I love indie bookstores, but unfortunately, there aren't many near where I live.  At least not right near me.  It takes 20 minutes each way to get to my favorite one, Changing Hands.  I visit a few times a year—always during December because the store gives a $10 off birthday discount and whenever I have a big stack of books to trade in for store credit.  My pile happened to be overflowing, plus I wanted to hit up the Trader Joe's next to Changing Hands, so I headed to the wilds of Tempe today to do some shopping.  

Here's what I took with me to trade:

These stacks are a combination of books I've received for review and those I purchased with my own money.  I do feel a little bit guilty about trading in volumes I got for free, but honestly, I donate a good 85% of my books to the library, so...

Of these 29 books, Changing Hands accepted 14 for a trade-in credit of $67.80.  I know the titles they accept depend on a lot of factors like current inventory, demand, sales, time of year, condition of the books, etc., so I'm always intrigued by which titles they take and which they don't.  The books they accepted from me (most of which were in new or like new condition) this time were:

• A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins 
• The Wish and the Peacock by Wendy S. Swore
• Blink of an Eye by Iris and Roy Johansen
• While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart
• A Trail of Lies by Kylie Logan
• The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington
• The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
• The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
• The Deep by Alma Katsu
• Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
• Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders
• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
• The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
• Dreams of Falling by Karen White

Believe it or not, Christmas is only two weeks away.  Yikes!  Are you ready?  I'm not even ready for tomorrow, so ... yeah.  I have, however, bought myself a number of gifts already.  Nothing for anyone else yet, but I can say with a surety that Santa is taking good care of me this year!  Since a lot of my purchases were books and this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is a holiday freebie, I'll show off the goods below.  Then, I better get going on Christmas shopping for the fam ... 

If you've never played along with TTT before, you really should.  It's a fun weekly event that helps book bloggers spread the love across our fabulous online community.  I love dropping in on favorite blogs, discovering new ones, and, of course, adding great-sounding reading recommendations to my TBR list pile mountain mountain chain.  It's a good time, I promise!  All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, create your own list, and start hopping around the Web.  Easy peasy.

Here we go with the Top Ten Books Santa Already Put Under My Tree (metaphorically speaking—they're actually on my festive red book cart):

*I should mention that I brought this haul home from my favorite local indie, Changing Hands Bookstore.  One of my favorite things about the place is that they offer their customers a yearly birthday discount.  They also let you trade in your old books in exchange for a generous store credit.  Since I have a December birthday, I made a trip to Changing Hands the other day.  I traded in some books and used both store credit and my birthday discount to get a whole stack of goodies.  If you live near me or are just visiting the Phoenix area, you should definitely visit one of their two locations.  I prefer the Tempe store (it's funky, fun, and has a lovely staff), but the Phoenix one is a treat as well.*


1.  The Line Between by Tosca Lee—In this post-apocalyptic novel, an eradicated disease reemerges from the melting permafrost in Alaska, causing its victims to go insane.  An escapee from a doomsday cult finds herself trying to navigate her way in a strange, new world while also learning the disturbing truth about the emergent virus.  Post-apocalypse + cults?  Count me in.

2.  The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell—I haven't read anything by this author, but this historical novel, about a woman who defies convention to stand up for the rights of miners in turn-of-the-century Michigan, sounds intriguing.

3.  The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass—I realized after buying this book that it has pretty ho-hum ratings on book sites.  Oh well.  It sounds interesting.  The novel concerns a boy who visited a psychic who told him he had no future.  Now, he's dead.  His girlfriend vows to find out what really happened to him.

4.  My Bookstore by Ronald Rice—This gem was in the clearance section for super cheap, so I snatched it up.  It's a collection of essays by authors like John Grisham, Fannie Flagg, Ann Patchett, Carrie Ryan, etc. talking about their favorite bookstores.  Sounds fun!

5.  A Noël Killing by M.L. Longworth—After talking about holiday books I wanted to read in last week's TTT, I was immediately drawn to a display table full of just that.  I bought several titles I mentioned in that post, plus this one.  It's actually the 8th book in a mystery series set in France.  Maybe I'll be able to read the first seven before next Christmas.

6.  Before and After by Lisa Wingate—If you've read Before We Were Yours, Wingate's based-on-a-true novel about the horrifying Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, you might be interested in this one.  It's a collection of real-life experiences from people who lived at the orphanage.  Sounds fascinating.

7.  The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day—I've enjoyed several novels by Rader-Day.  This one, about a college professor who's disabled after being shot by a student trying to come to grips with what happened to her and the graduate student who's obsessed with the event, sounds compelling.

8.  The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny—I'm a rabid Penny fan, but I'm purposely reading her Armand Gamache series slowly so I can savor it.  This is the 11th installment and I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I have all the others.

I picked up these two at Deseret Book a few weeks ago:

9.  This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick—I enjoy pioneer novels and this one, about a woman's journey across the Oregon Trail, sounds like a good one.

10.  Wildly Optimistic by Al Fox Carraway—Carraway, a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who calls herself "The Tattooed Mormon" is a popular speaker, writer, and online personality.  Her books are fun and inspiring.  I'm excited for this one, her newest. 

There you have it, ten books "Santa" already delivered.  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  Have you been so good this year that Santa's already gifted you some fun books?  What intriguing titles are you hoping to find under the Christmas tree this year?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!

 

Me and my husband at Cannon Beach, Oregon

So, you may—or may not—have noticed that I took a bit of a blogging hiatus.  It really was not an intentional break, but one that came about because my computer crapped out on me.  Thanks to Costco's superior customer service, I now have a brand spankin' new computer.  However, I'm still very, very behind on reviews, emails, blog upkeep, etc.  So, while I try to get all that in order, I'll bore entertain you with some vacation photos.

If you've read the oh, very fascinating About Me page that sits at the top of this blog, you know I hail from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  You also know that my husband lured me away from its lush greenery, just to plunk me down in the middle of a flat, brown, scorching hot desert.  Not an easy thing for this Northwesterner.  Although I don't get back to the Motherland very often, I miss it a lot.  So, as part of our July 4th family vacation in Utah, we decided to take a little detour—to Oregon and Washington State.  It was a long drive, but worth it to see my family as well as some absolutely stunning scenery:

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

The view from my parents' deck—the gazebo is in Washington, the mountain (Mt. Hood) is across the Columbia River in Oregon.

The Bridge of the Gods—Cascade Locks, Oregon

My 10-year-old bookworm was thrilled to be able to turn the sign from  "Closed" to "Open."

Me, looking at books while my children do who-knows-what.

We liked all the fun quotes that hung throughout the store:


Well, I hope I've sufficiently distracted you from the fact that I haven't posted a new review in a while.  I'll get caught up soon, I promise.  In the meantime, enjoy the photos.  And, answer me this:  Where has this summer taken you?  Anywhere fun, exciting or breathtakingly beautiful?