Book Haul [#7]

Yeah, I’ve been pretty bad at getting up regular posts over the past 2 months, but honestly I haven’t actually read that much. University work is taking up way to much time and I just can’t spare any to uploading a review or read a book worthy of a review. I should think I’ll be like this until the end of May and then I’m free for the summer and I’ll be reading so much, you’ll probably get pissed off at seeing my posts on your dash. 😛
Although I haven’t had time to read… that does not mean I haven’t had time to buy books. So yet again, here’s another book haul:

Katherine by Anya Seton

This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history—that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets—Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II—who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king’s son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.

This book has been on my to be read shelf on Goodreads since I got my account and I’ve been intrigued about it for ages, other than the fact that my name is Catherine, it seems like a book I would enjoy.

Need by Carrie Jones

Zara White suspects there’s a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She’s also obsessed with phobias. And it’s true, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane…but Zara’s pretty sure her mom just can’t deal with her right now.
She couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara’s overactive imagination. In fact, he’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There’s something not right – not human – in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you’d have to fear.

I’ve never intended to read this series, I think the short length of the books appealed to me so I picked them up when I saw them in a charity shop. It’ll be a quick read, hopefully I’ll enjoy it.

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Not going to include a blurb here as its the second book in the Need series, don’t want to give it away!

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Every weekend, in basements and parking lots across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded for as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight Club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter and dark, anarchic genius. And it’s only the beginning of his plans for revenge on a world where cancer support groups have the corner on human warmth.

Despite now owning 3 books by Chuck Palahniuk, I have yet to read one them. Its a project for the summer I think. 🙂

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Northern Iceland, 1829. A woman condemned to death for murdering her lover. A family forced to take her in. A priest tasked with absolving her. But all is not as it seems, and time is running out: winter is coming, and with it the execution date. Only she can know the truth. This is Agnes’s story.

A little bit different to what I normally read, but my aim this year is to read more adult books and stray a bit more from the Young Adult and Classic genres that I cling to.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweller, detective, vegan, and collector of butterflies. When his father is killed in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centre, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of a key he discovers in his father’s closet. It is a search which leads him into the lives of strangers, through the five boroughs of New York, into history, to the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima, and on an inward journey which brings him ever closer to some kind of peace.

Everyone seems to love this book so I grabbed it when I saw it in my university bookshop. I have no idea what to expect.

 

Book Haul [#6]

I went to Liverpool yesterday to see the comedian Sarah Millican (it was hilarious) and during the day I did a spot of shopping and ended up spending over an hour in Waterstones. Despite being skint. 

Autumn Rose (The Dark Heroine #2) by Abigail Gibbs

The highly anticipated sequel to Dinner with a Vampire
Autumn Rose has the chance to save the world she loves. But how much will she have to sacrifice to achieve it?
In Autumn Rose, book two of her breathtaking series, Abigail Gibbs draws us even further into the dangerous and romantic world of the Dark Heroines.

I wasn’t that impressed with Dinner with a Vampire when I read it last summer, but the ending made me want to pick up the next book in the series. Hopefully this book will be so much better. 

Blood Song (Raven’s Shadow #1) by Anthony Ryan

We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners.
Vaelin Al Sorna’s life changes forever the day his father abandons him at the gates of the Sixth Order, a secretive military arm of the Faith. Together with his fellow initiates, Vaelin undertakes a brutal training regime – where the price of failure is often death. Under the tutelage of the Order’s masters, he learns how to forge a blade, survive the wilds and kill a man quickly and quietly.
Now his new skills will be put to the test. War is coming. Vaelin is the Sixth Order’s deadliest weapon and the Realm’s only hope. He must draw upon the very essence of his strength and cunning if he is to survive the coming conflict. Yet as the world teeters on the edge of chaos, Vaelin will learn that the truth can cut deeper than any sword.

Ugh. I’ve been eyeing this book up since it came out. So when it was one a ‘buy one get one half price’ stand I grabbed it. I want to read more from the high fantasy genre and I think this will be one of the next ones I’ll read. 

The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass 0.1 – 0.5) by Sarah. J. Maas

Contains all five novellas.
Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas – together in one edition for the first time – Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn’s orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

I was hoping these novellas would come out in paper copy! Hooray! One of my favourite series at the moment and so glad to have these in my hand. I have them on my kindle as well but I have been putting off reading them for some reason. I like to think they’ll be near the top of my reading list now I’ve got the paper copy. 

Lizzy Bennet’s Diary by Marcia Williams
When Lizzy Bennet’s father gives her a diary, she fancies she will use it to write a novel, as her real life is exceedingly dull. Then the handsome Mr. Bingley moves to nearby Netherfield Park, and suddenly life is every bit as thrilling as a novel would be. Who will he dance with at the Meryton ball? Who is his haughty friend? Will Lizzy ever receive a marriage proposal? Readers will have to read her diary to find out! Marcia Williams offers a lively introduction to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in a highly illustrated scrapbook-diary format, featuring such novelties as foldout notes from sisters and suitors, an elegant bill of fare, and an invitation to the ball.

