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July 2015 Collective Book Haul!!

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Last month, I barely purchased any new reads which I thought was a good thing considering my TBR pile is a bit of joke. This month however, I did the completely opposite. I went a little nuts in the book buying department, but they are all books that I REALLY REALLY want to read and I’m super glad that I bought them all! Here you will find a closer look at all of the books I purchased this month!


BOOK HAUL

Armada

Author: Ernest Cline

Publisher: Crown Publishing

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Release Date: July 14th 2015

Page Count: 368

ISBN: 9780804137256

Goodreads Synopsis: Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe. And then he sees the flying saucer. Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it. It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar? At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.


Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Author: Jesse Andrews

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: May 26th 2015 (first published March 1st 2012)

Page Count: 330

ISBN: 9781419719462

Goodreads Synopsis: Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.


Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Health

Release Date: June 9th 2015

Page Count: 288

ISBN: 9780553536515

Goodreads Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain. An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.


The Shining Girls

Author: Lauren Beukes

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Release Date: June 4th 2013

Page Count: 375

ISBN: 9780316216852

Goodreads Synopsis: THE GIRL WHO WOULDN’T DIE HUNTS THE KILLER WHO SHOULDN’T EXIST. The future is not as loud as war, but it is relentless. It has a terrible fury all its own.” Harper Curtis is a killer who stepped out of the past. Kirby Mazrachi is the girl who was never meant to have a future. Kirby is the last shining girl, one of the bright young women, burning with potential, whose lives Harper is destined to snuff out after he stumbles on a House in Depression-era Chicago that opens on to other times. At the urging of the House, Harper inserts himself into the lives of the shining girls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He’s the ultimate hunter, vanishing into another time after each murder, untraceable-until one of his victims survives. Determined to bring her would-be killer to justice, Kirby joins the Chicago Sun-Times to work with the ex-homicide reporter, Dan Velasquez, who covered her case. Soon Kirby finds herself closing in on the impossible truth . . . THE SHINING GIRLS is a masterful twist on the serial killer tale: a violent quantum leap featuring a memorable and appealing heroine in pursuit of a deadly criminal.


Outcast, Volume 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him

Author: Robert Kirkman Illustrator: Paul Azaceta

Publisher: Image Comics

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror

Release Date: January 15th 2015

Page Count: 152

ISBN: 9781632150530

Goodreads Synopsis: Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it.


Junky

Author: William S. Burroughs

Publisher: Penguin Books

Genre: Fiction, Classics, Literature

Release Date: November 6th 2008 (first published 1953)

Page Count: 166

ISBN: 9780141189826

Goodreads Synopsis: Burroughs’ first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through junk neighbourhoods in New York, New Orleans and Mexico City, through time spent kicking, time spent dealing and time rolling drunks for money, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report (by a writer trained in anthropology at Harvard) from the American post-war drug underground. A cult classic, it has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse and unapologetic tone. This definitive edition painstakingly recreates the author’s original text word for word.


E-BOOK HAUL

City of the Lost: Part One

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Canada

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Release Date: June 30th 2015

Page Count: 80

ISBN: 9780345816153

Goodreads Synopsis: N/A


City of the Lost: Part Two

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Canada

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Release Date: July 7th 2015

Page Count: 80

ISBN: 9780345816160

Goodreads Synopsis: Casey Butler and her best friend, Diana, have finally escaped their dark pasts and found refuge in Rockton. Although Casey left behind her ex-con lover, Kurt, she has no time for regret: A man’s been murdered—butchered, really—and she’s the new detective in town. As the difficult, brooding sheriff, Eric Dalton, and his handsome, happy-go-lucky deputy, Will Anders, disclose rumours of underground drug rings, corrupt council members, and hostile cannibals, Casey realizes that Rockton may not be the haven she first imagined…


The Kiss of Deception

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Release Date: July 8th 2014

Page Count: 496

ISBN: 9781627792189

Goodreads Synopsis: A princess must find her place in a reborn world. She flees on her wedding day. She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection. She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father. She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan. The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance. Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.


This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: September 17th 2013

Page Count: 288

ISBN: 9780374351380

Goodreads Synopsis: Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing. Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.


