Laura and I kickstarted the summer with a trip to our loyal neighboring capital city, Stockholm. Out of our petite itinerary, the only sight/thing to do that didn't let us down was Science Fiction Bookhandeln on Västerlånggatan. Unlike the cherry blossoms we missed or the Urban Outfitters that had taken off and moved without any warning, the bookstore greeted us like old friends. And typically for two book lovers, we didn't leave empty handed. Here's what we grabbed from the shelves:

The Story of Kullervo by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I actually purchased this as a graduation gift for my friend because the character and hence the whole story has gotten its inspiration from the Finnish epic Kalevala. I'm actually quite interested in the book myself and might have to get my hands on a copy for myself too.

The Trials of Apollo the Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan.

My brother dropped me a hint saying he'd like this sequel for his birthday, but as the book had only just been released, I hadn't been able to find it anywhere back home. Lucky there's Sweden with it's sci-fi bookstores right next door!

Gemina The Illuminae Files 2 by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

This was Laura's find. I think it's only fitting that since I somehow got more books than her, she would end up buying one equal in size to my two combined. Even, right?



-Anna