Showcase Sunday #85

Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here ~Vicki at Books, Biscuts, and Tea

PHYSICAL BOOKS

Purchased
Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson – I first heard about this review for it by CassJayTuck on Youtube (you can watch it here) and she makes it sound very awesome. If I’m being completely honest, I plan on listening to this on audio because it’s narrated by McLeod Andrews and I LOVE HIM, but I couldn’t not get this when I came across a first edition hardback for $5.
A Cold Legacy (The Madman’s Daughter #2) by Megan Shepherd – Megan is doing yet another event at Malaprops this Friday and I am having to conserve money these days, so I had to make a choice between buying this book, the final Madman’s Daughter book or The Cage, the first book in a new series. I, naturally, chose the book with the prettier cover. Well, that and I’d rather finish out The Madman’s Daughter series while it’s still easy to find it in hardback than start a completely new series. Either way, I’m excited to see Megan again this week!
City Of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare – I have this book in hardback, but it’s the only one in this entire series that I have in hardback. So when I came across a cheap(ish) copy, I couldn’t not get it. Though I prefer hardback, it’s more important to me to have the whole series in the same format than it is to have them all in hardcover. Knowing that, my choices were buy the rest of the series in hardback or buy this one in paperback. We see which option won out.
City Of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare – I am so happy to finally get the last book in this series! Just like with Steelheart, I really plan on listening to this on audio because it’s narrated by Jason Dohring and I cannot possibly miss that, but the book collector in my needed to get a physical copy as well.
Every Last Word by Tamara Irelend Stone – I don’t know who donated this to the Asheville GoodWill, but I love you whoever you are. I’ve already made the comment that I don’t think buying ARC’s from places where they have been donated and are cheap enough that not no one is really profiting from it, but I feel the need to say so again. This was a $1 and I can’t really see the problem with paying that for a book I want in any format.
Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry – I assume whoever donated Every Last Word also donated this. I seriously need to find this person and hug them. Some of you may know that I am now on a mission to track down different editions of Katie’s books. I was only planning on getting the US and International editions, but I couldn’t resist the ARC when I saw it at GoodWill. Even though I love the official cover of the book, I kinda also like the sparseness of the ARC cover.

Gifted
Denton Little’s Deathdate (Denton Little #1) by Lance Rubin – I really went back and forth over whether or not to get this. I picked it up and put it back numerous times. I wanted to read it, but Lauren has it and my local library has an audiobook version and I don’t need a copy. Then someone at the signing asked the panel what books they had read this year that were amazing and Becky (Albertalli) started talking back this one. I went back to the ARC shelf immediately after the signing was over and grabbed it.
A Whole New World (Twisted Tales #1) by Liz Braswell – This sounds so awesome that I don’t even have words for it. An Aladdin retelling where Jafar ends up with the lamp? GIMME!
No True Echo by Gareth P Jones – This has the potential to end disastrously, but it also has the potential to end amazingly and I’m excited to find out which one it is.
The Improbable Theory Of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher – I LOVED THIS BOOK! It’s smart and cute and sweet and fucking hilarious.
The Game Of Love & Death by Martha Brockenbrough – I have to say, I’m worried about how this is going to end. I think it’s either going to be completely epic or completely disappointing, but nothing in between.
The Trouble With Destiny by Lauren Morrill – This might be the one I’m most excited about. I loved Morrill’s Meant To Be and I’m excited to see what she does next!
Rebound (Boomerang #2) by Noelle August – Though I did not love the as much as I loved Boomerang, I highly enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see the next novel in the series!

DIGITAL BOOKS
Amazon Freebies

Rise (Paper Gods #2.5) by Amanda Sun – I read Ink right before it came out and loved it. I’ve since been determined to get my hands on everything even remotely related to that novel.
Ultraviolet (Ultraviolet #1) by Jessica Sorensen – If I haven’t already made it clear, I adore Jessica and everything she writes.
Yours Truly, Taddy (The Undergrad Years #2) by Avery Aster – This is one of the many authors who has a book in Dirty Boys Of Summer anthology.

Purchased

Dirty Boys Of Summer by Various – This is 16 different full-length novels by 16 different authors….and it’s only $0.99. It’s a no-brainer.

For Review
From Author

The Illusion Of Annabella (Honeyton #1) by Jessica Sorensen – I made a very bad error last week and forgot to include this awesome novel in my post. I have already read it and absolutely love it. Look to see a review up for it soon(ish).

AUDIO BOOKS
Purchased

Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks) by Mirand Kenneally – I don’t know what kind of crack the people at Amazon were smoking, but they had this on sale for under $5. It’s the full audiobook, new and unopened! I bought it almost immediately. Right after I bought it, the price shot up to $50, so I’m glad I did!
Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout – This was similar to Breathe, Annie, Breathe because it was super cheap. It was like $7 and I was all MINE. I’m pretty excited to get a JLA novel that is NOT narrated by Justine Eyre. I really dislike her voice it makes me sad that she does most of JLA’s work. Not this one though! I’ve never listened to Amy Landon before, but I’m excited to give her a try.

SWAG

Also, small rant ahead. I had a bit of a rough start on Saturday morning. On the way to Asheville, I stopped at a used bookstore I have recently discovered to check for new stock. I found a BUNCH of titles I wanted and every last one of them were ARCs. I have siad more than once that I have no probably buying them from GoodWill or Value Village or Salvation Army or places like that. I can’t kick up a fuss over a $1, which is the most I’m charged. Many times the people running the register at Value Village will see the “free proof” notification and only charge me $0.25. I don’t really see that as a big deal. But a used bookstore pushing out copies for $5 to $10 a pop pisses me off. I know when people talk about selling ARCs, they are mostly referring to the ones that go for ridiculous sums of money on places like ebay or even places selling them for normal retail prices, but the principle of the thing really pisses me off, especially from places that exclusively sells books. Any reputable bookseller, even for used books, should know what an ARC is and that is it is a no-no to sell them. I will admit that I was very tempted to buy them anyway because they were ones I wanted, especially the ARC of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, but I held onto my anger and didn’t pick any of them up. I didn’t buy anything at all. ::end rant::

That’s all for me this week! I got a pretty awesome haul, huh? What did you get this week? Let me know in the comments!