I’M BACK! With an October book haul :)

Hello lovely bookish friends, and welcome back to my blog, which has been sitting here all lonely and neglected since July(!) I’m so sorry little blog, and lovely bookish friends. I feel so bad for disappearing, but I was going through some mental health stuff, and honestly, I just needed a break. I’m still going through that stuff, but I miss blogging so much and I really want to get back into it. I’m not working at the moment (apart from babysitting), and I have been doing a lot of reading recently (interspersed with sleeping and Netflix), so I’m hoping to be posting regularly again soon.

Today I thought I’d share with you a book haul, because it’s been a billion years since I did one of those (I’m pretty sure I haven’t even done one in 2018!) Here are some of the books I’ve picked up in the last month (with mini reviews of the ones I have already read!)

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American Panda by Gloria Chao

I’ve been wanting to increase my collection of light-hearted YA contemporary books, because I have so many dark books on my shelves, and when I’m feeling down, I never want to reach for them, because they just make me feel worse. This book sounds like it will be the perfect heartwarming pick me up. It’s about Mei Lu, a Taiwanese American girl who has enrolled in college early at the age of 17, but isn’t sure she really wants the future she’s working so hard towards. It’s all about family and identity (and romance!) and it’s supposed to be funny and sweet, so I am all about that, and I can’t wait to read it.

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Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about this novel on Booktube and it sounds so much fun. It’s about a Wiccan girl named Mila who attempts to raise her friend Riley from the dead to find out who murdered her. It’s meant to be quirky, funny, witchy, diverse and generally a blast, so I’m really excited to get to this one! Also I am obsessed with this cover.

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Everyone’s an aliebn when you’re an aliebn too by Jonny Sun

This is the sweetest, most adorable, most delightful graphic novel I have ever read. It’s about an alien who comes to earth to learn about humans, and it follows his interactions with all the different creatures he meets along the way. It’s so PURE. The illustrations are SO CUTE. The alien is so curious, and confused, and bad at spelling, and you will want to give him the biggest, squishiest hug. Basically this book will warm your heart and soul and you must, must read it.

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Pages & Co: Tilly and the Book Wanderers by Anna James

This is a middle grade novel about a girl named Tilly who discovers she has the ability to travel into the worlds of her favourite books. It all kicks off when Anne of Green Gables and Alice (of Wonderland) turn up in Pages & Co, the bookshop Tilly’s grandparents own. It sounds so magical and charming and I’m really excited to pick this up. I think it will be the perfect cosy read to snuggle up with as the days get colder.

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Sawkill Girls by Clare Legrand

I don’t know a lot about this book, but I know it’s set on an island, there is some kind of monster at large, and girls are disappearing. It’s meant to be very atmospheric and spooky, and I’ve been dying to read it ever since I heard about it, because I LOVE books set on islands.

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Happily Ever Esther by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter and Caprice Crane

I recently read this one and absolutely adored it! Esther the Wonderpig, if you haven’t heard of her, is quite an internet-famous pig. Her dads, Derek and Steve, got her when she was a tiny piglet and were told she was a micropig, but there was nothing *micro* about Esther, and she grew into the 600 pound commercial pig she was always meant to be. Derek and Steve eventually decided to move to a farm where Esther would have the space to do her piggy thang, and they turned the farm into an animal sanctuary to help other rescued farm animals. This book is all about the trials and tribulations of setting up the sanctuary, the adventures of their animal residents, and the wonderpig who started the whole thing. This book is funny in places, sad in places, but ultimately heartwarming and hopeful. I love it, and Esther, to pieces.

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Twelve Nights by Andrew Zurcher

I’m waiting until December to read this one because it’s set around Christmastime. It’s a middle grade novel about a girl whose father goes missing on Christmas Eve, and it’s all about the mysterious, magical, dreamlike adventure she goes on to find him. It’s recommended for fans of Philip Pullman and CS Lewis, so it sounds like it’s going to be really cosy and whimsical and I can’t wait to curl up with it, a cup of tea, and a ginormous mince pie, later this year.

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Sadie by Courtney Summers

I downloaded the audiobook of Sadie because I’ve heard amazing things. about it. Part of this novel is told in the format of a podcast, and apparently this element is done really well in the audiobook. with a full cast, sound effects, etc. I was going to listen to this in October but I didn’t get round to it. I’m taking a break from dark reads right now because I read tons of them during the Halloweeny season, but I’m excited to pick this one up soon.

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The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

I listened to the audiobook of this YA thriller in October, and it was very entertaining, but not super memorable. It’s about a girl who is investigating the deaths of five cheerleaders from her town (one of whom was her sister) who all died in different circumstances within the same month, because she believes their deaths might be connected. It kinda gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes, but without the utterly ridiculous ending (although THAT was certainly memorable!)

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The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

I picked this one up for £1.99 in a charity shop, and it sounds really warm and sweet. It’s about a woman who moves from Sweden to a small town in the US and opens the town’s first bookstore. It’s a quirky book about books, and that’s my jam, so I was super pleased to find it.

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So that’s all of the books I acquired in October! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? And which one should I pick up next?! Hopefully I will be back again shortly with a book tag, and maybe even a review or two! 😊 See you soon! xxx

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Another book haul because Jess has no willpower at all…

At the start of the year, I made a vow to myself that, until I had read some of the books I already owned, I would resist buying any more books, apart from a select list of new releases I would ‘allow’ myself to pick up throughout the year.

This book haul contains eleven books, and only three of them were on the aforementioned list…

I think it’s fair to say I have no will power at all when it comes to buying books. But in my defence, I’m a book blogger; it’s in our blood.

Here are all the books I hauled in January and February:

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Caraval by Stephanie Garber

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, and I’m delighted to say that it has been MY FAVOURITE BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR. You can read my review here. Spoiler alert: contains gushing.

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Slade House by David Mitchell

I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, as I love literary horror, and I’ve heard great things about David Mitchell’s writing. This novel is about a house where, every nine years, something very-sinister-indeed takes place. I’m so excited to find out what that sinister something is.

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After Me Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry

I picked this book up because it has a really cool and creepy concept: it’s about a man who stumbles upon an old house when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and, when he goes to seek help from the residents of said house, discovers that they all know his name, and have been waiting for him to turn up for a very long time. #creepy

Sarah Perry won the Waterstones Book of the Year with her latest novel, The Essex Serpent, so I’m expecting excellent things from the writing too.

