Late March Bookhaul + Wrap Up!
I was supposed to post this weeks ago but I haven't had the time to edit this so here it is now! Better late than never right? xD I received quite a few and read quite a few books this month. A large portion of the books I received and read were all sent to me by publishers so a huge thank you to all of them!
Hotaka by: John Heffernan
Synopsis:
A powerful and moving story about one boy caught up in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
When the tsunami strikes the Japanese seaside town of Omori-wan, the effects are utterly devastating. Three years later, much of what happened on that day is still a mystery. As Hotaka sets about convincing local performers to appear at the town's upcoming Memorial Concert, he finds himself increasingly haunted by memories of best friend, Takeshi, who perished without trace in the tsunami. Then his friend Sakura becomes involved in an anti-seawall movement, and all too quickly the protest gets serious. As the town and its people struggle to rebuild their lives, can Hotaka piece together what happened that day - and let go of the past?
The Blue Cat by: Ursula Dubosarsky
Synopsis:
A boy stood in the playground under the big fig tree. 'He can't speak English,' the children whispered.
Sydney, 1942. The war is coming to Australia - not only with the threat of bombardment, but also the arrival of refugees from Europe. Dreamy Columba's world is growing larger. She is drawn to Ellery, the little boy from far away, and, together with her highly practical best friend Hilda, the three children embark on an adventure through the harbour-side streets - a journey of discovery and terror, in pursuit of the mysterious blue cat ...
Close Enough To Touch by: Colleen Oakley
Synopsis:
Love has no boundaries...
Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: she’s allergic to human touch. After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive, living in the confines of her home for nine years. But after her mother dies, Jubilee is forced to face the world—and the people in it—that she’s been hiding from.Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library where she gets a job. It’s there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to town with his brilliant, troubled, adopted son. Eric is struggling to figure out how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. Jubilee is unlike anyone he has ever met, yet he can't understand why she keeps him at arm's length. So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of the year.
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by: Brianna Wiest
Synopsis:
Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: this idea changed my life.
Seeds Planted In Concrete by: Bianca Sparacino
Synopsis:
Through illustration and poetry, Seeds Planted in Concrete is Bianca Sparacino’s raw testament to the beauty that is found within the contrasts of life. By writing truthfully about the intricacies of both love and loss, Sparacino’s first collection of work is one that will speak to the very depths of those who read it, inspiring a will to love, and live. This collection is a manifesto of the journey every human being takes throughout their life; an assembly of words that celebrates the resilience of the human heart through stages of hurting, feeling, healing and loving.
Little People, Big Dreams (Agatha Christie) by: Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Synopsis:
In the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the lives of outstanding people from designers and artists to scientists. All of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. The book follows Agatha Christie, who taught herself to read at the age of five, on her journey to becoming the most famous crime writer of all time.
Defy The Stars by: Claudia Gray
Synopsis:
Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony planet of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up - they know that Earth's settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun.
When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth's robotic mech warriors, she realizes that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis' salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her - even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He's a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. If she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth's various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer - both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world's fate, and Abel's.
The Last McAdam by: Holly Ford
Synopsis:
This romantic, irresistibly entertaining novel tells the story of Tess Drummond, who's been sent to turn around the fortunes of a remote sheep and cattle station her employer has taken over. What Tess hasn't counted on is coming up against the station's handsome and charismatic head stockman, Nate McAdam, whose family owned the property for generations...
Passed down through the same family for over a century, the remote sheep and cattle station of Broken Creek has recently been taken over by global agribusiness company Carnarvon Holdings. Now Carnarvon has sent its best troubleshooting manager, Tess Drummond, to turn the property's failing fortunes around - fast.When Tess arrives to take the reins of Broken Creek she's faced with a couple of nasty surprises. For starters, her head stockman, Nate McAdam, happens to be the same gorgeous stranger she hooked up with - and ran out on - a few weeks before.As if that wasn't bad enough, Nate was supposed to inherit Broken Creek until his stepfather ran it into the ground. Now the last McAdam on the station leads a team of men whose bonds have been forged through hell and high water and whose mission is to see off Carnarvon and Tess so he can take his rightful place.A genius with farm work - and women - but a disaster in the office, Nate is everything Tess believes a farmer shouldn't be. Determined not to give in to her growing attraction to him, Tess sets out to do her job, but she soon finds herself caught up in the battle of her career.
Hotaka by: John Heffernan
Rating: 5/5 stars
Thoughts: I absolutely adored this coming of age novel about a boy who survived the 3/11 Tsunami and Earthquake that hit Japan. It was a very fast and short read, but packs quite a punch! I have a full review of it here if you're interested. I love it! <3
Close Enough To Touch by: Colleen Oakley
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Thoughts: I haven't stopped talking about this book lol but it is amaaaazing <3 It's so unique and funny, and it has (in my opinion) the best character development I've ever come across in my life. So good! My review can be found here. I highly, highly recommend reading this!
The Blue Cat by: Ursula Dubosarsky
Rating: 2/5 stars
Thoughts: I can't quite form any opinion on this book. It's a magical realism book following this girl who comes across a peculiar cat and boy in the middle of a war. I flew through this in one sitting and thought the writing was good, but that was it. It was hard for me to fully grasp the Historical Fiction elements together with Magical realism elements. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Seeds Planted In Concrete by: Bianca Sparacino
Rating: 5/5 stars
Thoughts: Short, sweet, powerful. This book talks us through the stages of hurting, healing, loving and feeling. I wish it were longer. It was nothing short of amazing <3
Defy The Stars by: Claudia Gray
Rating: 4/5 stars
Thoughts: I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book considering I'm not a huge fan of Sci-Fi books.
Little People, Big Dreams (Agatha Christie) by: Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Rating: 5/5 stars
Thoughts: I did not expect to receive this in the mail but I sure am glad I did! I'm not the biggest fan of Agatha Christie considering that I've only read one of her works (which I enjoyed!), but reading through this makes me want to explore the Mystery genre further, specifically her books. She's such an inspiration. The Queen of Mystery indeed!
99 Days by: Katie Cotungo
Rating: 1/5 stars
Thoughts: So disappointed. I honestly despise what this book represents (or at least what I think it does. I had enough after the first half of the book and ended up jumping straight to the end). I'm not going to say more because I'll probably spoil it one way or another, but it is probably one of the most disappointing books I've ever come across.
A Love Letter To Whiskey by: Kandi Steiner
Rating: 4.5/5 stars????
Thoughts: It's so hard to form my thoughts for this one... goodness, I hated it but I loved it at the same time?? I was so frustrated at the characters at some point but then I learn to accept why they did what they did and continued rooting for them. Urgh, I have such mixed feelings about this book. The writing was absolutely brilliant, though. It's like poem in a story itself. The way the author convey the idea of addiction, shame and last using Whiskey as an analogy was genius as well. If you're in need of a quick, steamy and semi angsty read, pick this up!