7 Is the Magic Number – Book Haul #2

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Written by Norrie

You know that feeling when you just got comfy in bed, fluffed up all the pillows to the desired levels of fluffiness, picked up your current read for a little nightly entertainment, and then all of a sudden: EARTHQUAKE! After a few moments of confusion you realise with obvious relief that the world didn’t come crashing down, it was just a vibrating notification on your tablet about a massive Kindle sale.

Ten minutes, seven quid, and seven books later, you sink back into your pillows with a satisfied sigh, pat yourself on the back for a shopping spree well done, and you haven’t even had to set foot in a book store teeming with people.

So, let’s see what we got here…

Savage Spring by Mons Kallentoft
The Swedish town of Linkoping is bathed in Spring sunshine. The trees are blossoming and families are having breakfast at outdoor tables in the main square.Then a deafening explosion rips through the air.Broken glass and tulip petals cover the cobblestones, and two little girls, twin sisters, are killed while their mother is left fighting for her life. Detective Inspector Malin Fors has just attended her own mother’s funeral when she is summoned to the devastating scene. But, although Malin is plagued with questions about her past and the secrets her mother never revealed, she must once again bury her own pain if she is to find Tuva and Mira Vigero’s killer before he strikes again.

I love Swedish crime, and I love Mons Kallentoft. His writing style is kind of bizarre and floaty, but that’s exactly what attracted me to his series featuring Detective Malin Fors in the first place. Savage Spring (or Spring Remains for US folks) is book #4, by the way.
So yeah, don’t mind me with my pack of Kanelbullar (a.k.a. obligatory Swedish cinnamon bun that has to be eaten while reading these books) over here, because I’ll be a while…

Hekla’s Children by James Brogden
A decade ago, teacher Nathan Brookes saw four of his students walk up a hill and vanish. Only one returned: Olivia, starved, terrified, and with no memory of where she’d been. Questioned by the police but released for lack of evidence, Nathan spent the years trying to forget.

I was in a great need for some good, old fashioned horror, and this one seemed to have it all: a spirit realm, evil creatures, a potential murder mystery, peppered with ancient myths and folklore.

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young.

I thoroughly enjoyed Turtles All the Way down, and planned to read more books written by John Green. So, of course I’m not going pass up a chance to get my hands on one for £1… Let’s just hope it’s as good as it sounds!

Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t always fat, but fat is what she is now at age seventeen. Not as fat as her mama, who is so big she hasn’t gotten out of bed in months. Not as heavy as her brother, Skunk, who has more meanness in him than fat, which is saying something. But she’s large enough to be the object of ridicule wherever she is: at the grocery store, walking down the street, at school. Sugar’s life is dictated by taking care of Mama in their run-down home—cooking, shopping, and, well, eating. A lot of eating, which Sugar hates as much as she loves.

This one is kind off the odd one of the bunch, because I haven’t heard of the author before, and it’s not really my sort of story, but I’m trying to read more contemporary this year, and the cover is so pretty and has sparklies, so I guess you see where I’m going with this…

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Becky Albertalli’s book, and didn’t want to feel left out… I’m dreading the romance a bit though. Really not my sort of thing, but then again, I did enjoy Eleanor & Park. Okay, yes, I was more focused on the family aspect and the whole child abandonment issue, but still…

Matched by Ally Condie
In the Society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Sounds great! No?

The first time I saw this book, I thought “What an ugly ass cover!” Well, my opinion hasn’t changed… Still, I love dystopian stories, so this one deserved a chance too. I just hope it’s not heavy on the romance…

 

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting, and bloody confrontations. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

When I was in uni, a friend of mine recommended this book to me, but I never picked it up, even though she kept asking “So, have you read Erikson yet?” on a weekly basis. Best way to put me off doing anything to be fair. Duh… Took me ten years to get over it, even though I do like fantasy. It has a character called Sergeant Whiskeyjack, so I can’t see how this could be bad.

Have you read any of these? Should I be worried?

29 Comments

    1. Thank you!
      As i saw you are a crime fan, i can highly recommend Mons Kallentoft. He’s super awesome 🙂 His books don’t really have high ratings on Goodreads, but all the negative reviews were basically listed stuff i specifically like about him 😀

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  2. Malazan is an amazing fantasy series, one of the best released.👌 Books 2 & 3 in my opinion are the best in the series. Whiskeyjack is great, many awesome characters. Gardens of the Moon is quite a tricky read, Erikson throws you in and you have to learn as you go and it’s not the best example of the series but if you like it you’ll love the rest.

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  3. Ooh, a couple of ‘books about twins’ in there for the Twins prompt in the Popsugar challenge – and they both sound promising. Think I’ll give the fantasy ones a miss, simply because I don’t like fantasy much. Nice haul all in all…looking forward to your reviews on them all 😉

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  5. I liked Looking for Alaska!
    I haven’t read the others, but I’m curious what you’ll think of Matched. I’ve seen the series so many times but I just haven’t picked it up. I like dystopias but I’ve gotten wary of them–is this just another sub-par bandwagon book? Hoping not, but we’ll see 🙂

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  7. I’ve read the entire Matched trilogy. Not a trilogy I rave about, but good enough that I read all three. Are you a fan of The Giver by Lois Lowry? I ask because there are some similarities between the trilogy’s base storyline and The Giver that bothered me a LOT in the first book. I got over it, but if you’ve read The Giver seven million times like I have, just sayin’…

    Looking for Alaska is my favorite John Green book (that I’ve read so far). 😀

    Gardens of the Moon has a great cover.

    And all of this for seven quid? That’s like $10, which is much better than any deals I’ve gotten lately. Good haul!

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    1. Yeah, every now and then there are really good deals for Kindle. Just after christmas i got the first two books for Passage for 1 quid each.

      I don’t know The Giver, so hopefully i’m safe 😀

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  8. hahaha I really relate about Kindle Sales! I really want to read Upside and Gardens of the Moon (Gardens has actually been on my kindle for ages- I just never seem to have the time). Anyway, you seem to have had a lot of success with this!

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  10. Woo! Congrats on your latest book haul! 😀
    I’ve never read any Swedish crime books, but I did thoroughly enjoy a Swedish horror novel before called Let the Right One In. Hope you enjoy all your snazzy new books! ❤

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  12. I absolutely love Looking for Alaska, it’s one of my favourite books!
    I loved Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so I want to read The Upside of Unrequited. Although, I’m worried I’ll have high expectations of it.

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