Birthday and Travel Book Haul

Posted in Miscellaneous by TheQuirkyBookNerd

As you can probably already tell simply by the fact that I’m making an entire post dedicated to a book haul, July has been quite the bookish month! First, I was traveling around Ireland through the end of June and the beginning of July.

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Then, my 22^nd birthday was on the 18^th, where I not only received some books as presents, but was also treated to an awesome bookstore trip on my actual birthday! On top of that, I have to admit to getting myself a few new Kindle books throughout the month. Because of all of this, I have amassed quite the haul of books.

On a side note, I’ve been toying with the idea of making a travel post about specifically about the Ireland trip, so that might be a thing at some point. 🙂

Now, let the haul begin!

1. Yeats Poetry Collection

My trip to Ireland was a choir tour, which means we did a lot of traveling within the country as well as a ton of walking. This sort of limited me when it came to the amount of books I could pick up while there, so I somehow managed to keep it to a very restrained two books. We spent one part of our trip in Sligo, the town of all things Yeats (who happens to be one of my favorite poets)! So of course, I had to pick up a little collection of his work while we were there.

2. Dubliners by James Joyce

This is the other book I picked up during my trip to Ireland, and I did in fact get this while I was in Dublin like I hoped I would be able to. We read two of the stories from this novel back in high school, but I’ve never actually gotten a chance to read the rest. I’ve heard and seen very mixed opinions of this classic, but I really enjoyed what I read a few years ago, so I’m eager to finish it off.

3. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

It’s Victoria Schwab, so obviously I had to pick this up as soon as it came out! This is actually (*cough* one of *cough*) my current read(s), but even though I’m loving it so far, I keep having to put it aside. I’ve been trying to catch up on reviews and life keeps getting in the way of books (*sigh*). But rest assured, this book will be finished and reviewed very soon!

4. Beowulf translated by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is another classic that we read an excerpt from in school but never actually read all the way through, and I really enjoyed the small portion that we studied. I have been looking for this particular translation of Beowulf ever since I heard about it a few months ago, and it took me forever to locate a copy. I finally found it on my birthday trip to the bookstore and I can’t wait to read it (I know, I’m a total classics nerd)!

5. Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have not been able to find an actual, physical copy of this novel anywhere. This particular edition has even been impossible to find online. So I finally gave in and purchased the Kindle version for myself because I am dying to read this story. It sounds absolutely adorable, and I’m really interested in beginning to read some Tolkien, so this will probably end up being my first experience with his work.

6. And I Darken by Kiersten White

I was originally planning on getting this out of the library, but when I saw it at the bookstore, I decided to just go ahead and pick up a copy. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I’m eager to get to it. It seems like one of those books that I’m either going to really love or really hate, so I can’t wait to see where this falls for me. Plus, beautiful cover alert!

7. The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

I just discovered this novel recently through Booktube, if I remember correctly, and the synopsis instantly intrigued me. I have another novel by Claire North, but I have not read it yet, so I don’t really know much of anything about her work. However, I’ve only ever heard fantastic things about her novels, all of which have extremely intriguing and unique-sounding plots. I’m not sure which of the two books I’ll start with, but I absolutely had to pick this one up.

8. Red Queen by Christina Henry

I had completely forgotten this had been released, so I got very excited when I saw it at the bookstore. Due to a recommendation from my book blogger friend Heather, I read the first novel in this series—Alice—earlier this year and absolutely loved it. This series is everything I love: a dark, twisted retelling with vividly portrayed, morally ambiguous characters. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing on to this sequel!

9. Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales by Justin Richards

I have wanted this book for ages, and somehow, I managed to keep passing it up at the bookstore, even as I stood there drooling over it. But I finally gave in and grabbed a copy. I couldn’t resist any longer—and so my quest to own everything Doctor Who related continues! Hopefully, it will be as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside. I can’t wait to check out these stories.

10. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

This was one of the books my parents got me for my birthday. Who doesn’t love a good mystery novel once in a while? I haven’t picked one up in ages and this was recommended to me on Goodreads, so I figured I’d give it a go. It sounds like one of those “cozy mysteries”, so I’m looking forward to curling up with this one. I think I may save it for a fall or winter read.

11. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

I saw this movie years ago, but I’ve never actually checked out the book. On top of that, my best friend is a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk and has wanted me to check out his novels for the longest time. So, I found this while I was browsing at the bookstore and figured it was about time to pick it up and give it a read!

12. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

There’s really not much of a story behind this addition to my library. I have the first two parts, so I figured I would just go ahead and pick up the final installment when I saw it. Maybe I’ll marathon the three? We’ll have to see about that. But I definitely plan on at least beginning the series before the end of the year!

13. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I keep going back and forth about whether I want to read this novel or not. I was really excited about it when it was first released because it sounded like the kind of story I would love. However, my biggest hesitation began when I started hearing talk of a love square (or maybe a shape with more sides?); that can honestly put me off a story completely in just seconds. But I found it on sale for Kindle so I figured, why not just give it a try—it’s gotten fantastic reviews for the most part. We’ll see how it goes.

14. Beckoning Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy

This final book is another Kindle book I treated myself too. I became intrigued by this story ages ago and I thought I already had a copy—but it turns out, I never got around to picking one up. So I finally did! I’ve found that a lot of books I was interested in a few years ago just don’t peak my interest anymore, but this one still does, so I figured that was a good sign.

That’s it for this haul (and probably for book hauls for a little while!). Let me know in the comments what books you guys have picked up recently. Do we have any in common? Are there any books from this list that you think I should move to the top of my reading list?

-Ariana

22Jul2016

Review: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Posted in Book Reviews by TheQuirkyBookNerd

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

My Rating: 4.5/5 TARDISes

Series: Standalone

Date Published: November 5^th, 2015

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson

Pages: 80 pages

Source: Purchased

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: A young woman is making a living, faking it as a cut-price psychic working at Spiritual Palms (with some illegal soft-core sex work on the side). She makes a decent wage – mostly by telling people what they want to hear. But then she meets Susan Burke. Susan moved to the city one year ago with her husband and 15-year old stepson Miles. They live in a Victorian house called Carterhook Manor, built in 1893. Susan has become convinced that some malevolent spirit is inhabiting their home, and taking possession of the stepson. She has even found trickles of blood on the wall. The young woman doesn’t believe in exorcism or the supernatural, but she does see an opportunity to make a lot of money. However when she enters the house for the first time, and meets Miles, she begins to feel it too, as if the very house is watching her, waiting, biding its time….

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This is a spoiler-free review.

For me, it is extremely challenging to write a review on any of Gillian Flynn’s work without an excessive amount of excitement and an inability to get my thoughts straight. Her stories constantly leave me in a state of shock, both at her complex, meticulously plotted story lines as well as her beautiful and skillful writing itself. This woman has an unbelievable talent for the written word and the construction of unique and multidimensional thrillers that stick in one’s mind long after turning the final page.

Throughout the course of this story, we follow the nameless protagonist, a young woman making a living as a fake psychic, as well as practicing some questionable backroom work on the side. She is a very classic Gillian Flynn female protagonist, emerging from a dark past into a gray present. Flawed yet strong, and quite talented at manipulation, she is one of those characters that will do anything in her power to get want she wants, regardless of how her actions affect others. She has a flair for the dramatic and an aptitude for inspiring trust from others.

One day, a very distraught woman named Susan arrives for psychic counseling. Believing not only that spirits have invaded her house, Carterhook Manor, but that they are also attacking her incredibly disturbed stepson, Miles, she employs our main character to cleanse the house.

Of course, our main character has no actual ability to help this family, but seeing this as a way to rake in some extra money while having to do very minimal work, she is unable to pass up the opportunity. However, she ends up getting a lot more than she bargained for. After a series of harrowing events at the house, she finds herself beginning to believe in Susan’s outlandish fears, and tries her hardest to save the family from whatever harmful forces might be at work there.

The writing, the intricate and twisted plotting, the vivid characterization, as always, are all absolutely stellar. Though this story is very much classic Gillian Flynn material, in certain ways it has a bit of a different quality to it than some of her other work. I found that it sort of felt like some of the old psychological thriller films that I enjoy watching—with a modern twist to it, of course. It is unclear for a while what direction Flynn plans on taking the story—what genre she will be focusing on—and that adds yet another layer of mystery for the reader. And when questions are answered, when that mystery fully unfolds, Flynn once again leaves us all shocked and breathless.

The ending is really the only aspect of this story that I have slightly more mixed feelings on. That is not specifically due to the fact that it is an open ending in general—I typically love a well-written open ending, provided it fits solidly into the story as a whole. It is perfectly possible to feel satisfied without knowing exactly what happened after the final pages of a novel, and to be given the chance to imagine your own conclusion or further events. In my opinion, the idea of using an open ending definitely works well and seems appropriate given the overall plot and feeling of this story. However, there is just something a bit off about the one that Flynn presents us with.

