library haul

I usually go to my local library, and although it is fanatically convenient it is also rather small, so I've found the shelves rather inspiring recently. So whilst I was in the town centre I was in town I popped into the main library and got a little bit carried away.......

1. Stephen Gallagher, The Kingdom of Bones 
2. Chris Abani, Song for the Night 
3. Irvine Welsh, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins 
4. Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive 
5. Lucinda Riley, The Seven Sisters 
6. Charlaine Harris, Dead Ever After  
7. Khaled Khalifa, In Praise of Hatred 

Bank Holiday plans sorted! I'm going to eat those Easter egg and read, read, read.

what I've read this month (March)

Time for my monthly round up:-

1. Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip 
2. Kitty Hart-Moxon, Return to Auschwitz  (non-fiction)
3. Jackie Collins, Sinners 
4. Mary Roach, Stiff  (non-fiction)
5. George R.R Martin Game of Thrones (re-read)
6. Paula Hawkins, The Girl on a Train 

mini review under the cut:-

library haul

Quite a small haul compared to my usual standards, but I only really popped in quickly to pick up some books that I'd reserved:-

1. Save Me the Waltz, Zelda Fitzgerald - I've been waiting for this book for so long! I think I ordered it in the summer of last year, or maybe even before that. F.Scott gets all the glory in the Fitzgerald family, but apparently he not only used Zelda as a muse but also stole ideas from her. After reading Flappers by Judith Mackrell I became really intrigued about Zelda, she was the 'it girl' of her generation, and I want to see if she had any substance. Save Me the Waltz is about a glamorous aspiring ballerina. 
2. Stiff, Mary Roach - I read Gulp at the end of last year and found it to be equal parts disgusting and fascinating, this time Roach is taking a humorous and curious look at cadavers. From those who donate their bodies to medical science, to cannibalism to dead bodies used as crash test dummies, this promises to be just a grossly fascinating. 
3. Sinners, Jackie Collins - I might be a little bit too ashamed to read this one on the tube. It is described on the back as a 'jungle of lust and perversity, greed and ambition'. I'm hoping its going to be just as fabulously trashy as Valley of the Dolls. 

what I've read this month (January)

First round-up posts of the year - feels like the blog has got off to a slow start. I haven't posted as much as I intended, nor read as much as I expected.

But, here is a list of what I have read:-
1. Madeline Miller, Song of Achilles (re-read, review here)
2. Lee Child, Never Go Back
3. Steven Saylor, Roma 
4. Tom Rob Smith, Child 44
5. J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  (re-read)
6. Warren FitzGerald, The Go Away Bird 

The worst novel of the month was undoubtedly Never Go Back racist, sexist and formulaic. I highly suggest you skip this, and read one of the earlier books in the Jack Reacher series.

Of course, I had to read Harry Potter after visiting the studio tour, I'm going to put up some more pictures from my visit next week. I also started the year by re-reading my another one of my favourite books of all time The Song of Achilles, I feel emotionally moved by this beautiful love story every time I read it.

Out of the new (to me) books I read, Child 44 was the best, but to be honest it was out of a rather weak bunch. I found out recently it's going to be turned into a film, and it is part of a series of books. I doubt I'm going to read any of the others though, because it's strength was that it introduced me to a period of Russian history I'm ignorant about, and it would probably be a better idea just to read some non-fiction about this period.

Man Booker Prize 2014

The winner of the Man Booker prize was announced a couple of week ago - The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan.

So I've accidentally bought the entire shortlist -much to my mum's exasperation, as she claims there is no more room in the house.  It was an absolute bargain though, £30 for six  hardback books from The Book People.

The aim this month is to read all of them, then compare and rank them. Basically, I'm going to pretend to be a Man Booker judge. The hardest decision is going to be deciding on the order in which I read them.

what I've read this month (October)

Here's my monthly round-up:-

1. Robin Hobb, Assassin's Quest 
2. Jessie Burton, The Miniaturist
3. Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation 
4. Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
5. Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind 
6. James Dashner, The Maze Runner
7. Robin Hobb, Fool's Errand 
8. Emma Healy, Elizabeth is missing 
9. Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests 

I've read a fair bit of fantasy this month, 4 out of the 9. Fool's Errand was the best of the bunch, to see my review of the first book of the series see here. I'm a bit wary of reviewing the books individually, as it will contain a lot of spoilers and I'm thinking it will be probably be best if I hold of and review the series in its entirety once I'm done. 

