In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which we share what books we have received in the mail, bought, borrowed or otherwise acquired during the week.

I stopped by The Book Depository UK last week and realised to my great excitement that they had a few books I've been looking for for a while. They were very reasonably priced too (€5 is cheap for a Norwegian), so I caved and ordered 7 books. 2 of them have yet to arrive, but these are the 5 I got this week:

Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block – This was written in 1977 and is the first in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series. Bernie is a burglar (a good one too) who gets himself into trouble when he accepts an assignment from a stranger to steal an item from a rich man – and is still there when the police arrives, with the rich man dead in the next room. I love a good bad guy with a sense of humour, and Bernie seems to fit the bill. Can't wait to start this series. You can't really tell from this picture, but the cover is almost neon orange – ensures I won't miss it when browsing my shelves.

The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch – Michael St. Pierre is a master thief who is about to steal the most important treasure in the Vatican museum, but the explosive secret he discovers sends him running for his life... This one has gotten mixed revies, but I decided it was worth checking out.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer – Four different people have been conned out of their fortune by the same man. Now they team up to find the conman and give him a taste of his own medicine. This is Archer's debut novel from 1976, and I just couldn't resist.

(Have you spotted the theme of these books yet?)

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke – I love Funke's Inkheart trilogy, and wanted to try something else by her. This is a children's book about two orphaned children, a gang of street children led by the mysterious Thief Lord, a bungling detective, a cruel aunt and a magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake – I've been wanting to read the John Dortmunder series for ages, and was so excited when I found this at Book Dep, I think I actually squealed. From the cover: John Dortmunder left prison with the warm words of the warden ringing in his ears and not one chance of going straight. Soon Dortmunder was riding in a stolen Cadillac with venetian blinds, reuniting with old friends and scheming to heist a large emerald belonging to a small African nation. As always, his planning is meticulous. As always, the execution is not. Undaunted, Dortmunder is now chasing the gem by plane, train and automobile. Because this hot rock has a way of getting stolen – not just once, but again and again and again... Seriously, how much fun does this sound like? I can't wait to read it!

And yes, I have a thing for charming thieves and con men.

I also got no. 6 and 17 in a series of 20 bookmarks design by The Book Dep's customers. Very nice.

In addition to this wonderful loot, I also got a surprise packet from a friend, containing chocolate and this book:

Ugler i mosen by Arngeir Berg & Øivind Jorfald – This is a collection of Norwegian idioms on the brink of extinction. It explains the emytology, what they mean and when to use them. A great gift to a linguist!

I'm very happy with my mailbox this week – what did you get in yours?