I have been very good recently about using the library and reading from the books I already own, but last week I had a bit of a bad week and my husband convinced me to go book shopping (I didn't need too much persuading!). Of course, he also ended up with Skyrim for his xbox, so I'd say a good time was had by all. I managed to get two books I've wanted to read for a while from a charity shop for the bargain price of £1.50 each:
The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: I'm not too sure on this one, as I didn't like Perfume and the concept sounds a bit similar but despite this I've wanted to read it since I first saw it. It's about a girl who can taste the emotions of the person who has made the food she is eating.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain: I've seen this book everywhere recently, and as I have read a Hemingway (even if only one) and an F.Scott Fitzgerald, I feel as if I am allowed to read this fictionalised account of the marriage between Hemingway and Hadley Richardson. I love the Jazz Age.
I know supermarkets are part of the reason independent bookshops are not doing so well, and I really shouldn't buy from them, but their 2 for £7 deals are too good for me to pass up on. From Sainsburys:
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt: I've had this on hold from the library for four months already and I am still number 23 on the list. So I bought the book and cancelled the reservation. I love the sound of this tale set in the West, with prospectors and outlaws.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles: Again, I love the Jazz Age. Set in 1930s New York, this is about two girls who head to the city to have the time of their lives.
The Somnambulist by Essie Fox: Regular readers will know that I am a sucker for Victorian settings and gothic plots. This book is about a lady's companion in a grand country house that soon starts to uncover dark secrets.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend: This is a bit of a modern British classic but I still haven't read it. I hope it is as funny as it is supposed to be.
And finally, from Waterstone's:
The Turn of the Screw and other stories by Henry James: This was technically a joint purchase, as the husband wants to read it after he finishes with Game of Thrones. I think I will save this spooky story for Halloween.
I also got a new notebook with books all over the cover. I've almost finished my current journal, so snapped this one up.
Have you done any impulse spending recently?
That looks like a really great bunch of books! I really liked The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. The plot was a little strange (as you can imagine) but the writing was lovely, and her use of mood and tone were good.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it, I think reactions are mixed. I'm looking forward to reading it because it's such an unusual concept.
DeleteI've been weirdly off buying books lately :-/ I'm hoping I get the mania back soon or I'll really start worrying about myself! But, The Turn of the Screw is amazing - I read it at uni for a Freudian literature course, which was very interesting... Also, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is interesting. I really liked the premise and as Emily says, the writing is lovely, but the plot is quite odd. It's still very worth reading, though!
ReplyDeleteI go through phases like that too Bex, I'm sure the mania will come back with time! I am looking forward to The Turn of the Screw.
DeleteI really like the look of The Somnambulist. The supermarket special deals are always very tempting - I know I often pick some up, but I also feel bad.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad, but not bad enough to stop buying at supermarkets, why pay full price when you can get 2 books for the price of 1?!
DeleteI wanted to read The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake before it came out and then I saw so many disappointinf reviews I didn't buy it even though newbooks had it. Hope you enjoy it more though.
ReplyDeleteI have promised myself The Sonambulist next time I see it in person in a shop. Which means I haven't seen it at all, but going to London on Wednesday so hopefully I'll get it.
I've seen some mixed reviews of it but in some ways that's good as my expectations are not too high. Definitely buy the Sonambulist, it sounds amazing!
DeleteI really loved The Paris Wife. It's a great companion read to Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. I hadn't heard of The Rules of Civility. I must read it!
ReplyDeleteI've seen so many positive reviews of The Paris Wife so I am excited to start it. I haven't read A Moveable Feast, so I will try to read that one at the same time.
DeleteI admit I was rather disappointed by the lemon cake book, but I know people who love it to pieces too. I hope you do!
ReplyDeleteI'm also not a huge fan of The Turn of the Screw, neither time I read it (I read it the second time because I couldn't even remember the first time!)...
I hope I enjoy it more than you did then! As for The Turn of the Screw, I figure it's so short that it doesn't really matter too much if I don't like it. It does sound like something I would enjoy though.
DeleteWhat a fabulous haul! The only one I've read is The Turn of the Screw for a class years ago and remember nothing about it. I should probably give it another go! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteYou should read The Turn of the Screw at halloween too, it's the perfect time for it.
Most of these are unfamiliar, but the Somnambulist sounds interesting. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts. I love historical fiction, and the "dark secrets" part sound delicious. Thanks! And, thanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteThe Somnanbulist is massive here in the UK at the moment. I can't wait to start it!
DeleteI have the The Sisters Brothers on hold, too. It will be interesting to here your take on the Wild Wild West.
ReplyDeleteI am usually good at waiting for my books on hold but by how slowly the numbers were going down, my library system must only have one or two copies. I decided I couldn't wait any longer!
Delete"The Sisters Brothers" and "Rules of Civility" are at the very top of my TBR, I look forward to reading what you think of them! :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope I can get around to them soon. I look forward to what you think of them too, Willa :)
DeleteNice haul! I've read The Turn of the Screw and really liked it. Enjoy your new books!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to Turn of the Screw, I hope it is as creepy as it sounds!
DeleteWhat a great load of books! I have Paris WIfe but I'm also interested in Sisters Brothers and Rules of Civility. And from the description of The Somnambulist, I'd like to read that one too. I also had a pretty good book week, all used but in really good shape.
ReplyDeleteI usually buy used books too (when I'm not impulse buying). They are much better value for money than new. Have you read The Paris Wife yet?
