Book Haul - Doing maths at the bookstore

It's crazy how things change so fast and sometimes, you don't even realize it. A few years ago, I used to go to the bookstore at least once a week. I might not have bought something every time, but I'd at least browse the aisles. Sometime, even sit and page through books! Nowadays, it's pretty much hit and run when I step in a bookstore. I know exactly what I want and after purchasing it, I'm out. And these trips are even rarer now that prices of books have increased. How things have changed...

There's been a promotion at Indigo: buy 40$ and get a 10$ card... I've been meaning to go to the bookstore, but I've been so involved in the Olympics I almost forgot! Finally remembered last night and checked out what I could buy LOL. Had a list and decided to hit the bookstore during my lunch break. One of the bookstores - the one near the curling club - had a few more books that I wanted in comparison to the one near my house, so that's where I went. I started gathering the books that it had and the other store didn't... and realize I should get all the books there! Why go to another bookstore? LOL. Funny how sometimes, you're so focused on certain things and can't look past it. So I started gathering the books and realized I could make three purchases of 40$! Yay! Except I was missing 2 books... and it was a challenge to decide what books to buy to fill that gap. Then, it was putting the right books together so I could be over 40$ with the smallest margin possible LOL.

Anyway, here are the books:

And I did really good putting the right books together, because I paid 40.61$, 39.63$ and 38.72$ respectively. (I had to reach 40$ before the Ireward discount of 10% :P) Yay me! and I hit the jackpot because some of the books are technically not out yet :)

So now, I have 3 10$ cards to use... Guess what I'm pre-ordering? :)

Hauling Sunday LXXII

Yay!! So I finally got a really, really good week! You won't hear me complaining for, hmmm, a week maybe LOL.  Are you ready?

Back in November, I pre-ordered some books. I think it was a 5$ off of a purchase of 30 or 35$... I usually use these coupons to buy trade paperbacks and hardcovers, because the books online are already discounted. However, pre-ordering is tricky because if I want free shipping, then I have to select the "ship the whole order" together... unless the books are from different warehouses. But really, I have no way to find that out. So I usually have to group releases together. So it's always a lot of juggling to get the best price, but also the delivery time. Am I over-thinking this? LOL. Anyway, initially, Fair Game was supposed to come out in February, so it worked out well. However, since it was pushed back, it delayed the shipment of  Third Grave Dead Ahead. But it's all good now! The wait is over :)

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder - Thanks to Netgalley, I read and reviewed this book already. Actually, my decision to request Touch of Power was based on how I planned this order :) Yes, I might be over-thinking everything. Nonetheless, Ms Snyder is a great author and I love her Study trilogy. I keep hoping she'll come up with another a great fantasy romance. Touch of Power wasn't it, but it sets up a great world and the next book could be :)

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones - I'm really enjoying this series. Charley is very funny, Reyes is absolutely yummy and the mystery aspect of this book is great! :)

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs - FINALLY!! FINALLY!! Anna and Charles are back!! I love the world Ms Briggs has created. I was so bummed out to hear she would be alternating between a Mercy Thompson and an Alpha & Omega book instead of releasing one of each every year. The wait has been long, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Plus, don't you think the cover is great? Although I have to say, once I got the book in hand, I wished it'd be a bit thicker :P

So above were books I got through the mail. Here are books I got at the bookstore :) Chapters/Indigo is having a "Buy 3, Get the 4th free" sale till March 11. I was really happy to hear about it, especially since this time around, I have books to buy!! However, the problem with new releases is when and where will they come out! My life would be so much easier if one bookstore - to which I have easy access - would receive all the books I want  ^_^; But of course, it's not the case. Instead, the new releases are spread among three bookstores and the books I really want turn up in the one that has difficulty putting the books out on the shelves in a timely manner ^_^; Seriously, that bookstore, try to ask an employee to go into the backroom! They won't. It's like the Bermuda Triangle... they go and won't come out LOL. So that means more juggling from me, with my little notebook writing lists and figuring out options and combinations LOL. I have to say though, at the end of the day, to get the books you really want in hand, it's really rewarding. I complain about it, but I'm not sure I'd want it any other way LOL. And this time around, I totally scored!!

