~July Book Haul~

Hello!

So, it’s time for my monthly book haul post! I’ve been very good again this month. I’ve tried to avoid book-buying if at all possible, and my book post and NG requests are super low!

For any of you who don’t know, this is where I list the books that have made Bibliophile Book Club their new home in the previous month. The books are usually bought books, ARC’s sent from publishers, Netgalley review books and just basically any books I get go on here.

Here we go….

The Frozen Woman by Jon Michelet
Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
A Better World by Marcus Sakey
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
White Gold by Rachel Amphlett
The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson PRE-ORDER (I’m excited!!!!)
Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson PRE-ORDER *see above 🙂
The Dying Game by Asa Avdic
Kill Me Twice by Simon Booker
The Shock by Mark Raabe
The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne
Time of Death by Alex Barclay
Morning Star by Pierce Brown
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Cragside by LJ Ross
Godblind by Anna Stephens
The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen
How Hard Can It Be by Allison Pearson
If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch
99 Red Balloons by Elizabeth Carpenter

Sadly, my photo-taking for these books was next to nothing in July, but here’s a little selection of what I got…

It seems I’m reading as much as I’m getting in the past couple of months too. I’ve been getting through up to 20 books a month for the past few, and my book hauls have all been relatively low too so I’m not taking in as many books as I was this time last year for example.

Now, if only I could read the thousands of books I have on my shelves and on my kindle, I would be sorted! 🙂

Have you read any of these? Would you? (I’ve actually read a couple of them already- which almost never happens!!!!)

Do let me know in the comments!

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

*Many thanks to the publishers for my Netgalley review copy!*

About the book:

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Published by Hot Key Books in September, you can pre-order your copy by clicking HERE.

About the author:

E. Lockhart is the author of We Were Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The Boyfriend List and several other novels.

website: www.emilylockhart.com
Liars site: www.wewereliars.com
blog: www.theboyfriendlist.com
Twitter: elockhart

My thoughts:

Genuine Fraud is garnering comparisons to The Talented Mr Ripley from any early reviews I’ve seen. Not a book I’ve had the chance to read but it definitely piqued my interest enough to want to read this one. After finishing it, I could see how, from what little I know of Ripley, the comparisons are drawn.

Genuine Fraud focuses on Jule and Imogen and their intense friendship. Seemingly polar opposites, its only a matter of time before they start to become like each other. Genuine Fraud becomes a story of reinvention and deceit the more of it you read. There are murders, fights, disappearances and plenty more going on in this book.

Genuine Fraud is a compulsive read, in that you have to keep reading to get answers to previous events, because it is told in a reversed timeline format. While it is not anything new, it is still a current and interesting read. The characters are also intriguing, chameleon-like in how they shed facets of themselves during the course of the narrative.

This book wasn’t as suspenseful a read as I had hoped, but it is still a steady read. If you’re looking for another We Were Liars, then you’ll be disappointed as this is nothing like it. I think if you’re new to the psychological thriller genre, then you will enjoy this one. If psych thrillers are your thing, you won’t find anything new with this one. That being said, it’s a solid page-turner and definitely one to watch out for.

Recommended!

June Book Haul

Hi guys,

So, it’s time for my monthly book haul post, and I’ve been very good this month. I’ve tried to avoid book-buying, but let’s face it, I have an addiction to feed.

So, here we go…

The Fact of A Body by Alexandria Marzano Lesnevich
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Gryffindor Edition
The Paper Cell by Louise Hutcheson
You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood
The Detriment by David Videcette
Marked For Life by Emelie Schepp
Ice Lake by John A. Lenehan
The Tourist by Robert Dickenson
Fateful Mornings by Tom Bouman
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Black Wing by Ed McDonald
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Under A Black Sky by Inger Wolf
Cragside by LJ Ross
Deadly Friendship by Tara Lyons
The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste (Super early ARC, ONE TO WATCH!!! Loved it!!!)
The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler- Olsen
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen
The Relic Guild by Edward Cox
The Cathedral of Known Things by Edward Cox
The Watcher of Dead Time by Edward Cox
The Dark Beneath by J. S. Law
The Fear Within by J. S. Law
In The Still by Jacqueline Chadwick

I’m feeling better about these hauls lately to be honest. I’m not buying as much, and I’m also trying to make a dent in my TBR. I managed to read 20 books in May AND 20 in June so at least I’m reading. Just not all of the books that are in my hauls! Oh well! 🙂

There you have it. Have you read any of these? Any you would reommend bumping up the TBR?? Do let me know in the comments! Until next month… 🙂

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

*Many thanks to the publisher for my Netgalley review copy*

About the book:

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.
And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.
Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age.
And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?
Who still has secrets to hide?

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

My thoughts:

Laurel’s daughter Ellie goes missing at fifteen, but Laurel has never given up hoping that she will find her. Laurel meets Floyd in a cafe, who ends up asking her out. Floyd has a 9 year old daughter called Poppy. Upon meeting Poppy, Laurel is surprised to see she is very similar to Ellie when she was young. This becomes a constant reminder to Laurel that her daughter is gone.

Then She Was Gone is told mainly from Laurel’s point of view, but we also get glimpses into Ellie’s life before she disappeared. We also see the impact her disappearance has on the rest of the family and how they dealt with the aftermath.

