February Books and Paperback Swap

     Hey guys! It feels like forever since I've posted...because it HAS been ages. February hasn't really been that interesting for us, just a short so-so month. But, I've still been reading, and here's the list!

     Something great I found this month: paperbackswap.com. This might just be the best idea anybody has every had, even counting makeup and hair straighteners. The deal is: you list books you no longer want, people request them, you mail them off. For the books you mail off you get credits. With these you purchase the books other people have listed that THEY no longer want. So basically, you're trading a book you don't want for one you do and all you're paying is about $2.50 postage.
     And before you ask, yes it does work. So far I've mailed off two and got back two. The books have to be in good condition so you're not going to get some ratty, coverless paperback in exchange for your opened-one-time hardback. And there are really great books on there, not just the cruddy ones no one likes. No membership fees, no hidden catches.
     If you're an avid reader like I am and you're going broke from Barnes and Noble's prices and Amazon's book shipping fees, you absolutely HAVE to check this out.

FEBRUARY

Portrait in Sepia - Isabel Allende
The Codex - Douglas Preston
The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult
The Dead Travel Fast - Deanna Raybourn
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
The Guardian - Nicholas Sparks
*The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
*The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Man-Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures - J. H. Patterson (This is the book the movie 
     'The Ghost and the Darkness' was made from)
How Starbucks Saved My Life - Michael Gates Gill
*Book of the Dead - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

    
     Once again, starred (*) books are books in a series. That gives me a total of 12 for the month of February, 24 for the year so far.


     I meant to do this last month but I totally forgot. My favorite book this month was a tossup between 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' by Lisa See and 'The Dead Travel Fast' by Deanna Raybourn.
     I bought 'Snow Flower...' because I saw a trailer for a movie version coming out soon, and thinking it looked good I wanted to read the book beforeI had a chance to see it. It was along the lines of the book version of Memoirs of a Geisha or something written by Isabel Allende, a Chilean American writer I like. I definitely recommend it if you like historical fictionn that's written very descriptively, and makes you feel for and identify with the characters.
     'The Dead Travel Fast' is written by Deanna Raybourn, who is the author of a mystery series I love. This book is a stand alone book that is not part of her series, but I found it on Amazon really cheap and had some gift card money left over. Turns out I liked it as much as the series. It leans more toward the fantasy genre than historic, but is written to move fast and keep you in the book. Definitely a good read.
  
     Until next time, keep reading!