SwankiVY's Book Collection!

Fiction/Literature/Classics
Adams, Richard Watership Down One of the two stories I know of told from the point of view of animals that I actually like. I read this long ago, but acquired a copy many years later at a used book store.
After Dinner Conversation Short Story Series Volume Three Bought a copy to have on my shelf because one of my stories was in it.
Alighieri, Dante The Purgatorio Mike found me this classic at the library book sale.
Angelou, Maya I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Mike found me this classic at the library book sale.
Austen, Jane Emma Bought this used at Mojo's.
Block, Francesca Lia Beyond the Pale Motel Birthday 2015 gift from Dad.
Block, Francesca Lia The Elementals Bought this from Amazon on a whim.
Block, Francesca Lia Necklace of Kisses She usually writes young adult fantastical stuff, but this is a nice genre bend into adult fiction for her. About a character from her other books hitting middle age. Bought new.
Bohjalian, Chris Midwives Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Brashares, Ann The Last Summer (Of You & Me) Bought this used at Mojo's.
Brontë, Charlotte Jane Eyre What a fantastic and wonderful romance! If such things are a cliché now, it's because Charlotte thought of it first!
Brontë, Emily Wuthering Heights Hey Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy! Classic romance. Picked it up at the library book sale.
Brown, Rita Mae Rubyfruit Jungle I received a copy of this book in my goody bag at the 2015 Lambda Awards. A lesbian classic!
Buck, Pearl S. The Good Earth When Mikey found a box of books by the dumpster and asked if I wanted any, I picked this out 'cause it's a classic and I'd never read it.
Burgess, Anthony A Clockwork Orange My sister was into this book when we were kids, and I loved the movie, so I bought a copy when I saw it at a used book store.
Camus, Albert The Fall Don't know why I have this or where I picked it up.
Camus, Albert The Plague Ditto above.
Camus, Albert The Stranger One of those many I took from sister L, possibly to read someday.
Cervantes, Miguel de The History of Don Quixote (Dore Illustrations) Inherited from my grandparents' library.
Cisneros, Sandra The House on Mango Street I ganked this from sister L 'cause I had never read it and it seems to be required reading in a lot of schools.
Clancy, Tom Red Storm Rising I think I stole this from my parents.
Colfer, Eoin Plugged Birthday gift 2018 from Dad.
Colfer, Eoin Screwed Holiday 2013 gift from Stacy!
Coupland, Douglas Microserfs Bought used at Mojo's.
Dickens, Charles David Copperfield I suck, I haven't read this.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor Crime and Punishment Swiped from my sister L in hopes of filling out my classics library somewhat.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan The Hound of the Baskervilles Bought at the Book Swap for book club.
Dunn, Katherine Geek Love Bought new from Goering's. This borders on science fiction in some aspects but mostly it's just very odd fiction.
Eugenides, Jeffrey The Marriage Plot Bought new from Barnes & Noble because I liked his previous book.
Eugenides, Jeffrey Middlesex Bought new from Borders after my friend Jessie recommended it.
Evans, Danielle Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self Holiday 2013 gift from Stacy!
Fairweather, John Border Crossings This is Phil's copy but he doesn't seem to care that I haven't given it back. My high school English teacher wrote this, and though he says it's a "novel" and "fiction" and all these other lies, you know it is totally about his own life. I started to read it but seriously couldn't get into it. It's autographed.
Golden, Arthur Memoirs of a Geisha Mike found this for me at the library book sale after I'd read and liked it.
Golding, William Lord of the Flies Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Grisham, John The Appeal I got this for one of my book club books.
Guerruckey, Matthew Drunk Monkeys Anthology: Volume 3 Got a contributors' copy of this because one of my essays was published in it. This is not entirely fiction because it contains some nonfic, but there's not a better category for it in my list.
Haddon, Mark The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time My friend Heather left this at my mom's when she moved, so she let me have it.
Hale, Shannon The Actor and the Housewife I've liked Hale's kids' fantasy type books, so I wanted to read her adult books too. Jeaux bought this for me for holiday 2009.
Haley, Alex Roots My sister L let me swipe this from her collection. She's not a big reader but for some reason liked this. I thought it was awesome.
Handler, Daniel The Basic Eight Holiday gift from Amanda--she knows I like Lemony Snicket. :)
Handler, Daniel Watch Your Mouth Holiday 2013 gift from Stacy!
Heller, Joseph Good as Gold I bought this sight unseen from the used book store on the strength of Catch-22.
Heller, Joseph Something Happened Bought used at Mojo.
Hesse, Herman Siddhartha Found at a used store and decided to add it to my collection since it was cheap.
Hiaasen, Carl Basket Case Mike picked this up for me at the library book sale, I'd already read it but liked it (and the author!) enough to want my own copy.
Hiaasen, Carl Double Whammy Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Hiaasen, Carl Lucky You Mike bought me a used copy of this book at the book sale.
Hiaasen, Carl Native Tongue Mike found this at the library book sale and picked it up for me.
Hiaasen, Carl Nature Girl Solstice present from Daddy.