This is amazing. I love it. So much. Usually I’ll buy anything that relates to Pride and Prejudice. I have an entire shelf in my bookcase of books relating to it (bit excessive, I know!) So I had to have this, of course. The fold out bits are awesome too. 

Book Haul [#5]

Yet another book haul guys… I need to stop this. My TBR pile is enormous. 

1984 by George Orwell

Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while the year 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions. A legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent – even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101 . . .

I’ve been on the edge about whether to read this book for years. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like this book and thats got to mean something right?! So I saw it on the shelf and thought… well, I’ll get it and when I want to read it I can just pick it up. 

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

Kind of a funny story behind getting this. I haven’t read it, and a few years ago I bought this book for my father for Father’s Day and I remember opening it up and reading a paragraph at random. Its safe to say I was horrified. But I had no choice but to give it to him, as I had no more money to get him anything else. He hasn’t mentioned the book to me at all since. 
But now I am curious to actually read the book. I’m not usually into the horror/thriller genre, but I think this could be an interesting and disgusting book that I could end up loving. 

The Midas Touch by Mark Daniels

This authoritative and fascinating introduction to the legends of history will reintroduce readers to the cyclopes, Minotaur and centaurs of the Ancient Greeks, as well as shedding light on the wider world of mythology. 
The Midas Touch includes a stunning array of fascinating tales and gets to grips with the ancient stories of Aboriginal, Sumerian, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, Maori and Indian cultures, encompassing legends from the most diverse societies and the most ancient cultures from across the globe.
In a concise yet comprehensive format, The Midas Touch is a wonderful evocation of the hugely entertaining stories and characters of mythology.

I find Mythology fascinating, but I have also found that I honestly don’t know where to start when reading about it. This is book is just an introduction but I think it’ll do the job in acquainting me with the lesser known myths out there. 

Book Haul [#4]

I know… another book haul… I have a problem this month. 

We have The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

The tales of The Silmarillion were the underlying inspiration & source of Tolkien’s imaginative writing. He worked on the book throughout his life but never brought it to final form. Long preceding in its origins The Lord of the Rings, it’s the story of the 1st Age of Tolkien’s world, the ancient drama to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back & in which some of them, such as Elrond & Galadriel, took part.
The title Silmarillion is shortened from Quenta Silmarillion, The History of the Silmarils, the three great jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves, in which he imprisoned the light of the Two Trees that illumined Valinor, the land of the gods. When Morgoth, 1st Dark Lord, destroyed the Trees, that light lived on only in the Silmarils; Morgoth seized them & set them in his crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Feanor & his people against the gods, their exile in Middle-earth, & their war, hopeless despite all the heroisim of Elves & Men, against the great Enemy.
The book includes several other, shorter works beside The Silmarillion proper. Preceding it are Ainulindale, the myth of Creation, & Valaquenta, in which the nature & powers of each of the gods is set forth. After The Silmarillion is Akallabeth, the story of the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the 2nd Age; completing the volume is “Of the Rings of Power & the 3rd Age,” in which the events of The Lord of the Rings are treated in the manner of The Silmarillion.

I love The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings. So it’s only fitting that I read this right? I love the elves too, so even more of a reason to read it. I’m just ashamed that it has taken me this long to buy it!

Then we have The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.

The second book in The Kingkiller Chronicle.

In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived…until Kvothe.
Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

I’m currently reading The Name of The Wind, the first book in the trilogy, and I love it. It’s brilliant so I had to buy the next one. I would definitely recommend these books. If you’re looking to read more Epic Fantasy then I would start with this trilogy. 

The 3rd book is The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper.

Cooper’s famous adventure brings the wilds of the American frontier and the drama of the French-Indian war to vivid life. Featuring the classic character Natty Bumppo, it is a moving, memorable depiction of courage, passion, and forbearance, and a precursor to the Western genre.

This was bought on a whim. I’ve never read anything like this before, so I thought its about time I tried. It sounds good. 

The last book is Longbourn by Jo Baker.

If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.
In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice,the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. 
Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own. 

This sounds rather awesome. Downton Abbey meets Pride and Prejudice?! Yes please. 

Book Haul [#3]

Welcome to my second book haul of the year! These are a few books I’ve accumulated over the past 10 days that I haven’t already blogged about.  I mentioned a few of these books on my youtube channel that I started up (if any of you saw it). However, I have now deleted said video because I have decided it would be silly of me to start a booktube channel when I’m in my third year of University. Even if I managed to regularly update I wouldn’t have been able to carry it on in September as I will most likely be starting a masters degree and I will have barely any time to read never mind keep a youtube channel running. Maybe I will return to it in the future but right now it would be stupid of me.

Anyway on to the book haul!

The first book I bought was The Taming of The Shrew by William Shakespeare.

I should think people will have heard of this one. My favourite chick flick is 10 Things I Hate About You, therefore when I found out it was based on The Taming of The Shrew… I HAD TO HAVE IT.

“Renowned as Shakespeare’s most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men, the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio, and the two sisters they meet in Padua. 
Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca’s formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine -against her will- and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare’s most enjoyable works.”

The second book is Selected Poems 1923-1958 by E.E. Cummings.

