Our Honeymoon Haul

Two Saturdays ago, we got married at—of all places—our local library. It was not exactly the day we had originally planned, but it was wonderful, and our close family was able to celebrate with us. 

Our honeymoon consisted of several stops in a few of our favorite towns, which of course all have bookstores aplenty. When two book lovers get married at a library and go on a honeymoon… it results in a truly staggering book haul! 

Somehow, we each picked out 15 books for a grand total of 30. They ranged from old tomes to recent releases to cheap paperbacks. Here are a few of our favorites:

Pete’s picks

The Earth Girdled by T. De Witt Talmage – This late 19th century book of an around-the-world journey is filled with amazing photographs and illustrations. It’s also very much a product of its time and is filled with plenty of problematic sections, but it is a neat artifact.

Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan – The premise of this book is wild but not impossible. It follows a Mimi, a worker on an island of trash off of the coast of China trying to survive in the middle of a class war. I can’t wait to dig into this one.

Lent by Jo Walton – This book has been on my “to buy” list for ages, and this was the first time I found it in paperback. Its setting of medieval Italy combined with a touch of fantasy sounds like just my type of book. And the cover is amazing.

Indiana’s picks

The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo – I found a great relatively early printing of this one in a local used bookshop. Its vibrant red cover caught my eye and kept it when I flipped through the pages and saw some of the intricate illustrations featured there. While I’m not familiar with the story I’m excited to dig in. 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – I loved Circe and have been looking for a copy of this one for the last few months. This one is a retelling or a rendering of the Trojan War centered around Achilles and Patroclus. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – This one has been popping up on my social media feed and in conversations for weeks now. Finally, I picked it up, read the description and got what all the hubbub was about. Blending magic with societal commentary, the story follows a kind office drone who is forced out of his comfort zone and forced to question how his seemingly innocuous actions impact others.