through publicist.
  7. Seeking the Dead by Kate Ellis. Purchased at the Poisoned Pen.
  8. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  9. The Leopard's Prey by Suzanne Arruda. Purchased at the Poisoned Pen.
  10. The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles edited by Jeff Martin. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  11. Outsider in Amsterdam by Janwillem van de Wetering. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  12. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd. Obtained through Amazon Vine program.
  13. Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  14. The Last Victim of Glen Ross by M.G. Kincaid. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  15. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. Obtained through publicist.
  16. Terror on Tuesday by Ann Purser. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  17. Frozen Sun by Stan Jones. Purchased at the Poisoned Pen.
  18. South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Obtained through publicist.
  19. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. Purchased from the Book Depository.
  20. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Obtained through Paperback Swap.
  21. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey. Purchased from Amazon.
Paperback Swap = 10
Purchased = 5
Freebies = 6

I knew that this edition would be heavier on the advanced reading copies. I don't request very many and only now am I being emailed requests to read books, but when I do say yes, their publishing dates all seem to be clumped together. So be it. Right now I have every single advanced reading copy in this house read. They're not all reviewed. Just read!

If anything, the breakdown of this latest list of 21 shows that I'm getting a lot of use out of Paperback Swap, doesn't it? Now that I am a member, the books I obtain through them may stay on my TBR shelves for a while, but once I've read them, they're on their way back out of the house and on to a new reader.

Books-- especially good books-- are meant to be shared!

9 comments:

  1. Paperback Swap is a great way to get some hard-to-find books. I also like the idea that books go to another reader, rathe than get discarded. Books are just too valuable to go to waste :)

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  2. I've never used paperback swap before, but I've been thinking about it... I "copied" your post today and listed where my last 20 books came from, too. It's interesting to see how many books I've purchased, or gotten from the library, etc.

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  3. I am a bit envious when I hear about Paperback Swap and Book Mooch, but as a Scandinavian lover of English fiction it is not really the solution because of the postage. Sadly, because the idea is so great.

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  4. I have a feeling, Cathy, that Barbara at the PP loves you to death (nice pun).

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  5. I am so glad to hear you shine your light of reason on those sour grapey types! I've read vague references to bloggers lacking integrity by accepting copies from publishers, and mostly my reaction has been "Huh?" I get books from all over too, and choose carefully to save time, but no silly old blogging police will influence my decisions!

    (Well, not until they wear jackboots...)

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  6. Oh my goodness, Cathy! You've been reading a lot! I absolutely enjoyed The Girl Who Played with Fire. I can't wait for the 3rd installment of the Millennium Trilogy.

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  7. This is a great idea! I have been meaning to get a count on mine for 09 but have yet to do it.

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  8. Don't you just love PBS? I get a TON of books from them too.

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  9. Margot-- I, too, have found it a great resource for locating hard-to-find books. And I'm constitutionally unable to discard books!

    Susan-- If you need any pointers about Paperback Swap, let me know!

    Dorte-- I don't know... I've heard people rave about Book Mooch. I really don't know that much about it other than it does do overseas book swaps.

    Charlie-- I find it difficult to get out of there for less than $200, so I'm thankful that I don't live any closer than I do!

    Susan-- The book bloggers that I know are all too independent and strong-minded for that!

    Peter-- Thanks for stopping by! I know that the third book has been released in the UK, and I'm trying to prevent myself from heading to Book Depository to order it.

    Sheila-- This is something I could do and keep to myself, but what's the fun in that? :)

    Melissa-- I don't know why I resisted PBS for so long!

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