Angel's Flight by Nalini Singh - Love the cover of this book!! While I prefer the Psy-Changelings series better, the Guild Hunter series is still by Ms Singh and that means good writing, good stories... and that I'll be picking it up :) I'm looking forward to it because I have not read Angel's Pawn yet... And I'm really looking forward to Galen and Jessamy's story! By the way, I like these anthologies where novellas from a series are compiled into. However, I feel this came out too soon after Angel's Wolf was released in Angels of Darkness. Have I bought Angels of Darkness, I think I would feel ripped off at the moment ^_^;

Nice Girls Don't Bite their Neighbor by Molly Harper - I didn't think there'll be another book in this series, but I'll take it! Can't wait to see what Jane is up to :) I'm hoping for a very fun read :)

By a Thread by Jennifer Estep - I've been enjoying this series a lot :) I like the idea of an assassin as the heroine. While the last few books haven't wowed me because of how predictable they were, reviews have been great so far for By a Thread, so I'm really looking forward to reading it! :)

Doubletake by Rob Thurman - This is another one of my favorite urban fantasy series! Cal is a nice change from all the kick-ass heroines out there LOL. Also, if you want some bromance, this is the series to read :)

Finally, here are some ebooks I bought :)

Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea - This is one of my all-time favorite paranormal romance. It's been recently released as an e-book and I decided to support Ms O'Shea by buying an electronic copy. Plus, that means I have a back-up :)

Dark Awening by Patti O'Shea - This is a novella connected to Through a Crimson Veil. It's currently available for free at Amazon, All About Romance, Smashwords and Sony :) If you've never read Ms O'Shea, give it a try! :)


Now, this  is what I call a haul!! :) I feel so much better LOL.

Hauling Sunday LXVII

Hello everyone!!

So how was your first week of 2012? I hope it went well for everyone :) Mine was uneventful at work. We're designing another experiment, so for now, it's mostly computer work. Yay for me, because it means I have more time to blog-hop :)

This year, I told myself I would not run after new releases. I'd take it easy... Yeah, famous last words, because running after new releases is all I did LOL. I think the worst time to get new books is the weeks after Christmas and New Year. The bookstores get their shipment late and they have absolutely no time to shelve, because their bookstores are overtaken by customers that they must help...

And there's me who absolutely want to get my hands on my new releases because that's what I want to read ^_^; I knew one of the bookstore had received their stock between Christmas and New Year... But it's one of the bigger bookstore downtown and that means they are more busy... So I told myself that I'd wait till release date to look for the books. Come January 3rd, I called the bookstore - and at that time, it was still the only bookstore in my vicinity that had received the books - and asked for Bride by Mistake. After looking on the computer and shelves, I'm told: "Yes, we've received it, but unfortunately, it's still in the backroom unpacked. Might take a few days." I wasn't really surprised, so I started stalking the online indicator and wishing really, really hard that the other bookstores would receive it.

Next day in the morning, I see that another bookstore - one that is better at unpacking - had received Twice Fallen. I jumped on the phone and called them. I thought I could gave them the list of the books I wanted and they could look for it throughout the day in the backroom and I'd just pick it up in the evening. However, when I called, the clerk checked their online system and told me they still hadn't received them!! Which meant I called too early and their system was still not updated. Oups LOL. My plan was still to go there after work because as I said, they're good at unpacking :)

However, as I kept stalking the online indicator in the afternoon (because bookstore #2 had showed the New American Library releases, but not the Berkley releases yet), I realized that the online indicator number for Bride by Mistake at the first bookstore had changed! LOL, I seemed to remember that they had 5 copies and now, they were down to 4! Yay! So once again, I jumped on the phone and the clerk was able to find Bride by Mistake! So they put a copy aside for me and later that night, I went to pick it up. I was hoping to get the NAL releases as well, given they were received at the same time... However, they weren't on the shelves :( It took me a while to find a clerk (guess that it's no longer the holidays and they cut-back on the staff), but she was helpful-ish. She told me it was probably in the backroom. So she went in... and immediately came back out and told me it was such a mess... That my best chance was to wait a day or two and call before coming. Fine. I had another option, I had bookstore #2!! LOL.

Went to bookstore #2. Once again, not many people working... but the girl was really nice. They had only received the bookstore on that day (oups), but she went to the backroom and was able to find the books :) and so, I got them all.

I know, I know, I could have waited. I mean, there was no chance I could have read Bride by Mistake, Twice Fallen and It Takes a Witch in one night... but once you're on a hunt, you just want to get it over with LOL. So here are my new precious :)

Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie - Have been really looking forward to it :) Am reading it right now and really enjoyed it :)

It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake - New cosy mystery series featuring witches written by Ms Blake aka Heather Webber! Reviews have been good so far. Yay!

