Having said that, I have picked up some books this month that I'm very excited about...
We'll start with the Kindle books and the first book I bought is Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams which I have heard so many people rave about and I'm excited to pick this one up! I also picked up Beach Read by Emily Henry because I've also seen this one doing the rounds on Instagram - can you tell where I get most of my book recommendations from?! The next book I picked up is Has Anyone Seen my Sex Life by Kristen Bailey which I've heard is really funny which I might need after the book I'm currently reading! The last Kindle book I picked up was Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid which has been on my wish list forever and I'm so glad to finally have it in my collection.
Onto the physical books I picked up and there isn't that many. I first picked up I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes which I saw Lizzy Hadfield talk about in one of her recent vlogs. It's a mammoth book at 900+ pages but the plot sounds fun and entertaining and the chapters are very short so I feel like I'll get through it quickly! I also picked up Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo which again, has been very popular on bookstagram. The last - but certainly not least - book I picked up is Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo which is the book I'm probably going to pick up next and the one I'm the most excited for... just look at the stunning cover!
What books have you picked up this month?
Anywho, I've got five books here in which I think are the prettiest on my bookshelf and which I absolutely adore the look of! There's no denying that these are beautiful and interesting looking in one way or another!
Gods of Jade & Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is one of my ultimate favourite book covers. The colours are insanely beautiful and there's just something so historically magical about the way it looks. The deep jade greens, purples, yellows and hints of orange and blues are really just so stunning together and it's just such a beautifully constructed design that I hope represents the story inside (which I haven't read yet).
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I'd been after picking this up for a while as it's quite popular in the blogging community, so when I saw this version in a little random bookshop in Keswick, I just knew I had to have it. This is very much a business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back kinda book... I mean, it is a little creepy, but it's equally very different and interesting and I think that gives it an edge of uniqueness!
Wuthering Heights (Coralie Bickford-Smith design) by Emily Brontë
There are a thousand cover designs for Wuthering Heights, and it's one of my all-time favourite books, so my good ol' Dad bought me this special edition Coralie Bickford-Smith version for Christmas which, according to Waterstones website, uses foil and a special new binding material for the books' design and is part of a special set of 10 hardcover classics. This is honestly such a beautiful, understated, simple book that no photo will ever do justice - I promise you it's much more beautiful in person. The hints of blue foil in this swirly design is just magical against the black hardcover and it just looks and feels so special.
The Blue Salt Road by Joanne Harris
This is one of the most unusual looking books I own, but I simply just love it - I mean, just look at it! The dark navy-blue hardcover with the silver foil detail is simply to stunning and I remember instantly being drawn to this book as soon as I saw it sitting on the shelf. It's simply just so magical and is definitely up there with my absolute favourites. As an added bonus, the illustrations inside the book are stunning and add to the delicacy of the book. This is one of those books that I could stare at everyday without ever growing tired of it.
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
It was the illustrations on this books that completely got me. The detail on this book is just something else and you can tell this a lot of thought and effort went into making these illustrations perfect. There's a certain dark & eerie vibe going on with this book (and I don't just mean because of its title) but the muted reds and yellowy-oranges against the black background give it a certain feel and look and I love it. I have plenty of books on my shelf with amazing illustrations, but this has to be up there with the most memorable which is why it's made it onto this list and I'm not at all mad about it!
What are your favourite book covers?
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Pages: 165
Publication date: 3rd June 1982
Publisher: Scholastic Press
About the book
In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?
Review
If you had told me a week ago that I would be sat wanting to cry my eyes out after reading what is technically a children's book set in a horses POV, I would have called you mad. Crazy, even. But after making a promise to myself to read more classics, I picked out War Horse because I love books set during the war and I figured it was time to finally give it a go. I knew very little going into this story, despite it being quite an established book that has even been turned into a Hollywood blockbuster by no other than Steven Spielberg and has toured as an award winning play, which is all impressive stuff, but I wanted to see where - and why - all of these amazing adaptations had originated from.
From the very get-go, I knew this book would be hard hitting. So much happens even within the first chapter. Heck, so much happens in the book despite it coming in at less than 200 pages. It's hard to believe how short this book actually is. It felt like it was much longer than it actually was. Not in a drawn-out kinda way, more so because a lot happens throughout it. Yet, the book never seems rushed or jumpy. The pacing is fast but well told and the writing is crisp and clean with no messy, paragraph-long descriptions of battlegrounds and all-out-war-zones, but, equally, there's not a chapter in which something substantial doesn't happen, which when taking into account that this book was written with the intention of holding younger reader's interest, is probably a wise thing, but it's done well, without being too over the top dramatic.
Having said that, this book is a little darker for a story that is considered child appropriate. Whilst there's no gore or extreme scenes of violence, this is a book that is still about a war, so there are elements of death and suffering. Whilst I don't think we can cover kids in cotton wool and pretend that wars don't happen, it surprised me how honestly callous this book was at times, and whilst, yes, this book is predominantly written for the younger audience, it's not just a book for younger readers. I'm a 26 year old grown woman and it hit me hard, so it's hard to imagine what it would do to an innocent little nine year old.
