If there's one thing every book blogger delights in, it's a book haul - and an opportunity to fangirl about said books at length in a blog post. This is that time. And this is that post.




Last year around this time, I received two stunning, stunning books in the mail from my dear friend Dennis (the first of which I then attempted to read during a four-day non-stop music festival, to moderately successful results). These were Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and its sequel, Hollow City. The story follows a boy whose grandfather dies under mysterious circumstances, his dying words instructing the boy to go to an island off the coast of Wales and find a group of supernaturally-gifted children who can't possibly be real... can they? Since then, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was optioned for a movie, then picked up by Tim Burton himself, and the shooting of the movie is currently underway. Also, since then, Dennis and I have discovered that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was made into a graphic novel as well. And because sending me the two books apparently hadn't been enough, Dennis sent me the graphic novel in the mail as well! I was as speechless when I first opened the parcel as I am now. There are quite simply no words. (Just look at that artwork! It's a graphic novel in hardcover format, with full-color illustrations!) This is the world's most perfect refresher of what happened in the novel - all the more perfect due to the impeccable timing. The movie, by all accounts, is drawing near. And what better way to remind ourselves of what happened in the book than via a graphic novel?



We don't often haul non-fiction on this blog... but when we do, it's about books! Who is surprised? No one? We didn't think so. Having picked up and enjoyed The Bookshop Book himself, the ridiculously generous person that he is, Dennis sent a copy both to myself and my co-blogger Natalie. In the note, he said that it is a book we needed on our shelves. This is no doubt in part due to our obsession with everything-bookish (especially the bookstores). But I like to think the other part is our own frequent discussions about opening our own quirky little bookstore. Not that we could, exactly. But dreamers gonna dream.
The Bookshop Book features stunning, unique, individual bookstores from all across the world (really, it doesn't just focus on the US and Europe, it really is from all over the world). Some of the bookstores included therein come with pictures, and all of the bookstores come with descriptions and trivia about them. This is truly, truly something that every book-lover (and book-collector, and anyone who frequents bookstores a little too much) needs on their shelf. It's just that spectacular. The author's other book, Weird Things Customers Say In Bookshops, is every bit as fascinating, too. Dennis has picked so well. And as always, I can't thank him (or repay him) enough.







Here at The Honest Bookclub, we've made no secret of the fact that S.C. Stephens's Thoughtless series is the crowning jewel of our NA collections. In fact, we've beat everyone over the head with it. The Thoughtless series appears in our Top 10 Monday picks so many times, there was hardly a week since we started the blog when it hasn't been featured prominently. When its author S.C. Stephens announced that she would be rewriting the first book from the male protagonist's point of view, we were over the moon. When we were then contacted to get an early advanced copy for review and then host a blog tour for it... well, it's a good thing this blog isn't a vlog, because our excitement was downright embarrassing. And once Thoughtful came out, on February 24th... I was broke (as grad students frequently are) and couldn't afford it. I got the ebook instead. But my co-blogger Natalie, whose excitement over it was every bit as palpable as mine, sent me the physical copy - without so much as letting me know. As far as pleasant surprises go, this was a thoroughly and absolutely stunning surprise. Natalie reasoned, as she put in the card which came with the book, that we both must own Kellan Kyle in physical form (if only). This is as close as it gets, so this is what she did for me - for no reason at all! My friends are just that generous.


This has been a thoroughly unexpected haul - but hardly the first one of the kind to grace The Honest Bookclub in the past year. It is not a special occasion and it wasn't my birthday or any kind of anniversary. I just have incredibly kind, amazing, loving friends who apparently love to spend their money on others, even when it's entirely uncalled for and entirely too much. As far as special events go, however, The Honest Bookclub's birthday is right around the corner! And rather than to feature more books, we intend to celebrate by giving something back to our readers. I'd be more explicit than that, except - we're still debating the finer points of the plan. As soon as we know how we intent to celebrate - we'll be letting you know. Keep in touch on social media and you won't miss a thing. ;) We're everywhere!

- Lexie