My roommate took me on a small vacation yesterday to one of the small islands where she spent her summer.  The day started out pretty awesome: great breakfast, I saw a couple of porpoise on the ferry ride out, and I got some great inspiration for my book at the national park we went for a hike in.  The downside was none of the Orcas were close enough to see.  Afterwards she took me on a bookstore tour of the island, which was actually only two bookstores, but they were both super cute.  

The first place was a more mainstream bookstore, lots of new releases, a great selection, and it's where I found the beautiful copy of The Raven.  Penguin Classics are releasing these amazing edition of six different horror books, they are even giving away a set a week during the month of October.  I'll post the link below for anyone who wants to enter to win all six.  I also found the second book in the Bryant and May series, the Water Room.  Which I've been scouring my local bookstores for, for months.  I also added a few books to my library list that I'm not overly sure I'll enjoy, but had an interesting enough synopsis to pull me in.

My roommate saved the best stop for last.  Inside of a little house, tucked away from the main downtown, is an adorable used bookshop.  I walked into the door and every single surface is covered in books.  Each room held a different a genre of books, all of the cookbooks were conveniently stored in what use to be the houses kitchen.  Not only do these two ladies have a wide variety of books, but could tell you where everything is.  Each book has been categorized in the computer and there were books behind books behind books.  I was in book heaven.  My roommate grazed the shelves, found herself something and was done in 10 minutes tops.  I however, I was digging through boxes, going back to shelves, and an hour later still felt like I hadn't even scratched surface. Sadly we had a return ferry to catch, but I'm definitely going back.  My best finds yesterday where in that little shop.  

This island definitely has a tourist season when all the boats dock to enjoy our mild summer weather.  A good portion of these books don't even look like they were read once, but were probably sold before those boats left for warmer weather this winter.  Something I don't feel bad about taking advantage of.  I'm all for rescuing books and find them a new home.

I probably spent way too much money, but hey, at least I blew it on books.  The entire day was pretty awesome, the weather was beyond beautiful, and I finished Secondhand Souls on the return ferry.

Penguin and Random House Blog:  Random Notes

Penguin Horror Series: Found Here

October is shaping up to be quite a busy month for me event wise.  A lot of fun things coming to my local bookstores, and they are happening on days/times when I'm not at work.  I'm super excited for all of these and I'm hoping to have time to go most of them. Sadly a couple fall on the same day so I'm being forced pick the one I'd rather go to.  Even if I haven't read some of the books, they are at least on my TBR, and I'd like to go here the author speak.  It gives me a reason to pick up the book and get it signed.   October really shaping up to be a heck of a month!

Book Event:

Harry Potter Release Party for the new Illustrated Edition

Color Me Happy Hour for the release of Lost Ocean 

Night Vale book release party

Author Events:

 Patrick Ness for The Rest of Us Live Here

Cristin Aptowicz for Dr. Mutter's Marvels

Megan Chance for The Visitant

Catherynne Valente for Radiance 

It's the month when all the Classic Horror movies pop-up all over the place.  When people want to be scared out of their minds and it's cool to east a whole bowel of candy in one sitting.  Personally, I like a good scary movie any time of the years, especially a creepy book right before bed. But, hey, I'm weird like that.  Still, it's the season for ominous fog, ghosts, and creatures of the night. So I saved some of my creepy, spooky, and just plain weird reads just for the month of October.  My hope is to get through them all now that life seems to be settling down, but I always seem to say that right before something explodes.  My first stop is the ever creepy, and probably slightly disturbing, Dr. Mutter's Marvels, because the author is doing an event toward the end of the month, and I am planning on attending.  It's also a BINGO book! So double bonus!!

October Goals:

YASH - compete & finish

Blog Clean up (totally put this off)

1 BINGO book

3 Graphic Novels

This month it was all about getting out of my reading slump.  It wasn't a lack of reading material, but a lack of a want and the attention span.  August was a stressful month both with work and outside.  Which left me exhausted most days.  Plus my roommate was back from her summer job, and we were hanging out since we really hadn't seen much of one another in about 3 months.  I found myself picking up a lot of graphics novels, most of which were on my TBR list.  They pulled me out of my reading slump and lead me to two pretty awesome books.  All and all it was a pretty good month for me and October is shaping up to pretty awesome.  I have a lot of spooky and weird books ready for the month!

Books Read: 7

Number of Pages: 1315

2015 Reading Challenge: 29 out of 45 books

Series Finished: None

Series Started: 1 - A Dirty Job, Grim Reaper #1

BINGO Squares: 1 - A Dirty Job, A Book I Own

DNF: 1 - Vengeance Road 

Source: Google Images.