It’s time for round 3 of Thrift Book Reviews and once again I found some true hidden gems. I am quickly learning that thrift stores are a great place to find entertaining reads for an affordable price. Don’t break the bank only buying books new, especially if you’re not looking for something specific and are open to whatever you might find. Also, it’s worth mentioning that thrift stores are an excellent place to unload all your old books that you don’t plan to read again. People like me greatly appreciate it when others are willing to redistribute their book hoards. Books shouldn’t be collecting dust if they can be treasured by someone else. And now, let’s dive into the two thrift books I got my hands on this time.

Reset by Sarina Dahlan

Imagine hitting the “reset” button on your life every four years. Many of us would gladly welcome a fresh start, but when the price is forgetting everything, including those you love, is it really worth it? Aris believes it is. To prevent future wars and conflicts, she believes that the memory wipe that all citizens undergo every four years is necessary for peace. On a basic level, this appears to be sound logic, but what happens when your old memories—those memories that were meant to be erased—start creeping back via dreams? You’d long for what you lost. You’d be angry at the people who did this to you. You’d desperately try to find your loved ones again, only to discover they don’t remember you at all. In Reset, Aris slowly discovers the negative effects of this government practice, especially as she sees how her friend Benja unravels at discovering a relationship he lost. Aris, too, comes to know of her past love that was taken from her, and she’ll do anything to stop her memories from being taken again.

This haunting, dystopian read is perfect for those who like to ponder difficult philosophical questions. I found myself wondering about my own life and how different it would be if I no longer had my family, especially my sweet husband. Waking up one day and feeling like something was missing, but not knowing what, and then going about life as though that previous life never happened would be a nightmare. Sarina Dahlan does a great job of painting an eerie image of what a society like that might be like: Perfect, but maybe too perfect, so it just feels wrong. This book was an emotional read that tackled some heavy topics, and from start to finish I found myself rooting for love to prevail. 

Silver by Chris Wooding

It seems like just another day at Mortingham Boarding Academy, at least until large silver beetles with a mysterious virus start attacking students, leading to the infected transforming into bloodthirsty, zombie-like machines. Survival instincts take over in this horrifying novel about a group of kids doing everything they can to make it out alive (but not everyone will). Paul, the new kid with a traumatizing past. Caitlyn, Paul’s admirer who grapples with being just an average girl. Erika, the popular girl who Paul has his eyes on. Adam, your typical bully. Mark, the nerd who hopes to distance himself from that label through new friendships. Who will live, who will die, and can the virus be stopped?

It took me a while to get hooked on this book, but once I did I found myself loving it. Things mentioned in passing at the start suddenly became important for the plot by the end, making everything come full circle as the main characters fought to survive. I loved that characters weren’t necessarily protected by plot armor and that even main characters that I grew attached to had a chance to die by the end. This kept me guessing as to who would make it, and who wouldn’t, rather than assuming the author would just protect every main character. I think that Adam, the bully, was the most well-written character, as I found myself sympathizing with him and his inner struggles. I also found myself rooting for his character growth as he slowly found a greater purpose outside of picking on his peers. Overall, this was an amazing read that played out in my head like an action-packed horror film. 

Looks like we’re at it again! I had such a good experience with thrift store books the first time that I thought it was deserving of round two (and maybe three, and four, and five…). Once again I found some great books to review, and one was so delightfully clever that I felt it put my own writing to shame. Don’t worry, I’m not throwing my work-in-progress in the trash (yet). If anything, reading good books helps me improve my writing and reevaluate how I structure my work.

The Smuggler Wore Silk by Alyssa Alexander

When Julian Travers, a British spy, is betrayed by an unknown traitor and is pressured to retire, he must discover the traitor’s identity to save his own career. This leads him to his childhood home, where he must seek out a woman named Grace Hannah, whom he suspects of either being involved in the crime or is herself the traitor he seeks. Grace, who lives as a poor relation in her uncle’s home and is treated as such, lives like a servant by day and participates in a smuggling ring by night. When her fellow smugglers discover a folio disclosing sensitive information to the French, she must also find the same traitor Julian seeks. As Julian and Grace interact, an undeniable spark ignites between them. This attraction to each other threatens to get in the way of their missions.

This book was dripping with romance and sensuality, which was skillfully paired with danger and mystery as Julian and Grace both tried to uncover the traitor in their midst. If you’re looking for something sexy and bold, as well as beautifully descriptive, this book might be for you. At times this story progressed rather slowly though, and I wish there had been more insight into the smuggling world as well as the spy world. The story primarily revolves around Grace and Julian’s attractions, and not as much on their risky careers. However, the story rounded out nicely and we get to know the two protagonists on a deep emotional level, which I quite enjoyed.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Colin Singleton has dated (and been dumped by) nineteen Katherines. When his friend Hassan takes him on a road trip to clear his mind and forget about the latest Katherine, Colin sets out to discover a theorem to help him predict the outcome of any and all future relationships. He also just wants to matter, and fears being yet another child prodigy who failed to live up to his potential. Colin and Hassan eventually end up in Gutshot, Tennessee, where they are able to find summer work and make a new friend named Lindsey (NOT Katherine). Through Colin’s relationships, both past and present, he’s able to discover where he’s gone wrong, and what “mattering” truly means.

