BOOK HAUL: OCTOBER

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  :  T W O  B O O K S  S E N T  F O R  F R E E

V I D E O  S P O N S O R E D  I N  P A R T  B Y  T I J N  E Y E W E A R

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It's getting colder and colder and frost is starting to appear in the morning hours, which must been we're nearing winter. October has been a cosy month, mostly spent indoors seeing as it's rained a lot here in Oslo.

I've been spending many days wrapped up in blankets, reading and drinking hot chocolate and watching the leaves turn, which is the best part of the year. I've also managed, as always, to get my hands on some new books.

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

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

**The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

The Book of Flora by Meg Elison

Gullburet by Camilla Läckberg

Blå by Maja Lunde (English edition here)

Przewalskis Hest by Maja Lunde

From Here To Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

Isprinsessen by Camilla Läckberg (English edition here)

The Bell by Iris Murdoch

The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

EVERYMAN'S POCKET POETS: POEMS BEWITCHED AND HAUNTED

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 witchy, chilling but also beautiful Poems Bewitched and Haunted.

BOOK REVIEW: ORIGIN BY DAN BROWN

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: Origin
Author: Dan Brown
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 461
Rating: 3/5

This is the fifth book in the Robert Langdon series (although it's not strictly necessary to read these in order).

Summary:
Robert Langdon, a professor in symbology and religious iconology, travels to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao after having been summoned to attend a major announcement by a billionaire and futurist who is famous for his high-tech inventions and bold predictions for the future.

Review:
It's been quite a few years since I read a Dan Brown book, but I remember loving them when I did. This one follows very much the same recipe as his other books and I did enjoy it, even if I don't think this is his best.

I always love the themes of Dan Brown's books, as he always has some interesting thoughts up his sleeve and I always enjoy the settings and the mystery. I also think it was fun to revisit this main character and I generally really liked all the characters in this book. It was an enjoyable read and I had a good time making my way through it.

I do think the story of this drags out a little bit and I felt like the setup took too long before we got anywhere. Some parts were really predictable, mostly because like I mentioned, this follows along the same lines as his other books and has a lot of the same elements. One things I've also very much enjoyed in the previous books in the main characters use of their expertise, whereas in this, that bit felt a little forced and not as interesting.

So although I enjoyed this very much, it didn't keep me quite at the edge of my seat as the other books in this series, but it was fun to go on another adventure with Langdon in such beautiful and interesting settings.

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

NONFICTION NOVEMBER TBR

BOOK REVIEW: WITH THE END IN MIND BY KATHRYN MANNIX

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: With the End in Mind: Dying, Death and Wisdom in the Age of Denial
Author: Kathryn Mannix
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 352
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
In this book, Doctor Kathryn Mannix takes a look at how we die and relate to death in the modern world and calls on her thirty years of experience in palliative care to discuss different sides of the subject.

Review:
It's odd to say you've enjoyed a book about death, but I honestly did.

I think this topic is extremely interesting, as I think us modern humans are very removed from death and dying and it's something we ignore until one day we're forced to face it. It's become a scary and horrible thing no one wants to talk about, but what this book does is basically show us how people die - and it's not scary. On the contrary, this is a surprisingly peaceful book.

I really like the way these personal stories, where we get to know different people, show us different aspects and situations that can arise in the process of dying. It shows us that although people react differently and they should be allowed to, most of us feel the same things and there's always great comfort in that.

There are things in here that are difficult to read about and heartbreakingly sad, but it would be foolish to think that wouldn't be a part of it. It still has a calming effect though. Now, because the author's work has been mainly focused on palliative care, a lot of the stories in here are similar and gives voice mostly to those who know death is coming and it's possible to plan and talk and just sort of slip off. There are a few instances where death is sudden and not peaceful at all, but it's not widely discussed, which I kind of missed a little bit. I thought maybe there was a little lack in variety in the stories.

Overall though, a book well worth reading. I thought it was going to frighten me, but it really just made me feel a little calmer about the whole thing. It's an oddly comforting book.

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

#FRIDAYREADS

CLASSICS FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS

BOOK REVIEW: THE NIGHTINGALE BY KRISTIN HANNAH

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 Nightingale
Author: Kristin Hannah
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 440
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
Set in France in 1939, we meet two sisters and follow their paths through World War II.

Review:
There's a lot I liked about this book, some parts I adored and then some I didn't.

I felt like this book captured World War II and the different struggles of it in a way I could really picture; you can really feel some of the pain these characters go through. I felt like France before and during the war really came to life. I also felt like I could really connect with both of the main characters and their struggles, and I really liked seeing the relationship between the two. It's a very emotional book as well and I teared up at several points.

