The Book Lode (27)

Okay, so this is a book haul video for January to March of this year, which means it's long overdue to be up on the blog. But nevertheless, here it is (and in the meantime I have accumulated many more books, so I will need to do another video soon!):


Books bought:

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Deafening by Frances Itani
The Furies by Natalie Haynes
The Two of Us by Andy Jones
Doctor Death by Lene Kabberbol
Read Bottom Up by Neal Shah and Skye Chatham
Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter
Bell Weather by Dennis Mahoney
My Name is Resolute by Nancy E. Turner
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan McVoy
The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
Oblivion by Kelly Creagh 
Charisma by Jeanne Ryan
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff
Amy Snow by Tracy Rees
The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley
Compulsion by Martina Boone
Beatrice and Benedick by Marina Fiorato
Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass
The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley

Ember Island: A Rambling Review (Adult)

Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman

Really enjoyed this one. The characters felt true to life, the description of the setting vibrant, and the story unpredictable and compelling. The way the author leads the reader to care about the characters and their struggles reminded me of Kate Morton's writing. Indeed, this is definitely one I'd recommend if you're looking for a Kate Morton read-alike!

I did find the contemporary storyline a lot weaker and less compelling than the historical one, although it too involved a twist that I didn't see coming. As well, the ending didn't quite hold up for me compared to what had come before it -- it seemed like it wrapped up too quickly and easily, and without the sorts of consequences I would expect there to have been had the story happened in real life.

Overall, though, a very enjoyable read -- quite possibly the best so far of my 2018 reading year!

ETA: Some of the themes and elements in this book reminded me of Jane Eyre, in particular, the struggle between passion and rationality. In fact, there is even a mention of Jane Eyre at one point -- perhaps a shout-out by the author to one of her sources of inspiration?