Then She Was Gone is quite a fast-paced and gripping read It hooks the reader early on and steadily builds a level of tension and discomfort throughout. In the interest of honesty, I have to say I figured out some stuff early on, which meant I wasn’t shocked or surprised with the way the book went.

It is definitely a good story and there is real emotion in the characters. If you like psychological thrillers with hints of domestic noir, then this is definitely a book to add to your list.

Recommended.

May Book Haul!

Hello!

It’s hard to believe May has been and gone already. It seems to have flown by! As it’s the 1st of June, I’m getting my book haul post in nice and early! Last year, my May book haul was crazy, because I turned 30 and I asked for 30 books as my present! 🙂 You can see what I got HERE, and I can guarantee the majority are still unread 1 year later!!!

For any of you who don’t know, this is where I list the books that have made Bibliophile Book Club their new home in the previous month. The books are usually bought books (a LOT of bought books), ARC’s sent from publishers, Netgalley review books and just basically any books I get go on here.

I did relatively well with not buying books this month. I say that, and then I look at this list:

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
You Don’t Know Me by Imran Mahmood
My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni
The Twilight Wife by AJ Banner
Stalker by Lars Kepler
Sockpuppet by Matthew Blackstad
Why Did You Lie by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson
Exquisite by Sarah Stovell
Snowblind US Edition by Ragnar Jónasson*
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee
The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey
Blue Gold by David Barker
Trust Me by Angela Clarke
Age of Assassins by RJ Barker
Snowblind Signed 1st Edition by Ragnar Jónasson*
Dying to Live by Michael Stanley
Wolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen
Ghosts by Ed McBain
Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid
Sanctus by Simon Toyne
Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Sanctum by Denise Mina
The Wrath of Angels by John Conolly
Give Me The Child by Mel McGrath
The Demon of Dakar by Kjell Eriksson
Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz
Infernal by Mark De Jager
The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber
Last Breath by Robert Bryndza
No Middle Name by Lee Child
The Ice by Laline Paull
Nocturnal Animals by Austin Wright
The City & The City by China Miéville
Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown
The Sixth Window by Rachel Abbott
Deadly Fare by David Liscio
Vanished by Kendra Elliott
Nowhere to Run by C. J. Box
Our Little Secret by Darren O’Sullivan
Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear
Two Sisters by Kerry Wilkinson
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Each Little Lie by Tom Bale

*I clearly like Ragnar Jónasson’s books, pretty sure I have at least 5 copies of Snowblind now! 🙂

I think that’s all the books from the month of May! Pics below 🙂

The Mayfly by James Hazel~ Mini Review

*Many thanks to the publishers for my Netgalley review copy*

About the book:

A mutilated body discovered in the woods.
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .

When lawyer Charlie Priest is attacked in his own home by a man searching for information he claims Priest has, he is drawn into a web of corruption that has its roots in the last desperate days of World War Two.

When his attacker is found murdered the next day, Priest becomes a suspect and the only way to clear his name is to find out about the mysterious House of Mayfly – a secret society that people will kill for.

As Priest races to uncover the truth, can he prevent history from repeating itself?

The Mayfly by James Hazel

My thoughts:

The Mayfly opens with a pretty grizzly murder and this sets the tone for the rest of the book. It then follows Charlie Priest in the aftermath of an attack in his home, an attack that comes completely out of the blue. When his attacker is found dead the next day, Priest becomes entangled in a web with so many threads that it is hard to see where they begin and end.

I really liked Charlie Priest as a character. As with many main characters, Priest has his own demons and they follow him throughout The Mayfly. I really liked how he was developed during the course of the book and I would be interested to read more about him.

I enjoyed The Mayfly! It was a compulsive and engaging read. I liked the characters, and the plot was interesting. This is the second book I’ve read recently to feature Buchenwald which is an odd coincidence. The dual timeline works well, but I found the jumping between characters to be a bit confusing at times. However, it’s a good read. A little gory, and with plenty to keep the reader guessing!

Recommended!

April Book Haul

Hi guys,

So, it’s time for my monthly book haul post, and I’ve been very good this month. I’ve tried to avoid book-buying, but let’s face it, I have an addiction to feed. Plus, I did what I always seem to do on the last day of the month, yep, I bought some books!

Here we go…

The Lost Ones by Ben Cheetham
But For The Grace of God by Paul Grzegorzek
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
The Cleaner by Mark Dawson
The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
Don’t Wake Up by Liz Lawlor
The Roses of May by Dot Hutchinson
Obsession by Amanda Robson
Midnight Blue by Simone Van Der Vlugt
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
The Thirst by Jo Nesbo
The Child by Fiona Barton
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Escape by C. L. Taylor
Everything But The Truth by Gillian McAllister
Afterlife by Marcus Sakey
I Found You by Lisa Jewell
The Mayfly by James Hazel
Dead Ends by Erin Lange
Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden
The Forever Court by Dave Rudden
Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor

See!!! I told you I was good this month. I managed to read 17 books in April, so I only have a deficit of 5 books in what I took in versus how many I read, so I’m guessing this is my best month yet, but to be honest this is the first time I’ve ever actually checked books read vs. books received!

Have you read any of these? Would you? Do let me know in the comments 🙂