Now, I did find the story a little bit predictable, I'm not going to lie. Sometimes the story borders on cliché and there is a little bit of insta-love in here, at least that's what it felt like to me. I also thought the ending was perhaps a bit too tidy.

I did love reading this fictional tale of women during the war though and I liked how the story captured the two very different paths these sisters end up on. It's not a perfect book, but definitely worth the read if you like historical fiction!

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

EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY: DETECTIVE STORIES

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 lovely Detective Stories by Everyman's Library.

BOOK REVIEW: VATHEK BY WILLIAM BECKFORD

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: Vathek
Author: William Beckford
Published: 1786
Language: English
Pages: 141
Rating: 2/5

Summary:
In this classic gothic novel, we meet Vathek, a caliph who renounces his religion and makes a deal with the devil to satiate his curiosity and his desire for supernatural powers.

Review:
This was an interesting read for many reasons and I'm glad I read it, but it's not a new favorite of mine.

I think the writing in this is good, although a little challenging at times, especially reading the dialogue, and there's a lot going on in here; we've got palaces, slaves, harems, magic and dabbling in the occult. I felt like a got a good feel for the setting and a lot of the descriptions are wonderful. It's an incredibly strange tale with a lot going on in it, and it's very interesting to see where it goes.

There's something about it though, that just doesn't quite grasp me. Maybe it was a lack of connection with the characters, but I did feel like I started losing interest towards the end.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but in the end, this was kind of just an okay read for me.

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

TRY A CHAPTER: PERSEPHONE CLASSICS

BOOK REVIEW: THE PERFECT NANNY BY LEÏLA SLIMANI

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 Perfect Nanny
Author: Leïla Slimani, Sam Taylor (translator)
Published: 2016
Language: English (translated from French)
Pages: 228
Rating: 3/5

Summary:
A couple living in Paris thinks they've found the perfect nanny to care for their children, but slowly their lives become so entangled, the idyll shatters.

Review:
I have kind of mixed feelings about this book and I find it a little hard to explain what I really think about it.

I quite enjoyed reading this, although there are definitely some dulls parts in here. I think the setup of the story is good and I like how we get to see how it ends first and then we read on to see how it got to that point. There are moments in here that are deeply disturbing and I generally quite enjoyed getting to know the characters and how they relate to one another. There's a lot of tension in the relationships in this book and I really like how we got to feel that.

That being said, now that I've finished the book and put it down, I feel kind of dissatisfied and I didn't feel like we really got into why everything ended the way it did. I think the book starts off really well, but it gets a little lost towards the end.

So I feel very ambivalent about this. It was an interesting read but I don't know, it just didn't quite make it to the finish line for me.

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

#FRIDAYREADS

OCTOBER WRAP UP PART I

EVERYMAN'S POCKET POETS: RUSSIAN POETS

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 vibrant and wonderful collection of Russian Poets from Everyman's Library.

THINGS I LIKE NO. 25

Since it's fall, I've been lighting candles in the evening when it gets dark and I thought I'd share one of my faves with you!

I got this Sandalwood candle from H&M in springtime (so it's no longer available, unfortunately) and didn't really start burning it until now. Sandalwood is one of my favorite scents in candles and it's perfect for this time of year! It's not that often that you find a candle with this scent without it being mixed with other things, so when I saw this, I just had to get it.

The jar it comes in is also really cool (and easy to find use for when I've burned the candle down) and the wax is black all the way through, so it's really cool looking as well! I'm also surprised by how long it's lasted me so far, so that's fantastic.

BOOK REVIEW: CONFESSIONS BY KANAE MINATO

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: Confessions
Author: Kanae Minato, Stephen Snyder (translator)
Published: 2008
Language: English (translated from Japanese)
Pages: 235
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
A teacher whose child dies at the school she works at decides to seek revenge on the kids who caused her only child's death, which has unexpected and terrible consequences.

Review:
This was really, really dark and I loved it!

This story is told from several different perspectives, so every character we read from has one chapter each and we see what's going on from their point of view. I felt like that worked really well, although some parts of the narratives naturally felt a little repetitive. All the characters are fascinating though and I loved getting inside their heads and see what disturbing stuff was going on in there. There aren't really any good guys in here; everyone is complicated and complex and unlikeable in one way or the other.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this and I didn't really see any of them coming, so that was very exciting. The whole book has a really sinister and twisted vibe to it that's just fantastic.

There are some lulls throughout the book and like I mentioned, it sometimes gets a little repetitive, but otherwise, I very much enjoyed this and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

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