Twice Fallen by Emma Wildes - Love Ms Wildes' historical :) Also was looking to see Lady Lillian and Damien Northfield fall in love :)


And yesterday, I bought this at Kobo:

Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong - Ms Armstrong is known to write a lot of novella for her series. Sometimes online for the fans, something part of anthology and this Bonus Pack is a collection of the online ones she's written for her popular YA series, The Darkest Powers. It includes Dangerous, Divided and Disenchanted. I do admit it's instance like this that makes me really like ebooks :)

And there you go, my  haul for this week :) I hope the whole hunt is not a preview of what I'll be doing this year ^_^;

Hauling Sunday LXV

Hey everyone!! :)

First, let me start by wishing:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you're having a great time with your family and friends! My sister and I are having a Big Bang Theory TV marathon and later, we'll be going out for dinner with my parents at our favorite Chinese restaurant! Yay! Oh and I've finally bought a new computer!! Can't wait to have it delivered :) Then tomorrow, we might venture out for the sales... or go see The Adventures of Tintin. I'm rooting for the movie :) While everyone is at the sales LOL.

Anyway, surprisingly, I did buy books this week! Lucky me, the December 27 releases came into store early and I got my hands on some!! :)

Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke - I'm so happy this book is finally out! I've been looking forward to it ever since I finished reading Scandal of the Year! Although I have to say, I can't remember the hero appearing in the previous books! Ah well, it's okay :) I'm getting my LLG fix :)

By the way, funny story about Trouble at the Wedding. When I went to the bookstore, it wasn't on the shelf yet. However, the new Eloisa James and Gaelen Foley were. So I asked a clerk to go to the bookstore to look for it. He comes back a minute later telling me that his co-worker pointed out that Trouble at the Wedding had a release date of December 27 and so was not on sale yet. I told him that it was okay because Trouble at the Wedding didn't have a strict release date. I mean, if the Eloisa James was on the shelf, then I don't see why I can't get Trouble at the Wedding... and then I told him about the computer system, as in in-store, when you look up for books, if a book has a strict release date, even if they have copies in-stock, it will only say: Available for pre-order. As to books with no strict release date, if they are in-stock, even before the release date, it will indicate the number of copies available. So yeah, I told him all that and that it was okay to go get my copy. He said he was going to check with his manager to be sure... and a couple of minutes later, he came back with a copy and told me I was absolutely right :) Yay!! All in all, I got the book and it made my night :)

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr - New Virgin River trilogy :) The reviews have been quite positive, so I'm giving it a go :)

And I got this from Netgalley:

Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr - Redwood Bend  is the second book in the trilogy and has also been getting good reviews. I'm also more interested in it based on the blurb :)

And there it is :) My haul for this week along with my latest bookstore adventure LOL.

Once again, hope you're enjoying the holidays!!

Hauling Sunday V

Oups, this post is quite late... but it's still Sunday and I do have new books :D Woohoo! Now, let just see if I can remember what I bought LOL.

So here is my haul for the week:

All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins - She's on my auto-buy list. I find her books are fun and enjoyable... Only problem, they are pretty much all the same ^_^;

SOS: Convenient Husband Required by Liz Fielding - Read a review from Dear Author. I don't really know why I picked it up. Something about it attracted me, probably the storyline as I enjoy marriage of convenience plots.

Marked by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon - This one is thanks to Kristie's review :D I passed this over when I first saw it on my own. I think we all feel the same, a little burned out on paranormal, right? However, despite the cover and labeling, it seems the paranormal element is not central. I guess I'll have to find out on my own :)

Dark and Stormy Knights is an anthology. Bought it for Jim Butcher and Ilona Andrews entries :) True, it's expensive for a few entries, but they're usually quite good. Too bad this time around, there's no Ms Brigg's entry though...

Swept Aside by Sharon Sala - Last book of the trilogy. I still haven't read book #2. I don't know, I'm having a block as the first book wasn't really great. However, we'll see too I guess :P


The King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells - This one was brought to my attention by Nalini Singh's blog. A recommendation from one of my favorite authors is worth checking out :D


I really have down the delivery schedule of publishers and let me tell you, it's a cool thing LOL. I put off going to the bookstore on Monday even though they had Dark and Stormy Knights because I knew they usually receive the Mira/Harlequin on Tuesday... and guess what? They indeed did! Only problem is that when I got to the bookstore, James hadn't put aside Dark and Stormy Knights for me ^_^; and he had no ideas where the copies were although he's seen them. So I had to come back the next day. Not a huge problem for me and I got to save even more money (I have 25% off coupons but only on 1 item per purchase). Then, he told me me on Wednesday that I had nothing left on my list... so now, I have write it up for the next few months... What books are you looking forward to in the next, say 3 months?

