Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted at my other blog — The Broke & the Bookish
This week’s topic: Top Ten Books I’d Buy RIGHT NOW If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card
What once would have been the easiest of topics at one point in my life just proved to be a daunting task. You see, once I joined Goodreads in 2008 and then started blogging in 2010, I became an out of control book buyer. Then my purchasing dwindled a bit due to me becoming unemployed. Then, after things weren’t so dire financially, I realized I was a bit of a reformed book buyer. I have a zillion unread books from when I went nuts buying books and also review copies PLUS I do soooo much librarying it’s not even funny (I love the library did you know that??).
So when I went to sit down and think, “WHAT BOOKS WOULD I BUY THIS MINUTE?” I was stumped. Because I would find all of them at the library likely. And my criteria for buying books is REALLY strict now (books from fave authors, books I read and loved and want on my shelf, from a series I love, have to want it 10000% percent).
SO I really had to step outside of my normal line of thinking for this one and stop thinking that I could get it at the library and just think about what a fun shopping spree would be like!
Since I’ve now read Harry Potter this year at the age of 30 I decided that I HAVE to own these! I really want the hardcover box set too but this would be the one I’d likely pick.
2. Puffin In Bloom Collection:
I NEED these. All 4 books in here, Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Little Women, and A Little Princess, are all my all time faves from when I was a kid and they are GORGEOUS editions.
3. Jane Austen Vintage Classics Editions:
Photo from Anthropologie
There are so many gorgeous editions of Jane Austen’s work and it’s super hard to pick but I adore these sooo much. I’ve currently just took all my Austen books off my shelves and put them in a donate bin because I want to get beautiful editions. All mine were like dingy paperbacks from the 70’s that I got at used book sales. Also really love these Jane Austen editions! Why is it so hard to figure out which Jane Austen editions to get?? So many beautiful ones!!
4. Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta:
This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE fantasy series but I don’t own them yet as I libraryed them so I would definitely take advantage of a gift card to finally have these on my shelves.
5. And I Darken by Kiersten White:
I’ve been wanting to read this one because I’ve heard great things plus my book club is reading it!
6. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara:
I was number like one billion on the holds list at my library for this and IT FINALLY CAME IN — but it was a really busy week for me and I was reading it at a snail’s pace when I did get a chance to sit down with it so I had to return it after the week I had it and haven’t added myself back on the waiting list yet. Would probably just decide to buy it to take off the pressure of reading this chunky book in so little of a time and be at the mercy of whenever my hold would come in again.
7. Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake:
One of my most anticipated books for the year that I haven’t gotten around to getting yet! It came out when I was on vacation and I just totally forgot to snag it!
8. Summer Skin by Kirsty Eager:
I keep meaning to buy this one since it came out earlier this year because I loved Kirsty Eager’s book Raw Blue but it’s not published in the US so I need to order from Australia and I’ve just been dragging my feet about it.
9. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty:
This is an author who I’ve heard great things about and have all her books on my TBR but don’t own any of them so I’d definitely want to give myself that extra push to finally pick up one of her books by buying it!
10. Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir:
This came out when I was in London and I saw it when I was perusing Daunt Books but I had to limit what I bought so didn’t end up coming home with it. It’s the 1st in Alison Weir’s new Six Tudor Queens series.
So tell me…what books would YOU buy?
Anne@Headfullofbooks says
You and I were both thinking about well constructed books in a series. I love the look of those Jane Austen Books.
I was thinking about way more expensive books. Check out my silly list. My TTT shopping list
Jamie says
Yes I feel like I am way more interested these days in buying nice stuff of books I know I love and will want to keep in my collection! The Jane Austen’s are just so beautiful.
Christine @ BookishlyB says
I have heard such mixed things about A Little Life and I’m trying to decide if I want to commit. If you listen to Audiobooks the Liane Moriarty books are great ones to listen to.
Jamie says
SAME. Some people I trust are super obsessed with it and others hated it. That’s why I decided to library it! Oooh and good to know about Liane’s books being good for audio! Always looking for new audios!
