Bargain Book Bonanza (31): Drew in Blue by J. M. Kelley

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

DeLynne is hosting this week!

Drew in Blue by J.M. Kelly was free when I 'bought' it on Kindle, but now I see it's $3.99 or free for Prime members. 

 
Even if you have to pay the full $3.99 I think you will consider it money well-spent.

This is a romance story, but it's also about raising babies and making art and becoming a parent.  Drew finds himself unexpectedly responsible for his baby Nick.  You can imagine the usual Three Men and a Baby gags about diapers and spit-up, and yes, they are here.

But this is also a well-written story that made me smile and even tear up.  Don't expect a sob story because it doesn't take much to make me moist-eyed, it's a genetic thing. 

I loved riding along with Drew as he grew up, forgave his mother for dying when he was young, earned a living, fell in love with his son, and found the woman of his dreams.
  

As an added bonus, Drew is an artist, and we get to see glimpses of an artist's life.  You know, painter's block, working at home, choosing a media, meeting buyers, hanging the canvases, etc.  Not knowing any full-time artists I am not sure about the accuracy of these details, but they were interesting and made me wish I could paint.

You should know that Drew in Blue gets a little, erm, blue at times.  So if you're a stickler for keeping your reading G rated you need to move along.  Nothing to see here.  It's certainly not erotica (which Lesa says has 'all the particulars') but there are some intimacies and a bit of swearing.

The plot is predictable.  I mean Blind Freddy can see where it's going.  But it was sweet and funny: certainly more than just a Harlequin, Mills and Boon-type story.

I think you will enjoy getting to know Drew.




Not THIS Drew in Blue.

THIS Drew in Blue.

And to see even more blues, please hop over to Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally.

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BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Bargain Book Bonanza (30): Wildwood Dancing

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!


Lesa is hosting this week!

Greetings, book buddies! BBB is back in 2012-- hopefully on a weekly or bi-monthly schedule. But possibly less if life gets too busy. That is the great thing about being a blogger: one can make up the rules then change them or break them.

Now on to my BBB book...

I can't wait to show off this beautiful book that I found for one dollar at a Texas Hastings (a chain that sells new and used books, movies, music and video games) during my Thanksgiving week of seriously bizarre bad juju. Finding this book was very good juju and a turning point in the juju department.  

Isn't the cover breathtaking?  There are so many minuscule delights hidden in the cover art that I discover something new every time I look at it.  

 But I didn't buy it just for the cover. 

The title influenced me too. It was just too evocative for a girl with the soul of dryad. You know how I love trees and forests.  

Then the synopsis clinched the deal. One of the shortest and simplest that I've ever seen but irresistible. 

Five adventurous sisters...

Four dark creatures...

Three magical gifts...

Two forbidden lovers...

One enchanted frog...

Cross the threshold into the Wildwood, and enter a land of magic, daring, betrayal, and true love.

That is it and all it took. 

Wildwood Dancing was lost amid all my bargain books but I found it this past weekend and I can't wait to read it. In fact, I'm going to start it even though I'm absorbed in a reread of Great Gatsby. I'm suddenly in a fairytale mood.  Fairytale moods are like that...

Have you read this book or any others by this author?

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BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Bargain Book Bonanza (29): Kindle Mysteries

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

DeLynne is hosting this week!

We all love a bargain, and books don't come any more basement-priced than free.  Here are three Kindle mysteries I picked up for nothing, nada, niente.  Remember, folks, if you don't have a Kindle you can read these books using your laptop or apps on other devices.

Archie's Been Framed manages to be farcical yet hard-boiled in the best James Bond tradition.  Amazing gadgetry, gastronomy, a bon-vivant lifestyle and murder are a wonderful combination.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Julius and his electronic side kick.  Knight Rider eat your  heart out, Archie is Julius' friend, assistant, secretary and nagger.  This is a series I'd actually pay to read.

The Noon God is a quick read from Donna Carrick, and I do recommend it.  The characters and investigation are a bit shallow, but that's understandable for the length of the book.  Carrick sucked me in and I was shocked when she revealed the murderer.  I'd really like to know if other readers were able to pick who-done-it better than me, and plan to read it again to see which clues I missed the first time through. 