Two of my list could be regarded as science fiction, Annihilation and The Maze Runner, and I was frankly unimpressed with both of them. 

The Paying Guests and The Miniaturist are both accomplished novels. They are historical fiction, with The Paying Guests set in London in the 1920s and The Miniaturist  is set in Holland in 1686. 

The absolute highlight of this month was Elizabeth is Missing. It is just outstanding, I was profoundly moved throughout. It is just one of those books that you want to share with everyone, I strongly urge you to read it. 

currently reading

Sorry I've been M.I.A this week, I'm starting a new job (v. excited) next week so I've been busy getting everything sorted. 

Anyway, here's a a quick update of what I'm currently reading:-

1. Fool's Errand, Robin Hobb 

I'm carrying on with this fantasy series. For my review of the first book, see here. The quality of the series is remaining consistent, and Fitz and the Fool are fantastic endearing.

2. The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters 

I love Sarah Waters, every single one of her books has been highly enjoyable, and I'm confident that this will live up to expectations. It's about a mother and daughter who have to take in lodgers, because of financial difficulties post-WWI. Lesbians and historical fiction, win win. 

3. The King's Curse, Philippa Gregory

Such trash, but good trash. Historical fiction from the queen of bodice rippers. Set in the reign of Henry VII, and all about court intrigue and politically advantageous marriage, this is sure to be a guilty pleasure.    

currently reading

I've got a ton of books that I've bought or I've borrowed (stolen) from my sister, so I've made a mini pledge to myself not to go to the library as often so I can crack on with these. 

However, I went on a ordering rampage last month, and books I requested have finally started coming into my local library, and I can't just ignore them. I think I've explained this before, but at my library you can request books from all the other libraries in the county and then pick them up locally. 

 I picked these two up the other day:-

Elizabeth is Missing, Emma Healey 

This got a lot of buzz when it was first published, which is why I had to wait ages to get it. 

I'm expecting big things from this, a detective story with a twist. Maud is investigating the disappearance of  her friend, but she is hampered in her search as she has dementia. 

The Maze Runner, James Dashner 

A film adaptation has just been released, and it is being touted as the next Hunger Games. Although I'm going to reserve my judgement until I've finished reading it, I'm dubious about these claims at the moment. It's interesting to see how literary trends work, after the success of Twilight bookshops where full of vampire boyfriends, now it's all about killing kids as part of weird survival games.  

currently reading

Just a quick post to let you know what's on my reading list at the moment:- 

1) The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton - kindly lent to me by my sister at the weekend, she was rather impressed with this and I trust her judgement. Set in 1686, Amsterdam, eighteen-year old Nella Oortman has come to join the wealthy household of her new husband.

2) The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie - even after reading 3 or 4 fantasy novels last month, I still haven't had my fill. I briefly mentioned this book in my review of kindle fantasy samples last month. From the blurb it looks like it's going to be full of knights, barbarians and tortures, which is just my thing at the moment.

3) Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer - I posted about this book way back in July, I've been waiting that long for it to get in my library. Though in lots of ways my local library is brilliant, it really is slow when it comes to ordering other books in. They offer a service in which you can request books from other libraries in the county to be sent to your local for collection, but sometimes it can take months. Anyway this novel is the first in a science fiction series.

what I've read this month (July)

Here's what I've read this month (click to see full review)

1. Max Barry, Lexicon
2. Graham Joyce, Some Kind of Fairy Tale 
3. Octavia Butler, Mind of My Mind 
4. Octavia Butler, Clay's Ark
5. Elizabeth Haynes, Into the Darkest Corner  
6. Helene Wecker, The Golem and the Djinni
7. Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fear's Death 
8. Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride (re-read)
9. Janet Mock, Redefining Realness (non-fiction, autobiography)
10. Octavia Butler, Patternmaster
11. George R.R Martin, A Feast for Crows (re-read)

I'm pleased I've managed to review all of July's books with the exception of one. It has been a concerted effort though, as I realised earlier in the month I'd been a bit lax with doing reviews. 

The stand-out book for me was Elizabeth Haynes' Into the Darkest Corner it was completely gripping, even though it did make me feel anxious. It totally deserved to win Amazon's book of the year in 2011. Best read with all the lights on, or perhaps by the poolside, Into the Darkness Corner is a tense crime thriller. 

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor is another notable book for this month. I've written a ridiculously long review on this science-fiction novel, so all I'm going to say is if your a fan of the genre add this to your reading list. 

Redefining Realness has been the most educational book I've read this year. It is a truly brave and important autobiography that should be read not just by trans people but everyone.   

I did two re-reads this month, The Robber Bride and A Feast for Crows. Margaret Atwood is queen of my heart and I'm obsessed with George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (#teamTyrion)  

For a full list and links for every book I've reviewed ever, see here 

book haul

I've broken my self imposed book buying ban in a big way, but in my defence 3 of the 5 are second-hand.

Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death
After reading the kindle sample of this I was immediately hooked. *Trigger warning rape and violence.
Recently I've been interested in reading afro-futurism (inspired by my new found love for Octavia Butler) so this novel fit the bill.    

Octavia E. Butler, Seed to Harvest
Speaking of Octavia E. Butler, this collection of the Patternist series also got put in my shopping trolley. Seed to Harvest contains four novels and fits into the afro-futurism/ science-fiction genre. For my review of another of Octavia Butler's books, Kindred see here.

Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride and Bluebeard's Egg
I've mentioned several times on this blog that I'm a massive Atwood fan, and as both these books were going cheap second-hand on Amazon I couldn't resist. The Robber Bride is a strong contender for my favourite Atwood, so I felt I had to remedy the fact that I didn't actually own it. Bluebeard's Egg is a collection of retold fairy-stories (similar to Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber) so I had to have it. It's like a triple thumbs up, Margaret Atwood, yep! Fairytales, yep yep!, feminist re-telling, yep yep yep!

Jeanette Winterson, Sexing the Cherry
I was very impressed with Winterson's retelling of the myth of Hercules in Weight, so thought I should work my way through some more of her back catalogue. Sexing the Cherry is similar to Bluebeard's Egg, more fairytales.

What do you think of my book haul? Have you got any suggestions of what I should add to my reading list?

......and a happy new year

Wrest Park Library

Though most of the rooms at Wrest Park are currently out of bounds, luckily the library is accessible and  full of lots of lovely, musty books.

After visiting Wimpole I  really appreciate how much time and effort it takes to care for and maintain a library of this size. 

Margaret Atwood- Happy Publication day!

Margaret Atwood- what an absolute legend. She is one of my favourite authors, so I was  incredibly excited to find out that MaddAddam, the third book in her post-apocalyptic trilogy was out to day.

The Maddaddam Trilogy 

I pre-ordered my copy, and have just finished reading it. The review will be up in a couple of days, I just need to work out what I thought of it!

Some of my Atwood collection

I picked up The Blind Assassin second hand when I was backpacking around Cambodia. I spent the whole day sat in hammock, drinking cheap cocktails and reading this. Pure bliss.  

Handmaid Tale- probably the most famous of Margaret Atwood's books- they used to teach it at A Level, I'm not sure if they still do?  

I've read most of Atwood's novels. I particularly enjoy her dystopian fiction, her descriptions are so vivid, she can craft a very believable, scary world, it's like she's a prophet.
 

library haul

A new library has opened up round the corner from where I live, so I went to check it out this morning. If you've read this post you'll know I'm pretty passionate/opinionated about libraries, so I'm really pleased that my local council has opened a new one within walking distance.

 The library is fairly small, but as you can see from the pictures I managed to pick up quite a stack. The books are all new as well, which is awesome, there's nothing worse than turning a page of a borrowed book and getting an unpleasant waft or discovering a bogey smeared into the pages.

I may have been a little bit greedy, as the books are only on loan for 2 weeks, but I'm currently kindle-less as I lent it to my mum (such a good daughter).

 Have a look after the jump for a further look at my choices, and for photos of pretty covers on the world's wrinkliest bedsheets:-

Pretty Covers- Red and Pink

Pretty Book Covers

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that jazz. However, one of the advantages of still buying paperbacks and hardbacks, apposed to ebooks, is that they look pretty and make you appear smarter.

Plus it is a lot easier to pass judgement on someones reading tastes if you can see their bookshelf- I'm looking at you, owners of proudly displayed 50 Shades. Hide your shame.  

After the cut is a picture heavy post of some of my favourite book covers.

If you like these, or if you're interested in wasting a couple of hours staring at books, you should check out the book cover archive. They have a huge selection of well organised book covers for you to appreciate.