Book Haul #125, Or The One Where Normal Service May Resume...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

I'm not quite sure what the matter is but I've been hit by the cleaning bug. I've been cleaning, tidying and decluttering - all without the aid of a certain book that apparently sparks joy... I have been reading too, but I've fallen back into my old habit of starting a book, reading a few chapters, sticking a bookmark in and then, instead of finishing said book I'm moving on to another one instead. I've now lost track of how many books I've started but I'm pretty sure if you checked my Instagram feed it would give you a clue!

I am back on the wagon when it comes to buying books but seem to have lapsed on the old review front. I have received 3 of my most anticipated reads for 2016 recently though so it's not all bad and I've been waiting to read Ada Palmer's Too Like The Lightning ever since I met her at a Jo Walton event 2 years ago!

For Review

 Foxlowe | HEX | The Unseeing

The Square Root Of Summer | Too Like The Lightning | The Winner's Kiss

Bookmarked... #9

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons :)

Over recent weeks my reading has been somewhat eclectic, I've read everything from chicklit through to crime and onto romance. When I'm in a slump I find I read better if I don't plan what I'm reading and just go with what ever takes my fancy. I'm hoping though, now that things are starting to settle down, that I can back into at least semi-planning what's up next. Maybe in the new year?

Read

A Little Princess

In A Dark Dark Wood

Girl On A Train

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless ones

Currently Reading

Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days

Wishing For Tomorrow

Up Next

Book Haul #108, Or The One Where I Develop Vertigo...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Yes, you read that correctly. I have vertigo, quite badly in fact, thanks to a pesky ear infection and it's all I can do remain upright for long enough to do anything! The one bright point is that I can genuinely do nothing but read so there's always a silver lining :)

I've been really good this week and bought one book. And if that book hadn't been written by one of my dearest, oldest friends then I would have been purchase free. I've been waiting for this girl to get published for a long time though so absolutely had to buy a copy of Under My Skin. I've already finished it and I can highly recommend it if you're a fan of anything Gothic, YA, horror or Frankenstein. There will be a review appearing just as soon I can sit still without the world turning and/or wanting to be sick!

Bought

For Review

Ghosts of Heaven

The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath

The Dragons of Heaven

The Memory Hit

13 Days of Midnight

Book Haul #81

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Earlier this week I was sitting at my desk going through all my pre-orders & wishlists and it suddenly dawned on me how close YALC & LonCon are. I seriously need to start saving some money so I canceled the majority of my pre-orders and I removed all my quick links to various book shopping sites in the vain hope that I might stop buying books if only for a few weeks! So far, so good... The books I got were pre-orders that were already on their way and Hexed which I forgot to cancel on my Kindle so it better be good!

By the way, if you're in the UK and/or going to either YALC or LonCon let me know!

Bought

Murder | The Girl Who Never Was

Kindle

Hexed

Review

Blackout | Elderwood Manor | The Sleeping Dead

The 100 Society

Book Haul #73

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Another great week on the buying front, one pre-order which I've been waiting for what feels like forever and a special edition hardcover of one of my favorite books. I think my postman thinks I'm sick or something as he hasn't had to stagger up the path under the weight of a dozen parcels! To make up for the lack of buying books it was library week this week so a nice big stack of books appeared on Thursday, lots of great reading for Easter.

Bought

Dreams of Gods & Monsters | Fahrenheit 451

Borrowed

The Other Life | Daughter of the Blood | Black City

Dearly Beloved | Happy Ever After | Dreams & Shadows

Dark Hear Surrender | Exit Kingdom | Boy Snow Bird

The Ninth Circle | Jasmyn | Bird Box

Book Haul #68

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

I think I've finally managed to cut down on how much I spend on books and the amount of books I buy! Whether it lasts a long time or not I don't know but here's hoping... I bought a couple of books this week and a couple of Kindle deals. I was very restrained, I even deleted some bookish sale emails without looking, unbelievable as it may seem! What made my week though was getting Marcus Sedgwick's first adult novel, A Love Like Blood. There was much squealing that day!

