Well, it’s finally happened. Though I actually wound up buying a fair number of books this month, what I’m stuck on is the fact that I actually forgot to include a few new books last month, one of which having been a rather big deal for me. Goodness knows how I forgot about it. I almost forgot another book today too; I think I really ought to cool down on the book purchases next month. We’ll see if I actually do that.

On to the books!

New Books

These are the books I forgot to include back in March, both being thrift store purchases. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran I decided to pick up in part because I recall my mother reading a passage from this book at my grandfather’s funeral, so I have a particular personal connection to it, but I also recalled that it is one of the best selling and most translated books in history. So, after finding a second-hand copy in such good condition, it felt right to pick it up.

I also purchased The Greek Myths by Robert Graves, which is a pair of books I actually owned already. However, they were just a pair of lightly musty old paperbacks. As you can see, these new copies are from the Folio Society, and the thrift shop was only asking for $20. I didn’t yet own any books from the Folio Society, so I knew I just had to pick these up. No regrets.

Moving onto new books from this month, Twistwood Tales by A. C. MacDonald is a collection of web comics that recently came out. I’ve been following the artist on Instagram for a while now, so I was really happy to show my support by picking this up at release.

Spores by Joshua Barkman is a book by another web comic artist I follow on Instagram. This book is a self-published collection of the comic he released in installments for Inktober back in October 2022. Considering he printed only a limited supply of these books, it was an easy choice to pick one up for myself.

How To by Randall Munroe is yet another thrift store purchase I made recently. I really enjoyed the author’s book What If? and thought this would make for another entertaining yet oddly informative read, though it doesn’t quite capture my interest the way What if? 2 promises. I would probably have passed it over if it was brand new, but it was an easy second-hand purchase.

The Mongols: A Very Short Introduction by Morris Rossabi was perhaps the most impulsive purchase, as it’s not exactly a subject I’m keenly interested in. I find the idea of this little series of books fascinating though, and I once listened to an in-depth podcast series many years ago about the Mongols, so that was enough for me to pick this book up at the thrift shop (for their size, these are a little too pricey brand new).

The Destroyer of Worlds by Matt Ruff was a rather impulsive purchase, especially for a full-price hardcover, but I jumped through enough hoops to justify it to myself. I had no idea (or completely forgot) that a follow-up to Lovecraft Country was coming out, so it was quite a shock to come across it on the shelf. I ended up picking it up to take advantage of a promotion at Indigo rewarding 10 times the points for a purchase over $30.

Tombs by Junji Ito is one of the latest newly released collections of the author’s work. I’ve been a lot less enthusiastic about new books of his, so much so that I’m not sure I’ll be doggedly picking them up anymore after this, but I am still hopeful that this collection will appeal more than some other recently published books of his.

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton was originally just going to be a “Novel Discovery” this month, as I only just recently learned about this book. It follows a pet crow that is trying to navigate a zombie apocalypse to help his owner, which sounds like a lot of fun. I picked up a hardcover so soon, however, because it was coincidentally on sale for $8 when I happened to search for it online. Easy choice for a hardcover.

Novel Discoveries

A lighter month for discovering new books, this is the only one that I made a note of. I don’t at all recall what The Vorrh by Brian Catling is supposed to be about. All I do remember is a video talking about how the presenter believed that this was one of the best examples of fantasy literature of the 21st century so far. Statements like that are enough for me sometimes, I guess, especially with a title and cover so enigmatic.

Closing Thoughts

What’s a book that you love so much that you’d go out of your way to buy something like a Folio Society edition?  Doesn’t have to be by them, just a place that creates deluxe bindings for books and such. Their books are so beautiful but also so expensive that I have a hard time imagining actually buying any of them for full price, but the temptation is always there.

Until next time, thank you for reading.