THRIFTED BOOK HAUL

172 Hours on the Moon

Author: Johan Harstad Translator: Tara F. Chace

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Science Fiction

Release Date: Published May 21st 2013 (first published September 15th 2008)

Page Count: 351

ISBN: 9780316182898

Goodreads Synopsis: It’s been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA’s unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space–and change their lives forever. Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band’s ticket to fame and fortune. Midori believes it’s her way out of her restrained life in Japan. Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space… no one is coming to save them. In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.


The Diviners

Author: Libba Bray

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Release Date: September 18th 2012

Page Count: 592

ISBN: 9780316126113

Goodreads Synopsis: Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.


Invisible Monsters

Author: Chuck Palahniuk

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company

Genre: Fiction, Dark, Thriller

Release Date: September 17th 1999

Page Count: 297

ISBN: 9780393319293

Goodreads Synopsis: She’s a fashion model who has everything: a boyfriend, a career, a loyal best friend. But when a sudden freeway “accident” leaves her disfigured and incapable of speech, she goes from being the beautiful center of attention to being an invisible monster, so hideous that no one will acknowledge that she exists. Enter Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme, one operation away from becoming a real woman, who will teach her that reinventing yourself means erasing your past and making up something better. And that salvation hides in the last places you’ll ever want to look.


The Husband’s Secret

Author: Liane Moriarty

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Release Date: July 30th 2013

Page Count: 394

ISBN: 9780399159343

Goodreads Synopsis: At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read. My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died…Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret. Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.


ARCS

Screen Shot 2015-07-12 at 5.18.35 PMThe Blue

Author: Lucy Clarke

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Release Date: August 3rd 2015

Page Count: 320

ISBN: 9781501122484

Goodreads Synopsis: In the tradition of Alex Garland’s The Beach, a spine-tingling adventure novel about a group of friends whose journey around the world on a yacht turns from a trip to paradise into a chilling nightmare when one of them disappears at sea. A group of friends. A yacht. And a disappearance-at-sea that turns paradise into a chilling nightmare. Lana and her best friend Kitty leave home looking for freedom—and that’s exactly what they find when they are invited onto The Blue, a fifty-foot yacht making its way from the Philippines to New Zealand. The crew is made up of a group of young travellers bitten by wanderlust, and it doesn’t take long for Lana and Kitty’s dream of sea-bound romance to turn into reality. Both women fall under the hypnotic spell of The Blue, spending their days exploring remote islands and their rum-filled nights relaxing on deck beneath the stars. But when one of their friends disappears overboard after an argument with another crewmember, the dark secrets that brought each of them aboard start to unravel. At turns gorgeously scenic and entirely haunting, The Blue is a page-turning thriller about friendship, freedom and wanting to leave the past behind.


Stand-Off

Author: Andrew Smith

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: September 8th 2015

Page Count: 448

ISBN: N/A

Goodreads Synopsis: It’s his last year at Pine Mountain, and Ryan Dean should be focused on his future, but instead, he’s haunted by his past. His rugby coach expects him to fill the roles once played by his lost friend, Joey, as the rugby team’s stand-off and new captain. And somehow he’s stuck rooming with twelve-year-old freshman Sam Abernathy, a cooking whiz with extreme claustrophobia and a serious crush on Annie Altman—aka Ryan Dean’s girlfriend, for now, anyway. Equally distressing, Ryan Dean’s doodles and drawings don’t offer the relief they used to. He’s convinced N.A.T.E. (the Next Accidental Terrible Experience) is lurking around every corner—and then he runs into Joey’s younger brother Nico, who makes Ryan Dean feel paranoid that he’s avoiding him. Will Ryan Dean ever regain his sanity? From the author of the National Book Award–nominated 100 Sideways Miles, which Kirkus Reviews called “a wickedly witty and offbeat novel,” Stand-Off is filled with hand-drawn infographics and illustrations and delivers the same spot-on teen voice and relatable narrative that legions of readers connected with in Winger.

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6 thoughts on “July 2015 Collective Book Haul!!

    1. It’s really good so far! I’m hoping to finish it by the end of this month! I’m glad you were able to find some new reads! 😀

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  1. Wow, you indeed did go crazy with the book buying, oh my! 😂 but you have some wonderful books indeed. Especially Armada, Finding Audrey, Stand Off and many others here that seem very interesting to me! Great post. xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Even though there are definitely a lot of books here, the only one I purchased at full price was Me and Earl and the Dying Girl so I’m proud of myself for not splurging on full priced books haha! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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