It’s nearing the end of May 2021, and I’ve got a book haul I want to share with you guys. Between Mother’s Day, my 20th Anniversary, and a Goodreads Giveaway, I have 11 books to share. I know it’s not a huge haul, but I still want to share.
Book mail is such fun! Most of the time, I know what it is because I’m the one who ordered it. And there’s this thing called tracking that comes with most orders. But with a Goodreads Giveaway, you never really know when it will arrive. Occasionally they will mark it as shipped on the Goodreads site, but not always. With a different book I won, they didn’t mark the ship date until after I received the book. The book I received this month was actually the third book I’ve won this year from Goodreads.
Goodreads Giveaway Book Mail
The book I received in the mail this month is a part of The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries series by Leonard Goldberg. I did not realize when I entered the Giveaway that this was the 5th book in a series. After reading the book, it doesn’t seem to matter.
You follow Joanna and the Drs. Watson as they investigate the disappearance of a lovely young actress named Pretty Penny. Along the way, they become part of the investigation of other murdered young ladies. There are similarities between these murders and those of Jack-the-Ripper from over 20 years prior. Will Pretty Penny become another victim?
The Abduction of Pretty Penny is due to be released June 15, 2021.
Gifts
This month I received two books as gifts, one for Mother’s Day and the other for my wedding anniversary.
For Mother’s Day, I received Celebrating Birds: An Interactive Field Guide. It features the art from the board game Wingspan of Natalia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez. There are also facts for each bird from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Wingspan is a game that features birds from North America. In the game, players have cards that represent different birds. You have to place the bird in its proper habitat, but you need to pay the food cost as listed on the card. Players also lay eggs and gather food as they play. Each bird card has a little fact on the bottom of the card, which could be about the bird’s population, calls, or nesting preference.
It is one of the games my husband and I play weekly. Maybe I’ll share a post on the game at some point.
For our anniversary, my husband gave me The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. This book is a historical fantasy. I’m not sure about much more than that, as I don’t want to be spoiled. But I can tell you that it was released in January 2021.
Another gift I got from my husband for our anniversary was a board game called PARKS Board Game. I haven’t read the rules quite yet, but I am excited to play this game soon. This game features many of the National Parks found in the United States. It is simply beautiful! And part of the proceeds of the sale of the game goes to National Parks Service. After we play the game some, I will definitely let you guys know what I think!
Book Outlet Order for Mother’s Day
I decided to get myself a few books from Book Outlet for Mother’s Day. Every week they have different sales, including recent bestsellers for a ridiculously low price. I picked up A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler for $1.99! That is a steal, especially as the cover price in Canada is $37.99.
Book Outlet offers free shipping on orders over $45, so I just had to get a few other things, right?
The rest of the books I picked up:
- You’ve Been Volunteered: A Class Mom Novel by Laurie Gelman
- I just had to get the second book in the series after reading the first one in April. I am looking forward to seeing Jen Dixon and the rest of her crew!
- Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time by Ray Padgett
- One of my favorite things (outside of reading and baking) is music. When I saw this book, I just had to get it. I hope to read it soon and learn more about some of my favorite songs.
- The Very Short Story Starter for Creative Writing by John Gillard
- This book is my attempt to jumpstart my writing. I know what you’re thinking; you write on your blog all the time. I used to write fiction, but I stopped when I became pregnant with my oldest child. As she just turned 19, I think it’s time to try again.
- Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
- I actually added the second book in the series, Not Like the Movies, to my TBR back in March without realizing it was part of a series. As the second book isn’t due until July, I decided to pick up the first book.
- The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel
- I’ve been in the mood for some fun romance novels lately. And this one just grabbed my attention. It may be the fact the cover is so bright and colorful.
- Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
- Again, a fun-sounding romance. And another bright and colorful cover!
- The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem
- This one has a bright and colorful cover as well. It feels like a romance with a bit of a twist. I will definitely let you know as soon as I read it.
- I also picked up a two-pack of mini-notebooks that aren’t in the picture. They should come in handy for jotting down notes when on the go.
The best thing about these books, is that they were all published in 2019-2020. Well, except the two non-fiction books. I mean I got $200 worth of books (not including the notebooks) for $48. I think that’s a fantastic deal, don’t you?
So that’s all of my books from my May 2021 Book Haul. What book should I read first? Did you get any great books this month?
Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.