Book Haul: August & September

So, yes, I have said several times that this blog is just for me, just for my records, doesn't matter if I have followers or not, "I'll only publish one post a week so that I can keep up," blah blah blah... But has that stopped me from reading articles with titles such as "How to get more traffic to your blog" or "7 Habits of Successful Book Bloggers" and the like? No... it has not.

I have been inspired. Inspired to take up my keyboard and write several blog posts, many of which I have no idea when I will publish. The following are books I have bought, been gifted, collected, etc. in the last month or so. There are some not pictured, as well. So, starting from the bottom of the pile:

A Great Reckoning - Louise Penny
The newest crime fiction novel in Canadian author Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, just released the end of August. It has become a tradition for my sister & brother-in-law to gift me the newest Louise Penny novel for my birthday, so here it is! I am one chapter in and already feeling at home with my old friends in Three Pines.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick
Books with long, intriguing titles such as this always get me. This one jumped right into my Chapters online shopping cart all on its own! It is a fiction about an elderly widower who goes on an adventure to discover who his wife was before she met him. It appears to be similar to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - another of my absolute favourites!

Grounded - Kate Klise
I found this book in the discount section at Chapters while vacationing in Moncton, New Brunswick earlier this month. The cover art grabbed my attention, but it really just sounds like it could be an interesting little gem. I have never heard of the author before, am not familiar with her works, but it would appear that she writes a lot of murder mysteries, so if this book is any good, I may try to find some of her other books.

The Vanishing Season - Jodi Lynn Anderson
Not your typical ghost story...Another book from Chapters' discount section, the cover art once again grabbed me with this one. I've already read it, so I won't say too much more here.

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson
I do not typically read non-fiction, but I had heard of this book before, so when I came across it at a yard sale last weekend, for only $1, I decided to grab it. It is an autobiographical account of the authors travels through Pakistan, building schools for girls, and the adventures (and mishaps) he encounters along the way.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling
I have started collecting and reading the Harry Potter series for the first time this year! It is a wonderful adventure, and I am falling completely in love with the wizarding world and the beautiful characters in it. My best friend actually sent me both The Goblet of Fire (not pictured) and The Order of the Phoenix for my birthday.

The Little Paris Bookshop - Nina George
I absolutely love the idea of this book - a bookshop owner who "prescribes" his clients just the right book to mend their broken hearts, but has yet to heal his own. My friend's book club read it in August, so I'm anxious to get into it soon so that we can share some thoughts on it.

Lullabies for Little Criminals - Heather O'Neill
Another $1 yard sale find. This coming-of-age fiction captured my attention mostly because of its Canadian author. I'm not sure if I'll actually read this one or not.

The Bone Clock - David Mitchell
While second-hand book shopping with my friend in Moncton, New Brunswick, I happened upon The Bone Clock. Recognizing it as having the same author as Cloud Atlas I was hard-pressed to leave it behind. I have no idea if it is the same genre as Cloud Atlas, but I can't wait to find out!

The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Decorum - Kim Izzo & Ceri Marsh
I love a good etiquette book, and when it comes in the form of self-help, I'm a goner. I actually don't remember where or when I picked this book up, so when I was collecting the other books for the haul photo, I decided to throw it in.

Also not pictured is The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler because, if you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a sucker for Canadian authors.

What books have you hauled recently? Are any of these on your TBR list, or have you read any of them? Share your thoughts!

Yikes!! More Book Reviews

My, my, my, how the time flies! Was my last post really in May?!? Yikes! Well, things have been busy... just not that busy, I don't really have an excuse for ya. Somewhere in the course of the last 6.5 months, my goal has shifted from reading all the books on my list (which was 52 or something like that) in the year, to just reading 52 books this year, equaling out to one a week. I am, of course, trying to check off the list. But, as always, I keep accumulating more books, which look so much more interesting than the old ones, so the older ones keep getting pushed aside. But I am, slowly, working through them. So, to cover the last couple months...

