I’ve never been one of those people that read more during summer. Those many people who feel that summer is finally the perfect time for reading all the books that have been piling up all year.
As a matter of fact, I feel that way all year round.
There are always more books to read and worlds to explore and book shops to be browsed – and as I talked about a little while ago, Brussels is definitely not helping me keep any kind of free shelf space. If that was something I worried about. Which it honestly isn’t except in terms of where I will put my next newly purchased treasures.
So, with more free time and so many people going to my new favourite secondhand shops to find summer reading material and swapping in completed reads, I managed to procure quite a lovely little* pile of new wonders for the rapidly diminishing shelf space.
In no discernible order:
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Both Neil Gaiman and Stephen King often quote this classic tale of horror and fantasy as a massive source of inspiration for their writing and a personal favourite – so, really, the only question is why on earth I have not read this book already?
20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo
I really want to read more world literature and found this slim volume looking brand new sitting on the €1 shelf. It’s filled with different fonts and strange photos, and I’m actually really keen to read it sooner rather than later.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
There’s really no need to say anything about this book, as everyone in the entire world is talking about how wonderful it is! I’m very much not a lover of chick-lit, and the blurb is doing nothing to convince me, but so many people can’t be wrong. Right?
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus
A dystopian tale about children’s voices being poisonous to adults? And written in a way that allegedly makes you question the form and shape of a novel? Done and done!
Poems that make grown men cry edited by Anthony and Ben Holden
An unusual and lovely collection of poems – selected on the basis that each of them has moved a famous man to tears. With selections from fan-girl admired men such as Stephen Fry, Daniel Radcliffe and Colin Firth, I had no choice but to get this beauty straight home to my shelf.
Holes by Louis Sachar
A YA classic from before there really was such a thing as YA, “Holes” has been popping up in bookish conversations for years and now… A very interesting premise of coming-of-age, mystery and plot twists, I’m really looking forward to this one.
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The one new book that I’ve already read – several years ago I stumbled across this in a cruise ship library of all places (I think we were somewhere off the coast of Guatemala at the time) – and I absolutely adored its dark and fantastical story.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Again, my desire to read more world literature combined with all the praise Adichie has received over the last few years led me to take a chance on this one. I used to work covering Nigerian news for the last 4 years, so I’m actually quite excited to get an insight into the country’s history as well.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
I’ve wanted to read this book for so many years now! The third in the series was recently published and everyone (yes, everyone!) is always talking about what a magnificent and unmissable new fantasy story this is. So now I’ll try not to be missing it much longer.
Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
I absolutely adore Valente’s “Fairyland” series and am so keen to read much more from her. I’ve had my eye on “Deathless” for some time and was intrigued by the premise of the Russian mythology and love story (ohh, and have you seen the pretty cover?!). And after Rikke over at Paperback Castles wrote a gorgeous review of it recently, I had to finally add it to my collection.
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
I wasn’t particularly thrilled when I heard that King had written a sequel to “The Shining”. I love that book with a fiery passion and don’t feel that there is any need for a continuation of the story. Therefore, I had actually planned to not read it at all… But then there it was – a pretty and very new looking hardback copy for €4 and I just couldn’t resist. So, I’ll give King a chance to prove me wrong and give Danny Torrance a visit soon.
Girl Reading by Katie Ward
Honestly, I bought this book solely based on the title and the pretty cover. It’s gotten mixed reviews on Goodreads, but any book about people who love books is intriguing to me.
*Please note that the use of the word “little” here is more an attempt at lyrical writing than any actual indication of size.