Lindsay says
I had a hard time with this week’s topic for the same reason — I get almost all my books from the library, or else secondhand. One of the things I did put on my list was a pretty copy of “Pride and Prejudice” — and I actually looked online for one of those Mr. Boddington ones you have here and apparently they are very hard to find!
I have “A Little Life” checked out from the library right now but haven’t started it yet. Luckily there are no holds on it so I can renew it if I need to. I wasn’t really interested in it for the longest time, and I think part of that was that the original cover totally turned me off. I like the new paperback cover much better! (Also the length… but apparently this is the year of long books for me, so I might as well conquer it now!)
Jamie says
I’m glad I’m not the only one! Making this list made me realize how much my thinking TRULY has changed. My criteria of what to buy is so strict these days that I really had to be like OKAY CHILL OUT THIS IS PRETEND…it’s free pretend money to think about what you’d want. But even still, I was like BUT WOULD I REALLY WANT TO OWN THIS BOOK? lol.
Ugh the original cover was AWFUL! Let me know what you think about A Little LIfe!!
Katie says
If I had an unlimited gift-card I would definitely buy all the boxed sets I’ve been wanting. I want to Puffin set as well and the UK Harry Potter paperback set. I have the paperback version of the Jane Austens you put in your list. I am missing Emma from the collection, but they aren’t that expensive. I want to collect all the Penguin classics too. 🙂
Jamie says
SO many great boxed sets out there that I want!!! I feel like I’m much more committed to saving up and buying stuff like that for books I know I love already than buying random books these days!
Cynthia @ Bingeing On Books says
What a great list. I have read Suffer Love and I loved it. I have A Little Life on my list, but I was actually able to buy it yesterday. The Kindle version went on sale from $12.99 to $4.99. Yay! Here is my list: https://bookbinges.blogspot.it/2016/08/top-ten-tuesday-gift-card-wish-list.html
Jamie says
So glad to hear you loved Suffer Love!! And oh man I debated on buying A Little Life for kindle yesterday!
Lori says
I love your list! I almost put the new HP box set on my list too. I love those covers! I have the In Bloom collection on my list too. So pretty!!! I got And I Darken last week. I’m so excited to read it.
My Top Ten
Ria says
The unemployment is killing me right now, and I have put myself on a book buying ban. Now when I look at the bookshelf, I see a lot of books lying neglected for a long time and have decided to read them all before buying any.
Your list is great, we do have some books in common like puffin in bloom and vintage Austen books. Hope you find the books in your wishlist, Jamie 🙂
My TTT
Suzanne says
Great list! Those Jane Austen vintage books look so gorgeous! Now you have me wanting them too, haha. And I Darken is on my must-buy list as well.
Laura says
Those Puffin in Bloom and Jane Asuten editions are so so beautiful! I’d love to get my hands on those, even though I’m not the biggest fan of classics. And I’ve been eyeing Suffer Love for a while now, but I’m still not too sure about it. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it, once you read/get it!
Here’s my TTT post: http://bbliophile.blogspot.nl/2016/08/ttt-books-id-buy-right-this-second-if.html
Becky says
Oh, I definitely want that Puffin in Bloom set! It’s just so pretty, and I’m a sucker for pretty books and boxed sets.
I just bought a new Jane Austen boxed set (Amazon Prime Day for the win), and it’s gorgeous. It’s part of the “Heirloom Collection” series and I’ve been lusting after it for a while, so I was really excited to see it go on sale.
Vanessa says
Let me offer you a piece of advice: don’t buy A Little Life. That book was horrendous. Trust me, you’re better off borrowing it from your library again.
Lisa says
Great stuff here! I love the top three–gorgeous editions of all of those. Big Little Lies is near the top of my to-read list. Suffer Love I’ll take a long look at & probably add to my list. I like Alison Weir’s books, too.
India says
I convinced myself to buy that exact Harry potter set last month and I don’t regret it. My hardback covers are banged up, but they hold a sentimental value so I still have them, but as I reread the series I wanted new editions with new covers so they could kind of feel new to me (my logic). I say got for it!!