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan and Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella. I've really been enjoying the Shopaholic series, I look forward to someday getting my hands on the rest of them. I think I may have bought another of Sophie's books on my last Value Village run, but I can't remember. Becky is, as always, infuriating and yet reminds me in small ways of myself. I think she gets more annoying with each book! In the Takes Manhattan book, Becky and Luke move to New York. She ends up getting into a lot of debt - again. She also can't stand Luke's mother, who only appears to have an interest in him now that he's becoming famous and making a name for himself. Unfortunately things get really sour when some reporters back in London find out that the finance guru is a complete fake and has loads of debt - overseas, to boot! This also sheds a bad light on Luke and his efforts to open the new branch of his company in New York. They have a huge fight and Becky goes home and discovers who the culprit was behind all of her bad luck. Then she makes the huge decision to sell all her things, pay off her debts, and move to New York - alone. Two months later, Luke goes to find her and proposes. In Ties the Knot, Becky is especially frustrating as she accidentally starts to plan 2 completely different weddings and hasn't got the backbone to choose one and cancel the other. Option 1: New York dream wedding, all expenses paid (by Luke's mom). Option 2: Sweet, traditional London wedding at home, with her mom and dad paying. Both weddings are planned for the same day and she manages to keep both mothers in the dark. In the end everything works out, of course, but it's a close call!!

Overall story rating: 9/10 for both
Recommendation: 14+

Too Small to Ignore by Dr. Wess Stafford was a really moving view of the world's children and how we should be ministering to them. This is not my first choice of book genre's, which I suppose is why it made the impact that it did. Dr. Stafford spent most of his growing up years in Africa as a missionary kid, and I loved the stories he shared about life as a little boy in their village. How different life was there. He also shares unpleasant stories about the boarding school he and his sister lived at for most of the year. Terrible things that people - Christians - do to children, because nobody is there to stop them. That's why children need advocates. That's why I am one. I may not have experienced the horrible things that those children, or that Dr. Stafford, have suffered, but I have compassion and empathy and a sense of justice. It was a really good read...

Overall story rating: 8/10 It's not really a story, more of a biography, but quite interesting
Recommendation: Adults and mature teenagers, particularly those interested in Compassion, the mission field, and/or child advocacy...

The Prince Next Door by Sue Civil-Brown. This was a fun little book about a thrill-seeking dermatologist who just wants to have a good time over her vacation. Her new neighbour seems mysterious enough, but then she finds out that he's trying to disprove that he is the prince of some obscure little European country that nobody's ever heard of. That's just too much of an adventure for Serena to pass up, so she and a couple of her friends decide to help Darius. The plan involves robbery and deception, with some kidnapping thrown in. Things don't turn out as planned for those involved, but they do find their answer - and, of course, Serena and Darius fall in love. :)

Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: 16+

A Body to Die For by Kate White. Halfway through this book, I realized there is one that comes before, which I have since bought. Unfortunately now I know what happens in the first one, but this one was such a thriller I'm sure I'll have no problem getting through the other one. It starts off with Bailey, the main character, going to a friend's spa to relax, and discovering a dead body in the spa, her first night there. She spends the rest of that weekend (and a couple others?) comforting her friend, getting friendly with a cop, and conducting her own investigation. The murderer really is the last person you would expect...

Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: 16+

The Film Club by David Gilmour. This is a true story about a dad who let his son drop out of high school on the condition that they would watch 3 movies (of Dad's choice) together every week. The father had spent some time as a film critic, so he tried to introduce his son to a wide range of different styles of movies. Old movies, new movies, art movies, fun movies, etc.etc. It was a bonding time for them and many topics were discussed during these years. It's an interesting concept, but definitely not for everyone.

Overall story rating: 7/10
Recommendation: I wouldn't really recommend it

Rapid Descent by Gwen Hunter. Parts of this book were a bit boring for me, just because it's all about kayaking so there were certain parts where it's talking about techniques or tools that I'm not familiar with, but at the same time it was interesting, and now I have a slight interest in learning to kayak. Anyway, the story is about this woman (Nell), who goes kayaking with her husband (Joe). She gets caught up in a fallen tree and is unconscious for a while. He gets worried and decides to go for help. She wakes up a day later to find his note and is worried that he might be hurt somewhere because he hasn't come back. She goes out looking for him on the water, despite being very sick. She can't find him and eventually comes across some campers who get her some medical attention. They search for Joe for a long time, but never find him. She also discovers that Joe has a family (which he told her he didn't) and they're rich. And, at the end of the search, she finds out she's pregnant. Fast forward 7 years, Nell has a booming river touring business. The cold case opens back up. Nell was always their first suspect, even now. They eventually find the body, and the real killer, and Nell finds her joy and a new love.

Overall story rating: 8/10
Recommendation: 18+

So... quick overview of all those books. It's been a while since I read some of them, so I'm a bit rusty on the stories.