It's as much a family saga as a mystery, with tragic characters struggling to overcome damage done by relatives (usually parents).  Not a cheerful book, but thought-provoking nonetheless. 
 

Dark Horse is great.  I've fallen for Jim Knighthorse even if he is narcissistic and talks to a bum who thinks he's God.   Actually, those traits endear him to me, and I was hooked by his story.  

Jim tries to prove his client, a high-achieving black high school student, didn't kill his white girlfriend.  The plot is tight and quick, and this book has everything a good mystery should.  Jim has a troubled past he's trying to resolve, and this is probably the grittiest of the three books reviewed here.  There are some moral dilemmas to ponder, too.   

Three good reads for free.  Actually my grandfather used to say nothing is free, and he would have pointed out that even a $0.00 Kindle book requires internet connection, a reading device, etc.  But this is as free as it gets, readers!

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BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

If you have a bargain book post, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (28): Narnia Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

Lesa is hosting this week!

 I'm not much of a gambler but book hunting at my particular Goodwill is always a sure bet especially in the children's book section.  And at only twenty cents a pop for paperbacks, I splurge like crazy. Why, I've even been known to buy 10 or 15 books at a time!  

  Love my Goodwill store but sometimes I can't get over some of the books that have been donated. 
Recently, I was astounded to see Narnia books offered. Narnia?! What is up with that? Narnia books are keepers!

There were multiple copies of four of the books available and I chose the best of each... 

To keep forever and ever...  or until they fall apart.

Actually book friends, even fall aparts are safe at my house. Look at this Narnia set that I bought used over twenty years ago.

It has literally been read to pieces... mainly by me.

I intended to give it the old heave-ho as replacements were acquired but it is sooo difficult.

Is it difficult for you to toss tattered copies of beloved books?



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BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

If you have a bargain book post, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (28): Before Green Gables

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

Howdy, bargain loving kindred spirits! I have such a sweet little book to show you this week.





See, isn't the cover as sweet as can be?

And it is new! Yes, brand spankin' new! Didn't want you to think I was only obsessed with used bargain books. Oh no, I am an equal opportunity bargain book buyer.

Now, this book did cost a bit more than the one dollar each discounted paperbacks that I usually pick up at Books-a-Million (look for them in future BBB posts) but considering that this book is trade paperback size and the original price was fifteen dollars, $3.97 is quite the bargain. 

Really, I just couldn't resist. Sweet cover aside, Before Green Gables is a prequel to Anne of Green Gables!  

What kindred spirit of Anne could resist that?!

*giggle* I know you bookworms with a phobia for prequels/sequels written by anyone other than the original author are cringing right now. 

  Not me. Anne of Green Gables may be one of my top five beloved rereads but I'm not afraid to give this book a try. 

And of course, I don't expect this book to be a perfect reflection of L. M. Montgomery's style (that would be silly).  I am just excited to read about Anne's life before she was adopted by Marilla and Mathew-- even though it will likely have lots of sad bits. 

This prequel introduces Anne's parents who died when she was a baby-- and remember the references Anne made about the horrid foster homes she lived in before Green Gables? No doubt all the particulars will be revealed in Before Green Gables.  

So my lovely bookish ones, are you fans of Anne? And if so, would you read this book?
If you have already read this book, did you like it?

If you have a bargain book, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (27): More Newbery Books!

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!


Welcome, bargain loving friends!

If you've been thinking: That lazy, Lesa! Where is BBB? Didn't she photograph all her bargain books for future BBB posts into infinity?

Well, yes and yes. I am lazy and I did photograph all my bargain books. But the computer had to be wiped. Thank goodness, my photos are safe on an external harddrive, whew! Still such a pain since everything had to be reloaded including my photo editing programs ect. Hub handles all that and it takes awhile (he is on the lazy side too).

Anyhoo, I'm now back in BBB biz.

So this week selection adds to my growing collection of Newbery winners and honor books...




Two paperbacks (.20 each) and one hardback (.50) from Goodwill 


Have you read any of these?

The only one I've read is Charlotte's Web. It is a fave from my childhood and I can't wait to read it to my little boy.

UH OH! He just ran in, saw the photo and said: Charlotte's Web! My teacher read that to us!

