I found eight gorgeous hardcovers at a local library book sale recently. I love that I never find anything I expect at library book sales, but the books I do find are always an amazing surprise.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis: I read Doomsday Book, Willis’s work about a time-traveling historian accidentally transported to the Middle Ages at the height of the Black Death, last fall. It was interesting, but extremely dark in tone–this book is supposedly lighter, while keeping the time traveling concept consistent.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: I don’t really know much about this book, but I had seen it talked about on Goodreads and thought it might be a good end-of-summer read. From what I’ve heard, it’s a romance that induces copious amounts of tears. I feel like nothing could possibly make me ugly-cry more than The Fault in Our Stars, but I’m up for the challenge.

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith: I haven’t read any of J.K. Rowling’s post-Harry Potter books yet, but I think this will be a good start. I like a good mystery every once in awhile…just not too often, or I get tired of them.

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway: I don’t remember how I heard about this book, but I’ve been looking for it at bookstores and library book sales for a couple of years now and I never find it. Sure, I could just buy it online, but I like the thrill of the chase! It sounds delightfully weird and I can’t wait to start it.

The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt: I recently read Byatt’s Ragnarok, and it was one of the best books I’ve read all year (review coming soon!). This book, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker, centers around a children’s book author in Victorian/World War I-era England.

What I Didn’t See by Karen Joy Fowler: Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves was one of the best-written and most emotional reads for me this year, and her collection of earlier short stories is supposed to be wonderfully weird.

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh: I found this in a used bookstore a few years ago, but at the time thought it was too expensive to buy (it was maybe $8…haha). I held off and found it for $0.50 at this sale, so I guess the wait paid off!

The Round House by Louise Erdrich: Erdrich is coming to speak in my city later this year, and I’d like to get more familiar with her writing before she comes. This won the National Book Award a few years ago.