Book Haul #73

Last updated on 10 November 2021

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Thanks to Covid, I haven’t shared a Book Haul in a while.

Mostly due to the fact that publishing companies aren’t getting stock in as quickly as usual (or at all) and I haven’t bought many books on my own accord recently. The books I’m sharing today are ones that I’ve accumulated over the past four months or so, and such, I’ve already read a couple.

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

This is a retelling of The Goose Girl, a story I basically knew nothing about before reading this book. I did do a little Google before diving in, just so I got an overview of what the story was meant to be like. I wanted to love this book. I really did. But alas, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. You can read my full review here. Thanks to Allen and Unwin for the review copy!

Mihi by Gavin Bishop

This is such a great book for babies/toddlers! You can read more about it on my review but in short, it shares a child’s mihi (a greeting, a short personal message) with stunning images on every page. Thank you to Harper Collins NZ for the copy!

Loveless by Alice Oseman

I’m quite the Alice Oseman fan, despite the fact I’ve only read a few of her books (like the Heartstopper Series). I’m really looking forward to this (gloriously pink!) book, and I will let you know when I’ve read it! You can read more about it here on Goodreads.

American Royals by Katherine McGee

I was down in Wellington in July and I, as is custom, went to both Unity Books and Arty Bee’s Books. I managed to find this near-new copy at Arty Bee’s and it has pink pages! (I sense a theme!) While I’ve heard mixed reviews about this book, I’m looking forward to reading it and making up my own mind.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is one of my favourite authors but I’ve never read Challenge Deep (which was released in 2015). Thanks to Harper Collins NZ, I received this updated copy with this pretty cover recently, and I’m so excited to read it! If his other books are anything to go by then this is going to be a great read!

Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker

Usually, I only get books from publishers when I request them (if they have enough copies to go around), but in a lovely bundle of books from Harper Collins and Walker Books that I didn’t know was coming, there was this book. Pennypacker wrote Pax which I’ve seen around a lot and is highly rated on Goodreads. Here in the Real World is a middle-grade book, and it sounds adorable! Check out the description on Goodreads.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

This is the movie tie-in cover (I believe the movie is out in August 2020) and it sounds like such a sweet story! It tells the tale of Ivan, a gorilla who lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Here’s a snippet from the synopsis:

“Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with colour and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.”

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This graphic novel is written in verse by poet Kwame Alexander, and the few pages I’ve flicked through so far are already captivating. I can’t wait to actually read the whole thing! Apparently the original novel was written in 2014 and was still in verse form. In 2020 it was released as a graphic novel. “Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.”

Have you had a book haul recently? What did you get? Let me know!