This storyline wraps up far too abruptly—it is surprising, but too rushed for my taste. I think my main issue with the ending stems from the fact that it comes across as entirely too much of a twist. It is absolutely fantastic when a book shocks you with something completely unexpected, but it has to be at least somewhat coherent in the context of the rest of the plot. The sudden revelations here seem to be a bit jammed in, come completely out of left field, and are just slightly too far-fetched. It was as if I had fallen into a completely different story in the final pages. So, while it is clear that it is intended to leave the reader in amazement and suspense—and it did completely stun me—it left me a little too unsatisfied and confused.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and it was beautiful display of why Gillian Flynn is one of my all-time favorite writers. She is a brilliant storyteller who, time and time again, completely nails the mystery and psychological thriller genres. A master at crafting complex plots and intriguing characters with dark tales, she excels at captivating her readers and holding them in an iron grip until the final word. Though I might not recommend this for a first experience with Gillian Flynn’s work, I would very highly recommend giving this a read if you have enjoyed her novels.

Top 5 Wednesday – July 20th, 2016

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey and is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!

This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top five most recent additions to your reading wishlist. I’ve decided to tack on a little extra element and also list the top five recent additions to my physical TBR that I am most excited to read.

Top 5 Wishlist Additions

1. The Muse by Jesse Burton

From the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman in 1930s Spain—and the powerful mystery that ties them together.

England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Art Gallery, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is matched by the intrigue around the conflicting stories of its discovery. Drawn into a complex web of secrets and deceptions, Odelle does not know what to believe or who she can trust, including her mesmerizing colleague, Marjorie Quick.

Spain, 1937. Olive Schloss, the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer and English heiress, follows her parents to Arazuelo, a poor, restless village on the southern coast. She grows close to Teresa, a young housekeeper, and her half-brother Isaac Robles, an idealistic and ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. A dilettante buoyed by the revolutionary fervor that will soon erupt into civil war, Isaac dreams of being a painter as famous as his countryman, Picasso.

Raised in poverty, these illegitimate children of the local landowner revel in exploiting this wealthy Anglo-Austrian family. Insinuating themselves into the Schloss’s lives, Teresa and Isaac help Olive conceal her artistic talents with devastating consequences that will echo into the decades to come.

Rendered in exquisite detail, The Muse is a passionate and enthralling tale of desire, ambition, and the ways in which the tides of history inevitably shape and define our lives.

2. The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

(I blame Heather for this one!)

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world…

When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

‘She looked so like herself that I knew not how to bear it’

In this sensational, hard-hitting and passionate tale of marital cruelty, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall sees a mysterious tenant, Helen Graham, unmasked not as a ‘wicked woman’ as the local gossips would have it, but as the estranged wife of a brutal alcoholic bully, desperate to protect her son.

Using her own experiences with her brother Branwell to depict the cruelty and debauchery from which Helen flees, Anne Bronte wrote her masterpiece to reflect the fragile position of women in society and her belief in universal redemption, but scandalized readers of the time.

4. The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

The most powerful man in the republic framed her, threw her in prison, and stole a priceless elven manuscript from her family.

With the help of a crack team that includes an illusionist, a unicorn, a death priestess, a talking warhammer, and a lad with a prophetic birthmark, Loch must find a way into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire–and get past the magic-hunting golems and infernal sorcerers standing between her and the vault that holds her family’s treasure.

It’d be tricky enough without the military coup and unfolding of an ancient evil prophecy–but now the determined and honourable Justicar Pyvic has been assigned to take her in.

But hey, every plan has a few hitches.

5. It’s All Fun and Games by Dave Barrett

When Allison’s best friend, TJ, convinces her to come along for an epic game of LARP (live-action role-playing), she reluctantly agrees despite her reservations about the geeky pastime. TJ’s weekends are filled with powerful wizardry, mystical creatures, and intense battles with his LARP group. Each adventure is full of surprises, but the goal is always the same: to defeat the monsters and find the treasure.

Not long after their quest begins, the friends discover that something has gone wrong. The fantasy world they’ve built has transformed, and the battle they’re in the midst of is no longer make-believe.

Now they must fight for survival against brigands, kobolds, and other deadly mythical creatures that come to life. Fortunately, the group’s once-fictional magical powers have also become real – including Allison’s newly acquired gifts as a healer. They’ll need everything in their arsenal if they hope to make it home alive.