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A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

I hunted everywhere for this book because one of my favourite booktubers, Katie at Chapterstackss, really enjoyed this one. This book is about a family who find themselves the focus of a reality TV show called The Possession when their local priest advises them that their fourteen-year-old daughter has become the victim of a demonic possession. This book sounds SO interesting!

As an aside, if you enjoy horror novels and need recommendations, check out Katie’s channel, because she is a fountain of wisdom when it comes to this genre.

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Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt

I discovered this book when I was browsing in the Waterstones YA section, and it sounds PERFECT. The main character is a girl whose dad owns an events business, and who has grown up helping out at SciFi/Fantasy conventions. The love interest is a ‘messy haired and annoyingly arrogant’ author. If this book lives up to my expectations, I am going to fall all kinds of in love with it.

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

This book is SO BEAUTIFUL. I wanted to read it anyway because it’s set in a snowy landscape (which is something I adore in a book), it’s based around Russian folklore (intriguing), and according to the blurb, it contains a creepy forest (I cannot resist a creepy forest). When I saw the glorious cover, however, it leapt from a want-to-read to MUST-read!

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Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

I have been meaning to read this book for the longest time. I LOVE magical realism, and so many people whose bookish opinions I respect have enjoyed this one. I’ve also heard that the writing is beautiful, and there is an element of creepiness… SOLD.

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A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

This book is about the diary of a Japanese girl that washes ashore on a beach in Canada, and the impact the diary has on the woman who finds it. This concept is really fascinating to me, and I’ve wanted to read this book for years, as I remember being impressed by the first few pages when I picked it up in a bookshop many moons ago. It was nominated for the Mann Booker Prize at the time, too, so I feel very intellectual having bought it, tbh.

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History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera’s new book was, of course, on my list of new releases I am ‘allowed’ to buy this year! I was blown away by his debut novel, More Happy Than Not, and I’ve heard this one packs just as big an emotional punch. I have extremely high expectations for this book!

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Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

CW at Read Think Ponder wrote a fantastic review for this book, and it has been on my TBR ever since. This is a supernatural horror set in a small town, and sounds like it explores some interesting themes too. I love it when a horror novel has so much more to it than simple shocks and scares, so I’m really excited to read this one!

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My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors, if not my FAVOURITE author of all time, and I own every single one of her books; this was always going to be an auto-buy for me. What I love about Sophie’s books is that they are light-hearted, but they are done so well. She doesn’t just churn out bland, samey rubbish like some authors in her genre – her characterisation is always excellent and her writing is hilarious. Her books never fail to make me smile, and are perfect for when I need some cheering up.

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So, that’s it for my January/February haul. I would say that you might not see one next month, because I’m going to try and exercise some restraint, but that would probably be a BIG, FAT LIE.

Have you read any of these books? Which books did you pick up this month? I’d love to hear from you!

A big book haul and a little life update (which is actually pretty huge too!)

Hi guys! Apologies for slipping into hiatus mode again. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, as I moved to London last weekend! I’m now living with my lovely boyfriend in South West London, not too far from the cemetery where Emmeline Pankhurst is buried (therefore my new home is blessed with awesome feminist vibes.)

I’ve finally finished unpacking, and most importantly, my new bookcase has been constructed. I had to be selective about the books I brought with me, but on the plus side I now have an empty bookcase back in Oxford I can use as overflow when I go on my next book-buying-binge.

I haven’t posted a book haul in a while, but I bought lots of wonderful books in November and December, received lots of lovely books for Christmas, and picked up many a bargain in the January sales, so I thought I’d brag about them all in a big old haul post tbh:

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Six of Crows and The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Everyone and their Grandma and their Grandma’s cat adores Six of Crows, and I am generally wary of hype, but this book sounds fantastic. I’ve been told I don’t have to read The Grisha Trilogy beforehand, but doing things out of order makes me the opposite of chill, so I’ll probably read those books on my Kindle first before I dive into Six of Crows.

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The Mortal Instruments boxed set by Cassandra Clare

I already own The Mortal Instruments series on Kindle, but it’s one of my all time faves, so I’ve been desperate to get my hands on physical copies for approx forever. I picked up the boxed set for £20 in a Black Friday deal and to say I was chuffed is putting it mildly.

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Harry Potter boxed set by J.K. Rowling

I received the boxed set of the Harry Potter series with the gorgeous new covers for Christmas (confession time: I think I like them better than the originals!) I grew up with the Harry Potter series, and of course own the original editions, but the set was always a *family* set, and we only had the one in our household. Now I’ve moved to London, I’m really happy I have my own set which is exclusively mine to read/squeal over/hug.

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Holding Up the Universe and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I read Holding Up the Universe over Christmas and absolutely loved it. It was heartwarming, funny, and sweet, with characters I related to deeply (particularly Libby) and I was grateful to have this book as a refuge when all the Christmassing got a bit too much. After Christmas, I decided to pick up a physical copy of All The Bright Places too (which I already own on Kindle) and it’ll be one of my priority reads in early 2017.

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Bridget Jones’s Baby by Helen Fielding

I received this book from my lovely mama and papa for Christmas and I’m really excited to read it. I’m a huge Bridget Jones fan, and I LOVED the recent Bridget Jones’s Baby film. I believe the book is adapted from some of the original newspaper columns Helen Fielding wrote before the concept became a book/movie series, and I know it’s going to be the perfect light and funny anecdote to the freezing January weather I’m in need of.

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111 Places in London That You Shouldn’t Miss by John Sykes

My brother bought me this book as a Christmas pressie ahead of my move to London, and it’s full of awesome ideas for things to see and do in the city. Even though I live here now, I’m totally not above being a tourist in my own city and I intend to make full use of this asap!

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Le Diners De Gala (Dali cookbook) by Salvador Dali

You know how I’m obsessed with weird and creepy books? Well I also have a thing for weird and creepy art. I wouldn’t necessarily put Salvador Dali’s paintings on my wall, but they do fascinate me. My wonderful boyfriend bought me this fantastic cookbook Dali wrote, which is a combination of rich recipes and unusual artwork, and it’s just stunning! Now on display in my new kitchen.

