2014/07/31

Book Haul: July

July is at an end! This month has been going by so fast, although I must admit, I've mostly been inside because for some strange reason, Oslo has been hotter than the sun the past weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm built for wintertime.

I've been on a reading roll these last couple of weeks, and as a result of that, I bought quite the amount of books this month. I'm also going away to my grandfathers cottage for almost a week (I'll probably be there when this post goes up), and since there's no internet there, I always bring a lot of books, so I got some I'm planning to take with me there.



This was a reeeeeally early birthday present (like two months early), because my friend never knows what to get for me, so he got the new Robert Galbraith book before I got around to buying it myself.




Can't wait to read this series, I've heard so many good things about these, especially Cress.


I read the first book, The Lost Hero, this month, and I just had to get the rest of the series. Really excited to see what happens next. And I love the covers by the way.


I got these books because I really want to know more about certain subjects, and these books are an easy way of educating oneself (these books are also very affordable).



So many books, so little time!


Phew!

I hope you're all having a great summer and enjoying (hopefully) some sunshine. We're moving into August now, and into autumn, my favorite season. Can't wait!

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2014/07/30

Top 5: Favorite Books

I have a feeling this is going to be the first of several "favorite" posts I'll write, but here are five of my favorite books!


Surprise, surprise! Most readers of my generation have this as their favorite books and I am no exception. I just love the world, the magic, the characters... everything!

I always get really sucked into these books when I read them, and it's such a nice feeling. These are also some of the first books I read in English instead of Norwegian.


This is a children's book and I have vague memories of reading this when I was a kid and loving it. I forgot about it for a while, and then I reread it a few years ago, and I still love it.

It's a very charming, light read.

There are also soooo many beautiful versions of this book, and I would get them all if I felt I could! 


This is the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle, and I love these books (and waiting impatiently for the last one). It's adult high fantasy, and it's so good. I think a lot of people can feel a little ambivalent towards fantasy because there are a lot of crap books out there, but this is the exact opposite.

The world in this book is really, really amazing.


I love these books and I love the TV-series as well. I feel like my life is on hold until the next book is published. This is also adult fantasy, and it's amazing. You need a fair bit of concentration the longer you get into the series, because there are a lot of characters, but it's definitely worth it.

The thing I love most about this series is that the author is NOT AFRAID of killing characters and leaving loose ends. I like it because it's realistic, although I'm also annoyed because I want to know it all. But mostly I love it. 


I love the book and I love the movie. I've always been fascinated by geisha culture, so this is right up my alley. Definitely worth checking out. I saw the movie first with this one, so I had that in mind when I read it, but I really enjoyed it either way.
Ah, I feel like rereading all of these now!


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2014/07/29

Travel: Books I'm Bringing to Bergen

I'm going away to my visit my grandfather in Bergen (a city on the other side of the country). It's not actually in Bergen, but about an hour outside of it, and he lives in this beautiful cabin by the sea.

I've been going almost every summer since I was a child, and it's always really fun and really relaxing. I always read a lot when I'm there, so I thought I would show you what I'm bringing this year.

I'm staying only for about five days, so I'm probably bringing too many books, but you never know!
First and foremost, I am determined to tackle the beast that is Jane Eyre. The rest is an assortment of different books that are on the top of my reading list.









I've already started Cinder and the book about Ancient Greece, and they're pretty good so far!


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2014/07/28

Book Review: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

Title: The Silkworm
Author: Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J. K. Rowling)
Published: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 455
Rating: 5/5


Summary:
Detective Cormoran Strike is hired by a worried wife to find her husband who has gone missing: the writer Owen Quine. At first, it seems like an easy case, but soon it is revealed that Quine has written a manuscript containing horrific depictions of several important people. If it was to be published, it would be a catastrophe and many wish to silence him.

Then, things get really twisted, and Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin, must unravel the mystery before it's too late.


Review:
This book is very charmingly written. I love the vibrant setting of winter in London. It's very nicely portrayed.

