Tag: book haul

Book haul #4

Published on by annettenhamelLeave a comment

Happy Monday, lovely friends!  I have some more books to show you:

book haul

Here’s what we have:

God, A Human History by Reza Aslan.  Nonfiction book about how God has been conceptualized by humans across the ages and cultures of earth.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson.  Historical fiction based in fact.  Behind the scenes story of the creation of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.  Historical fiction, supposed to be quite funny, about young aristocrats on a European tour.  LGBTQ+ themes.

Selfie by Will Storr.  Nonfiction – the subtitle tells it all:  “how we became so self-obsessed and what it’s doing to us.”  Popular culture critique.

Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins.  A novel about three women who met as girls at a weight-loss camp, and the development of their self-images.

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by Alison Weir.  I must confess, I’m eager to get into this one.  Weir is writing a book about each of Henry VIII’s six wives, and I believe the first three are out.  I want to read the whole series.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.  I understand this is a “Groundhog Day” type story, where Evelyn Hardcastle keeps dying and then waking up again.  Don’t know much about it other than that, but it’s been popular on booktube.

Paris By The Book by Liam Callanan.  A novelist disappears, and leaves his wife plane tickets to Paris.  Once there, she discovers a manuscript he’s been writing.  This leads to a hunt for his whereabouts.

That’s it for now!  I have TONS more and will be showing them to you at intervals.  I went to the library book sale in early June, where books were $3 a bag, and hit the jackpot!  Plus, some of these are lent/borrowed, and some are purchased at bookstores.  As you know, I don’t do “TBR” lists – when I do a haul, those books go into a queue to be read.

Happy reading everyone!

Winnie and the Professor

 

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Book haul #2

Published on by annettenhamelLeave a comment

Hello friends,

Currently listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on audio (as I’m working my way through the series again).

Just finished Sawkill Girls (see review), so I’m anxious to start something new, probably something light and fluffy as a palate cleanser.

In the past, I’ve always had several books in process at the same time, but I find that I forget a lot that way … so I’m working on reading one straight through before I start another.

Here’s another little haul for you, of books I’ve bought recently (including at the library sale) …

haul 2

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo – this is a new-release hardback I purchased because I enjoyed her previous book, The Light We Lost.

September by Rosamunde Pilcher – I don’t really know anything about this book, but I enjoyed her novel The Shell Seekers, so I thought I’d give it a go.  Got this one at the library sale.

The October Horse by Colleen McCullough – she’s the author of The Thorn Birds.  This book is a story about Caesar and Cleopatra.  Sounds interesting.  I like historical fiction.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson – I’ve been seeing this book a lot on blogs and videos, and most readers seem to rave about it.  I believe it’s about a woman who is living her life over and over again.

A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos.  This is the first in a series, and the second book just came out in hardcover.  I believe it’s a futuristic / dystopian world where people live on these “spires,” which are leftover parts of their former planet.

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (father and son team, I believe).  A book about a severe drought, and how people behave (and turn on each other) when they are deprived of basic life needs.

I don’t do “to be read” (TBR) lists, because every book I haul goes into the queue!  And sometimes I want to pick up something completely different  – so no promises that I’ll get to any of these super soon.

That’s my second mini-haul – which of these have you read?  I’m happy to hear your recommendations!

Blessings,

Annette

 

Book haul # 1

Published on by annettenhamelLeave a comment

Dear friends,

I’ve acquired a TON (probably literally) of books over the past months, including a few dozen at a library sale this weekend.  I thought I’d show them to you a few at a time.  As you know, I read a lot of backlist titles, as well as new releases.  While I occasionally buy a new release in hardback if it’s something I’ve really been looking forward to, I acquire most of my books in other ways:

  • Borrow from the library
  • Lent from friends
  • Purchased at sales
  • Purchased at retail, in paperback format
  • “Shop my shelves” (and storage boxes)
  • Listen on audiobook and/or read on Kindle

Let’s look at my first little haul:

  1.  Daisy Jones and the Six.  I flew through this one, and my review’s already up.  I had received an “ARC” (advance reader copy) of this one months ago, but never got around to it till now.  The story of a 1970s band similar to Fleetwood Mac – their rise to fame and fall from popularity.
  2. City of Girls.  This one just came out June 4 and I can’t WAIT to read it!  New York showgirls in the 1940s.
  3. Sawkill Girls.  Borrowed from the Library, and I need to finish it as it’s due very soon.  A Young Adult “YA” title, I don’t know much about it other than it’s a mystery about girls who go missing on Sawkill Island.
  4. Our Lady of the Prairie.  Lent to me by a coworker.  Written by a colleague at my university, who was pleased when I told her I was reading it.
  5. The Clockmaker’s Daughter.  I bought this in hardback when it first came out, and it’s just been released in paperback … need to get to it!  I understand it switches back and forth along two (or more?) timelines.

haul 1

A side note: I don’t believe in doing “TBRs” (“To be read”) lists, because I like to have the freedom to choose what appeals to me in the moment.  I believe that we have a relationship with our books, and that reading should never feel like a chore.  Also, when I finish a book, I pass it on if possible, so it will continue to have a life.  I might give it to a friend, or to charity.  Only a few take up permanent residence on my shelves, and those are the ones that have spoken to me on the deepest level.

I am also re-listening to the Harry Potter books on Audible.  I read the originals so long ago that I’ve forgotten a lot, plus the movies have muddied my memories a bit.  By revisiting them now, I can really see the books-to-movies changes.  Mind you, I’m not touchy about such changes – I understand that it’s a different task to tell a story visually than to tell it in writing.  I just find it interesting.  I’m halfway through Chamber of Secrets now, and I’m wondering about something:

How did Dobby intercept the letters from Ron and Hermione?  Considering how the owls in the first book were able to track Harry down wherever he might be, I can’t see how this would happen, and I don’t see it being addressed in the story.  Plot hole?

Happy reading everyone!

Winnie and the Professor