That is okay. He enjoys a reread as much as his mama and I'm thrilled he has such a wonderful bookloving teacher. I liked my first grade teacher but she didn't read cool books like that to the class. Did yours?  Actually, I only remember the school librarian reading picture books to the class. Hmm... I'm thinking my early education was deprived! 


If you have a bargain book, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (26): A Pioneer Kindle Freebie For Adult Fans Of Little House On The Prairie

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


DeLynne is hosting this week!

Tracy wrote here ages ago about her Kindle, and at the time it seemed to me like some incredibly modern, foreign device.  We didn't have them here in Australia. 

But then my beautiful mother bought each of our girls (aged 14 and 10) one and we got used to them. My girls just love them and use them all the time.  

I do recommend Kindle for kids, especially since Amazon replaced both Kindles when they were accidentally damaged in separate incidents.  No questions, no need to return the old ones, just a new Kindle in the mail immediately.

But, I didn't have a Kindle (aren't all mums like that?) and kept thinking that one trip to the States I'd shout myself one.  Well, lo and behold Aussies can now buy the Kindle almost anywhere, and the very first time I saw it in Australia I just happened to have cash in my wallet (now that is a miracle!). I bought it before you could slide and release that power switch. 

So now we are a Kindle family (Hubby has shown absolutely no interest in an e reader of any kind.) and very happy.  I was a bit worried that I would start spending lots on books, since most of my reading comes from BBB-type sources.  However, I have found the Kindle very economical reading after the initial purchase.

I Googled 'free Kindle books'  and was overwhelmed with choices.  There are many sites that offer free e books, but so far I have stuck to the free category in the Amazon site.  One of my finds is Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, written in the early 1900's.

Unlike so many stories of hardship and subjugation in the West (that poor Caroline Ingalls following Pa's every whim), this collection of letters tells a life full of joy and achievement.  

There is some sorrow, of course, but basically Elinore is a woman who chooses her destiny, seeks adventure, helps those less fortunate, and thrills at the landscape around her.  She makes friends, among them a French trapper, and enjoys an active social life while raising her family. 

Bring out the pioneer woman in you and read this book.  It's available in paperback, so even if you're an old fashioned girl you can read it, too.

Images from http://commons.wikimedia.org, all oil paintings by Cornelius Krieghoff.

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (25): Mrs. K's Yard Sale Gamble!

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

Hello, friends!  I'm so excited to share a BBB from the lovely Mrs. K! 

Just who in the world is Mrs. K, you ask? Well, she is the fun and fabulous librarian at one of my schools.  

Mind you,  I like all the librarians in my life but I think Mrs. K might just be my favorite.  (And not just because she lets me have my pick of the school library discards... really, that isn't why)


Typically, we chat via notes left under the computer keyboard and only get to visit in person a couple of times a year since we work at this school on different days of the week. Last week, Mrs. K worked on my day of the week.  What a pleasant surprise!

And what fun!  We talked and laughed all day (between work tasks, of course) and never ran out of topics-- mostly bookish topics but not all.

Ah, good conversation with a kindred spirit...

As the conversation turned to bargain books, Mrs. K showed me her recent spectacular yard sale find.   

(Sorry no photo of Mrs. K yet-- she is a bit camera shy but said I could take a photo of her on book fair day-- that is a snazzy day for school librarians)

A set of eight brand new never read Magic Tree House books for one dollar! One dollar! Can you believe it?! That is like twelve cents a book!

This set was a bit of gamble even at one dollar since the  books were bound as a set in very dirty raggedy plastic that looked as though it had been wet. But the books are absolutely pristine! 

Kudos, Mrs. K! You are a bargain book shopper extraordinaire!

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (24): Bloggie Bonanza!

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Leslie is hosting this week!

What is this? Blogs? Is that really fair? I mean, isn't this supposed to be about (air quotes) books?

Excellent question, kind sir and/or madam. Yes, this is fair. Books are involved, and it is my humble opinion that this would be a bonanza.

As none of you probably know, I am planning to home school my kids after fifth grade. If any of you have ever looked into homeschooling you know how expensive it is! Actually, if you are an educator, tutor or parent, you know that supplemental materials, educational games, and extra supplies are expensive!

