A Book Haul #5

This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We Were Liars by Emily Lockhart

Hello again guys, it feels like forever since I posted a book haul and so it definitely is the time to embrace my love of books and show you some of my recent purchases. Over the past year I’ve definitely been buying books more and more; I use the Library a lot too (especially as I work in one) but there is something so satisfying about owning books too. I read so many different genres of books, from Crime, A/C, Fantasy, Non-Fiction and more that there is always something that appeals to me enough to buy, but buying books isn't always the cheapest, which is a shame as books are so lovely to have.

However, I love discovering books for amazingly reasonable prices on eBay, Amazon and in charity shops as they’re usually in great condition too, although I admit that I always have to flick through the pages first as I can be kind of picky when it comes to buying books; I want to make sure that it's a book that I'll reread at some point rather than a book that I will end up hating as generally when I own books I like them to be books that I really love. That said, I've bought a lot of books recently, although I definitely need to start cutting down as I'm running out of shelf space, oops. Maybe the time has come to buy another book shelf, although I'm not sure where I'll have the space to put it, sadly. (Small house problems, haha).

Have you made any book purchases recently? Let me know in the comments! :)

Book Review: Turtles All The Way Down

After reading countless rave reviews about this book, I decided to read it. Written in first person by sixteen year old Aza, we see everything through her eyes. Her life is fairly standard, although she lives her every minute haunted by a mental illness. From the outset, her life doesn't seem to be unbearably difficult as she has a caring, supportive mother and a best friend, Daisy who always makes time for her, even if she has to balance work and School work around Aza. In terms of School work, Aza never seems to struggle, actively completing homework and ensuring that she talks to her mother about how she feels whether at home or elsewhere. The meetings with her therapist were interesting to read as whenever she tried to explain how she was feeling both the inner voices in her head would reply and her therapist, which added to the understanding of how she must feel having to live alongside a constant inner muttering of unnecessary thoughts at every moment. Unfortunately, her condition makes her incredibly selfish, making it hard to sympathise with her at times.

The strongest part of this book was how realistically Aza struggled to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder alongside severe anxiety and how this affected those closest to her. Although this was a secondary part of the plot, it was actually the most memorable thing; how her chance at dating was scuppered by her fear of germs and catching diseases; it did seem extreme but that is an honest portrayal of the Disorder. The lengths that she takes to limit germs and contact with others was difficult to read, particularly as the writing style showed her deepest, most difficult to handle thoughts. Describing her every day life, as a reader you witness her need to constantly check out articles on her phone relating to the spread of bacterial infections, how once a thought is planted into her mind the thoughts just get louder and wilder until she acts upon the irrational thoughts that demand an intense need for cleanliness and sanitiser. The little things, such as the cover of the novel representing spiraling thoughts of Aza's mind, the thoughts that she's unable to ignore, even when she wants to, really helps to demonstrate how possessive the Disorder can be.

The introduction of Davis, a childhood friend added another level to the story, alongside Daisy's relationship with Mychel; however I liked that the romance side of things didn't take over the plot. Davis and his younger brother, Noah find themselves in an uncomfortable situation that Noah in particular genuinely can't cope with; your heart breaks just by reading about his plight. Both boys are fragile, but unfortunately so is Aza and so the potential of a relationship between her and Davis seems like an impossible dream. Aza's condition make her completely and utterly self-absorbed, although unintentionally, which is why it is so easy to feel sorry for her; she adores her friends and family but her mind doesn't allow her to escape or relax. Daisy is the best friend that many people would dream of as although she can be harsh and at times cruel due to frustration at the friend she loves being so selfish, however intentionally. That said, Daisy is very supportive and does her best to understand Aza even at her worst moments, when Aza doesn't understand herself.

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting read; I have a bit of love/hate relationship with John Green's novels if I'm honest. His ideas are always excellent, although I feel like the execution could be better and that has thus far has unfortunately rang true for each of the books that I've read by the author at this point. The portrayal of living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and extreme Anxiety was beautiful, it was definitely the strongest part of the plot, as you were also shown how others respond to mental heath too, but in this case it literally took over the majority of the book. It was great to see a average teenager living through her mental health problems, but the execution of the plot felt clumsy, there was a lot of things going on; investigations, mental health, relationships... All in all, it was a good read as it portrayed mental illness both carefully and realistically, but the other themes were a bit confusing as they all mixed in together, although that could also because the reader sees into the narrators mind and that is how she sees the world. This book had a lot of potential, the writing was good, but not outstanding. As much as it was a compelling read, it was only a 3 star as the ending didn't wow me and I just had too many questions and not enough answers, sadly.