I’ve only recently started to read poetry. I obviously studied poets like Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Shakespeare at school, but I’ve never actually owned anything until I was 19. I always thought “oh i wont like that… i cant understand it… why would i read that… its for old people.”. I suppose its a sign of growing up for me that I have become very fond of poetry. I have a love for Sonnets, especially Shakespeare and Keats so I wanted to try out something different. I’d seen a lot of e.e. Cummings being posted on Tumblr, the post that finally did it for me was one of Tom Hiddleston doing a reading (This is a link to the audio). It convinced me to walk to Waterstones instantly and buy this.

The third book is Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

I’ve been recommended this numerous times and I’ve never really shown any interest. I basically picked this up on a whim. Whether I will read it… who knows. I want to, I really do, but I think right now is not the right time. I don’t really know anything about it other than what’s in the blurb. Hopefully I’ll read it this year.

“Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy – the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them imprisoned. Ken Kesey’s extraordinary first novel is an exuberant, ribald and devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness.”

The fourth book is The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank.

I should think everyone has heard of this one. I don’t think I really need to explain why I want to read it. To be honest I’m a little ashamed of myself for having not read it yet. What am I doing with my life.

“Since its publication in 1947, Anne Frank’s Diary has been read by tens of millions of people. This Definitive Edition restores substantial material omitted from the original edition, giving us a deeper insight into Anne Frank’s world. Her curiosity about her emerging sexuality, the conflicts with her mother, her passion for Peter, a boy whose family hid with hers, and her acute portraits of her fellow prisoners reveal Anne as more human, more vulnerable and more vital than ever.”

The fifth book is Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

I have actually already read this book, but I had it on my Kindle. I loved it. So much I had to buy it. A brilliant kick-ass main character and a great story. I would recommend it to anyone into dystopian young adult fiction. The romance isn’t too in-your-face or mushy its just perfect and believable.

“Saba lives in Silverlake, a wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms where her family scavenge from landfills left by the long-gone Wrecker civilization. After four cloaked horsemen kidnap her beloved twin brother Lugh, she teams up with daredevil Jack and the Free Hawks, a girl gang of Revolutionaries. 
Saba learns that she is a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Saba and her new friends stage a showdown that change the course of her civilization.”

The Sixth book is The Heritage Reader by Graham Fairclough

This book is one of my text books for my Archaeology Degree. If you’re interested in Heritage then I recommend this.

“This resource is a much-needed support to the few textbooks in the field and offers an excellent introduction and overview to the established principles and new thinking in cultural heritage management.”

The seventh book is Vampire Academy: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS FILM! It looks like it is going to be FANTASTIC. I absolutely love who they’ve cast for the movie and I honestly can’t wait for the 19th Feb. I’ve flicked through this book already and a little disappointed that there aren’t more pictures of Danila Kozlovsky. (I kind of love him) But that doesnt matter…

Book Haul [#2]

I received a lot of money off of my family this Christmas and besides buying a new camera, I intend on buying a hell of a lot of books so I should think this will be the first haul of many over the next few weeks. 

Angelfall and World After by Susan Ee

You’ve heard me rave on and on about these books for quite some time and I needed hard copies of them. I read them on my Kindle, but these books are definitely worth buying in a physical copy. 

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

“On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before.”
Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself. 
Suzume died officially the day the Prince’s men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? 
Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. 
And nothing will stop her. Not even love.

Sounds freaking awesome! This had been on my Goodreads to-read list for ages, and I have finally bought it. I hope I enjoy it as much as I think I will. 

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

Catriona at LittleBookOwl on YouTube absolutely raves about this series and nearly all of my friends on Goodreads has given in 5 stars, so I just HAD to pick it up. It looks absolutely fantastic. A little daunting though, it’s fricking massive! 

 

Book Haul [#1]

I’ve been in a mood for classics lately. So this month I have picked up a few that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. 

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

“This is Newland Archer’s world as he prepares to marry the beautiful but conventional May Welland. But when the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York after a disastrous marriage, Archer falls deeply in love with her. Torn between duty and passion, Archer struggles to make a decision that will either courageously define his life—or mercilessly destroy it.”

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

“Savaged by critics for its supposed profanity and obscenity, and bought in large numbers by readers eager to see whether it lived up to its lurid reputation, The Monk became a succès de scandale when it was published in 1796 – not least because its author was a member of parliament and only twenty years old. It recounts the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a Capuchin superior, who succumbs first to temptations offered by a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy, and continues his descent with increasingly depraved acts of sorcery, murder, incest and torture. Combining sensationalism with acute psychological insight, this masterpiece of Gothic fiction is a powerful exploration of how violent and erotic impulses can break through the barriers of social and moral restraint.”

This one I bought mainly because it’s mentioned in Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and after reading this review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6759421) on Goodreads I just had to buy it. 

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

“Kurt Vonnegut’s absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut’s) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.”

What Maisie Knew by Henry James

“What Maisie Knew represents one of James’s finest reflections on the rites of passage from wonder to knowledge, and the question of their finality. The child of violently divorced parents, Maisie Farange opens her eyes on a distinctly modern world.”

Looking forward to reading and reviewing these very much.