Bought

Good Omens (Collectors Edition) | Crave | The Essence | The Offering

Kindle

Malice | Memory's Wake | Storm and Stone

Review

Harvester | A Love Like Blood

Dark Heart Rising - Lee Monroe

Dark Heart Rising (Dark Heart #2) - Lee Monroe
ISBN - 9781444904482
Publisher - Hodder Childrens Books
Release date - June 1st 2011
Find - Goodreads/BookLikes/Book Depository

'Jane and Luca's story continues ...but not quite as they had planned. When challenges and threats from the immortal world of Nissilum rip the young lovers apart, Jane is bereft. Without Luca's dancing green eyes, and gentle smile, Jane feels lost, sad and alone. But then a trip to Paris with her grandmother thrusts her in the path of the amiable Soren - a kindred spirit who may be just the distraction she needs ...Meanwhile in Nissilum, Luca struggles with the loyalties and expectations that come with being a part of the immortal world. A world that is about to be shaken at its very core: rumblings of mounting unrest are spreading, and with rumors of an angel rebellion growing no creature is safe -- especially not a mortal girl who has fallen in love with a wolf boy...' - Goodreads

Having checked on Goodreads I realized that next month it will have been three years since I read Dark Heart Forever, the first book in the Dark Heart trilogy which may contribute to my not enjoying this one as much. I could still remember most major plot points from the first book and obviously enjoyed it (I gave it four stars on Goodreads!) but for some reason Dark Heart Rising sadly didn't appeal to me.

Jane and Luca are separated, Jane in her world and Luca in Nissilum thanks to events at the end of book one. Heartbroken and eager to get away, Jane goes to Paris with her grandmother where she meets Soren, a boy who seems to understand what she's going through. Encouraged by her grandmother she becomes friends with him, expecting never to see him again once she leaves Paris. Of course, things are never that simple and when Jane starts college she is stunned to see Soren posing as an art teacher. Theirs was no accidental meeting, engineered by Soren who has even closer ties to Nissilum than Jane - he was born there and, as we discover later in the book, has had an extremely difficult life thanks to the angels there.New alliances are formed after Soren convinces Jane to try to win back Luca, even though he is now betrothed to someone else approved of by his overbearing mother. It all got a bit silly at quite a few points, Jane dressing up in vampire clothing and no-one recognizing her, Raphael hatching mad plans, Soren telling one story and then another whilst expecting people to keep believing everything he says.

I wanted to love Dark Heart Rising as I'd quite enjoyed Dark Heart Forever but I just could not connect with Jane this time round. Whilst proclaiming to be doing everything she can to win back Luca there are moments when she has an obvious attraction to Soren, and not just because he is trying to help her. I quite liked Soren to start with, it seemed he was going to be a bit different but then he started manipulating Jane, keeping secrets and ultimately I wasn't bothered whether he got his happy ever after! My favorite characters from book one were Jane's family, especially her younger sister but we barely got to see any of them this time around. I did like that most of the story took place in Nissilum as we got to learn much more about how the country worked and its politics, more insights into Luca's family and what was happening with Raphael. He ended up being one of my favorite characters even though he was completely despicable in the first book (as Evan) and I'm hoping to see more of him in Dark Heart Surrender.

Whilst the first half of the book dragged for me, there wasn't much going on and what was happening was all action moving at a slow pace, the second half of the book picked up hugely. By the end I was almost rooting for Luca again, I still don't think he's right for Jane but we'll see. The Soren storyline was wrapped up satisfactorily enough, I'm hoping he won't make a reappearance in the third book and the same goes for Luca's brother who was nothing but a giant pain the posterior! Even though I didn't enjoy this one as much I'm still going to read the final book - if only to satisfy my curiosity.

Book Haul #56

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews and Letterbox Love is a UK edition hosted by Narratively Speaking. Here we can share what new books we've picked up this past week. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

So, January 1st is just around the corner and my year of not buying books starts! I'm making the most of these last few days of buying and picking up books that I really want to read but know that my library won't get in. Unless I get books for Christmas - which I never do - this will probably be my last big book haul :( But on the bright side, I have Unhinged!!!

Bought

Witch Finder - Ruth Warburton

When the Sea is Rising Red - Cat Hellisen

Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea - April Genevieve Tucholke

A Darkness Strange & Lovely - Susan Dennard

All Our Pretty Songs - Sarah McCarry

Skarlet - Thomas Emson

Goth Girl & the Ghost of a Mouse - Chris Riddell

Unhinged - A G Howard

Kindle

Fae - C J Abedi

The Secret of Isobel Key - Jen McConnel

Doon - Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

The Winter Witch - Paula Brackston

Kindle Freebies

Sunset Rising - S M McEachern

Descended - Debra Ann Miller

Library

Perfect Ruin - Lauren Destafano

The Wood Queen - Karen Mahoney

Dark Heart Rising - Lee Monroe

Monster High - Lisi Harrison

Black Ships - Jo Graham

Red Rock - Kate Kelly

The Silence of Ghosts - Jonathan Aycliffe

Night School: Fracture - C J Daugherty

The Shadow Year - Hannah Richell

Ice - Sarah Beth Durst

For review

Mistress of the Wind - Michelle Diener

Maybe One Day - Melissa Kantor