My Coffee Run Turned Into A Bookstore Haul (Again)

The biggest issue with my cosmetology school being in Athens is that the nearest Starbucks happens to be inside the Barnes & Noble right across the street. The even bigger issue? I have zero self-control when it comes to buying books. But considering I’ve almost finished everything from my last haul, I’m declaring this latest stack completely justified.

Here is what I picked up today :)

★ THRIFT_HAUL.LOG ★

DATE: OCT. 2026 // HAUL #003

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ITEM #1: My Year Of Rest & Relaxation | Ottessa Moshfegh

ITEM #2: I Who Have Never Known Men | Jacqueline Harpman

ITEM #3: What Moves The Dead | T. Kingfisher

ITEM #4: Carmilla | Sheridan Le Fanu

ITEM #5: Unworthy | Agustina Bazterrica

PRICE: $97.07

STORE: Barnes & Noble

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My Year Of Rest & Relaxation | Ottessa Moshfegh

First Impression: A privileged young woman in early-2000s New York decides the only logical solution to her existential dread is to sleep for an entire year using a cocktail of prescription drugs. It’s unlikable protagonist perfection—cynical, sleek, and fascinatingly absurd.

I Who Have Never Known Men | Jacqueline Harpman

First Impression: Thirty-nine women are held captive in an underground cage guarded by silent men, with no memory of how they got there—except for the youngest, who has never known the world outside. When an alarm sounds and the guards disappear, they escape into a barren, endless landscape. It feels like a fever dream about solitude and womanhood that stays with you long after you close the cover.

What Moves The Dead | T. Kingfisher

First Impression: A clever, military-minded retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. When retired soldier Alex Easton travels to a decaying ancestral home to visit dying friends, they find a rotting estate filled with strange fungi, glowing eyes in the lake, and wildlife acting entirely unnaturally. Fast-paced, eerie, and weirdly charming.

Carmilla | Sheridan Le Fanu

First Impression: The classic 1872 novella that predates Dracula and set the stage for modern vampire lore. It follows a young woman living in an isolated Austrian castle who is captivated—and slowly drained—by a mysterious, enchanting guest named Carmilla. It’s dripping with atmospheric tension, fog-draped romanticism, and lingering shadows.

The Unworthy | Agustina Bazterrica

First Impression: A gritty exploration of guilt, survival, and deep-seated secrets that refuse to stay buried. It immediately pulls you into a high-stakes web where nobody is entirely innocent, and the tension builds with every chapter as the characters are forced to confront the darkest parts of themselves.

Have you read any of these yet? I’d love to know which one I should prioritize first on my TBR stack! Or if you’ve had your own recent coffee-and-bookstore lapse in judgment, tell me what you picked up in the comments so I can add even more to my list.