Book Obsessed? Why, yes, I am.

Ask anyone who remotely knows me, and they are bound to say that I am obsessed with books. I used to be embarrassed that my obsession was so transparent, but I have come to really enjoy and appreciate this label.

One of my most favorite people in the whole world, Kristin, is also a fellow teacher, and it was actually books that brought us together. After graduating from the same high school, we reconnected after realizing that we were both nominated for Beginning Teacher of the Year in our district. Weeks later, we began hanging out at 3 in the morning on Saturdays...



Now, I know what you may be thinking: Two young women, drinking and sharing stories from the classroom.  Something like this?

You could be right...but we normally leave the drinking to Happy Hour, not early morning hours.

Freezing outside of the Donation Warehouse. Time: 7 AM?

Rather, we were crazy women sitting in line to get free books. We would spend hours waiting for our local donation warehouse to open, and throughout the morning, we would discuss anything and everything...but mostly, we would discuss books.

It is no surprise now that we spend many of our free days out scouring used books stores and hunting for local library sales.

Friends of the Library Sale

This weekend was no different.

Kristin and I met up at one of our Half-Price Books stores. I went immediately to the YA section, waiting for Kristin, and my basket began filling up rather quickly. About 30 minutes passed, and I realized that I had not heard from my dear friend. Then it hit me.. the clearance shelves.

Sidenote: Kristin is a notorious bargain shopper, and she rarely buys things for full price. Because we buy so many books for ourselves and for our students, saving money is a MUST, and I can use all the help I can get, so Kristin has been a great influence on my wallet. :) We have even started our own contest to see who can buy more books with fewer dollars. Each month, I put away some money to spend solely on books, and this contest helps me stay in check. I think Dave Ramsey would be proud.

Back to my day, I headed across the store, and there she was. Her cart was equally full and we began going through each other's finds. Because Kristin teaches middle school and I teach high school, we have a good system of finding titles for the other and switching them when we can. Seriously...our friendship is amazing. 

All in all, I came away with some amazing titles. Our local HPB stores have begun to carry many current titles and recent-releases, so we are able to keep our shelves stocked with books many of our kids have never heard of, or, more impressively, with titles the kids have been dying to read. So, here it is...my March Book Haul:

1. Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham

2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

3. Hate List by Jennifer Brown

4. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

6. Matched by Allie Condie

7. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

8. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

9. Sapphique by Catherine Fischer

10. Cinder by Merissa Meyer

11. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

12. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

13. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

14. Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

15. Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

16. Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz

17. The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey

With all of these amazing books coming in, I have started my book box for the summer...however, my box is already full! EEK! Looks, like I will be plenty busy once June comes. 

I can't wait to get started on these amazing titles and share them with friends and family members! Keep checking the blog, and I will post my reviews as I write them!