Showcase Sunday #19

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

Birthday presents from the lovely Courtney!

Received:

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst  
I think I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Courtney is the best. She knew how much I loved Vessel (my review), and so bought me my own copy of it for my birthday. I can’t wait to re-read it soon. Thank you, dear!  
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss This was also a birthday present from Courtney. It was such a perfect pick, as I’ve been meaning to start this series for a while now. So, so excited to get my adult fantasy on with a reading of this series.

Purchased:  
Through the Smoke by Brenda Novak
Historical romance for a cheap price? Don’t mind if I do. I don’t know much about this one, but I have seen a few reviews (positive ones) pop up here and there, so I figured it would be good to have this on my Kindle for when the mood strikes.  
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline  
I bought this in preparation for SciFi November. And also because I’d heard many great things about it and wanted to give it a chance. I mean, a science fiction novel that harkens back to 80s culture? Sounds fun! And it was, but not as much fun as I’d hoped, unfortunately.  
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Settenfield  
I bought this totally on a whim at my library’s book sale. Near perfect condition for $1. How could I say no? Plus a number of book bloggers seem to have read this one recently – all with positive responses – so my curiosity is piqued.  
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This was one of the Kindle daily deals last week, and purchasing this was a no-brainer. I don’t think I know of a single blogger (or professional publication) who didn’t enjoy this one. Looking forward to it!
 

Borrowed:  
The Martian by Andy Weir (Not pictured)  
Reading this served a dual purpose: it was my book club’s most recent pick, and it also satisfied my need to read more science fiction for SciFi November. This survivalist story about a man whose mission left him stranded no Mars is so far outside of my comfort zone. I didn’t love it, but it was fairly interesting.  
11 Birthdays (Willow Falls, #1) by Wendy Mass

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

I figured there's no better person to ask for MG recommendations than my twelve-year-old younger sister. When I visited home last weekend, I asked her for some books she thought I should be familiar with in the MG age range, and she let me borrow copies of the three books listed above. I know she's a huge fan of Mass, so I'm excited to read 11 Birthdays. Breadcrumbs is a "Snow Queen" retelling so of course I'm all over that. And Where the Mountain Meets the Moon won the Newbury. I can't wait to read them and then discuss with my sister!  
Free to Fall by Lauren Miller  
I was pretty open with how disappointed I was with Miller’s debut novel, Parallel (my review), so I had no intentions of reading her sophomore novel, either. But I was looking for another YA science fiction novel, and I noticed that this one had pretty high reviews overall. I still had some issues, but it’s a definite improvement over Miller’s first novel.  
Doll Bones by Holly Black  
I’d been eying this novel for a while now, and the combination of Halloween and wanting to become more familiar with MG novels made this an easy pick when I got my new staff library card. I’m in the middle of this right now and enjoying it.  
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray  
I have a bit of a commute for my new job, and between my job’s commute and driving in for classes each week, I figured that now was the perfect time to start listening to audiobooks. And so far I’m quite enjoying listening to this satire with Bray herself as the narrator.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 

I "rescued" this book from being sold or donated along with other old, unwanted family books. I'm not really sure this sort of book is for me, but I wanted to give it a try.

What books have you recently acquired?