I never used to buy books. Mostly, I just borrowed a big stack from the library and then sent them back after I’d read the whole pile. If I got a book to keep, usually it was because someone gave it to me as a birthday or a Christmas present. But more recently, I started buying books. A lot of them. It started with buying a book as a surprise present for a family member for no reason other than I saw it and thought of them. And I realised that I loved buying books for people, and I bought a few more. And occasionally I’d find a book that I really wanted as well, and I’d buy it, because I deserve nice things too. Now, I seem to have built a new habit of book buying, which is not exactly a bad thing, as long as I don’t buy every book on the shelf at once and leave myself penniless. My personal collection has been growing, slowly but surely, which I love. So many good books waiting for me to read them. Today, I thought I would share the three most recent books that I’ve bought.
The Other Side Of The Sky
Amie Kaufman | Meagan Spooner
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are an author pairing so good that I’m never not going to pick up as soon as I see a new book from them. I remember reading their Starbound series, as well as their Unearthed duology, and just the rush that I felt as I devoured both. And then the crushing disappointment when I realised that I’d read all the books they’d co-authored that I could get my hands on and there was nothing left. So iImagine my excitement then, when I discovered that they were writing another series together, and a fantasy at that. I discovered that only by stumbling across The Other Side Of The Sky while browsing through a bookshop one day. So of course, it had to come home with me.
To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars
Christopher Paolini
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . .”
I remember borrowing Eragon from the library, after hearing about this amazing young fantasy author, though I was very late to the party, as I always am with any popular book. I loved the dragons in particular, and I fell in love with the book. I fell out of the series during book two, and haven’t yet gone back, but that doesn’t change how much I enjoyed reading Eragon for the first time. I stumbled on To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars completely by accident, and had to have it. Though its such a doorstopper of a book I’m almost too intimidated to start it, haha. It’s a sci-fi rather than a fantasy, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Christopher Paolini can do in another genre.
The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue
V. E. Schwab
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
I’ve never read any of V. E. Schwab’s books, but I’ve seen this book everywhere on Instagram recently. It’s such an intriguing concept for a story, and the cover is so beautiful. I saw it in the shops today, and I couldn’t resist picking it up and taking it home for myself. I wasn’t even supposed to be looking for a gift for myself. I went in there to find a book for someone else. But you can’t just walk away from a book that you’re so obviously supposed to take home with your, so into my bag it went. I can’t wait to read it. I’ve heard such good things about this book.
These are the three books I’ve treated myself to most recently. They’re now sitting in my reading stack waiting for me to pick them up and hopefully love them to death. But I would love to hear from you. What was the last book you bought yourself? Have you read any of these books? Are you ever late to reading popular books, or are you always up on bookish trends? Let’s chat in the comments!
Looking for a new book to buy yourself as a treat? Why not try my brand new book Frost Hands, a YA sci-fi about teens with mutant abilities, secret agents, dysfunctional teams, and a mutant uprising. It’s available now in both print and ebook. Treat yourself to a copy today!
Photo by Alice Hampson on Unsplash
I haven’t read any of these books, but I really enjoy V. E. Schwab’s writing style! My sister is obsessed with her Monsters of Verity duology, and I really enjoyed her Shades of Magic trilogy. Last book I bought: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.