I absolutely love the protagonist, Strike. I never loose sight of what he's like, he's always very clear in my mind, meaning he's written very well. This trait moves through the entire book; the people in it are very clear and fascinating.

The beginning was a tad slow, but I understand why it's written that way. When things really get going, it's very exciting. I never realized who the bad guy was until it was revealed (although I rarely manage to figure these things out), and the ending both surprised and satisfied me.

There is a different quote in the beginning of every chapter; I'm not sure how I feel about that, I don't know how necessary I felt it was to the story.

What can I tell you, in my opinion, Rowling knows how to tell a story. I would recommend this to anyone who's up for a great piece of mystery crime fiction.

You can get The Silkworm at The Book Depository*
*AFFILIATE LINK
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2014/07/27

Mini Haul: Bookmarks

I found some beautiful bookmarks in a little bookstore while I was in Austria, so I thought I would show you!






These are from Librellis Coppenrath, which as far as I know is a German publishing company.

I looove these, anything that shines always draws me in. And if you're wondering, the red one says "Lieblingsbuch" which means "Favorite Book".


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2014/07/26

Bookish Reflections: Judging a Book by its Cover

I think this is a very interesting question to discuss; can you judge a book by its cover?

For me, covers are really important. Now, I don't think an "ugly" cover necessarily mean the book is bad, but I think covers are a good way of knowing if the book is for me or not.

Also, I think it's really interesting to go book shopping with my friends, because sometimes we agree on which cover is the most beautiful, and other times we disagree.

I, personally, like covers that are a little artsy with funky fonts, I like covers with patterns, I like ones that have color on them. I don't really like covers that have photographs of people, but I like the typical historical fiction ones that have a beautiful dress on a body without showing the face. I don't really like the ones with people kissing and a portrait of a person can really throw me off.
I don't really care too much about a cover if I know that the book is generally considered to be a good book, but I really love having beautiful books in my collection, so I hunt for the prettiest one. If there isn't one I like, I'll still read it.

An example for this is when I was going to buy a copy of "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I looked at lots of different covers, and picked the one I liked the best.



I picked the last one, because it's shiny, simple, and there are several other books by Fitzgerald with similar covers, meaning they look really good together in my bookshelf.

This particular book, I felt it was worth getting a hardback too, because it's a classic, so I spent a little more to get a nicer version. I also like the first cover, I like the colors and the font.
It's when I don't know anything about a book, going into a bookstore, looking for something to read, that I really judge a book by it's cover. If, for instance, this is what's on a table...



I would automatically check out the ones I like the cover of. In this case, I would check out "The Miniaturist" and "Frog Music", just because the covers appeal to me, and they remind me of covers of books I usually enjoy.

This does backfire sometimes though, obviously.
I can feel a tiny bit reluctant to buy a certain book if I can't find a good cover, and I'm not completely sold on whether I want to read it or not.

An example for this is the Vampire Academy series. I want to read this series, but I don't like the covers for the ones I can buy at my local bookstore, or the online shop I usually order from. Which means, if I want the cover I like the most, I'll have to spend a lot more money.

 

For these, I love the red one with the rose. But I can't find it anywhere, so I've postponed buying these, because I really don't like the other covers.

So, for this series, I'll probably either buy the cheapest paperbacks if I ever get around to reading them, or borrow them from my library if they have it.
And then there are the books that have so many beautiful covers it's hard to choose. I'm currently wanting to buy a set of Jane Austen novels in the same cover series, so I've been searching around.


   

These are the ones that appeal to me the most. I'm leaning towards the last one, because I've touched them, and they feel really nice. Also, all of the novels each have a beautiful, similar cover, and they have really pretty spines.
Ah, the choices!

I guess the conclusion is that yes, I judge books by its cover, and sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. And sometimes finding the right cover is a pain, but it's definitely worth it.

Feel free to join the discussion, telling me what you think.


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