A Book Haul #4

Hello again guys; it feels like ages since I’ve done a book haul, which is mad considering it feels like all that I’ve done over the past few months is buy books, haha. I’m actually running out of space for all of my books to be in my house, oops. Over the past year or so reading has easily become my favourite hobby, I love being able to escape into someone else’s world for a few hours or pages or chapters. I definitely have a book buying addiction, to the point that I keep walking into every charity shop that I pass in the hopes of spotting a bargain haha. The best of this haul was literally 20p, which was so cheap it’s actually amazing! These days I often rely on goodreads to work out which books to read or buy, but at the same time I’m terrible for simply buying a book because of a beautiful cover; that can be a good or bad thing, depending on whether the writing is to my taste or not, but I’ll read anything once and I never stop reading a book, I always have to finish it even if I hate it.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The list above is the author and title of each of the books in this haul. I’m particularly excited by the Hunger Games trilogy set, they’re the limited edition foil versions and I managed to snap these up for a reasonable price online and in absolutely fantastic condition too. The only book I’ve read so far is Big Little Lies and I loved it so I’m sure I’ll be rereading it at some point in the future, once I’ve got through my hefty reading list. All of the other books in this haul are books that I haven’t read but I’ve been meaning to read for a long time; I have no idea when I’ll be finding the time for these books but that’s ok, life is long haha. I have a lot more books to show you in terms of hauls and reviews that I’m planning for the next few months so I’m looking forward to getting some feedback as I’ve been having a bit of a lull when it comes to blogging over the past couple of months and so I’m excited to get back into it after a bit of an unintentional break. Have you bought any books recently? What books are you planning to read? Or is there a book that you think I’ll love to read? Let me know in the comments! :)

Book Review: King’s Cage

The third installment of the Red Queen series, I had high hopes for this book due to not loving Glass Sword as much as I had wanted to; starting again from where the last part has ended, we see Mare having lost her lightning, her freedom and her dignity due to the the events of Glass Sword. Imprisoned in Maven's court, it is only his mercy that is keeping her alive. A slow beginning, detailing every element of Mare's imprisonment, however once the action begins it never truly ceases. Aveyard has a fabulous writing style that creates action smoothly; the build up is subtle, mostly using conversation and military tactics to orchestrate full scale rebellion. King's Cage ultimately describes Mare's physical predicament, but it can also refer to the world's mental predicament due to a fast becoming dictatorship. Much of this novel is centered around pain, both physical and mental, across many of the characters. The fantasy elements, such as the territories and the powers are such a massive part of the storyline and so ingrained into the text now that they're easily read without surprise or confusion, although considering this is book 3 of a quartet that's not overly shocking; at this point in the series you need to be committed to the very end. 

This is the first book in the series that has first person narrative from a perspective other than Mare's; a nice touch as it allows the reader to see the elements of the plot that Mare oversees or disregards. The second and third narrators, Evangeline, a metal wielding Silver and Cameron, an unwilling Newblood. Both of them have a different world view to Mare, as well as each other. The addition of multiple layers makes a massive difference to how various characters are perceived, such as both of the Princes and finally the Kingdom becomes more than simply Norta; the mythology deepens, providing the reader with more information on situations involving politics, ownership and the High Houses. Aveyard has created a beautifully described alternative world, one which is addictive; you constantly want to know more, to understand the workings of their everyday life. Although Mare is not as the forefront of the rebellion for this novel, the rebellion is becoming a genuine threat, a concern for all; there are no games being played anymore, the battles are being brought to be won; both sides are determined to see a victory.

I've said it reviews about the books in this series previously, but regardless: I do wish that there was more overall character development, as I feel like there are many characters and not as much understanding of all of them. That said, some characters had excellent development and Evangeline in particular became much than simply a nasty piece of work; she stands up to be the perfect anti-heroine. Cal also showed a lot of improvement throughout this book; we get the opportunity to finally see his intentions and feelings toward Mare. A massive part of this book was the relationship between Mare and Cal, although there were snippets surrounding their relationships with Maven too; as a couple, a brother, a past love. Maven is a fantastic villain, although it was interesting to see how his monstrous personality was shaped, made by his mother; proof that in the Silver world, monsters are deliberately made. His mother effectively cursed his life. The biggest flaw within the plot is the amount of characters that underestimate Maven; he is cold, calculating and determined. Mare also grew as an individual; it was good to see her feel pain, empathy, hope and fear whilst somehow managing to find strength at the exact moment that she would be expected to be weak.

Overall, the addition of two other narrators was a fantastic move; it worked not only in allowing the reader to see the world outside of Mare's imprisonment but also for adding fresh perspective. I liked getting inside the head of other characters, seeing their deepest thoughts and feelings as well as their intentions and loyalties. The relationship between Cal and Mare was nice to see, as the connection was there from the start of Red Queen, there has always been an attraction, the potential for a relationship at some point. At this point in the series, it is impossible not to be emotionally invested and so the ending was heartbreaking for a number of reasons, but ultimately due to it being not entirely unexpected because power always causes strong emotions in people regardless of their blood status. The characters all felt a lot more human in this book than they have previously; powers (or lack of) became irrelevant, it has become a war for equality and the rebellion grows ever stronger. King's Cage was a 5 star read as there are so many strong, interesting characters and I honestly can't wait to see where Aveyard decides to take the next and final installment.

A Book Haul #3

Hello again guys; over the past couple of months I feel like my bookcases have started to struggle with the amount of books that I've purchased, oops. Recently I've been loving discovering gems for as little as 20p in charity shops or in Libraries that are selling off their excess stock. I'm sorry if it seems like I've posted a ridiculous amount of book hauls over the past few months, the reason behind my excessive book buying is not only do I love a good book, it is also a reasonably inexpensively enjoyable hobby once you know where to find the best titles for excellent prices too. Plus, it's always nice to escape the world around you and focus on another world for a few hours. Below are the titles that I've been naughty and bought this week alone:

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

Girl at War by Sara Nović

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Suzanna Clarke

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

As I've previously mentioned in other posts, I'm sucker for beautiful covers, but I also do read a bit of everything, too. I've read some of the books below already, but they're the kind of reads that I'd love to reread at some point as they were that good that they're still on my mind, a couple of months afterward. (That is the sign of an excellent novel!) I do feel like I need to invest in a larger bookcase now though as I have literally ran out of any space at all and I doubt I'll stop wanting to buy books any time soon. I've recently joined two Book Clubs, which I'm really excited about as I've been wanting to join one for ages now. Are any of you members of book clubs, reading or have read any of the books included in this haul or on Goodreads? Let me know in the comments :)

A Book Haul #2

Hello again guys; here is another book haul (I know, it is fairly soon after I decided to post my first ever book haul, but oh well - I've genuinely bought a LOT of books recently). Over the past year or so I've been loving my kindle less, which is strange as for quite a few years I only ever read from a kindle. Now, I love to read from a book because I do like to try and limit the amount of hours that I spend staring at a screen as I do suffer from headaches quite often and quite badly. Over the past month I've found a charity sop nearby that sells an amazing variety of books for an incredible 20p each and in such good condition too. Weirdly, I found some lovely copies of classics in Homesense of all places and naturally I had to snap up a classic that I loved as a child and hated as a teenager (thank you, a level english literature...) for a decent price of £2.99. There are so many lovely titles to explore and in all honesty, it does feel like my reading list is forever growing, which as much as that is great and I love it, I do need to start reading some of the books that I buy, oops! The list of titles that I've bought this month are:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

After You by Jojo Moyes

Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

In fairness, I have actually read some of these titles before (and reviewed them on this blog and goodreads too) but I do like to collect things a bit too much and books have become my latest collective obsession - on the plus side, books are reasonably affordable to buy compared to some of things that I've wanted to collect before (e.g. jewellery) especially when you shop around from places such as amazon, eBay, libraries and charity shops. I really want to join a book club, actually so we'll see how things go over the next couple of months, maybe I'll bite the bullet and join one. Let me know in the comments what you think of these kinds of posts :)

A Book Haul

Hello again guys; I’m trying to switch my blog content a little bit and keep it real, more to do with my every day life. If you’re a regular reader then you’ll know that I often post beauty hauls, so I made a decision to be true to myself and post a recent book haul. I often post book reviews on the blog, but I don’t think I’ve ever posted a book haul (I don’t know why not!) over the past few months I’ve got a bit bored of the kindle life and I’ve opted to buy physical book instead, although I did just buy Turtles All The Way Down by John Green for the bargain price of 99p on kindle daily deal! The majority of these books were books that I had been debating about buying for a while; I tend to use the Library often so I have to be very passionate about a book to take the plunge to buy it, although if it’s cheap I don’t mind, haha. On my pile of new books, three of them are hardback; which I love how they look but I hate reading them as I’m always terrified of breaking the spine (and they’re super heavy) but all of the titles are by well known, successful authors so I have high hopes for them. The other five books are paperback, which I prefer reading as they’re much lighter. As you can see by the range of titles, I like to read a bit of everything. The list of books that I’ve bought are:

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Winter by Ali Smith

The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seobold

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

I feel like my to be read list of books is constantly growing, which I actually find pretty scary. I mean, I do love books, but at the same time I’d like to feel like I could breathe a bit, haha. There are so many books scattered around the house and all over my bedroom that my boyfriend was complaining that I need to let a move on and finish them all, cheeky boy. This random set of books look to be super interesting and I can’t wait to make my way through them. Let me know in the comments if there are any books you would want to read - maybe we should start a little book club on my online corner of the web? :)