Book Buying Ban week #5/ The Postman Knock #6
Hello everyone! So nice to be back! :D
Today's post is coming in 2 parts. First is my progress on diminishing my TBR pile (good!), second is the buying ban (not good) which I suspended for the week I was away for 2 reasons:
Wigtown - a national book town of Scotland which I visited and just could not not buy anything,
and
Steampunk Convival in Lincoln I went to yesterday and just had to support new British authors in this genre.
So, I had fabulous time, photos are coming, but first things first...
What I read last week
DNF
I've read through half the book, the concept was interesting, but unfortunately the main hero was a jerk, the heroine didn't know what she wanted and I just couldn't connect to them both. A shame, because I had 3 books in this series to read and now I'm not continuing with any of them.
Reading highlights of the week?
Dark Oracle surprised me as a good psychological thriller, and Blood Therapy was a messy crazy fun of over the top vampires including Dracula and Brad Pitt! Go figure, eh? :D
Total:
72 books (8 for review)
My goodies from Wigtown. Both second hand books.
Summary
Gabriella Mondini is a rarity in 16th century Venice: a woman who practices medicine. Her father, a renowned physician, has provided her entrée to this all-male profession, and inspired in her a shared mission to understand the secrets of the human body.
Then her father disappears and Gabriella faces a crisis: she is no longer permitted to treat her patients, women who need her desperately, without her father's patronage. She sets out across Europe to find where-and why-he has gone. Following clues from his occasional enigmatic letters, Gabriella crosses Switzerland, Germany and France, entering strange and forbidding cities. She travels to Scotland, the Netherlands, and finally to Morocco. In each new land she probes the mystery of her father's flight, and open new mysteries of her own. Not just mysteries of ailments and treatments, but ultimate mysteries of mortality, love, and the timeless human spirit.
Filled with medical lore and sensuous, vivid details of Renaissance life, The Book of Madness and Cures is an intoxicating and unforgettable debut.
Then her father disappears and Gabriella faces a crisis: she is no longer permitted to treat her patients, women who need her desperately, without her father's patronage. She sets out across Europe to find where-and why-he has gone. Following clues from his occasional enigmatic letters, Gabriella crosses Switzerland, Germany and France, entering strange and forbidding cities. She travels to Scotland, the Netherlands, and finally to Morocco. In each new land she probes the mystery of her father's flight, and open new mysteries of her own. Not just mysteries of ailments and treatments, but ultimate mysteries of mortality, love, and the timeless human spirit.
Filled with medical lore and sensuous, vivid details of Renaissance life, The Book of Madness and Cures is an intoxicating and unforgettable debut.
Never heard of this book, but it sounds just right up my alley!
Goodies from the steampunk do!
How to Bag a Jabberwock is beautiful! It's a monster hunting guide with pictures and sketches.
Greaveburn has cover art by Ravven (who did Hannah's blog) and a good premise, and both Sam Stone's books sound like fun - first is about time-travelling vamps, second is steampunk novella with zombies :D
Just one sneak pic of me and Al, and I hope you are all having a great weekend!
Ciao!
Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great time...and I agree that holiday purchasing doesn't count!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked Dark Oracle - I thought it was a great read and Alayna Williams aka Laura Bickle is a lovely person!
Oh great picture! I love it! The covers of your new books are really nice, I didn't know them. Happy reading darling!
ReplyDeleteLove the picture, is that the new hat you bought a few weeks ago?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, suspending book buying bans due to special circumstances is absolutely allowable! I' look out for your review for Boyfriend From Hell as I have that to read but I'm not loving the cover too much.
Oh bummer! I loved Erin Kellison's books! Of course it's been years since I read the first one! But the hero does lose some of his jerkiness, not sure if that helps! But the other two novels do not revolve around those same characters, not sure if you knew that. But of course read what you will! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy your other new reads!
Here's my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Wow. You read a lot of books. Great haul. Zombies at Tiffanys sound fun. Never heard of Sam Stone before, but will now check him out.
ReplyDeleteGrace
Dark Oracle and Midwinterblood look like great reads. Holidays always mean you can buy books, they don't count ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the pic and glad you had a good time.
Check out my haul
K!
ReplyDeleteAre you back from holidays yet? I miss you terribly. :( Anyway, have you fallen off the book buying wagon? I'm interested to see what you think of Entangled.
Have a great week - that is, if I don't see you on Twitter. :)
Ooh some interesting reads in the last week. And I may have squealed a little when you mentioned Ravven. She's so lovely, she deserves the recognition so much!
ReplyDeleteAnd Craig Hallam snuck into my blog comments one time - he's lovely too! Very very excited to hear what you think of his book.
Blood Therapy has me intrigued. I'll be camping your blog for your review of that one! True Blood's got me in a vampy mood big time at the moment.
Love the picture, too! Love you. x
Sounds like and awesome time :)
ReplyDeleteAnd oh no on Kellison :/
Wow, you were a busy reader! :D And sorry to hear you didn't finish Erin's book. Love the picture though.
ReplyDeleteMy ears were burning! hahaha I'm glad you picked Greaveburn up. Every time someone adds it to their to-read list, it really means a lot. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it goes :D
ReplyDeleteHi, Craig! I'll definitely do that :)
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Blodeuedd, I'm sorry about it too. WIll have to do a giveaway, so the books can find a new home.
Han, Blood Therapy is a book#2 in series. First one is Vampire Shrink, but I think second one is better, funnier. You will be able to get book#1 from the library, I'm sure, and True Blood is ace, I'm behind on the latest season, have to watch it soon. *hugs*
Joy! I'm definitely back :))) Entangled was good, but I found it very predictable and a bit dragging its feet.
Michelle, Dark Oracle was a really good read, I'll be reading more of Alayna for sure.
Gracie, Zombies at Tiffany has a fantastic premise, so I hope I will like it! I'll tell you all about it later :)
ReplyDeleteJessica! *hangs head down in shame* I wish I did like it, so many people seem to love this author!
Lesley, yes,yes, the same hat! I love it :) and I adored Scotland so definitely be coming back to your neck of woods :)
Melliane, thank you!
Mel, she is a great author. I'll be trying her other books after my ban is finished.
That cover of The Book of Madness and Cures is SO COOL.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that pic is adorbs. You guys look like something out of historical fiction, which is AWESOME. Or something out of steampunk. ;)