Despite this, it's hard to deny that this is a truely beautiful book in many ways. It dealt with war, friendship, loyalty, love and survival. It's a story of innocence and hurt and angst. It was an uneasy read at times, but Morpugo has created such a compelling story about a boy and a horse trying to find each other in the midst of a war. It really is an emotional little book and I highly recommend it if you haven't already read it.
Verdict: ★★★★
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women was everywhere for a short while a few months ago, mainly because Hollywood came out with yet another film adaptation of the book. I still haven't seen the film, but I fell into the hype of picking the book up!
The story follows four sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy, living and struggling through the American Civil War, and honestly, I really don't know much more than that, in fact, I don't think I want to know much more than that. I think going into a book not knowing much about it is more often than not leads to the best reading experience - after all, there's no spoilers & no expectations!
War of the Worlds by H.G Wells
This is one of the books in which I have seen the film to. I've seen the 2005 film adaptation of this book countless times (I actually really enjoy the film despite quite a lot of others not agreeing). It's a very short book, sitting in at just 192 pages, which is bizarre to me, as the film is pretty action packed and full of drama, so it's hard to imagine how they fit all of that into less than 200 pages - unless Hollywood have added a whole bunch of extra stuff in (which wouldn't surprise me).
This classic story is about aliens who invade England in huge, three legged machines. Consuming all in their path with a heat ray and spreading noxious toxic gases, the people of the Earth must come to terms with the prospect of the end of human civilization and the beginning of martian rule.
Sounds pretty cool, right? This book, which was originally published in 1898, is considered the book in which most alien plotted books, films, comics etc is inspired from, and it's probably the book I'll pick up first out of this list!
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
This is a book in which I've also seen the film of. Unlike War of the Worlds, I actually didn't like the film version of this one. In fact, that alone led me to including this book in my Books I Own But Probably Won't Read post. However, since then I've seen LilyCReads on YouTube talk about this book and she can pretty much sell me anything at this point. She said how the book ripped her apart and I've since done my own research on the book and I have come to find that a lot of people feel the same.
The story follows 13 year old Conor, who doesn't have an easy life. His mother is suffering from cancer and he gets bullied in school, not to mention he is experiencing terrible nightmares. However, at seven minutes past midnight, a monster appears at Conor's bedroom window, but it isn't the monster Conor is expecting. This monster is here for one purpose... to tell Conor three stories in exchange for the truth. Conor begins to learn that things aren't always as they seem and right and wrong are not so easily defined.
The idea for this story was actually Siobhan Dowd's, who passed away from cancer before she finished the book. From what I can gather, Siobhan Dowd wrote a plot and a first chapter before she died, and Patrick Ness finished the book for her.
Maybe I judged this one too soon (and also judged it based on the film, which is never a clever thing to do). I think I'll hang onto this one for a while longer and hopefully pick it up some day soon!
Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie
Now I know what you're thinking; how could I have not read this childhood classic?! Of course, I had the much shorter book when I was younger, but let's face it, that had more pictures than actual story. I haven't ever read the actual full-length book and when I saw this particular copy of it, I knew I had to pick it up; the cover is so dreamy and beautiful - just look at it!
This classic book tells the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who refuses to grow up. He lands in the Darling's proper middle-class home to look for his shadow. He befriends Wendy, John and Michael and teaches them to fly (with a little help from fairy dust). He and Tinkerbell whisk them off to Neverland where they encounter the Red Indians, the Little Lost Boys, pirates and the wicked and cruel Captain Hook.
I've heard the book is a little darker than the cartoons make it out to be and I've heard some people describe this book as a bit too brutal for a children's novel, but I shall pick it up one day and see what I make of it!
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin
This is such a cult classic and I've yet to actually read it! I feel like this is one of those books that you're made to read in school and break it down and assess it. It's without doubt Austin's most famous novel and is renowned as a British classic masterpiece.
The story follows Elizabeth Bennet and the romantic clash between her and Mr. Darcy, which explores themes such as social position and women's choices in marriage - remember, this book was published in 1813 and during Austen's time, marriage was the only option a lot of women had.
I can't really comment too much more on this book as I've yet to read it, but I feel like this will be one of those 'ahh - I finally read it!' moments when I do eventually get round to picking it up!
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Admittedly, this is a book I know very little about despite owning it, so I did have to conduct a little bit of research for this little section of this blog post.
A Tale f Two Cities is a historical fiction novel in which Dickens tell the story of the storming of the Bastille, some fifty years after it happened. I've heard that unlike his other work, this book is a lot darker and less humorous.
Again, just like with Little Women, I think that books are much better experienced with very little prior knowledge, and the little bit of information that I have read on this story, tells me that I'm more inclined to pick this one up sooner rather than later. I love a dark, historical fiction novel and this one sounds perfect for exactly that!
Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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