Well I can tell you that I’m very excited to be doing this book haul. Why? Well if you’ve been around here for a little bit then you might have noticed that my last couple of book hauls have been relatively small – BUT THIS TIME IT’S BIG. Well, not huge but quite large. Actually, I haven’t run up the tally yet so I could surprise myself and have an absolutely tiny haul, so let’s not count our chicks.
Obviously in December it was Christmas and usually I don’t buy myself any books (although I did break that rule a couple of times) but I did get quite a few books for Christmas so hark! The sound of pages rustling brings us forth to the first segment.
BOUGHT
As I said, I did break that little rule of mine to grab a copy of a very nice book so here we are.
The Night Manager
by John le Carré
At the start of it all, Jonathan Pine is merely the night manager at a luxury hotel. But when a single attempt to pass on information to the British authorities – about an international businessman at the hotel with suspicious dealings – backfires terribly, and people close to Pine begin to die, he commits himself to a battle against powerful forces he cannot begin to imagine.
In a chilling tale of corrupt intelligence agencies, billion-dollar price tags and the truth of the brutal arms trade, John le Carré creates a claustrophobic world in which no one can be trusted.
I absolutely had to break my little rule here to buy this edition. As you might have noticed I’ve graced you with the presence of an actual picture here because you need to understand just how beautiful this edition is. I practically started drooling in the store.
RECEIVED
I was being a bit naughty with the receiving of books in regards to NetGalley this month. I feel like I’ve said this often but! if you don’t know I’m moving to Florida for at least six months in a few weeks so I wanted to stock up on e-books – I haven’t gone mad but I did request books with the sole purpose of having some when I travel. So, if I could get new releases free on my e-reader in exchange for review? Bingo. And then of course, there’s Christmas.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [illustrated edn.]
by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay
I specifically asked for this for Christmas because if you’re not collecting these illustrated editions then I don’t know what you’re doing with your life. They’re absolutely to die for and I can’t wait to sit down with some tea and have a good read!
The Silver Witch
by Paula Brackston
My mind is like the willow; it flexes and springs. My heart is a knot of oak. Let them try to wound me. Let them try. One year after artist Tilda Forwells loses her husband, she is finally ready to move into the secluded Welsh cottage they were meant to be sharing together. In the valley below her mountain home is a mystical lake which inspires a strange energy in her. She starts to experience potent dreams, visions, presentiments which all lead her to Seren, the witch and shaman who legend has it lived on this lakeshore in Celtic times. As Tilda explores the lake’s powers and her own, her connection to Seren grows stronger. And when she comes under grave threat, she must rely on Seren and this ancient magic to save her.
I was delighted to open this on Christmas day because I’ve had my eye on this book for so long! The cover is just absolutely gorgeous and I’m really intrigued by the blurb. Here’s to hoping it lives up to expectations!
The Book of Whispers
by Kimberley Starr
Tuscany, 1096 AD. Luca, young heir to the title of Conte de Falconi, sees demons. Since no one else can see them, Luca must keep quiet about what he sees.
Luca also has dreams—dreams that sometimes predict the future. Luca sees his father murdered in one such dream and vows to stop it coming true. Even if he has to go against his father’s wishes and follow him on the great pilgrimage to capture the Holy Lands.
When Luca is given an ancient book that holds some inscrutable power, he knows he’s been thrown into an adventure that will lead to places beyond his understanding. But with the help of Suzan, the beautiful girl he rescues from the desert, he will realise his true quest: to defeat the forces of man and demon that wish to destroy the world.
Not going to lie here either, the reason this was on my wishlist was because, yes it sounded interesting, but mostly: THAT COVER. However, the blurb is very intriguing – this is set back in the 11th century and that has me instantly hooked.
Moab is my Washpot
by Stephen Fry
Moab is my Washpot is in turns funny, shocking, tender, delicious, sad, lyrical, bruisingly frank and addictively readable.
Stephen Fry’s bestselling memoir tells how, sent to a boarding school 200 miles from home at the age of seven, he survived beatings, misery, love, ecstasy, carnal violation, expulsion, imprisonment, criminal conviction, probation and catastrophe to emerge, at eighteen, ready to try and face the world in which he had always felt a stranger.
Fry writes with the wit to which we have become accustomed, but with shocking candour too. In an age of glossy celebrity autobiographies, Moab is my Washpot sets the high standard to which others should aspire.
This is Fry’s memoirs (or some of) and I’m a big Fry fan. I can’t wait to read them and hear about all his hilarious tales. I actually got to see him live on stage and it was completely hilarious. Fry just never lets you down.
The Philosopher Kings
by Jo Walton
book two in the Thessaly series
I loved the first book in this series and I literally cannot imagine what is going to go down in this sequel. It’s such a unique story about a building the ‘perfect’ city – it involves Greek gods and time travel of sorts. I can’t recommend it enough.
