Book Haul – August 2018

After my mid-month wrap up post in which I said I was being cocky, I then read basically nothing. Due to work and then a lovely chest infection, I didn’t get much of anything done apart from watching To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before three times. Also went to a wedding and the only photo of us that I have is this:

So instead of what I READ, here’s what books I BOUGHT/ACQUIRED!!

Physical books:

• The Humans by Matt Haig – since I’m on a Matt Haig spree I thought I should pick this up when I saw it in a charity shop. This one is about an alien that comes to earth and takes over the body of a human and learns all about humanity and how awful we are. It sounds good!
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – Another charity shop find from the same day. I fancied some fantasy since it’s been a while and have heard Patrick Rothfuss on podcasts (including an episode of My Brother, My Brother and Me which he was really interesting on) so I thought I’d try this. I believe it’s part of a series so if I like it then I might get sucked in!

eBooks:

• To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I didn’t read this during the BookTube hype and I should have because I LOVED the film (if you haven’t watched it, please do, then watch it again). I was in the middle of my second watch when I bought this on Kindle so I’m looking forward to reading it and then maybe going on to the sequels for more cuteness.
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab – I missed the hype on this one as well so thought I’d read it, I’ve seen it quite a bit on BookTube lately and my friend, Amy, recommended it while we were shopping so here it is on my TBR!
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield – I’m a sucker for anything Pride and Prejudice and just finished Death Comes to Pemberley so a bit of contemporary romance with an Austen bent is just what I want right now.

Overall I finished 3 books and listened to 6 audiobooks so I think I earned a little bit of a book haul this month!

Have you read any of these books? How many times have you watched TATBILB so far? Let me know 🤗🤗📚📚

Book Review: Caraval – Stephanie Garber

 

Caraval was the first book that I have finished this year and I’m really glad I did because I enjoyed it soooo much. I picked it up last weekend in Manchester and finished it in a few train rides and then one last jump when I couldn’t put it down one night. It looks and reads like something that will be enjoyed by fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus (which is pretty much anyone that’s picked it up) and although I don’t want to mention it too much in my review, I think that confused me a little bit. It feels so familiar even though the mystery surrounding the circus/caraval is completely different, at points I thought I had already read it and had to put it down to make sure.

The story centres around Scarlett as she attends the Caraval at the Master Legend’s invitation after years of writing to him for her sister, Tella. Tella uses the Caraval as an opportunity to escape their abusive father and Scarlett follows (sort of) to the island with Julian, a sailor that agreed to transport them in exchange for Scarlett’s mysterious fiancé’s ticket. Once they get to the island, the mysteries and games begin for Scarlett.

I think that Stephanie Garber’s use of magical realism and an indistinct time/place for her story is what makes it a great fantasy story for both readers of fantasy and of more general fiction. Sometimes it can be difficult to get into or follow a story with a similar kind of setting but Garber’s world is perfect for a casual fantasy/magical world reader. That isn’t to say that this world isn’t fleshed out, there are hints of a bigger story behind Caraval. Their father’s political position and the state of the island that they live on being one of the least powerful suggests that in the future, he will be a factor in whatever is to come. I didn’t know that this was the start of a series, or at least a duology as the sequel comes out in May 2018. The story is engaging and well-paced as it really needs to be with a mystery like this that could get lost in details or dead ends as Scarlett tries to solve the mystery and win the game in order to get home in time for her wedding.

I don’t want to include any spoilers for the story as I think that part of what I enjoyed about reading it was that I stayed away from reviews or wikipedia summaries of the novel and the pace and mystery kept me guessing until the end of the novel. Whether it is the mystery of the caravel itself, Julian’s motives for helping the sisters, where Donatella has disappeared to or who Scarlett’s fiancé really is, Stephanie Garber’s debut is a gripping read that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone.

You can find Caraval on BookDepository.com here using my Affiliate link. OR, you can find the next in the series which will be released 29th May 2018, Legendary, here.