Hiaasen, Carl Sick Puppy Another book Mike picked up for me at the book sale.
Hiaasen, Carl Star Island Bought used at Mojo's.
Hiaasen, Carl Stormy Weather Mike got this one for me too. He's a great author.
Hiaasen, Carl Strip Tease Another book Mike picked up for me at the book sale.
Hiaasen, Carl Tourist Season Another book Mike picked up for me at the book sale.
Huxley, Aldous Brave New World Revisited I've read Brave New World but not this one, just took it because I thought I might someday.
Kerouac, Jack On the Road Sister P was (is?) a fan of the beats, so I swiped this from her collection to become enlightened.
Kerouac, Jack San Francisco Blues Ditto above.
Kerouac, Jack Satori In Paris & Pic Ditto above.
Kerouac, Jack The Subterraneans Ditto above.
Keyes, Daniel Flowers for Algernon "The daring novel of a startling human experiment!" Not only is the idea awesome, but it's told well--from the point of view of the experiment himself. I read this as a kid, but bought a copy many years later in a used book store.
Kidd, Sue Monk The Dance of the Dissident Daughter Bought used at Mojo.
Kidd, Sue Monk The Mermaid Chair Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees I got this at the library book sale--it was a good read, so I wanted my own copy.
Kingsolver, Barbara Animal Dreams Mike got me this from the library book sale.
Kingsolver, Barbara The Bean Trees Mike got me this at my request at the library book sale.
Kingsolver, Barbara The Lacuna My sister bought this for me for holiday 2011.
Kingsolver, Barbara Pigs in Heaven Mike was at the library book sale and found this for me.
Kingsolver, Barbara The Poisonwood Bible I'd already read it when I bought a copy for myself at the library sale, but I really liked it that much as to need it in my personal library.
Kingsolver, Barbara Prodigal Summer Mike was at the library book sale and found this for me.
Knowles, John A Separate Peace Fantastic book I enjoyed as required reading in high school.
Koontz, Dean Odd Thomas I bought this for a book club book, new from Barnes and Noble.
L'amour, Louis The Haunted Mesa Bought at Book Swap for book club.
Lamb, Wally The Hour I First Believed Bought used at Mojo.
Lamb, Wally I Know This Much Is True I picked this up at the library book sale after having read it and liked it.
Lamb, Wally She's Come Undone Wally Lamb does a great job with messed-up characters, and I had read his other book I Know This Much Is True, so when I saw this at the library book sale I grabbed it.
Lamb, Wally Wishin' and Hopin' Bought used at Mojo.
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird Found at a used store and decided to add it to my collection since it was cheap.
Machiavelli, Niccolò The Prince Found at a used store and decided to add it to my collection since it was cheap.
Maguire, Gregory A Lion Among Men Jeaux's 2009 birthday gift for me!
Maguire, Gregory Lost Found at the library book sale. I like his writing so I grabbed it, even though I'd already read it.
Maguire, Gregory The Next Queen of Heaven Bought at Barnes & Noble because I had a coupon.
Maguire, Gregory Out of Oz The last in the Wicked Years series, I bought this on sale at Barnes & Noble.
Maguire, Gregory Son of a Witch Yule 2005 gift from Mike! It's the sequel to Wicked.
Maguire, Gregory Wicked Bought used at Mojo.
Martel, Yann Beatrice and Virgil Bought this used at Mojo's.
Martel, Yann The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios Bought this used at Mojo's.
Martel, Yann Life of Pi Bought this used at Mojo's, even though I had read it already.
Martin, Steve Shopgirl Given to me by Stacy because she knows I like character-oriented fiction. Yay!
Matheson, Richard What Dreams May Come My friend David gave this book to me, and I enjoyed it much more than the movie.
Miller, Keith The Book of Flying Read this and had to have my own, so I bought one. Nice sort of trippy story about a guy who searches for a way to get wings so he can be with the woman he loves. Waaay awesome for people who love to read 'cause it's about that.
Moore, Christopher Bite Me Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moore, Christopher Bloodsucking Fiends Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moore, Christopher Coyote Blue Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moore, Christopher A Dirty Job Bought this used at Carrollwood Book Swap.
Moore, Christopher Fluke Mikey and I bought this to read together but I ended up with the copy.
Moore, Christopher Fool Received this as a gift from Victor for birthday 2021.
Moore, Christopher Island of the Sequined Love Nun Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moore, Christopher Lamb Gift from Mike for holiday 2007--I really liked this one, and he sent me the special edition that kinda looks like a Bible.
Moore, Christopher The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Moore, Christopher Practical Demonkeeping Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moore, Christopher Sacré Bleu Bought at Barnes & Noble because I had a coupon.
Moore, Christopher Secondhand Souls Received as a gift for birthday 2019 from Dad.
Moore, Christopher Shakespeare for Squirrels Received as a gift for holiday 2023 from Lindsay.
Moore, Christopher You Suck Bought this used at Mojo's.
Moriarty, Jaclyn Gravity is the Thing Received as a gift for my 42nd birthday from my dad.
