BOOK HAUL: SEPTEMBER

 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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September is coming to an end and we're just about to enter spooky season, which is the best thing! I love October, ghost stories (although not too scary ones), the fall leaves, the days getting darker and just how cosy it all is.

This month has been very busy for me and I haven't had a lot of time to breathe, let alone read, but I've still managed to acquire quite the number of books. It was my birthday this month as well, which added to the pile.

I hope October will bring quieter days and that life calms down a bit, and I'll have time to start reading some of these amazing books!

( a f f i l i a t e  l i n k s )

Dead Poet's Society by N. H. Kleinbaum

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene

The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

Curse of the Spectre Queen by Jenny Elder Moke

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

Pre-Raphaelites Masterpieces of Art

Renoir

Monet

Hokusai

100 Great Paintings

Hope you're all having a nice day!

BOOK REVIEW: THE CHRYSALIDS BY JOHN WYNDHAM

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 Chrysalids
Author: John Wyndham
Published: 1955
Language: English
Pages: 200
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Set in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world, we meet a society determined to keep themselves as the pure image of God and weed out anything considered abnormal; anyone considered a mutant are banished to the fringes and badlands. Some differences are harder to see than others though, and the son of one of the most powerful men in the area is finding it harder and harder to hide his secret.

Review:

This was great, just as I had expected.

This is my third book by this author, my favorite being The Day of the Triffids, and this coming in at a close second. I absolutely loved seeing the community in this book, their religion and the way they do things, and getting to know the people there. I really liked reading from the perspective of the main character and getting to see what happens to him as he's growing up and everything that goes on with the people around him. He's also got a very... special kind of perspective, which makes the story all the better. 

I think Wyndham is really good at creating post-apocalyptic and dystopian worlds and I love reading about them; it's subtle but powerful. There's a lot in this book that makes you think and reflect, and this could've easily been published today, it's held up really well. 

I think this is a well written science fiction novel that's well worth the read for anyone who enjoys the genre. As happens every time I read one of Wyndham's books, I now want to dive into all of the rest of his works!

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

#FRIDAYREADS

A CHILL READING EVENING

BOOK REVIEW: HALF LIVES BY LUCY JANE SANTOS

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

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: Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium
Author: Lucy Jane Santos
Published: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 336
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Radium has a fascinating history. Discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, it became the focus of fascination both among scientists and the public, and was for a long time considered a miracle substance, used by both medical professionals and business people, often with devastating consequences. 

Review:
This was quite an interesting book.

I think the history of radium is fascinating, and this dives right into all of it, which I very much enjoyed and I feel like I learned quite a lot. This touches on all aspects of the substance, from its discovery to its use in every day products and the belief that it could cure just about everything, to the realisation that its use was doing more harm than good.

Now, although I quite liked this, it wasn't the kind of nonfiction book that really pulled me in. I felt like the chapters were quite long and dragged a bit sometimes, and I feel that maybe overall, this could've been shortened some. I did really like that it does a good job of explaining the science of it all though, so it was easy to understand, even for someone like me who doesn't know a whole lot about that field.

Overall, quite a good book and perfect if you're interested in radium and want to learn more about its history. 

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

FALL FAVORITES

BOOK REVIEW: THE HILL WE CLIMB BY AMANDA GORMAN

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 Hill We Climb
Author: Amanda Gorman
Published: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 32
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

This is Amanda Gorman's poem, The Hill We Climb, which she read at the inaugural ceremony of President Joe Biden in 2021. 

Review:

I remember seeing the performance of this poem live in January and I was blown away by it, so I wanted to get this book to be able to revisit it from time to time, and to have it be part of my poetry collection.

I think this is a great poem, written by an intelligent and inspiring woman, and I think it's best digested by seeing her recite it; it doesn't lose any of its meaning in written form, but the way she performs it adds another level to it.

I don't have much more to say about it than that. It's a very inspiring and strong poem, and I can't wait to see what Gorman writes next. 

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

#FRIDAYREADS

FINALLY READING THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT + WATCHING THE SHOW

BOOK REVIEW: CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK BY ELIZABETH PETERS

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: Crocodile on the Sandbank
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Published: 1975
Language: English
Pages: 294
Rating: 4/5

This is the first book in the Amelia Peabody series.

Summary:

On her way to see the world after the death of her father, Amelia Peabody stumbles upon a woman in distress and becomes friends with her, and together, they travel to Egypt, where they find themselves in the midst of a mystery with an undead mummy.

Review:

This was absolutely delightful.

I had a lot of fun reading this book; it's charming, light and exciting. I loved the historical setting of Egypt, loved all the archaeology stuff and the characters were wonderful. I especially loved the main character, and her determination and intelligence. 

For someone like me who loves adventure books, maybe especially historical ones, and who loves an intriguing mystery that isn't too gorey or violent, but more on the cosy side, this was just fantastic. It was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked this up, and so I had a great time getting engrossed in the story and going on this journey with the characters.

This is just fun, light and entertaining, and I'm super excited to keep reading this series (there are twenty in total, so lots to look forward to)!

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

MYSTERY THRILLERS: FAVES + TBR

BOOK REVIEW: WILD JOURNEYS BY BRUCE ANSLEY

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: Wild Journeys: New Zealand's Famous & Infamous, Historic & Off-The-Beaten-Path Journeys, Tracks, Routes and Passages
Author: Bruce Ansley
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 288
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

In this book, the author retraces the footsteps of several famous and infamous people on New Zealand and explores different paths and journeys people have taken throughout the years.

Review:

I bought this book in this lovely little bookshop in Auckland a few years back and have great memories of picking it out and taking it home, so I'm glad to have finally read it as well!

In each chapter of this book, we get to explore a different part of New Zealand and learn about why the track, path or part of the country is significant and the people who went on some of these journeys. Some of the chapters are historical, whereas other are more contemporary and in each one, the author goes on the same trek himself.

I very much enjoyed the historical chapters in here, whereas I found the other ones slightly less interesting and a bit forgettable. In some ways it feels like a short story collection, and as with most of those, it's a bit of a mixed bag. I did quite like all of the descriptions of the nature though, and it made me want to travel back to NZ. 

I do think it's a huge missed opportunity that there isn't a single map in this book, or any pictures. I think it would've lifted this from being something good to something great, and it would have made the less fascinating chapters far more enticing. 

Overall though, a nice little read.

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

READ WITH ME

BOOK REVIEW: THE MAIDENS BY ALEX MICHAELIDES

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 Maidens
Author: Alex Michaelides
Published: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 386
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

A troubled group therapist living in London ends up in Cambridge after her niece's friend is found murdered in the woods close to campus, and slowly but surely, she becomes convinced that one of the professors of the school had something to do with it, a professor known for having a group of young female students around him who refer to themselves as The Maidens. 

Review:

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I have very mixed feelings about it.

There are certain aspects of this book that I adore; I absolutely love the academic setting and I loved reading about Cambridge. I love the idea of having a secret society in the story and there are several parts in here that felt really suspenseful. I was really interested and invested in the story, and I had quite an enjoyable reading experience with this.

That being said, there are parts in here that I didn't feel worked as well; the main character feels slightly unbelievable and it's hard to understand her motivation at times. A lot of what is set up throughout the buildup of this ends up not really meaning anything and there was so much left unexplored when we got to the end; it felt rushed and unfinished. Generally I'd say most of the characters could've used some work.

I'm not going to lie, I am slightly disappointed with this, but it was at least fun to read and the parts that I did like, I thought were great. 

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

AUGUST WRAP UP

BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO STAY SANE IN AN AGE OF DIVISON BY ELIF SHAFAK

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: How To Stay Sane in an Age of Division
Author: Elif Shafak
Published: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 98
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

In this little collection of essays, Shafak muses on our current world and what it's like trying to live in it. 

Review:

This is a pretty short book and I don't have that much to say about it except that I liked it.

I do really love how Shafak writes, and I thought it was interesting to hear her views on our current world, politics, division, social media, hope and empathy. It's a very timely little book that explores, among other things, the pandemic and what it's been like to live through it, which was very interesting. 

That being said, I don't know if this really introduced me to any new concepts or made me think about anything in a different way. It was just kind of a nice little read; not mind-blowing, but interesting enough. 

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

#FRIDAYREADS