Hauling Sunday III

As some of you probably know already from Ames and Kristie's posts, Canada's biggest bookstore chain - Chapters/Indigo/Coles - has been having a "Buy 3, get the 4th free" promotion. Well, let just say I took advantage of it... Slight understatement ^_^;

I divided them into genres, so it'd be easier to comment... LOL

My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then, I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

I'm not going to comment on each book, because that'd be very long ^_^; I got Two-Way Street and The Lonely Hearts Club on Ames recommendation. She has become my YA reference LOL. The others, I've got mainly to make up the 4th book in the promotion :P

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
Rushed to the Altar by Jane Feather
A Groom of One's Own by Maya Rodale

I was really looking forward for Beatrix' story in Love in the Afternoon. Great book, by the way :) As for Rushed to the Altar and A Groom of One's Own, well they had interesting blurb :D

Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh
Demon Blood by Meljean Brook

Over the years, these two authors have become part of my favorites and I love their series. Any time they have releases coming out, I'm stalking the bookstores LOL.

Dark Decptions by Dee Davis
Money, Honey by Susan Sey
Coming Undone by Lauren Dane
Sugar Creek by Toni Blake

I've been intrigued by Money, Honey ever since I saw the cover. It looks cute and it sounds cute :) I've been wanting to try out a Lauren Dane book, hence Coming Undone. Sugar Creek, I picked up because I was looking a 4th book and remembered Kristie's good review :)

Some Girls Bite and Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
Red Hot Fury by Kasey Mackenzie
Unholy Ghosts and Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane
Fatal Circle by Linda Robertson

Urban Fantasy comes out the big winner of my haul :P I bought the Chloe Neill books because I was looking for trade-size to buy and I've been eyeing this books for a while. The Stacia Kane books, I bought because Unholy Magic caught my eyes - the cover is really nice... and well, you know, should read Book #1 first :P Red Hot Fury, I picked up because the premises sound interesting and different... and finally, Fatal Circle, because I've enjoyed Vicious Circle :P

So there you have it... Yes, 20 books. The good news is I didn't buy them all at once. Nope, I went to the bookstores on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ^_^; Pretty crazy... LOL.

Hauling Sunday II

Phew, this week's purchase was a bit more tedious than usually ^_^; Basically, the bookstores are having the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" promotion. Yay! This is probably the best promotion money-saving-wise :D My only issue was that for some reasons, James' bookstore only received two out of the four books I wanted! So basically, I've been stalking the online indicator for a week ^_^; It was especially annoying, because they all had the same release date and were from the same publishers... So why?!?! I could have gone to other bookstores, but I felt bad, because some were on my list, so they would be put aside for me at the bookstore automatically. I've been told that I can not buy them if I want, but still ^_^; I finally decided to take my chances on Friday and they were there!!! Turns out that someone has ripped off the address or shipment information on the box, delaying the delivery :( Lucky I waited a few days, so I was able to get them :)

So, here is my week's haul, all HQN Books/Mira releases :)

Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery - I read the eARC and decided it was good enough for me to get the print copy :D

A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr - I'm a huge fan of Robyn Carr, even though this one sounds more like woman fiction than romance. I guess I'll have to wait and see :)

Torn Apart by Sharon Sala - Again one of my favorite author :) I do hope this is better than Blown Away ^_^;

Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl - I've only read one of Ms Dahl's contemporary romance book (Talk Me Down)... the two others are waiting in my TBR pile ^_^; However, I did enjoy the one I read and the blurb sounded good :)


The coming week is going to be tricky for me. First, this Thursday is a holiday, so that means the delivery schedule might be messed up :( Plus, there are basically four promotions going on: (i) Buy 3, get the 4th free, (ii) 5$ off on a purchase of 35$ and over, (iii) renew your i-reward membership card and get 20% off on books for that purchase and (iv) 25% off on one item (birthday coupon). The latter three promotions end on June 30, while the "Buy 3, get the 4th free," on July 4. I have a few books coming out this week, so it'll be a lot of juggling around, but I'm crossing my fingers :)

One of the books I want to buy is The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, a YA recommendation from Ames. I was going to use the 25% off coupon, but then, the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" is definitively the more advantageous promotion... so, I need suggestions, recommendations peeps! What are the good books you've read lately? In particular in trade-size format (urban fantasy, romance, etc.) and YA hardcover :P

Joining my book collection...

So wassup with everyone?