India
IndiaHillWrites.com
Brenda says
The Harry Potter set is gorgeous, I love the covers and they look so pretty together. Very nice list. My TTT link
kristen says
i can’t believe you haven’t read any of liane moriarty! well, actually, stay away. i am scared you will hate her and then i won’t be able to love her as much.
jane austens from the 70s?! you should have donated to me! i collect them.. it’s a problem. i have like 30 copies of pride & prejudice. including both the ones you shared/linked to. it’s a problem.
i also have the lumatere books… basically i have a shopping problem and books are the worst (but best!) and yeah actually, you can see my last instagram picture was the books i own and haven’t read lol.
i also have a couple of those puffin editions, but only 1 or 2 i think.
Lynn says
Great list! I really want And I Darken, A Little Life and Summer Skin!! The Puffin in Bloom Collection just looks so cute! Happy reading!
chelsea jacobs says
The Puffin in Bloom set is so gorgeous!!
Louise // Exploring by Starlight says
That Puffin in Bloom set is so gorgeous! I haven’t read any of the books in it, but I would definitely buy it just based on cover lust alone, haha 🙂
Seraphina says
I would vote for Harry Potter box set and the classics box set as I need them too.
P.S. Wonderful blog.
My TTT over (http://seraphinareads.blogspot.com.eg/2016/08/top-ten-tuesday-3.html)
Reno @ Falling Letters says
I have the same attitude towards book buying. I like to carefully cultivate my home library. That being said, I would buy a lot of Tolkien related books if money wasn’t a constraint. Those are the only books I ‘collect’, as I want to build a nice reference library.
Jessica @ a GREAT read says
Oooh lots of pretties! Seeing a lot of And I Darken too! Still need to read that one!
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Krystianna says
I really want a box set of the Harry Potter books too. Mine are all kind of mismatched because some of mine are hardcover and some are paperback. Of course they are all ripped up too because I’ve had them for so long. Great list!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Amy S. says
My husband and I got that boxed set of HP to read the series for the first time, and I just love the covers!
Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales says
I’ve always wanted to own the Puffin Bloom Collection! The covers are gorgeous! And the Jane Austin collection is adorable!
Kyle says
I just need to say that I LOVE how you are you using “library” as a verb! I need to start doing it now, like I libraryed I’ll Meet You There last week and returned it already. =D
I am not a big book buyer by any means, so it would be difficult for me to decide what to purchase. I do like buying the books that my book club reads so I have a fun collection of those, but otherwise I just buy books from signings/events and books about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would love to read more Austen and start collecting editions of those, but sadly I’ve only read P&P.
Jamie says
hahhaha I tend to make a lot of words as verbs. IDK WHY. I think we should totally make it a thing
And yea, besides favorites these days that I’ve already ready or books by fave authors, I really am not buying much outside of that. I used to just buy any book that sounded interesting to me and, while that was nice to have all those books, my wallet can’t support that and honestly I’m okay with being a little choosy with what I buy!
Stephanie B says
I want that set of Harry Potter books. If I had the room, I’d have probably already bought it. Those Jane Austen books are gorgeous and adorable. I’ve started reading And I Darken but haven’t finished it yet. It’s goooooood.
Amanda @ Vivalabooks says
So many good books! I’ve also been dying to get my hands on And I Darken. And those classics are so beautiful! <3 Also I'd want to get the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Gallagher Girls series! I've been dying to read all the special epilogues!
Tiara Amany says
Yess, I would also love to buy the Harry Potter box set (if I have the cash, you know, haha). Especially now they come with the new covers. So cool. You line them up and then the spines would form the Hogwarts. Does the covers line up, too? The PJO also has lined up spines AND covers. And I think it’s genius. Really amazing. A book collector’s wet dream. Gosh. *starry eyes*
Tiara Amany says
And yess again, the Puffin in Bloom and Jane Austen novels’ covers are pretty, too. Really feminine. It would really appeal to female readers who like pretty things.