Orwell, George Animal Farm Required reading that nevertheless kicked ass.
Orwell, George A Collection of Essays by George Orwell No idea where I picked this up--perhaps a relic of J.W.?--but I haven't read it, just interested to do so someday.
Palahniuk, Chuck Choke Bought used at Mojo.
Palahniuk, Chuck Damned Gift from Dad for my 46th birthday, 2024.
Palahniuk, Chuck Haunted Bought used at Mojo.
Palahniuk, Chuck Invisible Monsters Gift from Stacy for holiday 2011.
Palahniuk, Chuck Lullaby Gift from Mike! Yay! I almost bought this myself but then he saved me the trouble. Good stuff from the author of Fight Club.
Palahniuk, Chuck Rant Bought this in paperback from Borders on a whim.
Palahniuk, Chuck Snuff Bought used at Mojo.
Palahniuk, Chuck Tell All Bought used at Mojo.
Potok, Chaim The Chosen Did a project on this while in school. Very enjoyable.
Quinn, Daniel Ishmael Mike bought me a used copy of this book at the book sale.
Quinn, Daniel My Ishmael Mike bought me a used copy of this book at the book sale.
Quinn, Daniel The Story of B Mike bought me a used copy of this book at the book sale.
Rand, Ayn Anthem Rescued from sister L's languishing required-reading collection. Read it and enjoyed, though I wasn't overly impressed.
Reddish, David The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus Bought after meeting the author who was a fellow Lambda Award finalist; wanted to read his work, so I got it on Amazon.
Reid, Kiley Such a Fun Age Birthday gift from Ronni 2021!
Rowell, Rainbow Attachments I really enjoyed another book by this author, so I bought this one when I had a Barnes & Noble coupon.
Rowell, Rainbow Landline Birthday 2015 gift from Dad.
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye I read this as a child and couldn't remember much except that Holden used lots of bad language, so I read it again as an adult and LOVED it. This particular copy (lovingly doodled on) was swiped from sister L's collection, since she didn't want it anymore.
Salinger, J.D. Franny and Zooey I bought this sight unseen at a used book store on the strength of The Catcher in the Rye.
Sebold, Alice The Almost Moon Bought used at Mojo.
Sebold, Alice The Lovely Bones Bought used at Mojo, even though I'd already read it.
Shute, Jonathan Humane Society: Stories About Tragedy and Golf A fellow Everything2.com user is the author of this book, so he sent me a copy since we kinda know each other. It's an "enhanced non-fiction"; the stories are based on his life.
Stevenson, Robert Louis The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde A "thrift edition" my friend Mike G. got me for a buck, insisting I read it since I never had but I love the musical.
Tatar, Maria The Classic Fairy Tales A nice collection of the old versions of the well-known fairy tales, and different versions of them. Interesting. Gift from Stacy!
Thoreau, Henry David Thoreau: Walden and Other Writings I figured something this classic ought to be in my library, so I bought a copy when I came across it at a used book store.
Twain, Mark The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Read this as required reading in high school. Wasn't a fan. Took the book from L's library anyway.
Updike, John Assorted Prose I think this was in my parents' collection. I just took it because I've never read any Updike, and maybe I'll start here.
Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Cat's Cradle Bought used at Mojo.
Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five Heh, Vonnegut's cool.
Waters, Sarah Tipping the Velvet Bought used at Mojo.
Weisberger, Lauren The Devil Wears Prada I decided to pick this up because I saw the movie trailer and thought it seemed like an interesting premise. Hey! A book about hating your boss! Score!
Wells, H.G. The Invisible Man Sister L had this in her required reading pile, and I took it. I wonder how many people are assigned to read the other Invisible Man and get this one instead?
Wells, H.G. The Time Machine Weirdly enough, I never read this. Like so many others on this list, maybe someday.
Wells, Rebecca Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood I read this and its companion book long before there was a movie; very cool book with themes of mother-daughter relationships and close girlfriends.
Wells, Rebecca Little Altars Everywhere The companion to the above, more single stories about the family members rather than a continuous story.
Wharton, Edith The House of Mirth Mike found this at the Friends of the Library Book Sale for me.
Wiesel, Elie Night This was a powerful read. I never had it as required reading once, but I read and enjoyed it and stole my sister's copy, and one day I'd like to read Dawn.
Wilder, Thornton Our Town Ganked from my parents; my mom thinks everyone should read this. I haven't.
Woolf, Virginia Between the Acts Courtesy of sister P, I have been loaned a library of Virginia Woolf books that haven't done much so far except make me look like a Woolf fan and possibly make it seem like I know what the Indigo Girls' song about her means.
Woolf, Virginia Mrs. Dalloway Ditto above.
Woolf, Virginia Orlando Ditto above.
Woolf, Virginia The Voyage Out Ditto above.
Woolf, Virginia The Waves Ditto above.
Wright, Richard Native Son Sister L's got a lot of books she doesn't want anymore, doesn't she?
Zusak, Markus The Book Thief Birthday present from Mike, 2012.

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