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Misery by Stephen King, and Skin by Roald Dahl

I received both of these books from my bestie Tash and I’m really excited to get stuck in. We’re both on a mission to read more Stephen King this year, and I’ve heard awesome things about this one. I always loved Roald Dahl’s books as a child, so I’m really intrigued to see what his adult short stories are like (especially as they’re supposed to be pretty dark, aka my fave kind.)

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Guinea Pig Oliver Twist, and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Which do I pick up first? #dilemma

Of course I’ll read the classic first, but the guinea pig version (another Christmas gift from my parents) is the most abso-flipping-lutely-adorable thing I’ve seen and is top of my TBR as soon as I’ve read the original.

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BBC Animal Babies

While we’re on the subject of cute and fluffy, I picked this beautiful book up in the Waterstones sale and I can’t even with how cute and fluffy it is. I’m saving this for when I’m stressed and in need of teeny, tiny animals to cheer me up.

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Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

This book was another bargain in the January sales; I got this humungous hardback normally priced at £12.99 for £6. What self-respecting Cassie Clare fan could possibly refuse?

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Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

I am in love with Anna Kendrick. She’s so down to earth, witty, and smart. I’m really excited to read her book because if it’s anything like her tweets, I’ll be laughing out loud the whole way through.

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The Girls by Emma Cline

I’ve heard mixed things about this, but I’m really intrigued by the premise. The story focuses on a girl who falls in with a Manson family type cult. I find cults fascinating, so I’m desperate to read this one, even if it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

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The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

I read 17 and Gone by the same author years ago, and remember enjoying it. Nova Ren Suma had a strange and unsettling writing style which had me constantly questioning what was and wasn’t real, so I’m hope this novel will be just as mesmerising.

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Tell Us Something True by Dana Reinhardt

This was an impulse buy in Blackwells and I know virtually nothing about it, other than that it’s about a boy called River who is a compulsive liar. It has great reviews from E. Lockhart and Adam Silvera (both authors I love) so I have high hopes!

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A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

This YA contemporary about Steffi, a mute girl with anxiety, sounds absolutely fabulous. I’ve been looking for a book with good anxiety representation, and Sammie gave this one an excellent review, so I have a feeling I’m going to fall in love with it tbh.

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Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

One of my 2017 reading goals is to read more diversely, and after seeing Lauren speak highly of this one, I knew I had to add it to my shelves. Set in Ghana, it beings with the story of two sisters, one of whom is sold into slavery, and one of whom is married off to a British slave trader. This book sounds like a heartbreaking but important read, and I can’t wait to get started.

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Sooo that’s the end of my haul. Which of these books have you read, and what did you think of them? What lovely books have you picked up recently? I’d love to hear from you!

A Big Autumn Book Haul!

Hello, dear readers! How are we all today? I haven’t posted a monthly book haul in a while, but I’ve been buying lots of physical books over the past couple of months, so I thought I’d combine them all into one big Autumn book haul.

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Empire of Storms – Sarah J. Maas

I went to see Sarah J. Maas talk at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival last month, and she was all kinds of amazing. She fangirled a lot over Rhysand, and also told us about how she ate a whole block of Parmesan cheese whilst doing edits on one of her manuscripts. She is SO my kind of person. I got to meet her afterwards, and had my copy of Empire of Storms signed, and it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

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The Rabbit Back Literature Society – Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen

I’ve just finished reading this book, and will probably review it soon. It’s a Finnish book translated into English, and is about a mysterious society of writers in a small town called Rabbit Back. It’s a mystery, filled with magical realism and weirdness, and it’s all about writers, a.k.a. 100% my kind of book.

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Sofia Khan is Not Obliged – Ayisha Malik

This book has been described as “the Muslim Bridget Jones”; it’s about a woman named Sofia who writes a book about her experiences of the Muslim dating scene, and it’s supposed to be really funny, so I can’t wait to read it. I need more funny books in my life.

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Jane Austen collection

I got given a gorgeous set of Vintage Classics Jane Austen books for my birthday (her six main novels), and I’m so in love with the covers. I read Northanger Abbey recently and absolutely adored it, and I’m looking forward to making my way through the rest of this collection. I love Jane Austen’s character observations and subtle comedy; her books always cheer me up.

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Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets illustrated edition – J. K. Rowling

This was another birthday present, and the illustrations are just stunning. I’m somewhat terrified by the spider pictures, but I’m still very excited to re-read this wonderful book in all its illustrated glory.

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The Beginning Woods – Malcom McNeill

Anne at Inked Brownies reviewed this book and I was really intrigued by the concept, so when I saw it in my local bookshop I couldn’t resist. The story revolves around a series of vanishings – people disappearing without warning into thin air– and it also involves a mysterious wood which is described on the back cover as ‘a realm of magic and terror, life and death’. So yeah, I’m all over that!

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Cold Hand in Mine – Robert Aickman

This collection of short stories was recommended to me by Mary and Alice over at thelandofmilkandhoney, and I absolutely adored it. I love anything with an eerie, strange atmosphere, where you can’t quite put your finger on what but you know that something isn’t right. If you’re not a fan of ambiguity, you may not love this book as much as I did, but if you are, buy this buy this buy this.

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Replica – Lauren Oliver

I love Lauren Oliver’s Delirium trilogy, and Before I Fall is one of my favourite books of all time, so I will always want to read whatever Lauren releases. I’ve been excited for Replica all year – it’s about clones, and you can read it a number of ways because one narrator’s story begins at the front of the book, and the other’s begins at the back when you flip the book upside down.

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Adulthood is a Myth – Sarah Anderson

This book is my spirit animal. I picked this up at Blackwells’ Art Shop in Oxford, and I was initially drawn to it because it looked like a Dr Seuss book from a distance. When I got closer, I realised it wasn’t, but knew I had to buy it because ‘Adulthood is a Myth’ has been the mantra of my adult life so far. This is a book filled with comic strips about how hard adulting can be; it was hilarious and very very relatable! LOVED it.

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His Bloody Project – Graeme Macrae Burnet

I bought this book because marketing works! Waterstones in Oxford had a big window display for this book with a backdrop consisting of a sheet covered in bloody handprints and footprints. Because I’m a morbid individual, that’s the kind of thing that lures me in. This book is told from the point of view of an accused murderer, and sounds psychologically fascinating. Also, when I was musing over the back cover, several Waterstones employees came over to me and told me how amazing they’d found it, and well… I’m very easily swayed when it comes to buying books.

