May was a great month for buying books. In all, I ended up purchasing 22 books: 8 from a library, 11 from Half-Price books and 3 from Target.
Mistress of the Art of Death by Diana Norman // Prior to this, I had never heard of this book, but the cover was so pretty, and for only $.25 how could I say no?? It is currently on my TBR pile, hopefully I'll get to it sometime this summer.
The Underwood See by Michael Lawrence // If you have never heard of the Withern Rise trilogy, I highly recommend reading these books. I first read the series back in high school, and I absolutely loved it! This is the last book in the series, so I'm going to try and see if I can find the other two books for a responsible price.
Noughts & Crosses, Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman // The first two books in the Noughts & Crosses series, these books feature a world in which blacks are considered the dominant class, while whites are the ones who are discriminated against. Definitely worth reading if you get the chance.
The Navigator, The Frost Child by Eoin McNamee // The first and the last book in The Navigator series. The story revolves around Owen, and what happens when time suddenly starts going backwards. Sounds interesting enough, I'm excited to read them.
The Last Universe by William Sleator // The Secret Garden meets science-fiction, this book is about a wheelchair-bound boy and her sister, and the mysterious maze the two find in their garden. Sounds like a rip off of like The Secret Garden, but I'm willing to give this book a try. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Video by Karen Romano Young // Eighth-graders Janine and Eric are given a school assignment: observe someone. Sounds simple enough, until Janine discovers that she is in real danger, and that her and Eric are somehow observing the same person. Hopefully, this book won't disappoint.
The Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Red, ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor // When Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, must flee from her home, she finds herself alone in London, where she befriends an aspiring author named Lewis Carroll. Alyss tells Carroll her story, in an attempt to find her way home. Unfortunately, Carroll gets her story all wrong. Luckily for her though, Alyss' bodyguard knows the truth, and is looking everywhere for her. The Looking Glass Wars trilogy follows the story of Alyss, as she searches for a way back home, where she must battle her aunt Redd for her rightful place on the throne. EEP!!! I'm so excited to read this series, and I'm really happy that I was able to buy the complete trilogy all at once.
Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz // Somehow, I managed to overlook the fact that this was the last book (#5) in The Gatekeepers series. -.- The summary on the back of the book just sounded so good!! Something about 5 gatekeepers being scattered all over the world, and having to come together for a final battle in order to save humanity. I have to read books 1-4 though before I can even open this book.
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex // Totally excited for this book. In this genre-bending novel, Rex tells the story of Gratuity "Tip" in a series of literary formats (comics, illustrations, newspaper clippings, photos). I love it when books add in stuff like this, and I'm really looking forwarding to reading this story.
The Hostile Hospital, The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket // Books 8, 10 and 11 from The Series of Unfortunate Evens series. They were selling these babies for a dollar a piece, need I say more?
Basilisk by N.M. Browne // In European legends, a "basilisk"is a "legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance" (from Wikipedia). In Browne's book, he combines fantasy with dream to tell the story of Combers and Abovers (kind of like The Downsiders), and what happens when an Abover's body is found in the combes. Throw in some greed, power and deception, and you have the makings for an interesting story.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke // Ah, when fictional characters come to life- it's every reader's dream. Throw in a story-within-a-story and you've got the making of a great book.
The Time Apprentice by Val Tyler // I was browsing through Half-Price Books one day when I discovered this book. They were selling it for only $1, and like any good book lover would, I immediately bought it.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige // I have been searching for this book for three months now, and I'm totally ecstatic that I finally found it!! In Paige's version of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is a tyranical dictator that must be stopped. It's up to Amy Gumm, "the other girl from Kansas," to remove the Tin Man's heart, steal the Scarecrow's brain, take the Lion's courage, and kill Dorothy.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs // I've heard mixed reviews about the first book, everything from it being absolutely amazing to it starting strong but finishing weak, so I'm not sure what to expect from it. I love the cover though, and I'm totally into the whole creepy, gothic storyline, so I'm willing to give the series a try.
