Showcase Sunday #1 - Jodi Picoult's 'Between the Lines' and a few quirky classics!

Why yes, I do like shoes with bows.

I also have the beige ones in red...

This week's IMM is the result of a fortnight or so, in my defence. I thought I'd been quite good, and then I realised that it was only because I'd bought so many books I'd had to leave them at The Boy's house because I couldn't actually carry them :)

So. Last week the beautiful weather took us to a lovely little tourist village a short bus ride away from us. And my what a book heaven it is! There are three bookshops and a good few charity shops, so Lewis ended up with grooves cut into his hands from carrying all my books!

My favourite shop, most obviously, was the one owned by the fabulous Ellie and her Mum! Ellie is one of my absolutely bestest blog friends so, although I did give her a teeny bit of notice that we were coming, we got ridiculously over-excited and remained hyper throughout the day! Let me just say that she's just as friendly and chatty as she seems on her blog and that I can't wait to see her again. Let me also just say that I'm nowhere near that tall, I just happened to be wearing 8 inch wedges :)

And as Ellie owns a bookshop... well, it would have been rude not to dip in! I came away with - 

I've been keeping my eye out for a copy of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson for a while now. I've been meaning to read it for a couple of years and it's on my Project Fill in the Gaps list, so I was extra happy to spot it.

I first saw Leviathan years and years ago, but I have absolutely no idea when, where or how! I'd completely forgotten about it, but with my current nautical streak, how could I not? I do want to read Moby Dick before starting it though, as apparently it references it quite a lot.

The Dark Tower series is another of those that I've been meaning to get round to reading. Lewis has read this one already and apparently it's not much of a story without the second one. Well, that's all the excuse I need to buy more books...

I also bought a lovely little notebook shaped like a panda from Ellie's wonderful bookshop. I've been using it as a permanent place to keep my book notes and it's definitely helping me to scribble things down legibly!  

We also had a trundle round the charity shops and ended up with -  

 The Shoe Queen by Anna Davis is a book I borrowed from the library months ago, but returned before I'd had a chance to read it. I just couldn't resist the possibility of having a copy of my very own!

I'm really excited about The Tower Menagerie. It's a non-fiction book about the Tower of London and the exotic animals that used to be housed inside its walls. I love the Tower and it's history, but I don't know much about the old zoo.

This is a beautiful edition of The White Queen - it's hardback and shiny with a kind of cut-out cardboard flap. I've been meaning to get this for ages, as I have The Red Queen on my TBR, but I couldn't find one cheap or pretty enough. This was only £1 so I'm pretty chuffed!

Finally, the Vintage edition of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I haven't read The Woman in White yet (but I will, I will!) but this is a perfect copy, with it's pretty red spine unbroken and lovely :)

So that's it for the shopping in Ellie Town! I say 'that's it,' but really seven books is hardly losing out... So. You know where is surprisingly good for books? HMV. I know, right? But they have quite a large selection of classics, modern classics, books of upcoming movies and popular fiction and they're all pretty cheap. Look - 

 I finished my last unread Austen book this week and I've been feeling pretty bereft. As much as I liked Northanger Abbey, I miss knowing that there are undiscovered novels for me! As an attempt to satisfy my craving, I bought Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Now, I didn't actually like the original book when I read it about seven years ago, but I'm hoping now I've grown up a little I might like it a little more (and you know, sea monsters can't hurt).

I am going to read Anna Karenina before the movie comes out. It's non-negotiable. And as soon as I've finished, I shall read Android Karenina. Don't want to be confused about the absence of robots in the film, after all!

Cosmopolis is a new film due out this week with Robert Pattinson. No, I hadn't heard of it either, but the trailer looks interesting. The book reminds me of a funkier The Great Gatsby somehow, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Ahhh, Lord of the Flies. I've always meant to read this, and I actually finished it yesterday. We really didn't get on until page 85 or so... and wow, I love this book. It's just so atmospheric and believable. My review will be up in a few days, but this was well worth the £4.

And last but not least -  

 Counselling for Toads by Robert de Board looks wonderful. From what I can tell, it's a psychological examination of Toad from The Wind in the Willows by the other characters. It's been a long time since I've read it, but I'm sure I can remember enough to get by.

The other book is my absolute favourite of the week. Hodder & Stoughton sent it over, and I wasn't all that thrilled when it arrived. It's not Jodi Picoult's usual type of book - instead it's more of a fairytale book, co-written with her teenage daughter. And my God, I love it. I was so apprehensive and apathetic, but it's great. And it looks gorgeous - it's a big gold-coloured hardback with a shiny border *licks*

What books found their way onto your shelves this week?