Top 5 Physical TBR Additions

I’ve just gotten back from traveling and my birthday was on Monday, so let’s just say, there have been a few new additions to my book collection! I’ll be doing a full travel and birthday book haul post in a few days, but for now, here are some of the books that I have recently acquired that I am most looking forward to reading.

1. And I Darken by Kiersten White

Any novel with a strong, kickass-sounding female lead immediately catches my attention! This story sounds dark, intense, and action-packed, exactly the type of story I love. I’m really hoping I’ll be diving into a gripping and unique fantasy, something I’ve been very in the mood for lately. I’ve also heard some very good things about Kiersten White’s writing, so I’m excited to experience it for the first time.

2. Dubliners by James Joyce

I know a few people who really didn’t enjoy this novel and think I’m crazy for wanting to read it! But we read a few excerpts from it in school a while back, and I loved all of them. I’ve been wanting to read the rest for a long time, and this will also contribute to my mission to read more classics this year. The other exciting fact about my copy of this is that I picked it up while I was in Dublin earlier this month!

3. In Sunlight or In Shadow compiled by Lawrence Block

When I saw this on Netgalley, I completely freaked out! This is a collection of short stories written by a group of well-known authors where each story is inspired by a painting by Edward Hopper. Not only am I a massive fan of short story collections, Edward Hopper is one of my favorite painters of all time. For an art/writing assignment, I myself wrote a short story about his painting, Nighthawks. To top off my excitement about this book, I was approved for an ARC on Netgalley! I can’t wait to start this!

4. Beowulf translation by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is another novel that we read an excerpt from in school ages ago, but never actually read the full book. And again, I really enjoyed the part that we read, so I’ve been wanting to pick up a copy of it so I could finally finish it off. I recently heard about this edition that was translated by Tolkien, so I immediately knew this was the translation I needed to read! I’m so looking forward to it!

5. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This is a novel I’ve been debating picking up for a while, so when I saw it on sale on Kindle, I decided, why not give it a try. I’ve heard tons of incredible things about this novel, however, reports of a potential love square sort of put me off for a bit. But it sounds like my type of story and I was excited about it when it was released last year, so I figured I should finally give it a go.

What are some books that you guys have recently added to your reading wishlist? Are there any new bookish purchases you’ve made lately that you are particularly excited about? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

-Ariana

1Jul2016

The Creative Blogger Award #2

Posted in Awards by TheQuirkyBookNerd

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I’m currently traveling, so this is a scheduled post. At this point, I’m uncertain what my ability to access the Internet will be like while I’m gone, so I may not be able to respond to comments right away. I’ll definitely be back with regular access to the blog next week! 🙂

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I was nominated by Becca over at Shih Tzu Book Reviews! Thank you so much for the nomination, Becca. Becca is a wonderful book blogger, so if you haven’t already checked out her blog, please be sure to head on over there! 🙂

Click here to check out the first part!

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The Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.

Share 5 facts about yourself.

Nominate some bloggers in return and notify them about their nomination.

Keep the rules in your post to make it easy for everyone to know what to do.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. Although I can do both, I’ve always preferred baking to cooking. It’s very much like a science. I love the attention to detail and how exact everything is in baking—works well with my brain! 🙂

2. I’ve talked before about how I would love to do voice acting for video games one day. Well, I would also absolutely love to write scripts/dialogue/storylines for video games! Basically, I really want to work in video games!

3. Speaking of video games, I am irrationally excited about the upcoming remastered version of Skyrim. It’s essentially the same game I have been playing obsessively for the last few years…but it’s so pretty…I need the pretty! 😛

4. I have an extremely eclectic music library, but recently, I’ve expanded it even further. I have been absolutely addicted to trap and electro swing lately!

5. This is one of my favorite quotes of all time:

I find a lot of inspiration, beauty, and meaning in it.

I Nominate:

My nominees can be found in the first part! 🙂

The Quirky Book Nerd

Monthly Archives: July 2016

Review: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Top 5 Wednesday – July 20th, 2016

Top 5 Wishlist Additions

1. The Muse by Jesse Burton

2. The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

4. The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

5. It’s All Fun and Games by Dave Barrett

Top 5 Physical TBR Additions

1. And I Darken by Kiersten White

2. Dubliners by James Joyce

3. In Sunlight or In Shadow compiled by Lawrence Block

4. Beowulf translation by J.R.R. Tolkien

5. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Creative Blogger Award #2

The Rules:

Random Facts About Me:

I Nominate: