Earlier this month I made a little Amazon order to keep up with my voracious reading habits – so I thought I’d share the book haul with you all today. I did a post like this back in September which people seemed to enjoy, so I thought I’d do the same again.
This book haul is definitely a bit of a mixed bag – theres a mélange of genres and styles. But to be honest I like switching up the type of books that I read, so that I’m not always reading the serious literary prize winners or the simplistic, easy-to-read stories.
The Fourteenth Letter by Clare Evans
I’ve seen this book a lot recently and after reading the blurb on Amazon, I had to order it. Set in the late 1800s, it involves a murder of the bride at her engagement party and all the mystery that surrounds it afterwards.
I haven’t read a thriller/mystery book in quite a while, so I’m really looking forward to reading this. The cover is also beautiful, which always helps!
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
This is the book that I’m currently reading and is also the book that we’ve chosen at my work’s bookclub. It’s the story of 2 African-American slaves, who decide to try to escape their captors by the Underground Railroad. From what I’ve read online, the Underground Railroad was in fact a real thing in the South of America – a network of individuals and secret routes that aided the escape of slaves into the Northern states or Canada.
I’m only at the very start of this book right now, but I can tell there will be a lot of upsetting descriptions and gruesome scenes. However, it’s important to read about these horrible parts of history.
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
I’m gonna let you in on a secret – I’ve never read the His Dark Materials books. I feel like that’s a really bad thing to admit for someone my age, as I know these books were so popular when I was younger. However, I just never got around to reading them – I remember my brother having all the books, but didn’t get to read them myself.
So I’ve decided to finally get into the trilogy. I’ll admit, I was prompted by the release of La Belle Sauvage last year, which is a sort of prequel to these books. So while I wait for the paperback version of that to come out, I’m going to complete the original trilogy. I’m hoping it’s as good as everyone says!
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Now this sounds like the perfect wintery read. Set in the freezing cold and snowy Northern Russia, this book involves a lot of folklore and mystical goings-on. I haven’t read any fantasy books for a while, so I’m hoping I’ll like this one.
I’ve always been fascinated by Russian folklore and culture, so I’m hoping that this will allow me to learn more about it. Plus, I’m assuming it’ll be easier-going than reading Tolstoy (I still haven’t finished Anna Karenina).
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
I heard about this book through the High Low Podcast – Dolly and Pandora always give stellar reading recommendations. It’s quite a short book, but I’m intrigued by the blurb. It’s about a couple travelling to Helsinki, as the husband is receiving a literary award there. But his wife is planning on leaving him.
It looks like it’s going to be an interesting read, plus it promises to have a great twist (which I’m not sure if I like knowing is coming). If Dolly and Pandora love it, then I’m sure it’s going to be good!
So that was my latest book haul! I’m excited to get my teeth stuck into these, I think there’s a good mix of styles in there so it keeps things interesting! I’d love to know what you’ve been reading recently and if there’s anything you’d recommend. I’m always wanting to add to my reading list!
