January Book Haul

Hey guys, it’s Lois. Although I didn’t buy an awful lot of book in January I still want to do a book haul to show what I did get this month. I also was to show the books that David bought this month because he bought a few too.

Here are the books that we bought in January.

What Books Lois Bought in January:

1) Agent of Chaos (The X-Files: Origins #1) by Kami Garcia

“How did Fox Mulder become a believer? How did Dana Scully become a skeptic? The X-Files Origins has the answers.

The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos explores the teen years of Fox Mulder, the beloved character depicted in the cult-favorite TV show The X-Files. His story is set in the spring of 1979, when serial murder, the occult, and government conspiracy were highlighted in the news.

The book will follow Mulder as he experiences life-changing events that set him on the path to becoming an FBI agent.”

I heard about this book late ladt year and instantly knew I wanted to read it. I watched the entirety of The X-Files last year and fell in love with all the characters. So, as soon as I found out that there would be an origin story for both Mulder and Scully I was very excited for the books to come out and for me to read them both.

2) Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos

“Fifteen-year-old Jackie Stone is a prisoner in her own house. Everything she says and does 24/7 is being taped and broadcast to every television in America. Why? Because her dad is dying of a brain tumor and he has auctioned his life on eBay to the highest bidder: a ruthless TV reality show executive at ATN.

Gone is her mom’s attention and cooking and parent-teacher conferences. Gone is her sister’s trust ever since she’s been dazzled by the cameras and new-found infamy. Gone is her privacy. Gone is the whole family’s dignity as ATN twists their words and makes a public mockery of their lives on Life and Death. But most of all, Jackie fears that one day very soon her father will just be . . . gone. Armed only with her ingenuity and the power of the internet, Jackie is determined to end the show and reclaim all of their lives, even in death.”

I bought this book as an impulse buy. I read the synopsis in the shop and that was it. I didn’t read any reviews at all. this is very unusual for me but I did it with this book. My younger sister took this book off me as soon as I took it home and she is reading it now. So, I will have to get her opinion of it when she has finished it.

3) Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

“We’re waiting for you to come and play. Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind…Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lilias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there’s her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn’t be there. The girl that died.”

I had been looking at buying this book for a long time but kept putting it off. I bought this at the same time as I bought Life in a Fishbowl because there was an offer on both books. I was drawn to this book by the synopsis because I am terrified of the little porcelain dolls and why would I not want to be terrified even more.

4) The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

“Born in a refugee camp, all Subhi knows of the world is that he’s at least 19 fence diamonds high, the nice Jackets never stay long, and at night he dreams that the sea finds its way to his tent, bringing with it unusual treasures. And one day it brings him Jimmie.

Carrying a notebook that she’s unable to read and wearing a sparrow made out of bone around her neck – both talismans of her family’s past and the mother she’s lost – Jimmie strikes up an unlikely friendship with Subhi beyond the fence.

As he reads aloud the tale of how Jimmie’s family came to be, both children discover the importance of their own stories in writing their futures.”

This is another book that I have been looking at for a while. I was interested when I found out that this book had the topic of refugees because I really would like to learn more about this topic especially with how topical and relevant it is currently. I am definitely excited to read this book very soon.

5) Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt

“Lexi Angelo has grown up helping her dad with his events business. She likes to stay behind the scenes, planning and organizing…until author Aidan Green – messy haired and annoyingly arrogant – arrives unannounced at the first event of the year. Then Lexi’s life is thrown into disarray.

In a flurry of late-night conversations, mixed messages and butterflies, Lexi discovers that some things can’t be planned. Things like falling in love…”

I was drawn to this book mostly by its synopsis. But the little quote on the front saying that this book was for fans of Rainbow Rowell made me want to read it even more. I also love that is a book that speaks a lot about fandoms and being “nerdy” because I am definitely “nerdy”. I am really excited to read this book.

6) All About Mia by Lisa Williamson

“One family, three sisters. GRACE, the oldest: straight-A student.AUDREY, the youngest: future Olympic swimming champion. And MIA, the mess in the middle. Mia is wild and daring, great with hair and selfies, and the undisputed leader of her friends – not attributes appreciated by her parents or teachers. When Grace makes a shock announcement, Mia hopes that her now-not-so-perfect sister will get into the trouble she deserves. But instead, it is Mia whose life spirals out of control – boozing, boys and bad behaviour – and she starts to realise that her attempts to make it All About Mia might put at risk the very things she loves the most.”

I went shopping on Tuesday this week with my Mum and we were in a bookshop when she called me over to a stand that had this book on. She had recognised the author of the book and knew that I got Lisa Williamson’s first novel at home. After reading the synopsis I knew I wanted to read it. Plus, the copy that I had had bonus chapters and features as well as being signed by Lisa Williamson herself.

What Books David Bought in January:

1) The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry 

“Set in Victorian London and an Essex village in the 1890’s, and enlivened by the debates on scientific and medical discovery which defined the era, The Essex Serpent has at its heart the story of two extraordinary people who fall for each other, but not in the usual way.

They are Cora Seaborne and Will Ransome. Cora is a well-to-do London widow who moves to the Essex parish of Aldwinter, and Will is the local vicar. They meet as their village is engulfed by rumours that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist is enthralled, convinced the beast may be a real undiscovered species. But Will sees his parishioners’ agitation as a moral panic, a deviation from true faith. Although they can agree on absolutely nothing, as the seasons turn around them in this quiet corner of England, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart.”

I suggested this book for David after seeing it in a local book shop a few weeks ago. After reading the synopsis he was interested in reading this book. We ordered it to arrive last week and he has just started reading it. He is not sure how he feels about the book yet though. But, we both agree that this book has a very beautiful cover.

2) His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

“A brutal triple murder in a remote Scottish farming community in 1869 leads to the arrest of seventeen-year-old Roderick Macrae. There is no question that Macrae committed this terrible act. What would lead such a shy and intelligent boy down this bloody path? Will he hang for his crime?

Presented as a collection of documents discovered by the author, His Bloody Project opens with a series of police statements taken from the villagers of Culdie, Ross-shire. They offer conflicting impressions of the accused; one interviewee recalls Macrae as a gentle and quiet child, while another details him as evil and wicked. Chief among the papers is Roderick Macrae’s own memoirs, where he outlines the series of events leading up to the murder in eloquent and affectless prose. There follow medical reports, psychological evaluations, a courtroom transcript from the trial, and other documents that throw both Macrae’s motive and his sanity into question. Graeme Macrae Burnet’s multilayered narrative will keep the reader guessing to the very end.”

This is another book that I suggested to David a few weeks ago and he was interested in it. We ordered this at the same time as The Essex Serpent and it came a few days later. He was really interested in the synopsis of this book and wanted to delve deeper into the book.

3) Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

“The No. 1 bestselling writer presents a generous collection of stories – some brand new, all assembled for the first time in one book – each with a revelatory introduction.
In The Bazaar of Bad Dreams there is a curio for every reader – a man who keeps reliving the same life, repeating the same mistakes over and over again, a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries, a poignant tale about the end of the human race and a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax.
There are also intriguing connections between the stories – themes of morality, guilt, the afterlife and what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past.”

I had seen this book at work a few months back on the little bookstand we have but thought nothing of it. But when David was asking me for book recommendations this immediately came to mind. David is a fan of the movie “The Shining” which is the film adaptation of the novel by Stephen King. So, I think he will enjoy this book and so does he.

There you have it, our January Book Haul, not the biggest one that has been on this blog but we have bought a few books between us this month.

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Until next time,