{Frabjous Friday #6} ...on a Sunday.

Frabjous: adj. a word used to describe a happy day; ex., as read in Jabberwocky: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Frabjous Friday is a weekly feature in which I share the books I have recently won, been given, borrowed, or purchased.

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I want to share some recent acquisitions with you and while I typically do this on Fridays, that was 2 months ago, school has been a jerk, and I didn't have time Friday but have time today, so to heck with technicalities. Now on to the good stuff!

One day this week my husband had to go out of town for work and just happened to run across a Barnes & Noble. When we finally got to see each other that night he had a surprise for me! *Cue angelic choir*

The five on the left are from the Mr., the fourth being a planner you'll see in a minute.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice includes the first three in the series: Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. I have only read the first two but loved them and foresee this being a series I want to own. This is an awesome start!

The second book is the first two volumes in Gregory Maguire's The Wicked Years series, Wicked & Son of a Witch. Hooray! I've wanted these books for ages, so I'm super-excited about making room for them on our shelves.

The third is a gorgeous edition of Jane Austen's works. It includes Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Narthanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan. He doesn't realize I have a book similar to this with the same selections, but I don't mind in the least. It's a beautiful gift and you can never have too much Austen. Now I'll have an edition for the family room shelves and one for in our bedroom!

The fifth book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and I absolutely love it. The binding is dark and sinister and sets the mood perfectly for the mess of human emotions and relationships that lies within.

The book on the far right is one of the absolute best books I've read all year (read my full review here). The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a spectacular adventure and I was very excited yesterday when I went to Vintage Stock in Joplin, MO (a new & used bookstore that also carries video games, comics, movies, & geeky stuff galore) and found a used copy for $6. There was a special event going on that ended up getting me $5 off the transaction, so I only paid $1.07 for it! I couldn't believe my good luck!

Alright, the planner. My husband knows what nerdy tastes I have, so when he was at B&N he found this...

...and had to get it. So I shall boldly enter 2013 with space-adventuring captains and Trekalicious quotes at my back.

What books have you given, received, or borrowed over the last few weeks? I'd love to hear about them!

Mary Beth

{Frabjous Friday #5}

Frabjous: adj. a word used to describe a happy day; ex., as read in Jabberwocky: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Frabjous Friday is a weekly feature in which I share the books I have recently won, been given, borrowed, or purchased.

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This week I have been reading a lot of science homework/textbooks/workbooks. Hooray! Okay, that was sarcastic. Despite my science class overload, however, I did get the chance to peruse the campus library's fiction shelves. Yay! (For real this time.) I picked up a book I have been planning on reading for years (about twelve, to be exact): Les Miserables. I remember my sister reading this book years ago; she loved it, and cried a lot, and I've been meaning to read it since but have never gotten around to it. I was really pumped about reading it but my excitement came to a screeching halt when I noticed in one of the many introductions that the edition I had borrowed is an abridgement. No, no, no. If I'm going to invest time in one of Victor Hugo's masterpieces I want the real deal. I marched the offending edition up to one of  the librarians and requested an UNabridged version. They don't have one (*gasp*) but there is a beautiful edition (an image of the cover is to the left) at my local public library. That was close! I'm picking it up on my way home and I plan to start it as soon as I'm finished with Kathy Reichs's first Bones novel: Deja Dead.

The other book I picked up at the campus library is the second volume in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, The Subtle Knife. To be honest, I really don't want to read the rest of the series after not enjoying The Golden Compass and not giving it a favorable review (you can read it here), but it's on principle that I plan on finishing the series.

Hopefully reviews will be coming soon, though at 1,194 pages I have a feeling Les Miserables is going to take me a while to get through. I would love to know what you have purchased, borrowed, or been gifted so feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope your Friday is frabjous!

Mary Beth

{Frabjous Friday #4}

Frabjous: adj. a word used to describe a happy day; ex., as read in Jabberwocky: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Frabjous Friday is a weekly feature in which I share the books I have recently won, been given, borrowed, or purchased.

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I cannot believe it has been a whole week since I last posted. My apologies, dear readers! There have been a multitude of things going on in my non-virtual life, and this has been a rather rough week for us. School has been keeping me very busy as well. I should have taken my required science courses at the beginning of my college career and instead I'm taking all ten hours (plus the required 3 hour computer class) this semester. I've had various projects going on and last evening I had a science test worth 17.5% of that class's overall grade. I did my best but I'm not sure if I want to know my score or not. At least it's over now, though, and until the next horrid test one of my instructors has lined up I should be able to focus more on bibliophyte.

This past weekend I went to my local library and borrowed a stack of books (I was feeling optimistic about my week then, ha) and I actually got a couple of them read. One is a book I never would have chosen for myself but went ahead and read anyway, Just Desserts: A Savannah Reid Mystery by G. A. McKevett. I'm not going to post my review here, but if you'd like to know the whole story of my reading it and take a peek at my review, you can see it here.

One of the books I chose caught my eye as I was walking by the new books display. I had never seen or heard of it before:

The Time Keeper: A Novel by Mitch Albom

It was a thoughtful read and I quite enjoyed it. I should be getting my review posted soon (keep those fingers crossed! :)

I chose my first audio book this week as well!

