Book haul for April/May/June/July

As I have not done a book haul since March, here is the collection of books I have purchased over the past four months!

Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare. This book is Young Adult, and I have heard some great reviews. I enjoy series and dystopian themes, so I thought I would jump on board with this one!

St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russel. I read a short story by Russel for uni last semester, and absolutely loved it. It was awesome, and I had to order one of her books as soon as possible. I chose this one, and I look forward to reading more of her short stories.

Watchman, by Harper Lee. I actually bought this book for my mum, and she read it in 3 days, so I borrowed it from her. There is a lot of trepidation and excitement surrounding this book. Some people want to dive into it as soon as possible, others are hesitant –will it ruin the aura that surrounds ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’? My decision has been to read it, as I feel like it is something that I do not want to miss. Perhaps we need to read it just as a book, and not put the pressure of expectation on it.

Blogging for Writers: How Authors & Writers Build Successful Blogs, by Robin Houghton. My mum bought me this book as a well done for getting good marks on some uni assessments because she knew I was working towards a blog revamp. It has been very interesting so far.

How to read a poem and fall in love with poetry, by Edward Hirsch. This book is a required resource for my university course. It is a beautiful looking book, and I am looking forward to delving in and learning more about poetry.

Staying Alive: Real Poem for Unreal Times, by Neil Astley. This is also a book for uni. I was quite taken by the summary on Book Depository: “Many people turn to poetry only at unreal times, whether for consolation in loss or affirmation in love, or when facing other extremes and anxieties. ‘Staying Alive’ includes many of the great modern love poems and elegies, but it also shows the power of poetry in celebrating the ordinary miracle, taking you on a journey around many of the different aspects of everyday life explored in poems. A strong poem is not just for crisis. Such a poem is there for all times, helping us face or embrace daily change and disruption. It will also speak to us when nothing seems to be happening, when the poem’s importance is in helping us stay alive to the world and stay true to ourselves.”

All the bright places, by Jennifer Niven (audiobook). I was seeing a lot of positive reviews around the place about this book, so I downloaded it from Audible. It is from the Young Adult genre, and it is about a teenage girl and boy who meet when they are considering suicide. I have now finished it, and a book review will come soon.

The Iron Trail, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare  (audiobook). When looking for events to go to at the local Writer’s Festival coming up in September, I noticed that these two authors were taking part. As I had been keen to read the above mentioned series by Cassandra Clare, I decided to book tickets for their talk. I then decided, as they are coming to talk about their new book, ‘The Iron Trail’, that I would aim to read that one before the event. It would probably not make it onto my ‘To Read’ list usually, but this is the exciting way you discover new authors and books!

What have you purchased lately? Anything that is top on your list?!