Work has been extremely busy this week - so busy that I haven't had time to read!! I had to work until 10.30pm on Monday, 8.00pm on Tuesday. Got to go home a bit earlier yesterday, but then I was so tired I just fell asleep. Bad news is that we're extremely busy at the lab and I'm now working with cells, so time is no longer in my control. Not only will tomorrow be incredibly busy as well, but I have to come in on Saturday :( Then, yesterday, I realized that next week is only 4 days long, since it's the Easter week-end. Now, I've already decided what to do during that week-end: reshelve my books, so there's no way I want to work during that time. I need to repeat a MTT assay which takes 5 days to do, so that has to be started this week-end if I want to be done by next Thursday... I don't mind too much since I'm already coming this Saturday, so at least, I can get it start... also, it's not that much work, because it's long incubation periods... However, coming back from the Easter week-end, I have to give a presentation - so I need to prepare it. That means I need at least another set of data, so more PCR experiment to do... which I did today, but the data gathered was insignificant... so I probably need to produce another one. And seriously, it's the worst timing you can imagine, because starting from tomorrow, there is someone coming from outside of town to use the PCR machine - the one I need. Ugh, just shoot me dead now!

To carry me through this week, I've been feeding on Starbuck's green tea frapuccino. The stuff is seriously addicting. I think I'd have three this week already and planning to get one tomorrow morning - hey, I'm going to have to start at 7am... I think I deserve it :P

Anyway, all this is very depressing... but there's nothing as effective as books to cheer me up LOL and I really got lucky today :D

First, I went to the bookstore to pick up Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs. It's been waiting for me for a few days already, but yeah, work got in the way. I've been saving my 25% off coupon to buy Silver Borne, since it's a hardcover... and in addition, I get my 10% as an Irewards member, so it's as if I bought it online ;) There's also been a buy 3, get the 4th free promotion going on. That one was a bit more tricky to take advantage of. I had In Serena's Web by Kay Hooper (reprint) and Lois Lane Tells All by Karen Hawkins already waiting for me... but I was missing 2 books. My main problem this month and next month is being patient and not buying books I might get at RT. So that took away the new Victoria Alexander - Desires of a Perfect Lady. I was hoping the bookstore would get Embers by Laura Bickle, but they didn't order it (it's a small bookstore). Then, perhaps In the Darkest Night by Patti O'Shea, but I discovered recently that Tor is part of St.Martin's Press and their books always come late, if they do come. Good news is since I put a reservation on it at the bookstore, they will have ordered at least a copy :D Bad news, it didn't make it in yet and I doubt it'll be in in time for me to take advantage of the promotion ending March 28. No sign of Changeless by Gail Carriger either. So I ended up buying Out of Mind by Stella Cameron and Reese's Bride by Kat Martin - those two being books I'd be most likely to read.

LOL, guess how much mulah I saved on this purchase? More than 20$ muahaha! James was quite impressed :D

Then, I came home and there were some packages for me! Woohoo! I put an order at Book Depository last week and got the book within the week, which is pretty good :D Actually, I was supposed to get them yesterday, but the mailman gave us the wrong key - in my neighborhood, mailmen don't go house to house anymore. Instead, there are these big boxes subdivided into smaller compartments and each belong to a house and there are bigger compartments for packages and if you get one, then the mailman will leave the key to that compartment in your own. I like this system very much, it's a lot more private in my opinion. People really can't go through your mail (I don't know why they would, but there's some wacky people out there) and it's safer when you get packages :D However, the mailman left the wrong key yesterday, booo. So I knew I'd get something in the mail...

Finally, I'm the proud owner of A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh. This book has been getting great reviews from everyone :D Unfortunately, it's a very, very thin hardcover and while I spend a lot of money on books, I was unwilling to shell out 20$ for it ^_^; I finally checked over at Book Depository and they had it for about 10$... let's say I didn't hesitate very long :D Since I was getting one book, why not two? And so I bought Don't Kill the Messenger by Eileen Rendahl for about 10$ as well - it's a tradesize :P So I made some very good deals and I'm really happy about it :D

However, guess what? Yep, not over!! The cherry on top of the sundae was Hilcia's package containing...

I read Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger earlier this year and absolutely fell in love. It was such a great book; however, it was a library copy... so I needed to get my own. At that time, Almost Like Being in Love was not available through Amazon.ca, Book Depository or Chapters/Indigo online... but it was available on Amazon.com. Hils offered to get it for me, as well as Changing Pitches... and it just had to arrive today :D

Seriously, this is what I needed to save my week :D Great deals, but most importantly, great books :D It was also fun, because I've been relatively good this month and haven't bought that many books :P Now, I just don't know what I should read!! What do you think?