Book Haul – April 2019

I hadn’t planned to buy any books this month, but the desire to take part in the Daphne du Maurier reading week in May had me looking for new ones to add to my already overflowing small shelves. Could have I just bought one book? Yes! Did I? Of course not! This is a somewhat diverse haul, featuring a couple of different genres – classics, fantasy and literary fiction.

 

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier is one of the authors that I want to read at least one book by every year. I read Jamaica Inn in January and wasn’t planning to read any other of her books in the following months. But then I discovered that Ali is dedicating a week (13 to 19 May) to du Maurier and decided to join in. For that purpose, I chose The House on the Strand. The main character, Dick Young, drinks a potion provided to him by a chemical researcher that allows him to time travel. He ends up in fourteenth-century Cornwall where he witnesses murder and adultery.

 

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan

In the latest years, I’ve been reading the fantasy book series The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. In the Labyrinth of Drakes is the fourth instalment and reveals how Lady Trent gained her position in the Scirling Royal Army. All the other books were a mix of adventure with feminism and anthropological elements. I expect the same from this one.

 

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

The book series His Dark Materials was not part of my childhood. It was only recently, after learning that the BBC and HBO are adapting it to TV, that I became interested in reading it. So, I asked on Twitter if the series was worthy reading as an adult, and a small majority said yes. All I know is that it follows Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon who live among scholars in Oxford.

 

A Espada e a Azagaia by Mia Couto

A Espada e a Azagaia is the second instalment of the trilogy As Areias do Imperador (Sands of the Emperor) by the Mozambican author Mia Couto. I recently finished the first one, Mulheres de Cinza (Woman of the Ashes), and was curious to know what happens afterwards. I’m not sure if I will read it soon, but I couldn’t resist the 40% discount.

 

História do Novo Nome (The Story of a New Name) by Elena Ferrante

At the beginning of the month, I finished watching the first season of the adaptation My Brilliant Friend. Although I wasn’t impressed by the first two episodes (there are too many voice-overs, which I don’t find compelling on TV shows), overall the series reminded me of how much I enjoyed the first book in the Neapolitan Novels. So, I finally decided to buy the second one, which I will read soon. I can’t wait to know what the future holds to the friends Lila and Elena.

 

Have you read any of these books? Tell me in the comments!