I've Got Some Book Porn For Ya'

I could say Carl made me do it, but no one would believe that...Truth is, I got my rebate card from Cingular from when I bought my new phone and pretended that it was a gift card, not money that I had previously spent...so I went to bookcloseouts.com (those people should pay me a commission) and bought 9 new books.... That website is quite dangerous and here's the reason why: The 9 books that I bought cost me $43.41 (and that's after shipping)! Great deal right?! Yeah, it stops being such a great deal on your wallet when you buy from them once a month :p But I really do love that site and they do a great service to us readers. And if you spend $35 or more, there's a $5 off coupon...drop me an email and I'll give you the code.....So what did I buy? Here's the list:1. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker: This is one of the first "long books" I remember reading. I read this when I was 11 years old and I remember loving it, but lost my copy over the years and I haven't read it since then. I've been craving some Clive Barker lately and when I looked up his name on Bookcloseouts.com, I found this book and had to have it. Funny coincidence...I'm reading Darla's blog today and she's looking for young adult horror novels and Nymeth suggests this very book! Very strange that this book should come up in blog conversation today!

2. The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint: This one comes recommended by Carl through another book. He gave a wonderful review of de Lint's latest Newford book Widdershins which is sort of a sequel to The Onion Girl. I instantly scooped up Widdershins after reading his review and decided I'd read The Onion Girl first. So here it is!

3. The Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace: Here's another one that comes from an online review. This one was reviewed by Nymeth and her review instantly convinced me that I had to read this one. Wallace is the same author who wrote Big Fish (which I haven't read, but loved the movie) and from what I've heard, this one is even better.
4. Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic: Here's another one recommended by Nymeth. Living in the south, I had to read this one. It's one of the most unique premises for a short story collection I've heard. Fantasy tales from the south. Very cool. There's one story that Nymeth described that sealed this one for me, here are her words:

"See My King All Dressed in Red" by James L. Cambias is set some 20 years in the future, at a time when the whole city of New Orleans has been flooded. In this sad tale, a couple returns to the flooded city for one last Mardi Grass, and one last goodbye to its traditions.

5. Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle: Ever since I read The Last Unicorn, I've been craving some more Peter Beagle. Last time I was at Barnes and Noble, this one popped out at me. It's from the young adult section and it's a ghost story.

6. Surrender by Sonya Hartnett: This book sounds amazing. I'm not sure where I first heard of it, but I needed to have it as soon as I read a synopsis and I hope to get to it soon. Love the cover of this one too!
7. Treason by Orson Scott Card: Basically it's just an Orson Scott Card book that I didn't have and hadn't read. He never disappoints.

8. Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien: Fence gave a great review of this book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge and I had never heard of it before. It's been on my wishlist ever since and I found it for a great price on bookcloseouts!

9. The Stolen Child by Keith Donahue: Another one that I've been wanting to read for awhile with a strange cover that I've never seen. This one comes with a quote of high praise from Audrey Niffenegger on the back. That's a good sign!

So that's all!...and that's enough! Surrender, Tamsin, and The Thief of Always may become RIP reads if I get through the 16 books that I already have planned for the challenge (which is only 2 months long!) Anyone else acquire new books lately?