More books

Wohoo books! No? Well it's my blog, so yay, books! I went to Turun Kirjamessut aka a book fair, they have both new and second hand books. I'm used to having a lot of money saved up but since I just bought a dress (I'll talk more about it once it gets here) so I had only 60€. Which is very little to spend on books. :( Oh well, I prioritized the dress. So I took my Mum with me this year so she'd keep me in check, though I did make her buy almost as many books as I did myself ^^' 

On to the actual books! The pile on the left is what I bought at the fair, the one in the middle I got for free at the fair and the pile on the right is what I've bought within a month. I've skipped showing some books I got after my last book post, but I don't remember everything so we'll go with these.

Let's start with non-fiction. Yes, I read these too, remember my books about ancient Rome and Japanese / Korean culture? So here is Wild Swan, a book of three generations of Chinese women. And a book from Gulag survivors. For some reason North Korean camps interest me so I thought I would give this a shot. 

A book about women of the Italian mafia. I've started reading it and it seems really interesting. More about Samurais, I have one in English and it was good. This one has really awesome period illustrations.

Teeny tiny book of AC/DC and a happy helper Oliver. The title is "let there be rock". It was cheap and I've listened to their music as long as I can remember since my Dad was a fan and he passed it on ^^

Onto non-fantasy fiction. I've been meaning to get books by Mo Yan for a while now, so I had to get this one. His style of writing seems really interesting, I'm exited to read it! The one on the right caught my attention with it's cover. The back says it's about circus life in the 1800's so it's no wonder it found it's way to my bookshelf. 

And then fantasy, my main focus :D I've read the Earthsea stories but wanted to own them, so this volume has the first three books. I also love the time travel and altered past in the Stravaganza series; I've read them all and now own three of them. I pitched them to sister as well, and I think she'd love them too. I'll have to remember to bring them to her.

The third book in the Witcher series! I have the first one and my boyfriend read it and said it's good, so I got this one too. I'll have to order the second one too now. And the one on the left was only 1€ = basically free, and it's a horror thing with real vampires (no glitter please, no romance either) so I had to get it.

 I got the scifi magazine for free when I bought this book, it's The Twelve and opens a post-apocalyptic trilogy. They invited me to attend a f/sf club and as a massive fantasy fan who slowly expands to scifi I was tempted, but I don't know anyone there. So socially awkward me probably won't go. :/ I can be social when I have to (work / school) and I've arranged lolita meets on my own, but somehow I find it really hard to go to things like this. Maybe some day.

I always swear I won't buy manga / manhwa, but I was lacking these two final volumes of Les Bijoux so I had to get them. But I won't buy any new manga since I don't have room for them! Plus it seems too expensive to spend 7-13€ on a volume I'll read in 15-20 minutes. I'll borrow it from friends but I'm more into anime than manga nowdays anyway. So somehow that logic makes sense?

My "don't buy manga, you'll get hooked" applies to Western comics as well. I've always been a collector at heart who wants to own things, so these two got a special permission to enter my shelves. Neil Gaiman goes without saying, and I love V for Vendetta so I got that one too.

Though I would prefer to read comics in any language other than Finnish, it just seems odd :/ I prefer to read manga in English as well. Don't know why, but it seems better. I'm weird sometimes.

By the way, we went through the whole fair and all seller (new & old), and I didn't find a single Goblet of Fire! Finnish Potters, yes, and every other English Potter, but not the only one I'm missing! Argh. I want it second hand, because all my Finnish ones I've bought new; I wanted to buy English ones second hand. And now I have six out if seven, but have difficulties finding the last missing one. By the way there's an illustrated version of the first Finnish one coming out, and I'll probably have to buy that one too. Because I collect Potters. *sigh*

I got these two for my libristi studies. The one on the left I've read already and looove it: it's about violence / mass shootings and social exclusion. In the end (spoiler) the son shoots people from atop a building, and it also wonders: the families of victims get therapy and peer support, but the family of the shooter gets none of that and is "selfish and horrible" if they cry out since it was somehow their fault. Which of course it's not. Anyway, it as a very well written book from the perspectives of the whole family through over a decade. I recommend it to my Finnish readers but very few Finnish books get translated.

The one on the right is more light hearted and I haven't read it yet, but I've only heard good of Koch. I'm really loving my studies by the way! ^^

... And now that I bought a bunch of new books, where will I put them?  I don't have space for a new bookshelf either! Luckily the ones in the living room have a bit of space, but I want all my fantasy in this one. We'll see how I manage it.

PS I love having a cat. "I can help!"

"You've read enough. Now feed me."