August Book Haul - Part 2!

So when I wrote part one of the book haul for August I had divided the books I bought this month nice and evenly between the two parts.  I bought more between then and the end of the month so this one is even longer. I have a serious book buying problem!!

I am going to start off with the two books that I have received kindle copies of for review.

"A Prophet Without Honor" by Joseph Wurtenbaugh

What if Hitler had won the war?  What if a clever bluff meant that the French and British soldiers lost to Hitler's untrained army? What if Hitler had taken over the world? I requested this advanced reader copy because I was so excited by the plot outline.  I really love reading authors I have never read before so I was keen to review this one - I can't wait to read it this month.  This book was released in June 2017 and is available on Amazon.






"The Lost Season of Love and Snow" by Jennifer Laam

This is based on the story of Alexander Pushkin's wife.  Natalya has a lot of admirers within the court and soon strikes up a loving relationship with the poet.  Their intense love for each other as well as their jealous tendencies spells disaster for the couple.  Natalya is vilified in St. Petersburg the story tells of her tale to defend her honour and to broadcast the truth about what she is really like.   I LOVE Russian based stories.  Among my favourite ever reads are books like "Sashenka" so I truly hope that this lives up to my expectations - I am predicting this one as a 5 star read.  The book is an advanced reader copy for review and will be published January 2nd 2018.


"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to Enlightenment" Edited by Brian P. Copenhaver

Ok so this is a total guilty pleasure for my.  I love all things witch - anything with a Wiccan stamp and I am all over it.  There really is not a lot to say about this book other than it is basically a book full of spells, incantations, charms and curses.  The book features a variety of entries from ancient and medieval times through to Thomas Aquinas, Milton, John Dee and much more.  I think this will be a book that will be more of a casual flip through and reading bits and pieces than a cover to cover read.

"Antigone" by Sophocles

This is the third of Sophocles' Theban plays.  It tells the story of the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone.  Antigone is basically a kick-ass female character - she is strong willed and intelligent and is not scared to show it.  Antigone wants to bury her brother but the king has forbidden it.  She goes up against him in a bid to get him to back down.  She is strong and determined throughout which makes her a typically fantastic Greek character.


"The Empathetic Store" by Jackie Kay

Currently the Scottish makar, Jackie Kay is a larger than life personality who makes me laugh out loud.  I got this when I went to see her at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.  This is a collection of her poetry which generally makes honest and down-to-earth observations about life, childhood and relationships.  I can't wait to dig through this collection.




"Letters of Note" by Shaun Usher

This is exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of interesting letters from throughout history.  Such gems included are: letters from Queen Elizabeth II, Virginia Woolf and Jack the Ripper.  This is a beautiful "coffee table book" that will be another book that I pick up and flick through every so often.  I kind of enjoy the idea of a non-committal reading tool actually - sometimes you just need a break from trekking through 400 page tomes!





"How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig

Tom is centuries old.  He has a rare condition that keeps him alive.  Over the years he has changed his identity several times to keep him from being discovered.  When we find him he is teaching History at his local high school telling stories that he must pretend that he never really witnessed.  The one thing Tom is not allowed to do though is to fall in love. OK I will hold my hands up - the beautiful cover of this book definitely played an important role in my choice to buy it however I have also heard wonderful things about this book so it definitely is not just me being shallow!  I don't know what I will make of this as it will be my first book by Matt Haig.



"Only Ever Yours" by Louise O'Neill

The reason I picked this one up was it has real similarities to "The Handmaid's Tale" (which I LOVE) and I am intrigued at whether this one will pull off the emotional response Atwood created for me.  This tells of a version of the world where women are bred in specialist centres where they are trained in the art of pleasing men.  At the graduation ceremony the most highly rated become "companions" who live with their husbands for the sole purpose of breeding sons until they no longer can.  Those who are not highly rated become concubines or teachers.  A story of two girls brought up as best friends which ultimately tests their friendship and loyalty to each other.




"The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I received this book in a mystery package from "Blind Date With A Book" - I have no idea who ordered it but I totally love it.  Victoria has spent her life in foster care.  She feels a real sense of detachment to those around her because of her childhood experiences.  Victoria is an expert in flowers.  She knows the symbolism of Victorian times which is associated with each flower and sets about planting her own garden beside the park bench that she sleeps on.  Victoria is soon discovered by a florist who notices her talent and passion for flowers.  Victoria has to decide whether she is ready to let go of her past for a second chance at being happy.



Finally...
"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

A story of slavery set in Georgia we follow the story of Cora - an African slave who is outcast by her fellow slaves.  When Caesar comes onto the scene he offers Cora a sense of hope she has never had before.  He explains of the existence of an underground railroad which will take them out of the plantation to a life where they can be free.  They take the risk but it does not quite go to plan.  They end up running for their lives being chased all the while.  I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up but I have seen it on so many review sites and it has much hype surrounding it.  I am eager to read it but I don't think I will get to it any time soon.  It does sound very interesting though.




My August wrap up of what I read will be up this weekend as well as my reading outlook for September - I need to up my game to get back on track with the number of books I want to have read in 2017!!

Meg x