This book seems to have fairly mixed reviews and clearly isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely loved this book. Sure, Colin is a bit of a self-absorbed, whiny, know-it-all teenager, but I found myself loving his many quirks and wacky theories about the Katherines he’s dated. This book was laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly clever. There was never a dull moment, the pace was just right, and I’ll probably never find another book quite like this one. I even found the math interesting, and I’m not a math person. This is one of my new favorite books and I’m sure I’ll read it again and again.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or at least that’s what people say. And when you acknowledge that something you don’t want anymore could be loved by someone else, that’s where thrift stores come in. Don’t just toss the books taking up your limited shelf space; get them in the hands of people who might like them more than you did. Maybe you didn’t even hate those books. Maybe they were fine, but you just wouldn’t read them twice. And you need to clear away some clutter, so something’s got to go. Thrift stores are a great place to drop off your unwanted books, and I’ve decided to become the receiving end for those trying to reduce the size of their book piles. I spent a good bit of time browsing through the rather disorganized bookshelves of one of my local thrift stores to try and dig up some hidden gems. This time, I found some books written by well-known authors: Red Rain by R. L. Stine and Endless Night by Agatha Christie. Let’s get into the reviews for these thrift store finds.

Red Rain by R. L. Stine

When travel blogger Lea Sutter decides to adopt twin boys found in the aftermath of a hurricane on a creepy island off the coast of South Carolina, her life and the lives of her family members are forever changed. As you would expect from the famed Goosebumps author, something sinister and supernatural is afoot. These twins clearly can’t be trusted, but while Lea’s husband Mark can see that something is seriously wrong with these children, Lea seems to turn a blind eye. In fact, Lea’s not quite acting like herself anymore, and Mark can’t seem to find the time to figure out what’s the matter with her because he’s in hot water for being the primary suspect of a series of grotesque murders—murders that coincidentally start to occur not long after the twins’ arrival. You know the twins are involved, but the extent of their evil plots isn’t revealed until the very end.

I definitely picked out this book because of the author’s name. I loved Goosebumps as a kid, and I had no idea R. L. Stine had written adult fiction. My main criticism of this book is that it just felt slow, which made it hard for me to get consumed by the story. The story is also told from the point of view of at least six of the main characters, which makes it hard to grow attached to any one of them. I think this may have been on purpose though, as it added to the disorienting nature of the story. Jumping from one perspective to another created a feeling of uneasiness throughout that the book needed to help scare the daylights out of you. I particularly enjoyed the graphic descriptions of the many deaths throughout. It’s R. L. Stine, so I’m totally here for the blood and gore!

Overall I thought the book was good. Maybe not exactly what I was hoping for, and maybe not a perfect fit for me, but it was certainly an experience that I think will stick in my mind. Are there cliches? Sure, but I don’t mind a few tropes every once and a while. Nearly every book is built on some trope or other.

Endless Night by Agatha Christie

In my end is my beginning… Michael Rogers is unsure about many things in life, but one thing that he’s fairly certain about is he wants to live on Gipsy’s Acre, a piece of land rumored to be cursed by gypsies. He has an architect friend named Santonix, who seems to have a knack for reading people and designing houses for them that they didn’t even know they wanted. When Michael meets a fabulously wealthy girl named Ellie, who purchases Gipsy’s Acre after the two of them fantasize about making a life for themselves there, they eventually marry and try to settle into their new life in a house that Santonix built just for them. A whole cast of characters, however, cause the couple trouble, including Ellie’s overbearing rich relatives and a local gypsy woman who tries to warn Ellie about the curse on the land they’ve made their home. A haunting tune sung by Ellie suggests Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night. And figuring out who is born of Endless Night is not quite as simple as one might think.

This book blindsided me, in the best possible way. I knew that since it was a mystery novel by the Queen of Mystery herself that I’d probably need to read it twice to fully appreciate the finer details that first-time readers overlook. I definitely look forward to reading this book again so that I can appreciate it on a different level. My only criticism is that I felt like it wasn’t possible for readers to solve the mystery on their own, which perhaps is quite purposeful, but I spent the majority of the book trying to put together all the pieces just to realize certain clues were deliberately hidden until the moment of reveal. Still, it was a great book. Reading it again will be a real treat.