BOOK HAUL: NOVEMBER

S P O N S O R E D  :  O N E  B O O K  S E N T  B Y  P U B L I S H E R 
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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November is coming to a close; winter is steadily making its way to Oslo and it's getting both colder and darker. I've kind of been enjoying it; I really like the cold as it's a good excuse to stay inside and read!

Oslo has gone into second lockdown this month (less severe than the first time around though), so it's been pretty quiet around town for the most part. I think everyone is a little nervous about what's going to happen with Christmas, as it's steadily getting closer, and there's nothing to do but wait I suppose.

While we're waiting though, let's take a look at the books I got this month because there's a lot of them!

( i n c l u d e s  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 )

Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly

Sirkelens Ende by Tom Egeland (English edition here)

Misery by Stephen King

Sandstorm by James Rollins

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Jungle of Stone by William Carlsen

Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris

Formørkelsen by Karin Fossum

*På Åstedet by Eva B. Ragde & Trude Teige

The Curse of Oak Island by Randall Sullivan

Three Stones Make A Wall by Eric H. Cline

Troy by Stephen Fry

A Poem for Every Winter Day edited by Allie Esiri

I hope you're all staying safe!

UPCOMING RELEASES: DECEMBER

 We're almost at the end of the year and we've got some fun new books coming out before the year ends!

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

8th
This is the follow up to the novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune, which I read earlier this year and liked a lot, enough to want to check out the next one. These books are set in a magical realm and are filled with folklore and fairytale. This cover is also amazing.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

29th

This is a historical fiction mystery inspired by that time in 1926 when the author Agatha Christie went missing. I love Agatha Christie and this just sounds like fun!

The Artic Fury by Greer Macallister

1st

This is also historical fiction and is set in 1853 and it's about an explorer who meets with a mysterious benefactor who gives her the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a party of 12 women and search for the lost Franklin Expedition. I love books about exploring, so this sounds amazing!

The War Widow by Tara Moss

29th

This is a historical fiction mystery set in Sydney where we meet a journalist right after the Second World War who plunges into a case about a missing young immigrant boy and finds herself right back into the danger and drama she thought she'd left behind in Europe.

The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce

1st

This is a psychological thriller about a woman who moves back to London and is determined to get her life back on track and gets involved in the less than welcoming world of her daughter's school and finds herself being drawn into dark and sinister world.

#FRIDAYREADS

 

BOOK GIFT GUIDE: 2020 EDITION

NEW ON MY TBR

 

EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY: STORIES 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
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The lovely Stories of the Sea by Everyman's Library!

THE END OF THE YEAR BOOK TAG

BOOK REVIEW: THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND BY RANDALL SULLIVAN

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 Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt
Author: Randall Sullivan
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 410
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

After a teenager discovers a mysterious pit on Oak Island in Nova Scotia in 1795, rumours of buried treasure start circulating, bringing about a treasure hunt that lasts until present times. 

Review:

This was an interesting book filled with topics I really like reading about, but this ended up not being as engaging as I'd hoped.

If you like history and stories of treasure hunting, the story of Oak Island is bound to interest you. There are so many stories of people who have become obsessed with finding whatever is buried on the island and it's interesting to read about all the attempts at finding out what's going on there and what this treasure might be. This is a pretty comprehensive history of the island and it's thorough.

I didn't quite get on with the writing though; although this was interesting and I learned a lot of things I didn't know, it wasn't necessarily fun to read the way my favorite nonfiction books are. There's a lot of facts in here alongside theories, and we're introduced to a lot of people but most of them just feel like names on a page and little more, which I thought was a shame. 

I did like that it picked up its pace the further into it we got, as I felt it started off pretty slow, but it got slightly more absurd at that point too and goes off in all kinds of directions I wasn't expecting.

Overall, I did like this and I think it's an interesting topic, but the presentation of all of it feels a little lacking in... color, frankly. Could've used a bit more spice. 

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

#FRIDAYREADS

WINTER TBR

BOOK REVIEW: THE FIVE BY HALLIE RUBENHOLD

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 Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Author: Hallie Rubenhold
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 416
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

This book explores the lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper in London in 1888, who were not, contrary to popular belief, all "just" sex workers but complex people each with their own stories.

Review:

This was a really interesting book and I really liked it!

I love it when there are books like these who explore an infamous thing, but from another viewpoint, which is exactly what this does. It paints a picture of Victorian London, what life was like for regular people there, and of five women who came from different places and how they were just people with struggles and triumphs, trying to survive as women in the times they were living in.

This book also comments on broader issues and the problem of focusing on the killer instead of the victims, and how you almost need to eradicate the humanity of the victims to allow yourself to be obsessed and fascinated by the murderer. It also comments on women's place in society and the problem with categorising people into boxes where they don't necessarily fit, and how placing them in their suddenly makes that into the only thing they are.

My only slight snag with this book is I felt like it was a little dense in points, and slightly repetitive in some areas, but overall, this was really, really interesting. 

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: WILL MY CAT EAT MY EYEBALLS? BY CAITLIN DOUGHTY

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: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies
Author: Caitlin Doughty
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 222
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

In this book, funeral director and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers intriguing questions about dead bodies and burials.

Review:

This was a fun little book to have read and I learned quite a few new things, which is always great!

I think it's great to have books like these around, books that answer questions you may have, as well as answering questions you didn't even know to ask. There's a lot of stigma around dead bodies and a lot of misconceptions and this offers up interesting and frank information about what actually happens to our bodies when we die. 

I've previously read From Here To Eternity by this author which was excellent and I can't help but compare the two; both have a lot in common in that they deal with death and dead bodies in a respectful and informative way and both have quite a lot of humor in them. However, I felt like the funny bits in this book compared to the other was... maybe trying a little bit too hard. I felt the humor in the other book flowed better than in this one and to be totally frank, it made me like this a little bit less.

To me this book does feel like maybe it's supposed to cater to a slightly younger audience than me and so parts of it feel a little juvenile, but I did still really enjoy it and I had fun learning some new things!

You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)

You can read more about it on Goodreads

NOVEMBER WRAP UP PART I

BOOK REVIEW: THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET BY NATASHA PULLEY

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 Watchmaker of Filigree Street
Author: Natasha Pulley
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 318
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Set in London in 1883, a man finds a watch in his tiny apartment, one that will save his life six months later and that will draw him into the life of the man who made the watch.

Review:

This was an enjoyable book for sure.

I really like the historical aspects of this book, the Victorian setting and there's loads of steampunk stuff in here that I thought was really fun. I liked all the stuff about Japan in here as well and the characters are interesting, even if they're not the types of characters that will stick with me.

I do think this starts off better than it finishes and towards the end it got kind of confusing for me and I felt like there were several things that were left unanswered. I also think the writing slips from time to time and there were times I wished the book would just focus more because sometimes the dialogue gets a little odd and we spend time on things that felt kind of unnecessary. 

Overall though, worth the read and fun if you like steampunky historical fiction books with very slight fantasy vibes. 

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

PS: How cool is this edition?