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The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

This book was recommended to me by Casey at adoptabookaus! It’s a children’s book but is supposed to be a book every adult should read, and I’m really excited to curl up with it. The illustrations are adorable, and I’m pretty sure I am going to love this book.

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Thin Air – Michelle Paver

I love ghost stories, and I particularly loved Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter which was full of tension and creepiness. Thin Air is her latest book, and I’m ridiculously excited to read this in the dark with a single candle (for atmosphere) and a fluffy blanket (to cower behind).

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Every Falling Star – Sungju Lee and Susan McClelland

I don’t read many memoirs, but I was really drawn to this one – it’s the story of Sungju Lee, a boy who escaped from North Korea. I know very little about North Korea, because Western media coverage can never hope to give us the full picture, so I’m very intrigued to read from the point of view of somebody who was born there.

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Hag-Seed – Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors, and I was lucky enough to attend an event this month where she was interviewed about her latest book. Hag-Seed is a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It’s all about a man called Felix, who was unfairly dismissed from his job as a director at a renowned theatre festival, and is now living in a hovel, and teaching a Shakespeare class in a prison. This book was funny, clever, touching, and thoroughly entertaining. Highly recommend, especially if you are a Shakespeare fan.

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The Call – Peadar O’Guilin

I saw a brilliant review of this book over at yourdaughtersbookshelf, and I immediately added it to my TBR because horror + faeries + Irish folklore = right up my street. I was going to be good and wait until next month to buy this, but I spotted a copy in the gift shop at The National Leprechaun Museum when I visited Dublin earlier this month, and I knew I had to snap it up.

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So that’s my haul for October/November! Have you read any of these books? What have you added to your shelves recently? I’d love to hear from you 🙂

A classic book haul which cost me nothing at all!

Hello you gorgeous individuals and a very happy Saturday to you!

It’s been a while since I posted a book haul, but I’m excited to share this one with you because it was completely FREE! All of the books I downloaded in this haul are classics, or at least old enough to be public domain, therefore you can get them on your e-reader for approximately zero dollar.

The free e-books on Kindle have quite grim and boring covers, so to brighten up this post, I’ve taken it upon myself to find prettier/more interesting covers for each, because I’m shallow, y’know:

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The Turn of the Screw – Henry James

I’m not sure if this is paranormal or merely psychological, but it’s some kind of creepy Victorian novella set in a creepy Victorian house, and I’ve always wanted to read it.

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The Haunted Hotel – Wilkie Collins

Well, duh! I’m kind of imagining a Victorian version of The Shining, but that’s probably an inaccurate guess as to what this is about! Nevertheless, I’ve read Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White, and really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to pick this one up. It looks spooky!

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Bleak House – Charles Dickens

Confession time: I have never read any Dickens. Not even Oliver Twist. And I’ve never touched the beautiful edition of A Christmas Carol I bought myself approx. five million Christmasses ago. I’m not sure if Bleak House is the best place to start with Dickens, but I vaguely know the story, having watched some of the BBC adaptation, and as it was free, I thought why not?!

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Villette – Charlotte Bronte

I was supposed to read this novel for one of my university modules, but I gave up halfway through. Partly because there’s a lot of French dialogue, and I couldn’t be bothered to keep flipping to the notes at the back for the translations. But I think this would have been good if I’d persevered, so after I’ve finally read Jane Eyre, I’m going to give this another go.

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The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I read this when I was studying gothic short stories for my dissertation, but I’ve never owned a copy. This story, about a women’s descent into madness after being confined in a room with yellow wallpaper by her husband, is disturbing, creepy, and brilliant. I can’t wait to re-read it.

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The Railway Children – E. Nesbit

I loved the movie of The Railway Children when I was a tiny human, but as far as I can remember I’ve never read the book. I’m so excited for all the childhood nostalgia reading this will bring.

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The Secret Passage – Fergus Hume

I have to admit, I have no idea what this book is about and have never heard of the author, but with a title like that, of course I was going to download it. Secret passages are everything.

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Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy

I’ve loved both the Hardy novels I’ve read, and I’ve heard amazing things about this one, although I’ve also been warned it is somewhat devastating. I’m stocking up on tissues before I settle down with this book.

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The Monk – Matthew Lewis

Gothic novel about a creepy, rapey, murderous monk? I’m not sure what I’m going to make of this one, but as I love creepy stuff, and as this has been recommended to me by several people, I’m going to give it a go.

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Walden – Henry David Thoreau

This is a memoir written by an author who moved to a remote house by a lake in the middle of nowhere and spent two years there alone. I’ve heard that this is basically a book about mindfulness (although as mindfulness is a fairly new buzzword, I’m sure it’s not directly referred to as that in the book), and as that’s something I’m trying to practice at the moment, I thought this might be an interesting read.

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Ghost Stories of an Antiquary – M.R. James

My friend Kat recommended this collection to me a while ago, and until now, I hadn’t realised it was completely free on Kindle. I love creepy ghost stories, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to love shivering over these ones this Halloween.

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The Complete Works of Shakespeare – William Shakespeare

Okay, so when I said this book haul cost me nothing, I lied a tiny bit, but the COMPLETE WORKS of Shakespeare only cost me about 49p or something. For an English graduate, I’ve read very little Shakespeare, and I’ve decided I want to remedy that. The main inspiration behind this download, however, is that I’m attending a talk by Margaret Atwood (author of The Handmaid’s Tale) in November, and she’s talking about her new book – a retelling of The Tempest.

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Edgar Allen Poe: The Complete Tales and Poems – Edgar Allen Poe

This collection wasn’t entirely free either, but it cost me next to nothing, and I’m so excited to get stuck in. I love Poe’s poem The Raven, and I’ve been obsessed with Annabel Lee ever since I read Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare earlier in the year. I literally had that poem stuck in my head for months afterwards. I’ve never read any of Poe’s short stories, and I don’t know why, because they are textbook Gothic and creepy, and I’m all over that stuff like a rash.

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So that’s a wrap for this month! What books did you add to your shelves or e-reader this month? Have you read any of these books? And what’s your favourite classic? Recommendations always welcome!

YALC 2016, a ginormous book haul, and a 1-year-blogiversary!

