First Book Haul As A College Freshman

After the book hangover I had earlier today (thanks to the Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan), I decided to go to Fully Booked for a new book (even though I have like a hundred waiting back home). Sometimes I visit a bookstore and it's completely dry. No books catch my eye. Today however, it was as if they were almost flying out of their shelves to be nestled in my arms.

Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown
The first Jennifer Brown novel I read was Perfect Escape, which told the story of a teenage boy with OCD from his sister's point-of-view. I absolutely loved it. Jennifer Brown usually takes topics that resonate with today's youth; Thousand Words is about the viral spread of one girl's nude photo originally meant to be seen by just her boyfriend, and the fallout that follows. It'd definitely be interesting reading it from the girl's POV, since we usually immediately label them as sluts or whores (another case of ignorance, I suppose). It's the first book from my haul that I'm tackling, and I can't wait to read about her side of the story.

Strands of Bronze and Gold: The Bluebeard Fairytale Retold by Jane Nickerson
Strands is one of those books I've forever seen floating around on Amazon, Goodreads, or book blogs, but have yet to see in person. Suffice to say, I snapped it right up upon seeing it (last copy too!)

Starstruck by Rachel Shubert

I've probably mentioned this before, but there has been an Anna Godbersen-shaped hole in my heart ever since her Luxe series (about the Age of Innocence) and her Bright Young Things series (about the Jazz Age) ended. I've tried filling it with series like The Flappers by Jillian Larkin, which was good, but not the same. Anna Godbersen herself blurbed Starstruck, which is about 1930s Hollywood, so it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me!

Rush by Eve Silver

Its summary makes this book seem like the next Hunger Games, but only time will tell. There've been way too many dystopian books out there gunning for the top spot, but few are ever really worthy.

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

I'll be honest and say I was not a fan of  M. I. Harrison's The Princess and the Hound, but oh, the summary for The Rose Throne. It had me at its cover, then at its summary: There are princesses and kingdoms involved. That's all it took for me to snatch it up.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

My rekindled love of high fantasy stemmed from my reading of Falling Kingdoms, which was brilliant. Since then, I've been scouring Goodreads for a worthy heir. This book seemed like one, and I was lucky enough to have found FullyBookedFort's sole remaining copy.

Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide by JAMES CAMERON

The piece de resistance! I didn't even know this had already been released, yet there it was, tucked away on a shelf on the fourth floor. I could not contain my smile after finding it. Avatar is one of my favorite films ever; I'm obsessed with it. It's also one of the main reasons I decided to pursue a filmmaking career: I remember James Cameron accepting his Golden Globe for Avatar, and he said, "Everyone in this room has the best job in the world." And I said to myself, "I want to be a part of that. To create stories and tell them like they do."