July seemed to me like a really long month and although it is my birthday month, I did not receive any books as gifts… khm… (enter long silent stare at my boyfriend Tom here). As always these are actual, real physical book copies that I have bought. When I had a look at the pile, I was surprised to see how small it was, I had a feeling that it will be bigger, so maybe I have forgotten something. Well, lets get on with it!

 

Joanne Harris – Chocolat (Chocolat #1)

The book is about bewitching chocolate confectioner Vianne Rocher (Rocher!) and her daughter. They arrive at a small French village and change everyone’s life there. Envy, intrigues and somewhere in there… love.

I had no idea what this book is about, when I picked it up from the shelf and decided to get it. I only remember that there’s a film starring Johnny Depp. When we were teens, all my friends really liked it.

I decided to use the forgetfulness to my advantage and hopefully enjoy it, because of the unpredictability, a lot. Only now, when I am looking up the book, I’m finding out that it is serialised. That’s unfortunate! But let’s hope that it will be good.

 


Eowyn Ivey – The Snow Child

This novel takes place in Alaska, circa 1920, where a childless couple lives and struggles from day to day. They build a snow girl, when the first snow falls, who disappears the following day. Instead there is a blonde girl, running around, hunting together with a red fox through the woods.

The couple come to love Faina, who seems to have stepped out of a fairytale, but they are not prepared to find out the truth about her…

I don’t remember what was going on my mind when I picked up this book and decided to take it. Now I couldn’t even remember the description. It looks like I have more than one snow book this month, so I think, that was probably the reason. (And how cool is it to be named Eowyn? That must be a reason too!)

 


Holly Smale – Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2)

This book is the second in series. I have already read the first – Geek Girl and reviewed it. It was a book about a teenage girl who by mistake gets a chance to become a model and although she has never been interested in this kind of life, she jumps into it, willing to change her life.

This – second book concentrates on Harriet’s life after her first modelling experiences and is about her trying to find a place in the new life she has – not only within the fashion industry, but also within her family, because she is about to become a sister and doesn’t really know how to handle it and how to know, if her family will still love and pay attention to her.

 


Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen – The Rabbit Back Literature Society

I picked this book up partially because it is a non-English author, which is something I like to promote from time to time, and because the premise seemed really weird and… yeah, just weird. I’m really sad that you can’t see the awesome cover of this book properly, because that probably was half of what sold it to me.

So, if I get this correct, Ella is a literature teacher who tries to understand the truth behind ‘The Society’ – an elite group for the special and talented. She finds out about mysterious and magical phenomena which she does not fully understand – letters are rearranging themselves in books, an author disappearing in a snow storm and ‘The Game’… what is ‘The Game’?

I feel like this book will be a hit or a miss, because that’s how it usually is with these weird, alternative, indie (insert a word here) foreign books. It promises darkness, humour and chill!

 


Garth Nix – Lirael (Abhorsen #2)

I am not going to write a description for this – second book, because I don’t want to spoil anything for myself. But I have guesses that Lirael might be the Prince and it could be the time to see Sabriel unwind bigger problems than her missing father.

I bought this book because just last month I read and reviewed the first book in The Abhorsen Trilogy titled Sabriel and couldn’t resist to get the second one, when it was poking me right in the eye.

The first book is about a necromancer named Sabriel. She goes on a quest to find her father, when he doesn’t come to meet her in their usual time and place, but sends a frightful messenger instead. She learns a lot about her family and her father’s role in the world she never knew.

 


Cathryn Constable – The Wolf Princess

Although this book doesn’t have awesome reviews, I still picked it up naively hoping that it will be good. Another one featuring snow. Yes, I know! I mostly picked this one because I have been wanting to read something in Russian for a while now, but haven’t decided what would be easy enough to read and get.
This book takes place in Russia, so I guess, my mind was happy enough to go with Russia instead of Russian.

It’s about three friends on a school trip to Russia. At one point they find themselves abandoned on a train, but are rescued by Princess Anna Volkonskaya (Volk from Russian – wolf) and mesmerised by her stories and tragic past. But when the night falls wolfs are prowling and the girls discover more secrets in Princess’s palace.

 


Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner

I am sure you all already know that The Kite Runner is a story about a wealthy merchant’s son – Amir and his friendship with his father’s servant’s son Hassan. The story takes place when Afghan Monarchy is crumbling and Amir decides to abandon his friend despite religious, ethical and political tensions that are tearing apart their country. A story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years.

So at last I got this one! I have been hearing so much about it, that I was kind of spooked away, but when I got a kite for my birthday, I decided that it was time to join into kite running secrets.

 


Pierce Brown – Red Rising (Red Rising #1)

It is a dystopia about the future of civilisation on Mars, the protagonist Darrow belongs to the lowest – Red caste and believes that he is working for a better future for his children and entire humanity… until he finds out that the surface of Mars is already blooming with parks and people, and that the Red caste is nothing more than slaves to them. Anxious to change something, he decides to infiltrate the Golden caste, where the tyrants struggle for power.

This book has exceptional reviews and was bought because Tom wanted to read it very, very much and I kind of wanted. Unfortunately it is not going that well for him at the moment, but lets hope for the best.

Sarah Dessen – That Summer

Fifteen year old Haven’s world is changing – father is marrying again and her sister is planning a wedding of her own – they are moving on, while Haven is still living in memories of a happy family. She can’t help but wonder, if Sumner Lee – her sister’s ex, has returned to the town to change her future.

I can’t say that I actually read the description of this book, when I bought it, but I’ve heard so much about Sarah Dessen, that I feel like I have to give her a try!

 

So these are all the books I bought this month and hopefully will get around reading sometime soon. I am quite excited for most of them, but I think that my biggest hope is Red Rising. It has amazing reviews and well, sounds pretty damn good to me. But, I will have to see, if the dystopias I’ve read until now haven’t got the best out of me. I also really want to read Chocolat, though not as much anymore since I found out that it’s yet another series… and of course the Winter books.

Hope you enjoyed the list of books that joined the party called my bookshelf. Let me know, if you recommend any of these and your impressions without spoiling too much for me!

 

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