Dec-Jan Ebooks haul

I am planning to make this a regular feature on this blog. It gives me an idea as to how many books I am hoarding on my Kindle. And *might* make me reduce the number of times I hit buy when I see books on deals.

After thanksgivings, it was the Christmas and New year sales which made me buy plenty of books. I am adding many of these books to my 2016 tbr list, as I don’t own many physical books this year. I signed up for Goodreads challenge again this year, with a target of 52 books (1 book per week) which is too ambitious. I will reduce this later depending on my rate of reading this year.

I am switching to ebooks of late, even though I love physical books more. The reasons would be –

• It’s easier to read on Kindle when the baby is around. He likes to tear books so Kindle is better.
• Ebooks are cheaper to buy.
• Ebooks occupy less space. I am running out of space to keep books at home. My bookshelf is already full and I need to buy a new bookshelf soon.
• I don’t have any problem reading books on Kindle. I can highlight sentences and make notes easily.
• Thanks to Kindle’s backlight, it is easier to read when it is dark (read: when the junior is asleep)

Coming to the ebooks I bought recently –

1. The storied life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – I have heard a lot of good reviews about this book and plan to read it soon. It is a book about books, which makes it more interesting.
2. The days are just packed – A Calvin and Hobbes collection by Bill Watterson – Let me confess something – I am not a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes. Yes, I find them funny but not so much that I would want to spend $$ on any of those books. But when I saw this book on sale, I thought why not buy an ebook at least and have some fun reading the strips.
3. The color of magic by Terry Pratchett – I am a sci-fi/fantasy geek and have still not read one of the most famous writers in the genre. I plan to fix that this year with a book from the Discworld series. This book was on my “can’t believe haven’t read” shelf, so I bought it as soon as I saw it on sale.
4. The handmaid’s tale by Margaret Atwood – This was yet another book on my “can’t believe haven’t read” shelf. Everyone has read this and some of the other books by this author and I have only heard good reviews about this book. I am excited to read it this year.
   
5. Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut – From last few years, I have been reading less of classic sci-fi and more of contemporary fiction. I want to fix that this year by reading another big name in sci-fi. I was eyeing this  book for quite sometime now.
6. The highly sensitive person by Elaine N. Aron – I had no idea such a book even existed, but it sounded interesting. It was an impulsive buy, which I hope I will enjoy reading. I am a sensitive person, but not sure if I come under the “highly sensitive” category. I cry at the drop of a hat and worry about something for which others won’t give two hoots. I am not sure how to thrive in this world, where most people are not so sensitive and emotional. I am guessing this is where this book might be helpful. I read few reviews and had a feeling I might like this one.
7. Forks over knives: The cookbook by Del Sroufe – I have been eyeing this book too for a long time. I was in two minds as some reviews were bad. But then when I saw it on sale, I thought why not give it a shot. I might just like it. Even if I don’t, it is not like I spent a lot of dollars on this book. After buying, I feel it was a good buy and the recipes look good.
8. To explain the world: the discovery of modern science by Steven Weinberg – I had not heard about this book too as it is not very popular. It got released in 2015. Science books are not usually popular with readers. This book was written by a Nobel prize-winning Physicist and it looks like notes from a lecture, according to some reviews. It talks about many of the early discoveries in science. I am pretty sure I will like it, as the topic is something of my interest. Whether it has been written well, I can only tell after reading the book.

I am excited about reading these books in 2016! What are you reading this year?