BOOK HAUL: SEPTEMBER

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

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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Time flies and we're already at the end of another month, and moving into the spookiest time of year! Autumn is my favorite season, so I'm loving everything right now; chilled temperatures, darker evenings and warm sweaters. 

I have, as always, accumulated some books this month. I've spent more time in bookshops than I usually do, which is dangerous, and then I was sent some by some very kind publishers as well. I also got some money for my birthday and I'm sure you can guess what I spent it on!

( a f f 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 Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss

A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri

The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri

A Nest of Vipers by Andrea Camilleri

Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri

*Nora eller Brenn Oslo Brenn by Johanna Frid

Camino Island by John Grisham

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Melmoth by Sarah Perry

*Now We Have Your Attention by Jack Shenker

*The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

BOOK REVIEW: SALT SLOW BY JULIA ARMFIELD

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: Salt Slow
Author: Julia Armfield
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 208
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
This is a collection of stories about women and their experiences in society, blending the mythic and fantastic.

Review:
I really, really enjoyed this collection.

It's always a bit difficult to review collections of stories, but overall, I thought most of these were really good. There were a few slightly weaker ones, but they were still worth reading.

I love the writing style in this and the use of magical realism. There were parts in here that were so beautifully written, I had to read them over again. Sometimes the stories are a little bizarre and some were disturbing and I loved that. There's also an eeriness to some of these tales that I very much enjoyed.

If you're into strange, twisted and slightly dark stories, this is an absolute must read.

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

#FRIDAYREADS

3 COSY MYSTERY SERIES I ADORE

PENGUIN ORANGE COLLECTION: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE

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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The perfectly autumnal and creepy We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I love this book!

BOOKSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT: @THEHALCYONDAYSOFSUMMER

Time to divert your attention to another wonderful bookstagram account; @thehalcyondaysofsummer posts the loveliest pictures and I love seeing the books she features! I also just love seeing photos of her shelves because... well, because I love seeing other people's bookshelves!

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Et innlegg delt av A Literary Life ♡ Siobhan (@thehalcyondaysofsummer) Juli 24, 2019 kl. 9:03 PDT

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Et innlegg delt av A Literary Life ♡ Siobhan (@thehalcyondaysofsummer) Aug. 13, 2019 kl. 12:00 PDT

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Et innlegg delt av A Literary Life ♡ Siobhan (@thehalcyondaysofsummer) Aug. 14, 2019 kl. 9:01 PDT

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BOOK REVIEW: THE BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE BY MEG ELISON

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: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
Author: Meg Elison
Published: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 291
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
After a plague has ravaged the Earth and killed almost everyone, leaving few men behind but even fewer women and almost no children, an unnamed midwife disguises herself as a man to protect herself and tries to find her place in the new world as what is probably the last midwife left on the planet.

Review:
This book was really good and I'm surprised I haven't heard of it before!

This is the kind of post-apocalyptic story I like; it's dark, gritty and incredibly bleak. The landscape of what is left of the world creates a dim and desolate background as we follow this woman as she's trying to survive. I really liked our main character; she's complicated, complex and fascinating. I also really like that there really are very few people left in this world and you can tell throughout the whole story. Sometimes you read post-apocalyptic books and even though lots of people have died, you think to yourself that it's going to be okay, but in this it's very clear that it's probably not.

The story explores the treatment of women and women's health, which is unusual for a novel of this kind, but I felt like it worked really well. I also like the way this is written; at the very beginning of the book, we learn that there are people in the future studying "The Book of the Unnamed Midwife" and copying it down, and most of the story of this woman is told through her journaling.

Overall, an excellent read and I'm really happy this is the first book in a series because I can't wait to read more from this world.

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

READING THE TESTAMENTS

BOOK REVIEW: TERAPEUTEN BY HELENE FLOOD

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

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Title: Terapeuten
Author: Helene Flood
Published: 2019
Language: Norwegian
Pages: 399
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
In this psychological thriller, we meet Sara and Sigurd, a married couple who are renovating an old house and when Sigurd suddenly disappears after having left a mysterious message on her answering machine, Sara is left in this big house where she finds that things are no longer where she left them... or is she just imagining it?

Review:
This is a highly hyped book, so I was excited when this was sent to me, as it has already been sold to around 20 countries before it was even published.

And I get the hype, at least most of it. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours because I just had to keep going. I love the setting, I loved reading about the main characters and trying to figure out what had happened. I really like the way this is written as well, I think it's just really well done.

The protagonist is by far the strongest character in the book and we get really deep into her head. There are times where you wonder if we can even trust her at all, which I think is so fascinating! I really enjoyed getting to know her and her husband and take a look at their seemingly great relationship.

