reading – Page 2 – The Bibliophile Chronicles

I say every month that I’m going to buy less books because my TBR is out of control (it’s in the high hundreds) but looking at this book haul I have another massive bundle of books to haul. So let’s dive in!

1. Labyrinth of the Spirits – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I nearly screamed when this appeared through my letterbox. This mammoth book is the next in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, and it was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I’m planning a full reread of the series in September because it’s been a while since I’ve read the others. Labyrinth of the Spirits is coming September 18th from W&N.

2. Anarchy – Megan DeVos
I was on the blog tour for this gorgeous Dystopian novel and Megan kindly wrote me a guest post which I will have up again soon. I’ve heard terrific things about this book and it was massive hit on Wattpad before it was traditionally published. I can’t wait to see what’s in store! Anarchy is out now from Orion Books.

3. A Darker Shade of Magic – V. E. Schwab
I recently went to an event at Waterstones with V. E. Schwab, Christina Henry and Sarah Maria Griffin. I had a copy of Vicious with me but I ended up picking this up to get signed also. So many people adore this book so I’m hoping it lives up to the hype.

4. Darksoul – Anna Stephens
This was another book that I was absolutely dying to read. HarperVoyager kindly sent me a copy and I tore through it in a few days. It gave me such a book hangover and now I’m so upset I need to wait so long to find out what happens to my favourite characters. You can read my full review over here!

5. Sleeper: The Red Storm – J. D. Fennell
This is the second book in the Sleeper series from J. D. Fennell. I really loved the first one and was featured on the blog tour, so I was so excited when this came in the post. Even more exciting was to find I was quoted inside! Sleeper: The Red Storm is publishing October 25th from The Dome Press.

6. Catwoman: Soul Stealer – Sarah J. Maas
I ordered a copy of this from Waterstones and then ended up getting a copy in my August Illumicrate also. I really enjoyed Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman and thought Marie Lu’s Batman was okay so I’m excited to find out how Sarah J. Maas handles Catwoman.

7. The Gilded King – Josie Jaffrey
The author kindly reached out to obtain a review for this gorgeous book and as soon as it arrived I picked it up. I’m almost finished it and I’m enjoying it so much. This paranormal fantasy is such an addictive read. She kindly signed it for me too so I can’t wait to add it to my favourites shelf!

8. Cold Iron – Miles Cameron
This was another blog tour that the publisher kindly sent me a copy for. I’ve never read anything by Miles Cameron but really enjoyed this original fantasy that plays on the themes of the traditional farm boy turned hero trope.

9. We Sold Our Souls – Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix writes these fantastic stories that are just perfect for Halloween. I so loved My Best Friend’s Exorcism so I can’t wait to get stuck into this one. I might even save it for closer to Halloween so I can have a bit of a readathon. We Sold Our Souls is coming 18th September from Quirk Books.

10. Impostors – Scott Westerfield
This is a new book set in the world of the Uglies series. I’m really excited to read this as it has been a long time since I read the Uglies books and I’m looking forward to diving back into Scott Westerfield’s writing. Impostors is coming 11th September from Scholastic.

11. A Torch Against the Night – Sabaa Tahir
I honestly picked this up because I’ve heard such amazing things about this series and it was a gorgeous hardcover that I couldn’t resist. I have (but haven’t read) An Ember In the Ashes so I’m hoping now I have another in the series it will guilt me into reading them.

12. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han
I think everyone bought a copy of this book in August. I picked mine up from Waterstones and read it really quickly. It was fun and light and I’m definitely planning on picking up the rest of the books in the series.

13. Falling Creatures & The Magpie Tree – Katherine Stansfield
I have been admiring these beautiful covers on Twitter when the publisher offered me the chance to review them. This historical fiction series seems very mystery focused and I’ve read some really terrific reviews about them. Falling Creatures is out now and The Magpie Tree is coming 19th November from Allison & Busby

14. Smoke and Iron – Rachel Caine
Allison and Busby also kindly sent me the next instalment in Rachel Caine’s Great Library series. I’ve really been enjoying this fast-paced series and I’m looking forward to finding out what the fourth book in the series has in store!

15. The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
This book has had so much buzz on Twitter already and I’ve seen a few bloggers say they read it in one sitting because it was so addictive. I was planning to read it a bit closer to the publication date but I’m probably not going to be able to hold off that long. The Silent Patient is coming 7th February 2019 from Orion Books.

16. What Was Lost – Jean Levy
It gets to this time of year and I get really in the mood for psychological thrillers and creepy tales, so when I got offered the chance to review this debut from Jean Levy, I jumped at the chance. It sounds dark and creepy and absolutely what I’m in the mood for. What Was Lost is publishing 13th September from The Dome Press.

17. The Familiars – Stacey Halls
This book is absolutely gorgeous. I love books about witchcraft (I love love loved The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown), so I cannot wait to read this story of two women accused of being witches. This is another one that I know I won’t be able to hold off reading! The Familiars is coming 7th of February 2019 from Bonnier Zaffre.

18. The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood – Susan Elliot Wright
This was a surprise piece of book post that sounds like such a fascinating read. I’ve seen a few reviews already but they have been mixed so I’m excited to see how I find it. It’s described as ‘An urgent and important novel of love, loss, tragedy and daring to hope again.’ The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is coming 21st February 2019 from Simon and Schuster.

