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(early) June Book Haul


Perhaps a little early in the month to do a collection of new books, but I'm hoping this will stop me from buying anymore... for a few weeks. I had set out to create my Summer TBR list and not buy any more books, but then I started reading books quickly and wanted to buy more books as a result! -- also an excuse to take photos of the beautiful peonies. *insert heart eye emoji*



Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern - The first book I bought and the only book I paid full price for.I brought this after reading Megan's review (here) and seeing it in Tesco the next day. 

Synopsis: "In the southwest of Ireland, rugged mountains meet bright blue lakes and thick forests. Deep in the woods, a young woman lives alone, forever secluded from the world, her life a well-kept secret. She possesses an extraordinary talent, the likes of which no-one has seen before: a gift that will earn her the nickname Lyrebird. When Solomon stumbles into Laura’s solitary existence, her life is turned on its head. Pulled from her peaceful landscape to the cacophony of Dublin, she is confronted by a world desperate to understand her. But while Solomon knows the world will embrace Laura, will it free her to spread her wings – or will it trap her in a gilded cage? Like all wild birds, she needs to fly free… Lyrebird is a thoughtful, deeply moving love story; a story of the wild heart in us all and the quiet that lies underneath the world’s noise."



Catching Fire & Mockingjay - Straight after reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (review here), I ordered Catching Fire and Mockingjay from Amazon. I bought these from a secondhand bookseller on Amazon though, and got the two (including p&p) for less than £5!

Catching Fire Synopsis: "After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear rumours of a deadly rebellion against the Capitol. A rebellion that she and Peeta have helped to create. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless Katniss and Peeta can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. The terrifying sequel to The Hunger Games."

Mockingjay Synopsis: ""My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead." Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans but her. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost."

*All of the books from this point on are from charity shops, hence the varied selection and lack of reasoning for buying them.*


According to YES by Dawn French - I've never read anything by Dawn French. I believe we own a copy of her autobiography, though I've never felt a desire to pick it up. I have no idea what this book is about. And even though I've seen it around, I've never heard anyone talk about it! 

Synopsis: "The Foreign Land of the Very Wealthy - otherwise known as Manhattan's Upper East Side - has its own rigid code of behaviour. It's a code strictly adhered to by the Wilder-Bingham family. Emotional displays - unacceptable. Unruly behaviour - definitely not welcome. Fun - no thanks. This is Glenn Wilder-Bingham's kingdom. A beautifully displayed impeccably edited fortress of restraint. So when Rosie Kitto, an eccentric thirty-eight-year-old primary school teacher from England, bounces into their lives with a secret sorrow and a heart as big as the city, nobody realises that she hasn't read the rule book. For the Wilder-Bingham family, whose lives begin to unravel thread by thread, the consequences are explosive. Because after a lifetime of saying no, what happens when everyone decides to start saying . . . yes?"


Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella - This was a rebuy. I've read this book multiple times in the past, and all of the books that run alongside the Shopaholic series. But I lost my copy of the first book a few years ago and was waiting to see it in a charity store to rebuy.

Synopsis: "She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season's must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time ... shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card? The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic... the perfect pick-me-up for when it's all hanging in the (bank) balance."


The Fault in our Stars by John Green - Don't hate me but I've already watched the film. I watched it a couple of years ago. I haven't watched it again so I'm hoping I'll be able to imagine the characters and scenes with my own imagination now. I did like the film, but I haven't been in a rush to rewatch it. I think I watched it because part of the story is set in Amsterdam and I was getting ready to go to Amsterdam and it felt like a good choice. 

Synopsis: "I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once." Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."


Life of Pi by Yann Martel - I haven't seen the film or read the book yet. All I know is that it involves a boy, a tiger, and a boat?

Synopsis: "One boy, one boat, one tiger . . . After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan -- and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and best-loved works of fiction in recent years."


Girl Online by Zoe Sugg - I've never had a desire to read a 'Youtuber' book. And I had never planned on buying one - full price. Naturally, there was a lot of hype around this book when it first came out and the speculation of a ghost writer. Seeing it for a mere £1, I've decided to give it ago. Plus I'm partial to a YA novel. 

Synopsis: "I have this dream that, secretly, all teenage girls feel exactly like me. And maybe one day, when we realize that we all feel the same, we can all stop pretending we're something we're not... But until that day, I'm going to keep it real on this blog and keep it unreal in real life. Penny has a secret.  Under the alias Girl Online, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her crazy family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog. But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever."


Emma by Jane Austen - I'm partial to 'classic' literature. I fell out of love with it during my a-levels and some terrible interesting lecturers. I'm slowly getting back into them. But I just couldn't resist this simple hardback version of Emma.

Synopsis: "Jane Austen teased readers with the idea of a 'heroine whom no one but myself will much like', but Emma is irresistible. 'Handsome, clever, and rich', Emma is also an 'imaginist', 'on fire with speculation and foresight'. She sees the signs of romance all around her but thinks she will never be married. Her matchmaking maps out relationships that Jane Austen ironically tweaks into a clearer perspective. Judgment and imagination are matched in games the reader too can enjoy, and the end is a triumph of understanding."


See How They Lie by Sue Wallman - I keep seeing this book in stores and I almost brought it one time in Tesco. I don't know much about it. I believe it's a YA/Thriller though. I haven't reader a thriller in a while, so I'm hoping it will be a good one. It's fairly short, so it shouldn't take long to read.

Synopsis: "Mae feels lucky to have grown up at Hummingbird Creek, an elite wellness retreat where rich teens with psychological problems can get the help they need from her father, a prominent psychiatrist. The Creek has world-class cuisine, a state-of-the-art sports centre and the latest spa treatments. Every aspect of daily life is monitored for optimal health, and there are strict rules for everyone. When Mae is caught breaking the rules, the response is severe. She starts to question everything about her highly controlled life. And at the Creek, asking questions can be dangerous."



oh comely - This isn't a book. But magazines and the printing industry can be so damn beautiful. oh comely always gets it right. I believe they come out every 2 months, I'm subscribed so they just appear in the letterbox every so often. Beautiful imagery, interesting topics, and wonderful words, what more do you need from a magazine?

Synopsis/About oh comely: " stories / film / music / fashion / mischief / ideas - oh comely is a curious, honest and playful independent magazine. It's a place to meet strangers, hear their stories and look at life differently - where our readers are out writers and our models, too. Each issue we pick a theme and see where it takes us. We try something old, something new and something that scares us a bit. Then we present our findings in a beautiful, artbook style, putting new writing, photography and illustrations talent at the heart of it. We believe good things come in threes. We began as a bedroom project of three pals at university and we're now produced by a small publishing house started by another set of three friends. You can find us all over the world in small newsagents, indie mag shops, and cafes. Or hop over to our shop, where you can get hold of the latest editions, 'surprise me!' packages and never-miss-an-issue subscriptions. We are bi-monthly, made in London."

- K.B

1 comment

  1. Thank you for putting a link to my blog!!

    ReplyDelete