BOOK HAUL: MARCH

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

S P O N S O R E D :  S O M E  B O O K S  S E N T  F O R  F R E E  B Y  P U B L I S H E R S

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In my previous book haul, I mused a bit on the arrival of spring and how excited I was for it, and I was thinking it was going to come our way in March, but alas... winter had a little comeback this month with loads of ice, snow and rain. However, surely spring must be around the corner now?

Either way, spring or no spring, the days here are getting lighter and lighter, which I'm loving and it's definitely lifting my mood. I always find spring to be such an inspirational time!

I've been reading quite a lot in March, after a bit of a slow start to the year, which is loads of fun! I've also done a bit of book shopping (what else is new) and I've been sent some exciting books by publishers as well!

( a f f i l i a t e  l i n k s  +  b o o k s  m a r k e d  *  s e n t  b y  p u b l i s h e r s )

* The Snakes by Sadie Jones

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

* What Red Was by Rosie Price

Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman

The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers

The Chilli Pean Paste Clan by Yan Ge

* The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson

* Unrest by Jesper Stein

* Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I hope you've all had a great month!

BOOK REVIEW: RUDDY GORE BY KERRY GREENWOOD

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Ruddy Gore
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Published: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 207
Rating: 3/5

This is the seventh book in the Phryne Fisher series.

Summary:
A death occurs at a theatre and Phryne Fisher is called in to investigate the case.

Review:
As always, it was a delight to revisit Phryne Fisher and her world.

The previous book in this series was a bit of a disappointment, but in this book, Phryne is back to her usual, charming self. The mystery in this was intriguing and I loved getting to know all the eccentric people at the theatre.

Overall, great fun and very enjoyable.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

#FRIDAYREADS

MY FAVORITE MOVIES IV

BOOK REVIEW: ARE YOU THERE ALONE? BY SUZANNE O'MALLEY

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Are You There Alone?: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates
Author: Suzanne O'Malley
Published: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 432
Rating: 2/5

Summary:
In this book, journalist Suzanne O'Malley explores the case of Angela Yates, who murdered all five of her children.

Review:
I'm quite interested in true crime and so I was already familiar with this case, but I wanted to read this to see if I could learn a bit more about it. And this book did do that for me, but I must say, I did not find it particularly interesting.

It's not the case that's not interesting, it's the way it's presented in this book. I found this whole thing to be incredibly sterile and dry. The author is not just your average journalist when it comes to this case either, she actually had contact with several people involved in this case, which is why it's so surprising that reading about it is so boring. The only part I felt emotionally moved by was the very first part, otherwise this didn't pull me in at all, and I honestly think almost all of that is because of the way this was written. It's very impersonal.

The one thing I do like about this is that it discusses mental illness a lot and sheds light on the topic, which is always good and it's the only reason I've given this two stars instead of one.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

THINGS I LIKE NO. 20

I realise the two previous posts talking about things I like were both from The Body Shop and this post will make three in a row, but you know, this one is just so good I have to share it with you.

I've mentioned this before, but for the last year or so I've been trying to replace all my makeup with cruelty free items, and I'm trying to extend that "policy" to all the beauty products I use. What I've found is most difficult to find that is not tested on animals though, is perfume.

So, when I was perusing The Body Shop online shop, as one does, I found out they have perfume, and since all their products are cruelty free, I wanted to try one. I got the Moringa Eau De Toilette, because I already love the scent of their other Moringa products, and you know, it's not half bad!

This smells amazing. If you haven't smelled Moringa before, it's quite a flowery smell and it's quite sweet, although not sickeningly so. For me, it does feel like more of a summery scent than an all year round perfume, so I don't think it will replace my other perfumes that I love, but it's a start!

BOOK REVIEW: BLOOD AND CIRCUSES BY KERRY GREENWOOD

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Blood and Circuses
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Published: 1994
Language: English
Pages: 208
Rating: 2/5

This is the sixth book in the Phryne Fisher series.

Summary:
There have been strange things happening at the circus and some even say it's cursed and to try and figure out what's going on, Phryne Fisher's friends recruit her to go undercover and find out what's happening.

Review:
I always love revisiting Phryne Fisher and her world, and I love her as a character.

In this particular book, I really like the backdrop of the circus and getting to know the people there, but I don't think this is the strongest book in this series when it comes to the mystery aspect. There was a lot going on, it's hard to keep track of it all and I found it hard to get really engaged in the mystery.

I also think if this had been my first encounter with Phryne as a character, I wouldn't really be that interested in her. She spends a lot of the book pretending to be someone else, and it took a lot of the usual passion and spark out of her personality.

