January Book Haul
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Hello Readers,
Since I’ve added a few books to my bookshelves recently and subsequently my TBR for the year, I thought I’d share them with you. Even though I’ve titled this as “January Book Haul”, there may not be a haul for each month but I think doing it this way will be a nice way of tracking how long I’ve owned the books before I decide to read them. Also I’ve added in three books that I ordered at the end of December as I received them in January.
As most of you know, I predominantly read Sci-Fi but there is actually a nice mixture of genres within this haul, as I’m continuing my reading goal from last year to diversify my reading and pick up new {to me} genres and authors.
Okay, let’s get into the books shall we? {I’ll include a brief synopsis for each book, so you know what it’s about.}
I can’t remember where I first heard about this book but the plot intrigued me enough to pick it up. I think I’m right in saying it’s classed as a Historical Fantasy as it’s set during the Victorian era but has a fantasy element to it.
The story follows Beatrice, who, as a child spends time in a magical place called the Winter Garden. But after seven days, the garden disappears and no one believes her when she tells them about it.
18 years later, Beatrice decides to try and find the garden. Then when she and her friend receive invitations to compete in a Pleasure Garden Making competition, Beatrice realises she may be closer than ever to finding the Winter Garden again.
It just sounds so magical and interesting and since it features something called the Winter Garden I’m planning to read this one in February before winter ends.
I have already read this and enjoyed it. So I’ll just give you a general idea of what’s about and will tell you my thoughts during my January Wrap Up.
This is a Sci-Fi novella that follows Ariadne and three other deep space astronauts in the 22nd Century, as they explore and survey different planets and asteroids. But in the time it takes for them to carry out their mission, years have passed on Earth and things have changed dramatically there. So Ariadne and the others are faced with the possibility of returning to a home that no longer remembers them. So the story is her documenting their mission, in the hopes that someone back on Earth will learn about them.
While it’s not set in the world of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers Series, this novella is full of the same elements that make those books beautifully unique for Sci-Fi novels ~ it’s a quiet, character driven story. But like I said, I’ll share my full thoughts on this one in my Wrap Up next week.
Last year I read The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James and it was one of my top 12 books of the year. So I thought I’d give another of their books a try.
This is a Sci-Fi that follows Romy Silvers, the only surviving crew member on a spaceship heading for a new planet. Then she hears about another ship being launch from Earth with a single passenger on board ~ a boy called J. They communicate via email, which takes months to reach each other but Romy finds herself falling for J. But from the synopsis, it’s feels like there’s also a thriller, “all is not what it seems” feel and element to this story as well.
I’m intrigued to see where this story goes and if the thriller element creeps me out enough to read this book during the day rather than at night!
I grew up being read and reading Winnie the Pooh and so when I saw this book, I knew I just had to add it to my TBR. It’s been written to celebrate the 95th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh being published and it’s a prequel to those stories! Jane Riordan tells the tale of how Pooh Bear was bought for a baby Christopher Robin.
I haven’t read this one yet but I have skimmed through it and I get a similar feeling that A. A Milne’s books give me and the illustrations are also quite faithful to E. H Shepard’s style. I feel this will be a lovely book to pick up when I’m needing a break from all the heavy Sci-Fi.
This is another one that I’ve already read, so it will be included in my Wrap Up next week.
It’s a novella of sorts for the Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson but it’s very spoiler heavy for the first trilogy and a little bit for the most recent book in the saga, The Bands of Mourning. As such, there isn’t even a synopsis for this one on Waterstones, just a warning that you really need to read the other books before you even think of picking this one up.
So I’m not going to say any more right now, but I’ll give you a tiny bit of more information during my Wrap Up.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson {Collector’s Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition} {non-affiliate link}
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson {Collector’s Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition} {non-affiliate link}
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson {Collector’s Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition} {non-affiliate link}
As well as being an avid reader of books, I’m also a book collector ~ in my mind they are different things. So when I come across a book, series or author that I absolute love, I like to collect special editions of the books. So when I saw that the 10th anniversary editions of the Mistborn Trilogy were available still, I immediately bought them. Enough said.
If you’d like to know more about this series and my thoughts, I wrote a full review which you can read here.
I’ve seen this book about for a little while but it was only after hearing Beth from Booksnest talking about it, that I decided to look it up and add it to my TBR. I’m going to give you the blurb from inside the dust jacket of the book for this one as I don’t think I can do it justice:
“Bound together by a single ancient text, the unforgettable characters of Cloud Cuckoo Land are dreamers and outsiders figuring out the world around them: thirteen year olds Anna and Omeir, an orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy, on opposite sides of the formidable city walls during the 1453 siege of Constantinople; teenage idealist Seymour and octogenarian Zeno in Idaho; and Konstance, decades from now, who turns to the oldest stories to guide her community in peril.”
I know that’s not much to go on, but I’m interested in finding out exactly what this book is about.
This Dark Romantic Fantasy is a reimagining of The Little Mermaid and well, I was intrigued by that and so decided to give it a go.
It follows Princess Lira, who after killing one of her own, is turned into a human as punishment. Robbed of her song, she has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or she’ll remain human forever. But Prince Elian’s calling seems to be to rid the world of the sirens, so when he rescues a drowning woman, he soon realises that there’s more to her than what she seems and maybe she can help in his quest, if only he can trust her.
Like I said, I’m intrigued enough to give this a try as it’s definitely not my usual choice of books to read and I’m just hoping I’ll enjoy it.
This was another book I heard Beth from Booksnest talking about and it just sounded really interesting.
From what I know, there’s a duel timeline to this one. The first one is set in 1936 and follows a man called Edmond Charlot, who is opening a bookshop in Algiers. The second timeline is present day, the bookshop has been closed for decades and the space is now to be used for something else. But as Ryad begins to clear the shop of its books, he starts to understand that a bookshop can be so much more than just somewhere that sells books.
I love books about books and I’m looking forward to reading this one. I’ve also decided to make it the February Buddy Read for my book club as I think it’ll interest a few people in the club as well.
T. J Klune is an author that has been on my radar for a little while but his previous book, The House in the Cerulean Sea didn’t really appeal to me. But after hearing a general overview of this book, I thought I’d pick it up.
The story follows a man named Wallace, who doesn’t want to accept the fact that he’s died. While trying to face the truth, he finds himself at a small tea shop called Charon’s Crossing, where the owner, a man named Hugo, helps people to come to terms with their death and helps them let go of life. As Wallace begins to interact with the other customers in the cafe, he begins to feel he as if he’s been missing something, since he spent all his life focused on his job. So, when he’s given an extra seven days of life, he decides to make the most of them.
Since reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, I’ve realised that I enjoy stories about second chances and I think that’s what appeals to me the most about this book. So I’m looking forward to reading it soon.
This book could be classed as Historical Fiction as it’s inspired by a real-life literary mystery set around the relationship between Jane Austen and her sister, Cassandra, who she wrote extensively too. But for some reason, after Jane’s death, Cassandra apparently burned all those letters.
The book is set in the year 1840, when Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury in search of Jane’s letters. As she recalls her youth in the Vicarage there, she begins to piece together hidden truths about Jane and herself. Cassandra now faces a choice ~ protect Jane’s reputation or leave the letters unguarded to shape her legacy?
I adore Jane Austen and her works, so this story has definitely piqued my interest and another one I’m hoping to read soon.
So there we go, my first haul of 2022. As I mentioned, I’ve already read a couple of the books and enjoyed them, so they’ll be included on my January Wrap Up at the beginning of February.
Have you read any of these? I’d love to know what you thought of them if you have.
Stay Safe. Read a Book.
L x