So, I went researching. I got a book from the library about home schooling for free or very little money. I was contemplating buying it, but decided to check out the reviews of this one and similar titles. One of the reviews mentioned www.freelyeducate.com that provides free resources for a variety of subjects. There is a sister site www.frugallyeducate.com that lists great deals that come along.

Some examples of the neat-o finds are free classics that can be downloaded to your PC (and e-readers, of course), free worksheets, free or reduced magazine subscriptions (no catches), discount school supplies, and really cool downloadable educational crafts. 

What I like the most is the free or low cost curriculum! There are some fantastic free sources to legitimately teach K-12 - math, science, language arts, foreign languages, history, and more! These are age-appropriate lessons that can be used by a tutor, teacher, or home schooler.

One of my favorite finds from these sites is www.livemocha.com. It is free language website for just about any language - even ESL! Very similar to Rosetta Stone, a user can even record a few sentences and have a native speaker critique his pronunciation. So cool!


Anyway, I am super excited to find a place that has scoured the internet for real and safe sources and has compiled it into an easy to follow blog.

Do you have any great websites or blogs you are excited about? Dish please!

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (23): Classics, sort-of

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Leslie is hosting this week!

Good morning, all. I had intended to write this last night, but we ended up watching a movie - a SAD movie - and I was too tired after that to get this out. (Just FYI, Mars Needs Moms is very sad. No spoilers, but if you have sensitive kids, maybe pass on this one. One of ours ended up in the middle of our bed last night! If you have a bunch of ingrates, maybe this is a good one. Just saying.)

Anyway, at this pernt in time, when I go book shopping I look for children's books. I am interested in early readers for my two younger ones and fiction books that will get my older one interested in trying new subjects.

This week I found two little goodies - The Cat in the Hat and The Hardy Boys. Both are recent editions. 

99 cents each at Goodwill

I read all The Hardy Boys books when I was a kid and loved them (I never could get into Nancy Drew) so I thought this might be fun for my 10 year old. He hasn't opened it yet, but I may just read it with him.

And The Cat in the Hat has a lot of "sight words" that children need to know as well as rhyming. Plus it's fun! 

So, while not quite as much of a bargain as Lesa can find, me likey!

My second "find" is not really a bargain exactly, but it is a follow up of a previous bargain, and I am equally excited about it. I bought Corre, Perro. Corre, which is the full-sized version of Go, Dog. Go from another website. I won't say the name, but it starts with an "O" and rhymes with Cloverstock.

 

I absolutely adore these books. First the English book, the original, shows location and direction, opposites and contrasts. The vocabulary is fantastic for a kindergartner and first grader.  And the Spanish is exactly the same, but - get this - IN SPANISH! So again, learning all of the above, but IN SPANISH: 

My 6 year old reads the sentence, then we look at the picture and I ask, "Ok, what does perro mean? (DOG) Right! And what does grande mean? (looks at picture~BIG) Exactly and so what does perro grande mean? (BIG DOG!) YAY! You got it! See how easy Spanish is?"

I get such a big grin when he figures it out! LOVE. IT. 

Anyway, I paid about $7 for Corre, Perro. Corre. Not a bargain in the absolute sense of the word, but it is a great aid, so I think it's a good deal for what it is giving us!

So, what about you? What bargain books have you gotten? Maybe they are not at rock bottom prices, but they are a bargain for what they offer!

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (22): Kate Grenville and Drums Along The Mohawk

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

 Yippee! Two more treasures off the fifty cent hardback table at the never ending library sale!

Yet again, I feel like such a dunce.

Why hasn't Kate Grenville been on my radar?

She is one of Australia's best known writers and has won many literary awards. (maybe DeLynne will share some info in the com-box. hint hint...) The Idea Of Perfection won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2001 and it so sounds like my cuppa.

Listen to this synopsis of the synopsis: 

A plain rawboned woman with a dangerous streak and a shy gawky engineer with jug-handle ears arrive in the eccentric little country town of Karakarook at the same time. She is there to build a heritage museum and he is there to demolish a quaint bridge. A collision of opposites reveals an amusing tender tale of unlikely love blossoming in the Australian bush.

