Sunday, 8 May 2016

BANK HOLIDAY BOOK HAUL

I'd been doing so well with my book buying ban this year, I hadn't really bought any at all...until I went to Norfolk for the bank holiday weekend. Oh North Norfolk, with it's plethora of charity shops and their excellent selection of books - it's always my downfall, I just can't resist.

I ended up coming home with five books, which is actually pretty restrained for me, and the book buying ban is now back on until I've whittled down my ever-growing TBR. So let's have a look at what I picked up...

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell.
This is a collection of short stories written by Karen Russell which I've heard a few people talking about on booktube lately so when I saw it I knew I had to have it. I don't think I've read any short story collections since I was younger and it's something I really want to try. I like the idea of being able to read one complete story each night before bed, I think that would be really satisfying. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Humans by Matt Haig.
I read Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig last year but I've never read any of his fiction. I honestly had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, I just wanted to read more from Matt Haig. But according to the blurb it's about aliens, mathematics and what it means to be human. At under 300 pages it looks to be a fairly quick read and I'm looking forward to getting into it.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
This was another author buy as I'm a bit of a Kate Atkinson fangirl, even though Behind the Scenes at the Museum is the only book of hers I've read, it's one of my favourite books of all time and I now compulsively collect her books whilst also being too afraid to read them in case they don't match up. From what I can tell Life After Life seems to be a historical/speculative fiction/sci-fi novel and it just sounds kind of perfectly up my street, I really can't wait to read it.

Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple.
Look at the photo above and I'll give you one guess as to why I bought this. You got it, it's a persephone book *sighs happily*. Persephone is an independent publisher which publishes previously neglected works by mid-twentieth century women writers. They all have the same grey cover but each has beautiful individually chosen patterned endpapers based on fabric designs. Someone at a Distance's design is that of a furnishing fabric from the 30s (fitting with the setting of the book) and it 'combines a menacing feel with a hint of the domestic' (according to Persephone). Basically these books are works of art and brilliance and everything I look for in life, and I found one in a charity shop for three pounds. I die.
It is about a deceived wife and a foolish husband but honestly it didn't matter what it was about, I had to have it, and I'm sure I'll love it for more than it's beauty.

In Real Life by Joey Graceffa.
I'm not actually sure why I bought this, apart from the fact that it jumped out at me from amongst all the discarded copies of Gone Girl and Fifty Shades of Grey that populated the charity shop. I used to watch Joey Graceffa's YouTube videos and whilst I don't anymore I still think he's an interesting person and I'm kind of fascinated by these 'YouTube memoirs'. So that's that.

And that's the handful of books that I picked up in my various charity shop jaunts over the bank holiday weekend. I also got that cute little chalkboard sign and a pretty sweet Zara jumper - kerching!

Have you read any of these? Let me know what you thought!

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