DeleteI impulse book buy quite often though sometimes it ends up being biscuits and chocolate which is not good for the waistline.
ReplyDeleteI have Paris Wife to read and that was an impulse buy for me. Must get round to reading The Somonambulist as it has been sat on my shelf a while.
So many books so little time.
Haha, I am quite good with food but can't resist impulse buying stationery. I have more pens than I could ever use in a lifetime!
DeleteTotally agree with so many books, so little time!
I love Rules of Civility. It really put me in a mood for some Fitzgerald afterwards. I didn't realize it was out in paperback already
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Sarah, it makes me even more keen to read it!
DeleteThe Somnambulist is on my list at the moment so I look forward to your review. I also picked up a cheap copy of Turn of the Screw recently and like you I might save that for halloween. On the weekend I did get to go to a favourite Brisbane bookshop and found something completely new which caught my eye called In Search of the Blue Tiger, can't remember the author but it is published by a small but quality Australian publisher called transit lounge. I could kick myself for not buying then and there but because I knew nothing about it I thought I would look for some reviews before I bought it, turned out it is not released officially until Thursday and there is very little info about it. It is not often these days that I make new discoveries in bookshops, our local stores seem to have become so standardised and largely just reflect what can be bought at even lower prices from big discount stores like supermarkets. If I can find that title in one of my local stores I will buy it, if not I will get daughter to grab me a copy from the Brisbane store. I have to admit that out of frustration I am buying books online now, but I really don't want to loose the pleasure of browsing and buying in a good bookshop. While browsing in that bookshop my other half found a new Stainless Steel Rat novel which he had to have. Enjoy your books.
ReplyDeleteWe should both read Turn of the Screw for halloween :)
DeleteYou should have just bought Blue Tiger when you saw it! I agree that it is hard to make discoveries in bookshops, most of mine now come from fellow bloggers and bookshops tend to all highlight the same books at the same time. Happy reading!
Sigh. Piles of books. They always get me.
ReplyDeleteI have The Sisters Brothers on my library queue, and I'm partway through Rules of Civility (which is pretty great in a 'it's the '30s and we have money and let's enjoy life but then things get sad' way). Oh, and Turn of the Screw is the only James I've enjoyed thus far (out of that, The Golden Bowl, The Ambassadors, and Washington Square).
Me too, I have a weakness :P
DeleteI'm glad you are liking Rules of Civility, I'm very excited to read it because I love the 20s and 30s. Look forward to your thoughts on it when you finish it :)
Turn of the Screw is a great book. It made me a James fan. Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI hope I do too. I've heard many good things about it.
DeleteShopping does wonders to improve my outlook when I've had a bad day:) Nice books.
ReplyDeleteIt does, doesn't it? It makes me feel totally consumerist at the same time though!
DeleteThe Paris Wife will be perfect if you've recently read Hemingway and Fitzgerald. I'd like to read The Rules of Civility, too, and have also been known to purchase a book when the library hold list is ridiculously long. My last impulse purchase was The Empty Family, stories by Colm Toibin.
ReplyDeleteI just couldn't wait any longer for The Sisters Brothers. I don't mind long hold lists, it's when there is a long hold list plus only a few copies that things become tricky.
DeleteI've not read any Toibin yet, but have heard he is amazing.
Oooo! I love buying books.. but have tried to get more from libraries and off the shelves. I enjoyed Particular Sadness but didn't love it, so I'm looking forward to your review. I've also been on the fence about The Sisters Brothers so I'll also be looking out for that review as well. Great haul!
ReplyDeleteI have done well with not buying books this year but put it this way, it didn't take much for me to agree to book shopping! I hope to read both of the books you mention soon.
DeleteLike you, I have made a concerted effort since the beginning of the year, to read from my shelves...so far, so good, though I have been tempted a few times. You got some great things! I can't wait to hear what you think about The Rules of Civility...I have that one waiting on my shelf.
ReplyDeleteWell done, you are doing better than me!
DeleteRules of Civility is very popular at the moment, I keep seeing it everywhere.
Buying books is such a nice treat! I love when I get to find good deals on books that I want. I have heard great things about The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake. Enjoy!!
ReplyDelete~Jess
http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/
It is a great treat! I just wish there was more hours in the day so that I could read them all :P
DeleteWhat a nice husband, mine is forever rolling his eyes when I talk about the latest book I want! I loved the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole when I was a teenager, I have read the others as well
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week!
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
My husband is obsessive about DVDs, so he understands the urge to acquire new things. I wish I had read Adrian Mole as a teenager but I'm hoping I will still get something out of it now.
DeleteThese all sound like great books. I recently won The Paris Wife, so I'm thrilled and can't wait to read about the twentie again. Finished a moveable feast recently and I feel like I'm not ready to leave that period just yet.
ReplyDeleteLovely to buy some books! Look forward to your reviews of these ones. I have Lemon cake to be read and like the sound of Rules of Civility. At the moment my to be read pile is going untouched due to review books!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have a ton of great books in front of you. Like you, I'm fascinated by The Jazz Age (and sometimes wish I could've been a flapper), and I can't get wait to get my hands on a copy of The Paris Wife or Rules of Civility. I can't wait for your thoughts on both books. :)
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I want to read "The Rules of Civility so badly" it reminds me of "The Great Gatsby" which I loved. Let's see if it makes it to my TBR list this summer.
ReplyDelete