19. Killer T – Robert Muchamore
I received this book through ReadersFirst. I read the first impression and thought it was really intriguing so I’m excited to see how the rest of the book plays out. The publisher had people dressed up in lab coats at this year’s YALC so that definitely made me excited to read it. Killer T is coming 6th September from Hot Key Books.

20. The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock – Imogen Hermes Gowar
There’s a little second hand bookshop in Pitlochry that I just adore and I go in every time I’m in the area. I popped in during August and I found an ARC of this beautiful book. I’ve heard amazing things about it so I quickly snapped it up and I can’t wait to read it!

So that’s my slightly ridiculous August book haul. Which books did you buy in August and have you read any of these? If you have, what did you think?

I’m going to try and get better at posting my wrap ups a bit closer to the end of the month, instead of three quarters of the way through the following month, but we’ll see how that goes (ha!) August was a great reading month and I completed thirteen books, which honestly is probably the most I’ve ever read in a single month!

1. Sweet Black Waves – Kristina Perez

I started this book right at the end of July and it was the first book I completed in August. A retelling of the Tristan and Eseult legend, this book was full of magic and romance and I enjoyed it so much. There is so much detail and research put into this story and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. 4/5.

2. The Way Past Winter – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I was lucky enough to win a signed proof of this book at YALC this year and it was the first book I picked up when I got home. I loved Girl of Ink and Stars and I absolutely flew through this, it’s beautifully written and full of magic and wonder. It’s already got a lot of buzz around it and fans are definitely not going to be disappointed. 5/5.

3. Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo

I for some unknown reason have never read Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. I’ve read Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm multiple times and I loved so many of the characters but have never completed the series. It seemed like time to rectify that, so I reread Shadow and Bone in preparation. I loved it just as much as I did the first time and the Darkling will forever be one of my favourite characters. 5/5.

4. Puzzle Girl – Rachael Featherstone

This is a fun and light contemporary romance about a young woman dealing with a break up and trying to further her career. It’s cute and enjoyable (with plenty of awkward cringy moments) and I really enjoyed the story. 4/5.

5. The Lost Witch – Melvin Burgess

I was a massive fan of Melvin Burgess growing up so when I received a review copy of this book I was so excited. I love books about witches and I thought this would be right up my street. Alas I was left a bit disappointed. I really like the way the Norse mythology was woven in but I felt overall it was a bit slow and I wasn’t really gripped by the story. 3/5.

6. The Humans – Matt Haig

This was a buddy read with my boyfriend and it sounded like something we were both really going to enjoy. The book is a quick read and it’s really fascinating looking at how humans and society view themselves. There were a few really funny moments and I liked Matt Haig’s writing style. I was however a little disappointed with the ending so I ended up giving this 3/5.

7. Show Stealer – Hayley Barker

I loved Hayley’s debut last year Show Stealer – it was one of my favourite books of 2017. I was really excited to find out what was in store next for these terrific characters and I wasn’t disappointed. This instalment is darker and much more focused on politics and intrigue, but I loved every second and could not put it down. 5/5.

8. Darksoul – Anna Stephens

Anna Stephens was my new favourite author of 2017. I loved Godblind more than any other book I read last year, and it has become one of my all time favourite books ever. This was probably one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and it was so good I honestly can’t explain my love for this series. It’s dark, violent, gory and full of fascinating characters and I’m definitely thinking about rereading the books already because I just cannot get enough. 5/5 (all the stars!)

9. City of Ghosts – Victoria Schwab

A book set in Edinburgh? Sold! Now shameful secret time: despite owning quite a few of her books I’ve actually never read a Victoria Schwab book. Well after reading this gorgeous and spooky tale in a single sitting I am definitely going to be solving that problem. I hope there are plenty more books in this series because I am completely in love with Cassidy and her story. 5/5.

10. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han

I really love YA books but I mainly read fantasy and science fiction. I’ve tried a few contemporary YA books and often it takes me ages to read them because they just don’t grip me in the same way. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before had been getting so much attention because of the Netflix adaptation that I decided to give it a go and surprisingly I absolutely loved it. Fun and sweet and such an addictive read, I read it in two days and watched the film straight after. I’m now eagerly awaiting the rest of the series to be delivered because I need to know if it all works out! 4/5.

11. The Secret Deep – Lindsay Gavin

This was another book that I picked up at YALC which I thought was about mermaids. I found the story a little slow to start but ended up really enjoying it. The book definitely wasn’t what I thought it was – it focuses on science and the creation of new vaccines and was much more of a thriller. It’s a gripping read and one I’m definitely glad I picked up. 4/5.

12. Siege and Storm – Leigh Bardugo

I continued my reread of the Grisha books with Siege and Storm. I prefer the first book in the series but this was still an unputdownable five star read for me. Will I finally read Ruin and Rising? Who knows! 5/5.

13. Resin – Ane Riel

This was a gripping thriller that is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Centring on a family who live on a remote island by themselves, this story is dark and unsettling and I found myself thinking about it well after I’d put it down. This is a really original story and completely unforgettable.

So that’s my wrap up for August! What books did you read last month and have you read any of these – if you have what did you think?

The Bibliophile Chronicles

Tag: reading

August Book Haul

August Wrap Up!