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

It's a bit of a monster seeing as it has 16 discs and is around 20 hours long. I'll let you know how it is!

What books have you come across lately? I'd love to hear about them! Have a great weekend!

Mary Beth

{Frabjous Friday #3}

This week I'm excited about reading The Hidden Gallery, the second in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Miss Lumley is sweet and charming and the children, Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia, are an absolute riot. I'll post a review soon telling you what I think!

I haven't decided what else I'm going to read yet. I've been a) a little wrapped up in science homework, and b) feeling a little overwhelmed by my 1,155 book long Goodreads to-be-read list. I'm not even sure where to start with that one.

Recently, I have been thinking about trying out an audio book for the first time. I've always avoided them because I like the feel of a book in my hands and the sound of the narrator in my head. I've begun to think that maybe I'm being close-minded, though, and being read to while on my elliptical machine or doing dishes or any number of other (excruciatingly) boring tasks would be pretty nice. While I'm easy-going regarding content when I'm reading to myself, I would need audio books that are child appropriate since my three-year-old son will most likely be listening as well. Have a suggestion? Or two? Or five? I'd love to hear them!

Mary Beth

{Frabjous Friday #2}

Frabjous Friday is a feature in which I share books I have recently borrowed, won, been given, or purchased. Well, I haven't entered any book giveaways in quite some time, it wasn't my birthday or Christmas, and I'm a little on the broke side. So this week I went to the amazing public library... :)

Syren (Septimus Heap #5) by Angie Sage

Genres: adventure, children's fiction, fantasy, magic, paranormal, science fiction, YA

This is the fifth in a series of seven (the seventh coming out in 2013!) and I can't wait to read it. Or numbers  6 and 7 for that matter. I adore Septimus, Beetle, Jenna, and Nicko, and the adventures they go on are fun and suspenseful. I love the way magic works in these books and the roles the wizards and witches and other creatures play. This is an imaginative series in which the later books have been as good as the first; a trend I fully expect to continue.

The Dream Stealer by Gregory Maguire

Genres: children's fiction, fairy tales, fantasy, science fiction, YA

I really like Gregory Maguire but it's rather hit or miss with his books. I love the Wicked Years series but am not such a fan of some of his others. I would like to read all of his works, though, plus this is a really small book, so I thought I would give it a chance. I'll let you know how it is!

Deja Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) by Kathy Reichs

Genres: adult fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller

Jack and I discovered the television show Bones early summer 2011 and it immediately became one of our all-time favorite series. Ever since then I have been meaning to read the books on which the show is based. I finally picked one up this week and can't wait to start it. I have heard there are quite a few differences between the two but that each are good in their own way. Thoughts on the books vs. the show? I'd love to hear them!

I don't include very many books in my Frabjous Friday feature because I only borrow what I'm fairly confident I'll be able to read in a week or so (what with school starting, having an active little boy, etc.). I don't want to get a stack of books, feature them, not read them, and then never mention them again. This seems like the most prudent plan, but please feel free to let me know what you think (the good and the bad!) and any suggestions you may have. Thanks for stopping by bibliophyte and have an awesomely Frabjous day!

 Mary Beth

{Frabjous Friday #1}

I have decided to resurrect my Frabjous Friday feature! For a while it was a meme of sorts in which I shared cool things I had recently discovered on Etsy or wherever else I had been browsing about. While it was fun and some of it was book-themed, that's not exactly relevant to what I'm doing with bibliophyte now.

Therefore, Frabjous Friday has been reborn as a weekly feature in which I will share the books I have recently won, been given, borrowed, or purchased. Before I dive into this past week's loot, though, let us take a moment to examine the word Frabjous.

Frabjous: adj a word imagined up by Lewis Carroll and used to describe a happy day; ex, as read in Jabberwocky: O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Now that we all feel better because of the magic of nonsense words, on to the loot!

From the (amazing) local library:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Genres: fantasy, romance, adult fiction, historical fiction, magic, YA, magical realism

This is what I'm starting as soon as I'm done with this post. (Even though I really should start writing another review *ahem*.) I have been wanting to read this for ages but never had the opportunity because it was always checked out at the library. It is a beautiful book and has provoked a whole spectrum of reactions, so I really can't wait :)

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Genres: fantasy, magical realism, women's fiction, romance, paranormal, adult fiction

I ran across this the other day and thought I'd give it a try since I enjoyed Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers so much. (I apologize for the terrible quality of the cover photo.)

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) by Maryrose Wood

Genres: mystery, children's fiction, YA, historical fiction fantasy

I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the cover on Goodreads. The illustrations are fabulous and it's gotten pretty good reviews on Goodreads. I really hope it lives up to my expectations.

Purchased from my local used bookstore

Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles #10) by Anne Rice

Genres: paranormal, vampires, horror, fantasy, occult, adult fiction

I have read the first three volumes in The Vampire Chronicles (Interview With the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned) and loved them (though I really need to re-read them, and in order this time, ha). It's a series I would really like to own, so I have decided to buy them when I see hardback copies in great condition and reasonably priced. This fit the bill even if it is #10, i.e.: the last one. Oh well, I'll get the whole series eventually and until then I can just borrow them from the (awesome) library.

I'd love to know what you think of these books and please feel free to share what you've recently acquired! I hope you have a Frabjous Friday!

Mary Beth