I popped into town for lunch with my boyfriend at the weekend, he wanted to go in Waterstones, but of course it was me who couldn't resist buying things in there... It appears to be physically impossible for me to go into a bookshop and leave empty-handed!! I'm telling myself it's okay because one of the books I bought was on clearance at half price, and the other two were buy one get one half price, so I really got three books for the price of two.... So that makes it alright, yes!??
![Book Buys]()
![Daphne du Maurier The House on the Strand]()
![Ransom Riggs Hollow City The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children]()
![The Moth]()
I've been wanting to read some Daphne du Maurier for a while, thanks to Bee over at Vivatramp; her works sounds right up my street, so when I spotted The House on the Strand on the clearance shelf (I think because the cover is creased and the flyleaf slightly torn!), I had to pick it up. "Written in the great tradition of Edgar Allen Poe and H. P. Lovecraft, The House on the Strand is a gripping and masterfully written tale of history and horror with a fresh approach to time travel. When Dick Young's friend, Magnus, offers him an escape from his troubles in the form of a new drug, Dick finds himself transported to the Cornish manor of Tywardreath in the fourteenth century. As Dick witnesses the intrigues of the court there, he becomes fixated with Roger and the captivating Isolda Carminowe, and withdraws from the modern world to spend more and more time in the past. But his attempts to change history bring terror to the present and throw his own life into the balance."
I read Ransom Riggs'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children last year and absolutely loved it; I've been meaning to read the sequel Hollow City since it was released. This was on the buy one, get one half price offer, so it would have been rude not to really! "September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them - but she's trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience."
The Moth was a bit of an impulse choice for the other half of the buy one, get one half price offer, as I'm wanting to read more in the way of short stories. "Truth is not always stranger than fiction. But after reading these 50 extraordinary stories, you wouldn't want to bet on it. The Moth is an American phenomenon - a live storytelling event that takes place in cities across the US. Anyone with a true, first-hand story to tell can pitch to take part, and if your story's goof, the Moth directors help you to tell it better. The 50 stories in this book are the very best of the best. Meet George Lombardi, the doctor summoned on a Saturday morning to fly to Delhi to save Mother Teresa's life. Listen spellbound to Annie Duke, playing her first World Series poker hand. Float with astronaut Michael Massimino, playing Gravity for real, repairing the Hubble Space Telescope. Hear Sebastian Junger talk about going to war. Or rock a rhyme with Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels of Run DMC. Oh - and why's it all called The Moth? That's a homage to the days before TV, before video games, when storytellers held court with the moths, out on the porch, and reigned supreme."
What are you reading at the moment? Have you read any of these? I'd love to hear any recommendations for books you think I'll love!!
xo