Mid-May Book Haul

I just want to let you know that I'm really missing my red hair this week.

I spent a week clearing book shelves because I've got too many books and have a problem HAHA. I'm actually not sure how I have managed to accumalate so many books in one month, but I'll just blame it on my blog and how I needed to put up a blog post! (Now that's responsibility kids). I've read some of the books that I've hauled but not all so some will have more of an in-depth description than others.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

If I am completely honest, a part of me wanted to read this book because Ben Barnes plays Dorian in the most recent adaptation. So when my granddad came to visit from Malaysia, I asked him if he owned this book and of course my granddad doesn't buy normal books. He buys them in hardcover and coated in gold and all that kind of jazz. Set in the late 19th century London, Dorian Gray is a naive youth who is enthralled by a painting his friend has painted for him. He wishes that rather than him age, the painting will age. Not only does he stay youthful but the painting ages and reflects his soul. I found this really interesting and challenging. If anything, at some times I found the constant upper class dialogue between characters somewhat dull but other than that I enjoyed this book.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom writes really deep novels about the meaning of life from his own experience. This  book is about a 38 year old guy named Mitch who when watching TV sees a program of his old college professor, Morrie, whom he was once very close to, and he realises that his professor is dying. So he goes to his home to visit him and he basically keeps on coming back to visit his professor and talks to him about life. This is based on an actual even in Mitch Albom's life. He actually had a professor named Morrie and he wrote this book as a way to pay for his professor's medical bills. I've read another one of Mitch Albom's books and it's the type of books you read when you're in the mood for something deep. If you're looking for something lightweight, this is not it.

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

I am not the biggest fan of Abbi Glines because most of her books are too sexual for me and after a while the descriptions in her books get sexual and it's like "please stop". But this book reminds me of the type of book I would read on Wattpad at like 3 AM when I can't sleep. This is about West who is like the star at his high school. You know, football player, good looking all that crap that you always see lalalala. In some ways I'm almost hoping that this contemporary novel is as predictable and lighthearted as I think it will be, because that's what I'm hoping for.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han

I've already read this series and I thought it was going to be a mainstream summer romance, not worth wasting my time reading three books for, but it's actually not! I was amazed at how Jenny Han managed to put a spin on a stereotypical summer story. This series is about Isabel Conklin who goes to this beach house every summer with her mum, brother, her mum's best friend Susannah and her son's Conrad and Jeremiah. I would describe this series as a coming of age series that focuses on love, family, things changing and maturing. I loved this series so much that I just want more Jenny Han now.

Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

I couldn't help myself okay. They were sitting on the shelf at a bargain price of $10 each just screaming out to me, "Buy me! Buy me!" so I bought them okay. If you don't know what these books are, they are sort of companion pieces to the Harry Potter Series. Quidditch Through the Ages is one of the books mentioned in the series (I think it was a Christmas present to Harry?) and The Tales of Beedle the Bard is the children's story book Dumbledore leaves Hermione in the last book. I already have Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them so I needed to complete the series!

The Siren by Kiera Cass

The real reason I bought this was because I was scared that The Heir by Kiera Cass was going to be crap (due to many a bad review) and I didn't want it to ruin The Selection Trilogy for me. But I really missed Kiera Cass' writing in my life so I wanted to read The Siren instead. This novel is about a young girl who is a siren (she drags people in with her voice), and sirens have this tradition where they spend 100 years in solitude before they can be free. And this young girl, Kahlen hasn't really thought much about this until she meets a boy. And then of course like every girl she throws away every single rational thought she could ever have. (Do not do this, your life is not meant to be a fantasy/romance novel)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The fact that I haven't read this book makes me feel like my childhood has been robbed of me. I'll be the first to admit that I probably should have read this book a long time ago, but I haven't. I only very recently watched the movies. I really enjoyed the movies and the first book so now I need to read the full series. Shoutout to my uncle for buying me the series.

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

This is an Australian novel and I don't really read a lot of these very often. This novel focuses on Tilly Dunnage, (side note: I love the name Tilly oh my gosh) who comes back to the small town that she comes from to look after her dying mother. This is the first time she has come back to her hometown since she was banished from there and since then she's made a name for herself as a dressmaker in Paris and now she has to face all these people who banished her when she was younger. This is a very Australian-esque book; set in a small town in the bush, where all the men play footy (our national sport) and the people are slightly small minded. Before even reading the book I can tell there are some similarities to other Australian novels such as Jasper Jones.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

If I'm honest I bought this because it was $4 at a news agency and when things are cheap I'm more inclined to buy this. I sound like I belong to shopaholics anonymous now haha. I've heard of this book series before but I never bothered to look it up but now that I am here I want to know more. This is a spin-off on The Wizard of Oz, which admittedly I've never seen but I've seen Wicked. This about another girl from Kansas, Amy Gumm. When she arrives in Oz, she realises that not all is at it seems. Dorothy has come back and seized power and it has gotten to her head and Oz is in shambles. Everyone who you thought was a good guy, is not a good guy and all the bad guys aren't bad guys. I'm hooked now that I know what this is about. I also found out that this is a series which means if I like the first book I'm going to have to read the rest of the books. Which I've obviously not got enough of.

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

I've been wanting to read this book since it came out and I literally cannot wait to read it now that I have it! Firstly the cover of this book is so beautiful I can't deal. This book and Soundless are two books that I have been wanting to read ever since I heard about them. The Glittering Court is about Adelaide, a countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and have her own life. However, she has to go through the glittering court which transforms lower class girls into upper class girls who can go into the world ready for powerful and wealthy marriages (talk about sexist). However when a proprietor's son, Cedric comes into the picture, not only is her secret out of the bag but he has some of his own and things get very messy. This sounds so interesting and complicated that it draws me in and makes me want to know EVERYTHING. I haven't been excited about a book this much since The Mortal Instruments series.

19 books! Is it bad that I'm already thinking of more books I can buy and read? I'm also really worried that when university starts, I'm not going to have any time to read and that makes me so sad!

On a side note; I've been really enjoying Panic! at the Disco's album Death of a Bachelor and the Broiler remix of the song Shots by Imagine Dragons. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Hope that if you're reading this you're enjoying your week!

Much Love

- E