These Dark Wings
by John Owen Theobald
After her mother is killed in the Blitz and her father in the North Sea, 12-year-old Anna Cooper is sent to live with an uncle she has never met—the Ravenmaster at the Tower of London. Amid the Tower’s old secrets and hidden ghosts, the ravens begin to disappear, and Anna must brave the war-torn city to find them. With Nazi forces massing on the other side of the Channel, the fate of Britain might be at stake, for an ancient legend foretells that Britain will fall if the ravens ever leave the Tower.
The blurb for this book has me super intrigued and I was thrilled to open this at Christmas. It’s based off the story that if the ravens leave the tower of London, Britain will fall (I believe they actually keep clipped ravens in the tower even today). I’m excited to dive into this one!
Salt & Stone
by Victoria Scott
book two in the Fire & Flood series
I absolutely adore this series so I was eager to dive right into this one. Since opening it on Christmas day this has also been read and I can’t wait to get all my thoughts out about it in a review soon!
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
Run with them. Or fear them–
Bagheera the Panther: A silken shadow of boldness and cunning.
Kaa the Python: A thirty foot battering ram driven by a cool, hungry mind.
Baloo the Bear: who keeps the lore and the Law, and teaches the Secret Words.
Rikki the Mongoose: The young protector who sings as he slays.
Akela and Raksha the Wolves: Demon warriors of the Free People.
Shere Khan the Tiger: The dreaded enemy of all.
And Mowgli the Man-cub: The orphan baby raised by the wolves, taught by Baloo, trained by Bagheera and Kaa. The sorcerer who knows the ways of the jungle and speaks the language of the wild…
My grandfather came shopping with me and we stumbled across this adorable edition of The Jungle Book. I knew I just had to have this especially as I haven’t read the original Jungle Book before. So, kindly, my grandfather bought this for me and I’m super excited about it!
Fata Morgana
by Steven R. Boyett & Ken Mitchroney
At the height of the air war in Europe, Captain Joe Farley and the baseball-loving, wisecracking crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress Fata Morgana are in the middle of a harrowing bombing mission over East Germany when everything goes sideways. The bombs are still falling and flak is still exploding all around the 20-ton bomber as it is knocked like a bathtub duck into another world.
Suddenly stranded with the final outcasts of a desolated world, Captain Farley navigates a maze of treachery and wonder—and finds a love seemingly decreed by fate—as his bomber becomes a pawn in a centuries-old conflict between remnants of advanced but decaying civilizations. Caught among these bitter enemies, a vast power that has brought them here for its own purposes, and a terrifying living weapon bent on their destruction, the crew must use every bit of their formidable inventiveness and courage to survive.
Fata Morgana—the epic novel of love and duty at war across the reach of time.
A NetGalley acquirement, Fata Morgana piqued my interest because it’s a WWII story. I don’t really know what to make of it from the blurb but I have to say I’m intrigued. I’m keen to see where the story is going to go so let’s hope it’s good!
Shadows of the Forest
by Emma Michaels
Everyone is dying to live in the Shadows of the Forest.
They gave me three rules to follow in exchange for my brother’s life:
1. Do not enter the West Wing;
2. Do not go outside after darkness falls; and
3. There is only one exit; The Gates.This is what happened when I broke them…
This is one of the books that I requested off NetGalley. I thought it sounded interesting so I figured I’d give it a shot. I think it was released in November of 2016 but I’ll be sure to get around to it soon (hopefully)!
PRE-ORDERS
I am still subscribed to a subscription box (and I count those as pre-orders) so there is something to fill this box.
The Chimes
by Anna Smaill
The Chimes is set in a reimagined London, in a world where people cannot form new memories, and the written word has been forbidden and destroyed.
In the absence of both memory and writing is music.
In a world where the past is a mystery, each new day feels the same as the last, and before is blasphony, all appears lost. But Simon Wythern, a young man who arrives in London seeking the truth about what really happened to his parents, discovers he has a gift that could change all of this forever.
A stunning literary debut by poet and violinist Anna Smaill, The Chimes is a startlingly original work that combines beautiful, inventive prose with incredible imagination.
I’m really hoping that I get the chance to read this before I go away but I have a sneaky suspicion that I won’t. It really does sound fantastic however and I look forward to reading it.
E-BOOKS
The Sword of Shannara
by Terry Brooks
Long ago, wars of ancient Evil ruined the world and forced mankind to compete with many other races – gnomes, trolls, dwarfs, and elves. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles until giant, forbidding Allanon, with strange Druidic powers, reveals a supposedly-dead Warlock Lord plots to destroy the world.
The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, only usable by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flies into the Vale to kill Shea. To save the Vale, Shea flees, drawing the Skull Bearer after him.
You might be surprised to see this in my e-book section. I’m not much on an e-reader and I’m a big fan of Brooks so I would much rather have this in a physical edition. However! There is currently a deal on iBooks to get several fantasy books for 0.99c so of course I grabbed this! I will definitely be reading it when I go to America!
That’s a wrap!
Have you read any of these? What did you think!
Upside-Down Books 
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