I do think the story takes a little bit of a nosedive in the last 100 pages though and without revealing too much, there were parts of the ending I didn't really like, like I got to the part and I thought: oh... is that it? But then there's this other bit that I really did like, but I obviously can't go into that without spoiling it.

It's not an absolutely revolutionary psychological thriller, but still well worth the read. Overall though, for a debut (in this genre), this is pretty impressive and I think we've got an amazing new crime writer on our hands. I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

You can get this book at Adlibris
You can read more about it on Goodreads

#FRIDAYREADS

AUTUMN TBR

BOOK REVIEW: WILDER GIRLS BY RORY POWER

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: Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 353
Rating: 2/5

Summary:
Set on an island outside of Maine, at the Raxter School for Girls, we meet the students and faculty who are left after having survived eighteen months in quarantine after a mysterious illness called the Tox has spread on the island and caused havoc.

Review:
Books in this genre are little bit of a hit and miss for me, and sadly, this was more miss than hit.

The premise of this story is so intriguing and I like the way it's set up; we've got this group of girls, mostly teens, stranded at this school all by themselves and this weird sort of society has emerged. The threat of the disease is constantly there and although the girls at the school are trying to protect themselves from the outside, as the other things that are left on the island that are also diseased and dangerous, they also have a constant threat of the disease from the inside, literally.

That being said, I didn't really connect with the characters in this at all, or really care about them. I didn't feel like they were crafted all that well and I never felt like I really understood them. What I found interesting was the disease, so I liked the parts that explored that, but I wish there was more of it. At the end of the book, we're left with countless unanswered questions and the ending itself is left extremely open, so much so that it almost feels like it almost feels like there is no ending.

For me, the execution of the story felt lacking, especially when it came to backstory and characters, and although there are some good things, there's a lot missing as well, so for me, this was just kind of OK.

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

NEW ON MY TBR

BOOK REVIEW: VOTES FOR WOMEN BY JENNI MURRAY

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: Votes for Women!: The Pioneers and Heroins of Female Suffrage
Author: Jenni Murray
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 123
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
This takes a look at the lives of six women who were a vital part of the suffragette movement and fought for change.

Review:
This was a short but enlightening little book that allowed me to get to know some of the women who were a part of Britains suffragette movement and their lives and I really enjoyed it.

As with these short books, it doesn't really go in depth but quickly and succinctly introduces you to these women and the work that they did. As someone who knew very little about this movement or these women, it was very interesting to read.

I definitely want to learn more about this topic and although this just sort of grazes the surface, I'm glad I read it!

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

SEPTEMBER WRAP UP PART I

BOOK REVIEW: DEATH KNOCKS TWICE BY ROBERT THOROGOOD

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: Death Knocks Twice
Author: Robert Thorogood
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 384
Rating: 3/5

This is the third book in the Death in Paradise series.

Summary:
Set on the sweltering island of Saint Marie in the Caribbean, we again meet Detective Inspector Richard Poole as he investigates another murder, this time of mysterious vagrant found dead inside the shower room of the historic Beaumont plantation.

Review:
As we're on the third book in this series now, I'll keep the review brief. Overall, very much enjoyed this.

The mystery in this is intriguing, although the murder in a locked room was perhaps a smidge too reminiscent of the murder in the first book. The suspects were all intriguing though and I couldn't for the life of me figure out who had done it and what was the story behind it all.

The team of detectives were a delight to meet again, as always, especially our main character who is as silly and brilliant as always. In conclusion, a very entertaining read.

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

#FRIDAYREADS

3 BOOKS SET IN AUSTRALIA

BOOK REVIEW: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING BY DELIA OWENS

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: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 370
Rating: 5/5

Summary:
Set in North Carolina in the 50's and 60's, we meet a young girl determined to make it by herself out in the marsh and tales of her wild life is the stuff of legend in the closest town so when the dead body of a local is found in 1969, the people immediately suspect the infamous Marsh Girl.

Review:
This is the best book I've read all year.

It didn't take me long to feel closely connected to the main character in this and seeing her through her childhood and becoming a young woman was in equal parts painful and beautiful. Seeing her navigate the marsh alongside her isolation and loneliness was amazing and devestating. I also really liked how the author captured how someone can be so adult and yet so innocent and childlike, all at the same time.

The writing is this is excellent, both when it comes to capturing characters, emotions and setting. The author really brings the landscape of this book to life, so much so that I could almost see this whole book as a movie in my head while I was reading.

The mystery part of the story was also intriguing, but for most of the book it sort of just sits in the back and then towards the end, we take a closer look at it, which I thought worked really well.

I cannot say enough good things about this book and I'd highly recommend it to everyone. It's a must read!

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