Book Haul!

I love watching book hauls. I love them because everyone has different tastes and passions and it allows you to get an idea of what is out there in lots of different genres. Take for example young adult (YA) fiction. There are so many different books and topics that it can be easy to just be swamped by the amount of choice. My haul started when amazon did a 3 books for £10 deal for January and then it all just went from there.This collection of books are the ones that I have hauled so far this year (okay technically I'll give you the sun was an Xmas present but shh). Now not all of them are visible because some I bought on my Kindle during a bit of a reading frenzy.

Now I will admit I have not read all of these books yet but I plan on reviewing all of them so I will link through to those reviews via their titles.

Here are the books I have hauled!

I'll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson (YA)
Brief overview - Twins Noah and Jude are inseparable until a tragedy drives them apart. The book follows the journey their relationship takes and the struggles they deal with alone.

This was the first book I reviewed on this blog! Now I used to have a blog about reviewing books but truth be told I only reviewed one over their, Ian McEwan's Enduring love, and it was less of a review and more of an analysis. There's really not much more I have to say about this other than I loved it and really recommend it.

The Danish girl - David Ebershoff
Brief overview - Einar Wegener models for wife Greta one day to fill in for a missing model. Einar finds comfort in women's clothes and realises that is because they are what he should be wearing. It starts with Einar transforming on occasion into Lili, a person with her own thoughts and feelings unlike Einar's own, until it is obvious to all that Lili is permanent and that Einar must leave. The story follows the struggles you must overcome to finally be your true self and the impact that has on your own life and that of those around you.

***This book is not a perfect biographical depiction of Einar Wegener or Lili Elbe's life. Some names have been changed i.e. Gerda to Greta (Einar's wife) and many scenes are fabrications. However it is based on truths told in letters that were sent by both Lili and Einar and those who knew them.

Okay here's the story. I'm scrolling through the internet towards the end of 2015 and I find out Eddie Redmayne, one of my favourite actors, is going to be in a new movie - The Danish girl. I watch the trailer, I fall in love, I order the book. It took me a while to finish it due to uni stress and all the things that come along with that but I managed to finish it off during my Easter break. Although it isn't a true biographical representation of Lili Elbe's life it definitely made me want to learn more about her. The book is very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The versions of us - Laura Barnett
Brief overview - If you did one thing differently how would your life change? Eva and Jim are students at Cambridge when they first meet in 1958. Jim is walking along a lane when an approaching woman on a bicycle swerves to avoid a dog. The result could change everything. This is a story told in 3 ways.

I have seen this cover so many times in WHSmith it's as if they plastered the walls with it. The premise of 3 stories in one interested me so much and I remember reading the blurb, showing my friend and saying 'that sounds cool' then promptly putting it back down and leaving the shop. Sometime later my friend read it and enjoyed it so the next time I was making a book ordered I decided to pop it in and give it a go.

Station eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
Brief overview - One snowy night in Toronto an actor dies on stage whilst a deadly virus touches down in North America. Twenty years later Kirsten, an actress in the Traveling Symphony, performs in the settlements that have formed since the collapse but her world is threatened. If civilization was lost what would you preserve and how far would you go to protect  it?

Another recommendation from a friend who had been recommended by a friend. I didn't know anything about this book what so ever when I bought it so it is still a bit of a mystery to me. Guess I will just have to read it and find out!

Poldark 1- 3 (Ross Poldark, Demelza, Jeremy Poldark) - Winston Graham
Brief overview - Ross Poldark returns from the war to find that the girl he loved has married someone else and that his home is no longer what it once was. He tries to rebuild his family's mine and his own name but of course things never go smoothly.

I loved the BBC series when it aired and I eagerly await the new one that should hit us this Autumn. When I watched the show I didn't realise it was based off of a novel so when I went digging I knew I had to read it. I was then blown away by how many books there are! So imagine my happiness when I'm wandering through WHSmith and they have the first 3 in a set for £5. How was I supposed to say no?

The art of being normal by Lisa Willamson (YA)
Brief overview - David wants to be a girl. No-one but his two best friends know and when his secret threatens to be let out into the world by the school bully new boy Leo protects him forming an unlikely friendship. The book follows their individual journeys and the journey they take together.

This started the second book buying craze I went on this Easter as it was this book that made me buy all the ones below it. I've already posted my review on it here if you want to have a look at that.

Faceless (YA)
Brief overview - Maisie's world is turned upside down when her face is destroyed by electrical burns during a thunder storm. Her relationship with herself, her family, her friends and her boyfriend go into turmoil. Will she be able to regain the life she once had?

I have a thing about pretty covers. I loved the cover to this and again it is what drew me to read a bit of it. So after 'the art of being normal' I decided to peruse related books and when I came across this again thought 'well that book was so good and I waited so long maybe this one will be the same!' Err... sort of? I enjoyed it more towards the end but I'll explain better in my review.


The sky is everywhere by Jandy Nelson (YA)
Brief overview - Lennie's sister has died from a fatal undiagnosed heart arrhythmia. Their shared room becomes her shrine to the sister she lost but she is not alone in her grief. Whilst suffering loss she also finds love...from two boys. What will Lennie do when she can't recognise the person she once was? She's supposed to be grieving not falling in love.

Hands up if you knew I was going to have to get this. After reading I'll give you the sun I knew I needed to read more of Jandy's work. This was also a big hit with me. I have to say that I think I loved I'll give you the sun just a smiiiidge more but I think that's because I relate to art a lot more than music. Now don't get me wrong I don't think I pass a day without listening to music but I myself am not very musically talented and have a shamefully small amount of music knowledge.

The perks of being a wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
Brief overview - Charlie is starting high school and he is terrified. His friend recently committed suicide and now he is not sure what to do or how to cope. Alone he gets his head down and works hard but is always stuck on the other side of life. He joins an unlikely group of friends who help him finally participate in life and soon he feels infinite.
*** That was such a bad overview. I am so sorry but I find it so hard to summarise this wonderful book

I finally bought my own copy! I've borrowed friend's in the past but never actually bought my own copy so now my kindle has been kitted out with this little ditty. I remember going to see the film with my friend's when it first came out and now, several years later, I can't believe where the time has gone. It's a bit of a nostalgic purchase for me because of this. Expect a review soon!

Dream house by Marzia (aka cutiepiemarzia)
Brief overview - Amethyst finds herself at the house of her dreams with no idea how she got there or who she was before it. The Blooms invite her to stay the night so she can get out of the storm. When she wakes the house is deserted. All is not as it seems.

She already published this a while back in her native language, italian, but the english version has finally been released in the UK and US. I've been super excited to read this ever since she told us the premise for the story. As far as I know it's only available in hard back but it is lovely.
Fun fact - the italian and english covers are very different (Okay maybe that was obvious) but they're both very beautiful.
Fun fact 2 - Since starting this post she has now also released the book in Portugese.

Kindred spirits by Rainbow Rowell
Brief overview - Elena loves Star Wars. When she queues for the latest film she is expecting a celebration but instead finds herself last in the line of only three people and meets an unlikely someone who may truly understand.

Now I saw this was only 99p in the kindle store and thought why not. I already have Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell but have not read it yet but after reading this short story I know I will definitely have to pick it back up. Kindred Spirits is only 62 pages so it is very short but that makes it perfect for a nice break time read.


High five if you made it to the end of this post!

Hope you found something you may like,

Sophie


*** Side note - whilst writing this post I ended up finishing quite a few of the books in this list so had to go back and change what I had written.