I still feel like these books are always so enjoyable, fun and relaxing to read though, and I just love this series because it's minimal effort to read and I can just get lost in it.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

3 BOOKS SET IN NIGERIA

BOOK REVIEW: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON BY DAVID GRANN

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Author: David Grann
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 359
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
This book delves into the history of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma, and how so many of them were killed off because they owned oil rich land during the 1920's.

Review:
I've previously read The Lost City of Z by Grann and absolutely loved it, so I was pretty sure I was going to like this too. And I did, but not as much as I thought I was going to.

Grann has a way of writing that makes the stories he tells accessible and intriguing. This is a well researched and well written account of these horrendous murders and I think it's amazing that he's written about this because at one point, it was almost forgotten about. It highlights American Indians and their struggles, which is so important. I also think Grann did a really good job of bringing life to this time period and the setting.

I did, however, find that I wasn't as compelled by this as I thought I was going to, and I think the reason for that is that the people he writes about weren't all brought to life the way I would like, so there was a bit of a barrier there. There was one investigator in it (the one who eventually cracked the case) who I felt like I really got to know, but the rest were just names on a page, so it was a little hard to get truly invested.

I do think this is still worth the read and I'm glad I read it. It's worth checking out if you enjoy history and true crime.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

#FRIDAYREADS

SPRING TBR

BOOK REVIEW: SHORT POEMS OF NEW ZEALAND

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

Title: Short Poems of New Zealand
Edited by: Jenny Bornholdt
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 176
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
This is a collection of short poetry, all nine lines or under, by a variety of New Zealand poets.

Review:
I picked this collection up in a bookstore in Auckland while I was traveling around New Zealand, so it's no surprise that it feels a little extra magical to get to have and read.

I am very fond of a short poem, so this was pretty perfect for me. There's all kinds of themes and writing styles in this, as it's all written by a variety of different poets, and so it feels pretty natural that I adored some of the poems whereas others I didn't. There are some poems that are about New Zealand but a lot of them are not necessarily.

It was an enjoyable experience to read this and I'll probably return to it more than once, but it's hard to rate these kinds of books because these types of collections are always a bit of a mixed bag. It's very much worth the read though and I feel like anyone who enjoys poetry can find something in it that speaks to them.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

BOOKSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT: @BAGFULLOFBOOKS

It's time to shout out another amazing bookstagram account you all need to take a look at and this time it's the wonderful @bagfullofbooks. This is run by Arpita from India (who also runs a blog by the same name) and her photos are gorgeous!

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Et innlegg delt av Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) Jan. 15, 2019 kl. 3:45 PST

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Et innlegg delt av Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) Des. 24, 2018 kl. 1:14 PST

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Et innlegg delt av Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) Feb. 17, 2019 kl. 1:06 PST

Go follow!

BOOK REVIEW: MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER BY OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: My Sister, the Serial Killer
Author: Oyinkan Braitwaithe
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 226
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, this is the story of two sisters, one of which has the unfortunate habit of killing all of her boyfriends.

Review:
This was such a weird and different book, and I really enjoyed reading it!

I initially picked this up thinking it was a mystery thriller and it's not (at least I wouldn't call it one). It's more a satirical contemporary novel about the relationship of two sisters, and it took me a little while to adjust to that. It has a wonderfully dark humor to it and I really liked the characters of the two sisters and the story of their family.

The writing style is pretty simple, but I really liked that. It's incredibly readable and quite fast-paced and I read this whole thing in two sittings. The book is not without its flaws though; I think some of the smaller characters felt a bit one-dimensional and sometimes the story staggers a bit weirdly. I also wish there was more of it, like it felt slightly too short.

Overall though, for a debut, this is pretty cool and a book worth reading. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this author because I'd love to read what she comes out with next.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

MARCH WRAP UP PART I

BOOK REVIEW: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1939
Language: English
Pages: 237
Rating: 5/5

Summary:
Ten people are summoned by a mysterious billionaire to a private island and they have nothing in common, except they all have horrible secrets in their past, secrets someone has decided to punish them for. One by one, they die and soon, there will be none left...

Review:
Holy smokes, this book! I'm totally blown away!

Agatha Christie was a genius and she's not called the Queen of Mystery for nothing. I've read quite a lot of her books and I always enjoy them, but this really takes the cake. I was so enthralled by this story and all the people in it, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out who was the murderer. It got pretty creepy towards the end there, I gotta say!

I just love how Christie writes and how she always makes her tales so exciting. I always love her characters and I think there's something so wonderful and charming about the time period most of her books are set in. I also loved the setting and the atmosphere of the island in this book, and how it progressed from being this seemingly lovely place to a stormy, dark and lonely location.

I absolutely adored this and I'd highly recommend it to everyone.

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads

#FRIDAYREADS

SPRING HOME INTERIOR HAUL

EVERYMAN'S POCKET POETS: POEMS OF THE SEA

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

The magnificent Poems of the Sea by Everyman's Library.