Raid a Book Clearance

Reading is one of my favorite past times. Its why I have a queue of books on my shelf and why I helped create a book club with friends. (And, for the record, I love holding a real book in my hands…no e-readers for me!)

I read practically every night and often at stoplights while driving around town. I’m known to take a blanket down to the park and read while enjoying the beautiful weather. I even look forward to one day having a room with several walls covered in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

So any opportunity to get a good deal on a book is one I’m sure to jump on. But I’ve never had the chance to partake in a store closing sale for one of the major chains (like Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million and…Borders).

Unfortunately for business, all but two of the Borders stores in Orlando are closing. But that’s good news for me, with prices reduced anywhere from 20-50%. The perfect opportunity to stock up on new reading material.

Surprisingly, the choices were not slim (as is so common at sales of any kind). I was able to collect 15 new reads for about $8 each on average. So, without taking into account any book club selections, I’m set for all of 2011.

Here’s the rundown of my bargain buys:

A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A Year in the World by Frances Mayes
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
New York by Edward Rutherford
No Touch Monkey by Ayun Halliday
One Day by David Nicholls
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
The Science of Single by Rachel Machacek
Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham
Smile When You’re Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer by Chuck Thompson
Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch
The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart

It’s a pretty broad selection of chick lit, humor, travel, history and more. I’m particularly looking forward to The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise (it looks like a quirky little tale) and Smile When You’re Lying (since I’m sure I can fully appreciate his stories, being that I work with travel writers for my day job).

Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear any reviews!