1. The Dry by Jane Harper

It’s the first book in the crime series about a Federal Police investigator called Aaron Falk. I read Force of Nature, the second book in the series, and I really liked it, so I have high hopes for this one.

2. Daughters Of the Lake by Wendy Webb

It’s something dark and gothic. ︎ There’s a drown woman, some scary dreams and some mystery. I’m SO excited!

3. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I already have a beautiful physical copy of Novik’s newer novel called Spinning Silver, but I’m waiting for wintery days to read it. I was told that Uprooted is even better. I was captivated by the writing and the story from the very beginning. Even though it’s obviously a fantasy, I think I might like it.

4. Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn (yes, all FIVE of them!)

I simply had to get the collection because …

Apparently, there’s already a TV show where Benedict Cumberbatch played the protagonist. Here’s the trailer (it’s awesome, do watch it!):

https://youtu.be/JQh36eStMqk

I saw the trailer and bought the novels immediately! Novels are usually much better than movie adaptations so I’m in for SUCH a treat!

I tried the first several pages and I can say that the writing is amazing! Besides, I now hear the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch when I’m reading the novels. It can’t get better than this.

5. Complete Poems and Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

Are any comments even needed?

6. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

All I know is that the book is about a bookstore, and that the first few pages made me giggle. I think it might be a lighter read, but not a primitive one.

7. Novels of Beryl Bainbridge, Volume one

There are three novels there: An Awfully Big Adventure, The Birthday Boys, Master Georgie. Two of the novels, An Awfully Big Adventure and Master Georgie, were shortlisted for Man Booker Prize. An Awfully Big Adventure tells about a teenage girl who joins a theatre in postwar Liverpool. Master Georgie is about a surgeon during the times of the Crimean War. The Birthday Boys is about Captain Robert Falcon Scott travelling to the South Pole in 1910.

Can you believe I got all these three gems for just 3 euros?! Dear Black Friday, you are better than Christmas.

I’m slightly overwhelmed by the choice now. I think I will focus on Patrick Melrose novels first, while continuing reading this beauty:

Would you read any of these books?

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is about a group of cliched characters dancing around a well-knit plot. The characters are a damsel in distress, two knights in shining armour; one is a loser with a good heart, another one is a winner with a hard one. Her choice is very original [Sarcasm].

There are menacing parents who “love in their own way”, strict bosses with the same tough love, and kids with shallow kid-talks.

The storylines are strikingly predictable but there are no loose ends. Most characters have a dramatic past up their sleeve to talk about while violins are playing on the background. All obstacles comfortably turn out to be from the dark side so they are subject to rightful demolition. All little Chekhov’s guns that are spread along the novel shoot at some point. It’s still awkward that the plot exists just because the main character screwed up. Initially I thought the story could make a good movie even when failing as a good book. By the end of the book, though, the characters were so cemented in cliches they looked like cardboard figures that even a movie wouldn’t revive.

As for the writing, I believe if I ever see one more “torso” with “muscles of his arms defined by shadows” my book will fly out of the window even if it’s a Kindle. Some authors seem to think the readers should be lured to the book in the same manner soap advertisers tried to lure customers in the 90s.

Also, dear Sir/Madam who teaches authors how to create realistic characters, can you please stop telling them that characters should restate their beliefs in follow-up phrases?! Phrases like “He was happy, he truly was” and “They will be all right, they both will” belong to cardboard characters. They truly do.

I’m not sure if I’m giving the book 2.5 stars because it really deserves that many or because I’m experiencing a version of Stockholm syndrome. The book is new. It was published just two days ago. I couldn’t preview the book before it appeared in my Kindle. I had preordered it and so I was stuck with it. Thus, I might have had no other option but to like it at least for 2.5 stars.

I would not suggest this book to anybody. And maybe preordering a book is also a bad idea .

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Like any proper witch I have cats. They like books, partially because every time a book arrives it’s a novelty and it’s cozy to lie on. Looks like Kindle is not that cozy to lie on.

Pirate the cat was the first one to get his paws on the book this time. Thus, he’s happy to present to you: The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington!

The first special thing about this book is that it’s not available on Kindle. This blog says there are 6 million books available on Kindle, but The Hearing Trumpet is not one of them.

The book promises to be Alice in Wonderland for adults. Judging by some of its illustrations it’s definitely not for kids.

It feels almost unfamiliar to be holding an actual book. Don’t your hands get tired of books? You can’t simply position a book wherever you want. You have to control this pile of papers so it doesn’t fall, or close, or get flipped over to another page.

Also, the quality of the print is not that good. The pages feel like cheap toilet paper and the paint spreads around letters like on a sponge. The letters on Kindle look much sharper.

It’s not a big deal, of course. A book is still a book no matter the format. Don’t you think so? I’m off to read it now. I’ll let you know if I like it.

I’m really looking forward to Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It sounds clever and fun. I’m also hopeful for Watching You and You were Made for This because Ova said they were good and I trust her opinion. I probably won’t conquer Carthage Must be Destroyed, but I’ll try.

Which of these would you try?

The rest of the books are:

1. The South by Colm Tóibín.

2. Eight White Nights by André Aciman (Because Call Me by Your Name was awesome!)

3. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.

4. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.

5. Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams.

6. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

7. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene.

8. The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien.

9. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky (It has a super high rating of 4.41 on Goodreads!)

10. You’re Just Too Good To Be True by Sofija Stefanovic (Because I loved her Miss Ex-Yugoslavia memoir.)

11. Close to Home by Cara Hunter (Although I’m still a bit grumpy that the audiobook is not licensed to be sold in my country. Also, I’m suspicious of everything that is series. It can mean no proper ending.)

12. Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin.

13. The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward.

14. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

15. Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin.

16. The Martian by Andy Weir (It sounds a bit boring to read a book after watching the movie, but I was told the book is much better. Taking into account that the movie is also quite good, The Martian should be an interesting read.)

17. Find a Way by Diana Nyad (Nonfiction about an endurance swimmer.)

18. Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox (Another endurance swimmer in VERY cold waters!)

19. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky (Couldn’t ignore the title!)

20. Bosnian Chronicle by Ivo Andrić (Another epic book on the history of places near me, written by an author who’s very famous here. He’s also a Nobel Prize winner.)

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

I’m omnivorous when it comes to the medium. I consume books from paper, e-books or audiobooks. My Kindle library is spread throughout several gadgets, including the actual Kindle.

Out of a wrong habit I try to minimize physical copies, so I buy them only when there’s no e-book available. My main reason for doing so will sound funny to some, and, probably, should sound funny to all. I’m sad for the trees. The reason is wrong because, apparently, books are not made from some free wild forests. They are made from the trees grown specifically for this purpose. Thus, it’s better for our air. The more books we buy the more trees they plant, the more oxygen is produced while the trees are growing. As for plastic Kindle and other gadgets… Well, you know where I’m going with this.

Another advantage of a physical copy is that it’s yours. No publisher will knock on your door and take the book back because there was some mix-up with license. That does happen to electronic versions. You also won’t be prosecuted for passing your copy to a friend, or simply leaving it on a bench in the park. But what is it called when you leave your book online for others to read? Right, it’s a crime. As a cherry on top, with a physical copy nobody is spying on you. What you browse, like, dislike or underline in the book stays only with you, unless you decide otherwise.

Still, my library is dominated by electronic copies. I wave off my privacy, my freedom to handle a book the way I see fit, in exchange for emptier shelves and lighter suitcases. And, well, for a life of a tree

My literary self survives on Kindle and Book Depository. While everybody knows about Kindle, not many heard about Book Depository, hence the post. Enjoy!