HAPPY AUGUST, guys! Hope yours has been sunny so far.

Guess what?! The Mud and Stars Book Blog is officially ONE YEAR OLD!!!!

I’ve enjoyed every minute of my first year of blogging, and I couldn’t have done it without all the wonderful people in this darn beautiful community.

I LOVE YOU GUYS.

Image source

I started my blog after attending YALC last year (Young Adult Literature Convention at London Film and Comic Con), and this year I celebrated my blogiversary at the very same convention!

Guys, I just had the BEST time at YALC 2016. It was three days of being surrounded by ALL THE BOOKISH PEOPLE, watching awesome panels, and meeting some amazing authors. Oh, and hauling a miniature-library’s worth of books, which I may or may not have struggled to carry home, and which may or may not have condemned me to some kind of future chronic back problem.

Sadly, I had to leave early on the Friday (the first day of the convention) because I had a migraine, and this was especially gutting because I had to drop out of the queue to meet Victoria Schwab (whose book I had just finished and fallen all kinds of in love with).

Amazingly, despite missing out on meeting her the first day, I bumped into her whilst wandering around on Saturday, and although I didn’t have my new copy of This Savage Song for her to sign, I got this photo with her and chatted with her for a while. She was SO LOVELY!

Saturday was an awesome day all round because not only did I meet V E Schwab, but I also met Sophie Kinsella, aka one of my all time favourite authors. I have loved her Shopaholic series since I started reading them about 13 years ago, and I’m SO HAPPY to have met Sophie so I could tell her how much I adore her books, and get my (well-loved) copy of the first one signed.

This sounds lame and fangirly but I was also really excited when Sophie said she liked my handbag; the reason I bought a Kate Spade NY handbag in the first place was because her character Becky does in the second Shopaholic book, and it has been #goals for me ever since.

There were tons of amazing panels at YALC, but my absolute favourite was the panel on ‘Friendship in YA’ with Holly Bourne, Sara Manning, and Sara Barnard. It was so refreshing to hear friendship championed over romance, and I loved what one of the authors (I believe it was Holly) said: that you can find your soul mate as a teenager, because your best friends are your true soul mates. Holly also told some hilarious stories about her own group of friends, including her best mate thinking ‘Buzz Lightyear’ was the first man on the moon.

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I hauled A LOT of books at YALC, because there were so many awesome publisher stalls and I have no will power:

The Creeper Man – Dawn Kurtagich

I’ve been wanting to read Dawn’s books for a long time, because I LOVE me some creepy. I’ve also seen Dawn speak at a couple of events and just think she’s all kinds of awesome. I was lucky enough to meet her and have my copy signed. Dawn was lovely, and spent ages chatting to me about House of Leaves (a mahoosive creepy book on my TBR). She was also giving away free cookies, which always endears me to a person.

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Dark Room – Tom Becker

Another YA horror! This one’s all about a serial killer who preys on selfie-obsessed beautiful people. I’m reading this one at the moment, and really enjoying it, although I’d say it’s more of a murder mystery than a horror, and not very scary. I have no idea who’s killing all the teens though, so the author is all kinds of clever imo.

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The Yellow Room – Jess Vallance

I know very little about this book, other than it’s supposed to be both creepy and funny, YA author Lisa Williamson recommended it (which is why I bought it) and the author has a name reserved for awesome people only.

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The Leaving – Tara Altebrando

AMAZING CONCEPT: Six kids go missing. Years later, five come back. None of them can remember anything… DAMN, doesn’t that sound intriguing?! I can’t wait to read this one.

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Whisper to Me – Nick Lake

This is a contemporary YA novel, written in letters from a girl who hears voices to a boy who she ‘wronged’ in some way the previous summer. The cover is so BEAUTIFUL, and I have made plans to fall in love with this book, if you must know.

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Because You’ll Never Meet Me – Leah Thomas

I only really picked this one up because of a 3 for £10 offer, BUT this is another GLORIOUS cover, and I just couldn’t resist tbh. It’s about these two boys who write each other letters, and they can never meet because one’s allergic to electricity and the other has a pacemaker. Intrigued enough to give this one a go!

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Needlework – Deirdre Sullivan

This book was recommended by Sarah Crossan on one of the panels I watched – I believe it’s about abuse of some kind, which is apparently very sensitively handled, and features a protagonist who wants to be a tattoo artist, which also sounds really interesting.

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Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard

After Sara’s amazing panel on friendship in YA, I had to pick this book up ASAP. Firstly, what a gorgeous cover! Secondly, this book focuses on FEMALE FRIENDSHIP and not ROMANCE. *Bows down in worship*

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You Know Me Well – Nina LaCour and David Levithan

I’ve enjoyed several of David Levithan’s books, and although I haven’t read any of Nina LaCour’s, she seemed so lovely IRL when the two authors were discussing their collaboration, and you know when you just want to read someone’s book because you feel like it must be good based on their personality? THAT. It’s been a while since I read any LGBT YA so I’m really excited to start this one.

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Kook – Chris Vick

This book was a freebie in the YALC goodie bag! I think it’s contemporary romance, it’s set in Cornwall, and it involves surfing? I probably wouldn’t have picked it up independently, but I think this will be a great holiday read for me next week when I’m sunning myself in France.

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This Savage Song – V.E. Schwab

I’m so excited to read this in a very squealy way! I just finished A Darker Shade of Magic, and V.E. Schwab’s writing style (and imagination) impressed me SO MUCH. I’m going to savour this one, and read it when I have lots of time to get lost in it.

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Nothing Tastes as Good – Claire Hennessy

This one sounds fabulous: a girl, obsessed with calorie-counting in life, becomes a spirit guide for an overweight girl when she dies… only to realise that maybe she had it all wrong in life, and you don’t need to be thin in order to be happy. Such an awesome, original concept – can’t wait to get stuck into this one.

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A Thousand Nights – E.K. Johnston

This is a retelling of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and it has the prettiest cover OMG. I still haven’t read The Wrath and The Dawn (another retelling of the same story), but I’ve actually heard better things about this one, so this is top of my list.

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So that’s a wrap for July! Which beautiful books did you guys haul this month? And did you attend any conventions or bookish events? If so, I hope you had as fabulous a time as a I did.

The small June haul that wasn’t supposed to happen at all…

Happy July everyone!

Yes, I know we’re already six days into the month. In the tradition of prefacing everything I post with an apology these days, I am sorry for my lateness with this June book haul. I have a lot going on in my head at the moment and I’ve been very low for the last couple of months, so I’m still feeling slumpy about blogging. But I did have a big writing session the other day, so I will be bringing you some reviews and book tags very soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to say thank you to all you lovely people for your support – it means so much to me, and I really appreciate you. ❤

Source: Giphy

As you may remember, I wasn’t supposed to be buying any books this month because I was saving myself for YALC (but please, I say this almost every month and we all know I never really mean it!) I actually feel I’ve been rather restrained this month, as I only bought 6 books, and received 1 from Netgalley. Here’s my little haul for June:

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***To have and to hold***

The Loney – Andrew Michael Hurley

So, I actually have very little idea what this book is about! I picked it up for about 10p from our donated books shelf at work, purely because of the creepy looking cover, and the fact that a reviewer on the back claims it gave him sleepless nights. From what I can gather, it’s some kind of literary gothic horror, but that’s really all I know about it. Oh, and Stephen King’s a fan, FYI.

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Kill the Boy Band – Goldy Moldavsky

Black comedy about a group of fangirls who kidnap a boyband member and tie him up in their hotel room? ALL OVER THAT. This was an unusual book, but I had so much fun reading it. Also I LOVE the colours used on this cover. They remind me of the nail polish I used to apply aged 14 whilst listening to Avril Lavigne. Review coming soon!

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***Digital love***

13 Minutes – Sarah Pinborough

This YA psychological thriller was a tense, twisty take on the dark side of teenage friendship. I was already a big fan of Sarah Pinborough’s books, and this one did not disappoint. I received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley, and my review will be up later this week!

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I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid

This psychological horror novel is possibly one of the strangest, creepiest books I’ve ever read. I awarded this one 5 stars for being beautifully written and legitimately terrifying! You can read my review here.

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The Unwanted (Black Water Tales) – Jean Nicole Rivers

Continuing with the creepy theme (man, this haul is DARK), this book also had me hyperventilating behind a cushion for the majority of my reading experience. Set in a run down Eastern European orphanage filled with severely creepy children, this book had everything I look for in a horror novel. Thanks to Anne at The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange for recommending this one to me!

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Paper Princess – Erin Watt

Earlier in the month, I asked you guys to recommend me some fluffy books, as I really needed some cheering up. This one was recommended to me by Sammie over at Bookshelves and Biros for some ‘steamy escapism’ and it certainly delivered! I swooned a lot, you guys. One of my favourite New Adult reads this year. I’m really excited for the sequel, which comes out later this month!

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Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon

Another fluffy book! This one was recommended to me by Marie at Drizzle and Hurricane Books and I loved it so much. I had put off reading this book because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype, and because I already knew what was going to happen after reading a spoilery review last year. I’m so glad I finally gave it a chance!

I probably won’t review this one, as there are so many reviews out there already, but I will say that I thought Maddy was an adorable narrator, with such a lovely, quirky personality, and the romance was super cute. I really recommend this one if you want some happy, fluffy feels in your life.

Source: Giphy

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So that’s it for my book-buying this month (told you I was restrained!) Have you read any of these books? What have you added to your shelves this month?

And, as this haul was mainly on the dark and disturbing side, if you have any more FLUFFY recommendations, please let me know; I will appreciate them greatly and love you muchly. ❤

May Haul and the Month of Slump

Hi everyone! Hope you’ve all had marvellous Mays.

May has been a major book slump month for me. Half way through May, I hadn’t finished a single book, or posted ANYTHING on my blog… and worst of all, I HADN’T BOUGHT ANY BOOKS!

Source: Giphy

Thankfully, I got over that business like a pro, and I did end up lining my shelves with some very beautiful books indeed.

Sadly, I ended up getting rid of some books too….

Source: Giphy

But it had to be done. I was running out of space for my own body in my bedroom because I was piling books all over the floor, and I keep adding to the problem by buying a ridiculous number of books every month.

Although it hurt, I got fairly ruthless, and managed to narrow my collection down to one bookshelf, and a couple of boxes, containing only books that mean something to me, books I’ll re-read, and books I haven’t read yet.

Don’t get me wrong, the situation is still at crisis level… (see how the shelves are straining?!), but I’m proud of myself all the same:

(I wish I could make my shelves look as flawlessly tidy and glossy as some people’s do, but alas, I will always be the higgledy-piggledy variety of person in all corners of my life.)

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So, let’s examine this month’s (slightly more restrained than usual? Oh, who am I kidding?!) book haul…

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***To have and to hold***

A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas

I read and loved A Court of Thorns and Roses this month, so obviously I needed to pick this one up, stat! I started reading this last night, and although I’m cringing a little at the sex scenes (UM PLEASE DO NOT DESCRIBE KISSING AS ‘BRANDING’ #minisick) I am really enjoying it so far. You can read my review of the first book here.

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It’s Not Me, It’s You – Mhairi McFarlane

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing recommended this book, and I went out and bought it straight away, as it sounded exactly the kind of cheer-me-up book I’d been craving. This was light-hearted, fun, and witty, with a very relatable protagonist. It appears in the ‘chick-lit’ section of the bookshop, but proves exactly why we should look beyond such silly classifications, which often lead us to dismiss great books. I loved every minute of this one.

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The Butterfly Summer – Harriet Evans

(Sorry about all the gloom in this picture, my house is apparently the sworn enemy of natural light.)

I’m a huge fan of Harriet Evans’ books, and this one sounds so intriguing – it’s about a woman called Nina who inherits her family home, but with her birthright comes this mysterious role every woman in her family must embrace when they take over the running of the house. It’s a very vague synopsis, tbh, but it has me desperate to find out what’s going on!

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Nightfall – Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

This novel is set on a mysterious island where the sun only rises every 28 years. WHAT A PREMISE! Plus, it’s described as a ‘terrifying YA thriller’ on the cover… SOLD.

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The Girl of Ink and Stars – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I have to admit, this book was a total cover buy – I had no idea what it was about when I picked it up!

It turns out this is a fantasy novel set on an island the protagonist Isabella is forbidden to leave. It also involves a missing best friend, an ancient map, and an adventure into the ‘Forgotten Territories’ of the island. It sounds magical, and I’m SO HAPPY I blindly snapped this one up.

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Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Summer Romances – Stephanie Perkins

I pre-ordered this book, as I really enjoyed the Christmassy ‘My True Love Gave to Me’ collection (also compiled by Stephanie). This arrives on Thursday and I’m so excited as the weather is grey and cold here in the UK and I need some summer sunshine, even if only the fictional variety…

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***Digital love***

Dear Amy – Helen Callaghan

I received an ARC of this psychological thriller from Penguin via Netgalley. Watch this space, as I’ll be posting my review of this one later in the month.

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The Reflections of Queen Snow White – David Meredith

The author kindly sent me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The premise really grabbed me: “What happens after the happily-ever-after?” I haven’t started this one yet, but I’m really excited to do so! Review coming soon.

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***Read me a story***

I never usually buy audiobooks, but this month I decided to download one, as I wasn’t in the mood to read myself.

It turns out, due to my technological ineptitude, I wasn’t able to make this sync with my iPod, so I haven’t actually listened to it yet!

The book I went for was…

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson Book 1) – Rick Riordan

I must be one of the only people left on the planet who’s never picked up one of Rick Riordan’s books, and I thought it was high time I did something about that! 🙂

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So, that concludes my May book haul! I’m going to try my best not to buy any books in June, as I’m attending YALC (the Young Adult Literature Convention in London) in July and I just know my haul from that event is going to be massive. I mean, I’m considering bringing a wheely suitcase to cart my purchases around the venue – that’s how big I’m planning to go!

Wish me luck, and slap me if you see me buying books!

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Have you read any of these books? Are your bookshelves also on the verge of collapsing? And are any of you lovely people attending YALC this year? I’d love to hear from you!

April Haul and the Broken Book-Buying Ban

I am a big fat failure. Remember when I said I was going on a book buying ban this month? HAHAHAHA.

I started out with such good intentions, and I hauled a load of books from the LIBRARY in the first half of the month. And yes, I felt very self-righteous about all the lovely free books I was reading and shelf space I was saving.

But half way through the month I got ill and I wanted a comforting Kindle read, so I broke the ban and downloaded some fluffy romance (which is better for the soul than chicken soup, one might legitimately argue)… That single moment of weakness was all it took for me to lose ALL MY SELF-CONTROL. I proceeded to buy 12 more books.

OOPS…

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***Library goodies***

The Art of Being Normal – Lisa Williamson

I adored this book! As the first novel I’ve read from the perspective of a transgender character, it was an eye-opening read; although I will never experience this myself, I felt I finished the book with a deeper understanding of how hard it must be to be born into the wrong body.

I recently attended an event at the Oxford Literary Festival where Lisa Williamson spoke about writing this book, and I was interested to learn she previously worked in a gender reassignment unit. She felt strongly that trans people were under-represented in YA literature, and she wanted the young people she was working with to be able to see themselves and their experiences in a book.

I loved that this wasn’t just an ‘issue book’ – although the issue of gender identity was explored, being transgender was not treated as the primary aspect of the main character’s personality (a trap many issue-based books fall into). The writing was simple and compelling, with lots of heart. Highly recommend!

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The Chaos Walking Trilogy – Patrick Ness

I can’t even begin to describe how blown away I was by these books. I had an ALMIGHTY book hangover after I finished Monsters of Men, and my emotions were all over the place. I’d only read one Ness book previously (The Rest of Us Just Live Here) and I liked it but I wasn’t all that fussed. But THESE BOOKS… let’s just say I’ve bumped Patrick Ness up into my all-time-favourite-authors list!

This is a dystopian trilogy, but it’s not your typical fight-against-an-evil-government-whilst-juggling-two-love-interests fare. Love plays its part, but romance is not a sickeningly annoying sub-plot in these books.

The characters are EVERYTHING. The protagonist Todd is so GOOD and you will care about him DEEPLY. But Todd is also complex… he makes mistakes and he recognises that good and evil aren’t clear-cut; he sees the good in bad people and the bad in good people. The villains in this story are just as layered… you’ll hate them one minute and see the humanity in them the next. The character development is flawless.

I rated every book in this trilogy 5 stars (I NEVER do that). It sounds weird, but the reason I loved these books so much is because Patrick Ness was not afraid to RIP MY HEART OUT over and over again. I cared so damn much about his characters that every time anything bad happened it ENDED ME. I seriously cannot wait to snap up every single one of his other books!

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Saving Rafael – Leslie Wilson

I’m not a huge reader of historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. The story takes place in Berlin during the Second World War, and follows a girl named Jenny who has fallen in love with Rafael, a Jewish boy she’s known since childhood.

I’ve read WW2 novels before, but the majority were British-centric, and I’ve never read any set in Nazi-ruled Germany. This was a heartbreaking, but fascinating read. I learnt so much from this book, and it really highlighted some shameful gaps in my knowledge about the holocaust and the sickening treatment of the Jewish people even before the concentration camps were opened.

The writing style was fairly simple but I appreciated that; one of the reasons I stay away from historical fiction is because I can’t handle heavy subject matter combined with the dense writing style which usually accompanies it. Reading this book has inspired me to give more historical fiction a go – if you have any recommendations let me know!

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***To have and to hold***

PRETTY CLASSICS  – Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, and Dracula

Excuse the crappy photography… #reasonsIdonthaveaBookstagram

I did The Classics Book Tag this month, which put me in the mood for some classic literature. I spent a long time staring at these gorgeous editions in Waterstones and decided I couldn’t leave without them!

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Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessl

Have I mentioned how obsessed I am with Night Film by Marisha Pessl? That book POSSESSED me – it took over my SOUL. I’ve been wanting to read her other book for a while, especially as it’s been compared to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. We have a bookshelf at my workplace where you can donate your old books and pick other people’s up for the price of 10p (which goes to charity). I obviously donated more than 10p because I’d have felt stingy otherwise, but I still got this for next to nothing and I’m SO HAPPY.

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The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton

I love Kate Morton’s books, so when I spotted one I haven’t read yet whilst wandering around Waterstones (which has been re-released with a pretty new cover) I knew I had to add it to my collection.

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson

I read Shirley Jackson’s short stories earlier this year and loved the subtly creepy and unsettling tone of her writing. I’ve never read her novels, but I’m really excited to start this one!

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The Woman in Black and other stories – Susan Hill

(Nope, that’s not the Woman in Black lurking in the corner, it’s my own shadow. #morereasonsIdonthaveaBookstagram)

I love the film adaptation of The Woman in Black starring DanRad (although I did jump out of my skin an embarrassing number of times whilst watching it). I LOVE to be creeped the hell out, so I can’t wait to read these ghost stories.

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***Digital love***

The Missing – C.L Taylor

C.L Taylor is one of my favourite psych-thriller authors – I devoured her first two books. Can’t wait to get stuck into this one!

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ALL THE ROMANCE 

Romance is my go-to genre when I need cheering up. Happy, fluffy, angst-free romance preferable. I love a love story, and Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy was the one I broke my book-buying ban for. IT WAS SO ADORABLE and AH&*RJGRIOGJROIG. I’d heard great things in the blogosphere about this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favourite romance tropes, so I was never really gonna be. ❤

After feelings all the feels over this book, I went on a bit of a Kindle spending spree and picked up 4 more m/m romances. I’ve been in a reading slump this past week because I’ve been so exhausted, but one-by-one these books are pulling me out of it.

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So that’s a wrap for April! Have you guys read any of these books? What did you add to your shelves this month? And are you as awful at sticking to book-buying bans as I am? I’d love to hear from you. 🙂

March Haul and Packing for Camp NaNoWriMo

March is almost over, and I’m so excited because this April I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo (aka the April offshoot of the official November “National Novel Writing Month”). For the first time ever I have a plan and I know how my story is going to end… Yay for organisation skills!

As you all know, I’m not the most consistent of bloggers (y’all get nothing when I’m having a sleepy week), so you may be wondering how I’m going to fit in writing thousands of words of a potential novel AS WELL AS thousands of words on The Mud and Stars Book Blog without imploding…

The answer is, I’m not. I won’t be taking a hiatus or anything, but over this bank holiday weekend I’ve frantically advance-written a whole month’s worth of reviews to tide me over until the end of Camp. Second yay for organisation skills! You’re welcome guys.

Gif source: Giphy

If you’re Camp NaNoWriMo-ing this April too, let me know in the comments, and we can all support each other as we embark on our writing adventures! 😀

I’m putting myself on a book buying ban during April because I have so many books waiting to be read, and I’ve recently been buying at a rate I’ll never catch up with (unless I discover a way to freeze time or something.) You know how people stuff themselves silly with pancakes before Lent? I kind of did the same thing with books this month in preparation for the ban… Here’s what I added to my collection this March:

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***To have and to hold***

Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare

I know I included this in my January haul when I pre-ordered, but now it has finally arrived I couldn’t resist posting a photo of it because LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS! And it’s signed!!! I don’t think I’ve ever fangirled so hard over post before. My review of this amazing book (which I’m pleased to say lived up to all of the hype and my ridiculously high expectations) will be coming soon. (Spoiler alert: I bow down and worship the Goddess that is Cassandra Clare )

 

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

I picked this one up at a lovely independent bookshop called Mostly Books in Abingdon (my hometown) last weekend. I don’t know very much about this book, but people always rave about the beautiful writing, and I couldn’t resist the gorgeous cover.

 

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows journal

Okay, this isn’t technically a book, but I wanted an excuse to brag about it because I am a little bit in love with it. This was an impulse buy from Mostly Books alongside my copy of The Night Circus. I really wanted a House notebook, but alas – they only make Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I’m Hufflepuff through and through. I’m very happy with this one though, and just look at those beautiful illustrations on the inside cover!

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***Digital love***

The Neverland Wars – Audrey Greathouse

I was so excited to receive my first ever ARC this month! This is a huge blogging milestone for me, and it really made my day when I saw the email from Audrey. I love the story of Peter Pan, and the concept of Neverland, so this one sounded right up my street. (Also, isn’t that cover magical?!) I’m about half way through at the moment, and loving the book so far! Full review coming soon.

 

P.S. I Still Love You – Jenny Han

I picked up this sequel after finishing and adoring To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. These two books are perfect for comfort reading – lighthearted, funny, and sweet. You can find my review of the first book here.

 

Catch My Breath – M.J. O’Shea

When I saw the description for this book (which FYI is about two members of a boyband falling in love) I knew I had to read it. It’s pretty obviously One Direction fanfiction (you can tell from the personalities of each of the guys in the band), but if you’re a boyband lover in general this book will make your fangirl heart happy. Every chapter is named after a different boyband song; I mean, it’s like the author looked into my SOUL and wrote this book especially for me!

 

Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare

No, you’re not having a weird episode of deja vu – I really did buy this book twice. In what can only be described as a total dick move, Past Jess decided to be cheap and only pay for second class delivery on her pre-order of the hardback, so it did NOT arrive on release day… Present Jess was NOT amused. I was so desperate to start reading the book after waiting FOREVER for it’s release, that I HAD to download a copy for reasons relating to my sanity and happiness.

 

Four Past Midnight – Stephen King

After finishing The Lottery and other stories by Shirley Jackson this month, I was in the mood for some more horror, so I downloaded this collection of 4 novellas by Stephen King. I loved most of them, and I’ll be posting a review of this book later in the month.

 

The Ghosts of Heaven – Marcus Sedgwick

I’ve enjoyed several of Marcus Sedgwick’s books, and the description for this one sounded so weird, I knew I had to read it (you know I’m all about the weird!) Apparently it’s written in four parts which can be read in any order (intriguing), although, being the total square that I am, I’ll probably go chronological first.

 

Insurgent and Allegiant – Veronica Roth

I’ve only ever read half of the first Divergent book, although I watched the first two films and really enjoyed them. I’m determined to finally finish the whole trilogy this month before I go and see Allegiant at the cinema.

 

Threshold (Whyborne and Griffin book 2) – Jordan L. Hawk

I really enjoyed the first book in this historical/paranormal mystery series, so I’m really excited to start this one. Annelise and I started a book club this month, and Threshold will be our April read. (Our March book was Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and I’ll be posting a review for that very soon!)

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So that’s a wrap for March! Have you read any of these books? Did you fangirl hard over Lady Midnight this month? And are you participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this year? I’d love to hear from you! 🙂