Book Haul # 6

So I bought some books… go figure! Five of them I ordered online and the other 3 at the bottom I got at Pasajes which is slowly becoming my own paradise.

I went for a mix of a lot of stuff. I got some fantasy, some short story collections, classics, poetry (which I’m trying to get into at the moment) and literary fiction.

Book Review // Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson {Goodreads}

Published by Simon & Schuster in 2014

Hardback edition; 449 pages {BookDepository}

Emily and Sloane are best friends. Inseparable. Yet, when the summer kicks off Emily is up for a very unpleasant surprise: Sloane is missing. She left without a note, without a call and Emily doesn’t know why. One day, however, her mother tells her there is a letter and within, a list containing 13 missions that Sloane wants Emily to complete. She doesn’t know how she’s gonna do it because while some of them are very easy (like breaking something), others are a bit more complicated (did someone say skinny-dipping?). Despite all that Emily feels the need to complete the list since she believes will be the only way to get her best friend back.

Book Review // The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon {Goodreads}

Published by Vintage Contemporaries in 2004

Paperback edition; 226 pages {BookDepository}

Christopher is a special kid. He doesn’t like to be touched and doesn’t understand human emotions very well. However, he loves patterns and lives through rules and diagrams. Logic is everything for him but when one night he finds his neighbour’s dog – Wellington – dead, his logical world crumbles and so he decides to take the lead and try to resolve the mysterious murder.

Mean Comments On Reviews, Where Is The Need?

A few days ago, Cait @ PaperFury tweeted about a problem regarding one of her reviews. She was getting a lot of nasty comments due to her one-star review of Finding Aubrey because people seemed to think she was mocking the book when in truth, she explained that the reason behind her rating was that she thought the book was mocking social anxiety. I cannot say a thing about the book because I haven’t read it nor I plan to do it but what bugged me the most was how closed-minded people can be. I’ve never got a nasty comment on any of my reviews but it’s not the first time I see this type of behaviour.

Book Review // Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb {Goodreads}

Published by Voyager in 2013

Hardback edition; 472 pages {BookDepository}

Assassin’s Apprentice introduces us to the fantasy world Hobb has created called the Six Duchies. We follow Fitz, the bastard son of the king’s heir Chivalry, and how his whole world changes when his grandfather handles him over to Court. However, Fitz is raised by a stable-master called Burrich, very loyal to Chivalry and although most of the time he is outcasted by the royal save the King Shrewd who secretly trains him as an assassin, using a tutor of course. Why? Well, through Fitz’s blood runs the Skill, an ancient magic. The thing is, although many people don’t want him around he may be the only thing that will save them all.

My Man Booker Reading List

The Man Booker Prize is a literary award given to the best original novel, written in English, and published in the UK. However, not only the winner of the Prize gets international renown but also the authors who get to be both long-listed o short-listed sometimes.

One of the reasons behind paying a lot more of attention to this award, at least in my case, is the fact that a lot of those books are way out of my comfort zone and although they may be hard for me to read, I still think it’s a brilliant idea to just lose yourself a bit and expand your reading tastes.

This year there are a few titles I wanna give a try and even though I know I probably won’t read them all before the winner is announced I believe these four books are the ones I’m interested in the most. They are very different from one another but all of them really caught my attention. I’m not planning on reading anymore of the list but that can change depending on the shortlist or if I’m crazy enough to tackle the entire longlist (I wish!). Of course, I will check out the winner even if it’s not among the ones I’m showing you today.

Books & Songs # 2

It’s been way too long since I last did a post like this. Books and music are some of my favourite things and in my case, one goes along with the other. I tend to listen to (instrumental) music while reading because it helps me concentrate and erase the outside world. However, sometimes there are some non instrumental songs that fit or resemble the story you’re living at the moment and that’s what I’m gonna do today. I have 4 songs that, in my opinion, fit some part of the plot or a character within the book. Hope you enjoy this! ;)

Book Review // The Martian by Andy Weir

El Marciano (The Martian) by Andy Weir {Goodreads}

Published by Ediciones B in 2014

Paperback edition; 408 pages {BookDepository}

When a mission on Mars goes wrong, the crew of the Ares 3 is forced to leave the planet leaving one of them behind, presumably dead. However, the astronaut Mark Watney is alive and now, his fight for survival begins. His only chance to be rescued is when the next mission to Mars arrives in 4 years but he has neither water nor food to last him that long. His best option is to try and make contact with NASA and for that, he has a plan. This is the premise of The Martian, the debut sci-fi novel by Andy Weir. Sounds good, doesn’t it?