You Know You’re a Book Addict When a Book Receipt Makes You Squee…

I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday, to pick up a nice (early) copy of Beautiful Disaster (shhhhh 😉 It’s *official* re-release day is this Tuesday, and I’ve got something exciting planned for you all). But when I heard there were some stores that had ’em, I had to get my own “Atria/Simon & Schuster” branded copy!

And while I was there, I got that wonderful *giddy* feeling that I used to get a few years back. Surrounded by so many of my favorites, *mini squeeing* over seeing them displayed on real-life shelves. It’s been so long since I’ve been in an actual bookstore (with my e-book addiction, and all), but sometimes it’s fun to go “old school” and take in the smells of all of those real books, the ink, the paper… the coffee. The awesome “bookstore jazz” music softly serenading us as we take in the multi-sensory experience. The gorgeous, shiny book covers… romance , erotica, and the ethereal YA themes. It was fantastic!

And what made it icing on the cake is when I took a look at my receipt and saw that they had included their own book “suggestions” based on what I had purchased. And just look at what they suggested. *squee* The bottom two suggestions are two of my absolute FAVORITE books, and I know for a fact Slammed will be proudly displayed on those very shelves in September.

I just had to share. And while I was sharing, I thought I’d re-introduce to you my favorites on this list, and check out the first three suggestions and see if anyone else has read them? I’ve heard some really good things about the other “Beautiful Disaster” listed. 😉

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park.
Pure witty sweetness that I had the pleasure of discovering last summer. In fact, it made two of my favorites list (Top Five Summer Reads, and Best Books of 2011). This book had everything needed to keep me glued to my seat, grinning (at the fun dialogue and amazing friendships that were being built), anticipating (the “secret”), and it kept me guessing. And I was totally caught off guard! But it’s those kinds of twists and turns, coupled with that big heartwarming connection, and a few heart-tugging moments that makes a perfect read for me. I still remember every single thing about it, from the opening scene to the very ending. Shines bright in my memory. 5 star read!!!

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
This one is all the rage right now, having skyrocketed to reader-stardom and beyond in record time! Released less then a year ago, it, and it’s sequel (Point of Retreat) have both hit the NY Times and USA Today’s Best Sellers lists, and remain on there to this day. It too, has been snatched up by “Atria” (division of Simon and Schuster), and we will be lucky enough to see it in retail stores very soon!
One of my all time favorite books (many of you already know this) but I just can’t help it. It’s one of those “stand-outs” you know?  One that, no matter how many books I’ve read, will always remain at the top, for me. Sure, there are others that have made it to the top, with it, (before, and after), and together they form my “classics” if you will. It’s the only way I can describe my best of the best lists. 😉 This is one of them, to me. It just had such a HUGE impact on me. Similar in “feel” and wit and sweetness, and even the “shock value/twisty-turny moment” that had my jaw dropping. Another one that took my breath away AND made me swoon, and made me mad, and made me cry, but in a delicious, unforgettable way. 5 star read!!!

So you can imagine when I saw them listed on my receipt, well, I was already rather impressed by a few of the store’s excellent suggestions! Oh I know… it’s likely database driven computer analyzed and all that, but SPOT ON!

So, it made me wonder… what about their other suggestions?

Unnatural Acts: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods
Hrmmm.. well it looks interesting, but not quite sure it has the same “New Adult” romance-angsty-drama feel, ya know? *shrug* Still, might be worth a read! “From Manhattan’s mahogany-paneled law offices to its modern penthouse lofts and dimly lit nightclubs, the trail of entrapment and murder leads to a shocking act that no one could ever have anticipated.” Debra from my Facebook page just said: “Stone Barrington novels by Stuart Woods are really good (an ex NYPD detective turn attorney dealing with “special cases”).

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Also an interesting premise, however… not quite what I was expecting to look up, either. “Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend’s death, the state of her company’s future, and her own past.” 

Beautiful Disaster by Laura Spinella
Well, this one sounds more like my idea of a similar type of book (and my kind of “romance drama”). Actually, I’ve heard from a few fellow readers who have enjoyed this one! “… her life-altering moment is interrupted when an unexpected call ushers in her tremulous past. A man who’s never left Mia’s memory: Flynn, the enigmatic, passionate man whose disappearance broke her heart, has mysteriously resurfaced.”

Nancy from my Facebook page said this about it:

OH MY GOODNESS! Just finished reading BEAUTIFUL DISASTER by Laura Spinella. This is a deput novel by her, and I only found it because I was searching for another book by that title (different auther). It looked interesting & so I bought the book cheap & once I started reading could not stop. Highly recommended & 5 stars*****

So, that’s it!  A fun little trip down memory lane, that I thought I’d share with you. 🙂