And it is told in elegant prose.

Can't wait to dive in! 

Now on to Drums Along The Mohawk

I almost missed this little jewel. I spotted it the same week that I found the two Pearl S. Buck books and the Prisoner of Zenda (featured in BBB 20 and received nary a comment. For shame, BBB peeps, for shame!) but I didn't buy it.

Drums Along The Mohawk was a bit shabby and though it sounded so familiar, I couldn't place it.

So I left it. Then proceeded to kick myself for not nabbing it. But it was still there awaiting rescue the next week. Whew! 

This 1936 novel is a Revolutionary War epic set in the New York Frontier. It was on the US bestseller list for two years and was second only to Gone With the Wind for part of that time. (Thanks, Wikipedia) 

Isn't that fasicinating? Two popular war novels duking it out on the eve of WW2.

I'm almost sure I've seen the movie adaptation but the book will be better and I can't wait to read it!

My threadbare but intact edition is from 1952...

and it is yet another originating from Mayer, Arizona. Yes, I'm stilling wondering about these book's journey to Oklahoma.  (check out BBB 20)

Look at this...

Inside the back cover, someone (maybe the librarian in Mayer?) glued a cut-out synopsis. Funny. And the price for a bound hardback in 1952?  Four Dollars. 

Have you read any Kate Grenville? What about Drums Along the Mohawk or other books by Walter Edmonds?
   

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (21): Paperback Trio

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

BBB is the place to showcase all the great books (new, used, vintage, electronic, audio) that you have scored on sale, dirt cheap or even free. 

Each Monday through Thursday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

My bargain paperbacks tend to come in threes. At least the ones from the library with the never-ending sale. Why? Because paperbacks are three for a dollar or fifty cents each. And as a savvy cheapskate bargain hunter, I always go for the best deal-- even if there is really only one book that I want. 

So which one of these three did I really want?

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Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

Yep, good ol' creepy King. And it is your fault! Oh yes, it is-- you just had to blog about the King book you read, didn't you!  

I haven't read any King since the early 90s and the urge to revisit the weirdness and horror has been growing stronger this last year.  

This collection contains one novella and twenty-one shortstories. Seems like a decent not too intense way to dabble but if I have any nightmares, I am blaming you!

Rounding out this BBB trio:

Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
(I don't recall anything about the movie-- surely the book will be more memorable.)

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff by William Inge
(Never heard of this one-- apparantly Inge wrote a couple of novels in addition to his famous plays and this is one of them.)

Have you read any of these books? 

If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (20): Buck Hope Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

BBB is the place to showcase all the great books (new, used, vintage, electronic, audio) that you have scored on sale, dirt cheap or even free. 

Each Monday through Thursday, all book lovers are invited to carouse, make merry and revel with bargain book abandon!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!


Found a trio of goodies at the never-ending library book sale...





Other Gods by Pearl S. Buck (1940 edition)

Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck (1956 edition)

The Prisoner of Zenda and the sequel Rupert of Hentzau by Anthony Hope (Reader's Digest 2008)

Have you read any Pearl S. Buck? 

 When I was a kid, I read The Good Earth after liking the movie adaptation. I remember really enjoying the novel but never sought out any of Buck's other works--- odd since I had a thing for novels about China in my teen years.  

Anyway, I'm looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with Pearl S. Buck.  (By the way, the 's' stands for Sydenstricker...no wonder she used an initial.) 

Vintage books have such character and I particularly love this edition of Other Gods.

But as an equal opportunity booklover, I appreciate shiny new books too...

This book is in pristine never read condition. Actually, it is so stiff that I doubt it has ever been opened.

And it came with lagniappes...

Are you familiar with Anthony Hope?

I've heard of the Prisoner of Zenda, of course, (probably because of the film adaptations) but didn't know of the author.

The insert bio is very interesting and I'll share more about Hope when I get around to reading this book. 

For now, I will leave you with this charming tidbit...

Isn't it a lovely little letter. Reminds me a bit of Jane Austen. 

But what exactly is a hereditary acquaintance? And I'd love to know why the parson was the parson... Wouldn't you?


If you have a bargain book, please share. We love to brag on bargains!