As you’ll see, I’m already behind on my aim of reading one book a week, but, on the upside, I have plenty of time to catch up!
Books Bought
Ummm… Haul incoming!
Butterflies and Other Insects of Britain
Mini Kawaii Doodle Class
Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill
Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth
The Photography Storytelling Workshop
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I took my niece and nephew out for the day last Saturday and accidentally bought 7 books! In my defence, not a single one of the novels cost me more than £2. In fact, the Theatre of Marvels hardback by Lianne Dillsworth only cost me £1, the Witchfinders paperback by Malcolm Gaskill was £1.50 and the other hardback novels were £2 each. The Butterflies book cost me £2.50 (and was found by my nephew), while I paid full price for the other two books. Yes, most of my haul was charity shop bargains and mostly from The Charity Bookshop in Craven Arms. I then went to Machynlleth on Monday and bought Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth for £1 from another charity shop!
I think my first read of March will be Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth. Described by author Jennifer Saint as “A fascinating, empowering story of a young woman’s search for identity and justice in Victorian London, a world which Lianne Dillsworth evokes so richly”. The paperback version was released on 2nd March in the UK, so the hardback was definitely a bargain at £1. I think it’s the perfect book to start the month with.
Books Read
The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews
Killing Jericho by William Hussey
The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly
(Published by HQ)
“I must pull myself together. I had to find Dr Rastrick and demand my immediate release. My stomach knotted at the prospect, but I knew I was perfectly sane and that he must see reason.
In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.
When her scheming mother secures a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman for her, Violet protests. Her family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum against her will.
In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free.”
I must admit that it was the wonderful cover and sprayed edges of the special edition from Goldsboro Books which originally attracted me to this book. I mean, just look how beautiful it is! Obviously, the description also piqued my interest and so it was my first read of February.
The tension builds from the start, especially between Violet and her mother. I found myself feeling angry on Violet’s behalf and despising the villains of the piece. I raced my way through the book, through the unexpected twists and turns and was enthralled with it all.
As The Darlings of the Asylum was such a compelling read, I’ll certainly be picking up Noel’s debut novel, Wrecker.
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews
(Published by Raven Books)
“Norfolk, 1643. With civil war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper conduct with their widowed father. By the time Thomas returns home, his father is insensible, felled by a stroke, and their new servant is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft.
Thomas prides himself on being a rational, modern man, but as he unravels the mystery of what has happened, he uncovers not a tale of superstition but something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before.
Something has awoken, and now it will not rest.”
The story drew me in from the very start. The Leviathan is beautifully written and takes the reader straight into the tense atmosphere of the story.
Whilst I enjoyed this unsettling and darkly atmospheric tale for the most part, there was a shift from historical fiction to the supernatural and mythology around halfway through the book which I didn’t enjoy so much. I did, however, like the appearance of real-life seventeenth-century poet John Milton as Thomas’ mentor.
The ending of a book is always important and, sadly, the ending of The Leviathan just didn’t do it for me. I was underwhelmed and disappointed and thought it fell flat.
Killing Jericho by William Hussey (courtesy of NetGalley)
(Published by Zaffre)
Due for release on 27th April 2023
“When the fair comes to town, a killer’s game begins…
Scott Jericho thought he’d worked his last case. Fresh out of jail, the disgraced former detective is forced to seek refuge with the fairground family he once rejected.
Then a series of bizarre murders comes to light – deaths that echo a century-old fairground legend. The police can’t connect the victims. But Jericho knows how the legend goes; that more murders are certain to follow.
As Jericho unpicks the deadly mystery, a terrifying question haunts him. As a direct descendant of one of the victims in the legend, is Jericho next on the killer’s list?”
Wow! What can I say about Killing Jericho? It is my FAVOURITE book of the year, so far, and I raced through it, captivated, not wanting to put it down!
Scott Jericho is crime fiction’s first-ever gay Traveller detective. Fresh out of prison, with anger and addiction issues, he fills that clichéd, flawed detective stereotype well but with the added interest of his fairground Traveller background.
Killing Jericho certainly kept me on my toes. With the twists and turns, it had me suspecting a variety of the characters of being the killer. As with all good murder mysteries, this one is a little bit gruesome and, perhaps, not for the faint-hearted. It’s a must-read for any crime fiction lover!
My only problem is that this book isn’t even out yet and I already want to jump into further forays with Scott Jericho.
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I would like to end this post with a tribute to the wonderful author Christopher Fowler who has sadly died. Christopher was the author of the Bryant & May books, one of my favourite mystery series featuring one of my favourite characters – the adorable Arthur Bryant and his boiled sweets. If you enjoy Golden Age detective books or mysteries, then please check out the Bryant & May books, you won’t be disappointed.
Excellent charity shop book finds. We get most of our books through the charity shops too. It’s always enjoyable to visit and browse, you never know what you will find. Have fun reading.
Great picks Nikki! It’s wonderful that you got so many books at such a great price. Thanks for sharing and happy reading!
“Accidentally bought 7 books” – that used to happen to me all the time when I walked into brick and mortar book stores. Covers DO sell books, something that seems to have been forgotten as so many book sellers switch to a digital format. The first thing I do when I download a new Kindle book is to pull up the cover. I’ve posted one of your current choices, ‘Let Me Lie’, on my reading list.
Oh definitely. If I don’t like a book’s cover then I’m unlikely to pick it up. There seems to be a fashion of some book covers having vector art at the moment and I really don’t like them. I hope you enjoy ‘Let Me Lie’… The author, Clare Mackintosh, will be at a book event I’m going to next month.
…I’m not a coffee drinker, but that decorated cup is interesting.
I’m afraid the coffee cup photo isn’t mine as I’m not a coffee drinker either! I just needed a landscape photo for the title image as all of mine for this post were portrait.
interesting collection of books
Your new purchases look good, especially the Chris Hadfield book. I’m sorry The Leviathan fell short for you. I have it tagged at the library. Both of the other two books look great, too. I agree that is a gorgeous cover on The Darlings of the Asylum.
My current read is from your last month’s list. I’m enjoying it so far!
Oh, which one did you choose?
Mortal Monarchs!
Enjoy! I love watching her videos on Tiktok too.
A wonderful haul of books! I love seeing Chris Hadfield’s book on there (as a fellow Canadian). I hope that you enjoy them all!
My entire reading this year (not saying a lot tbh) has been Elizabeth Strout and Maggie O’Farrell. Now moved on to something different – a holocaust memoir for my book group, A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal. An easy read so far, but I suspect that is about to change abruptly.
I’ll have to look up ‘A Lucky Child’, although I do find you have to be mentally prepared for holocaust memoirs.
I did think about you when I read of the sad passing of Christopher Fowler, as I remember following your reviews of the ‘Bryant & May’ books.
I must admit that I have deliberately not gone charity shop trawling for some time now, as I just can’t seem to leave a shop empty handed, the books simply stick to me like glue! 🙂
You have some great finds and such an eclectic mix of genres. I was actually congratulating myself on only being tempted by the Clare Mackintosh book, but then I read your February reading list and found myself oddly intrigued by the William Hussey book too, so both have found their way to my list, although having checked them out at Fantastic Fiction, I don’t think I would read any of William’s other titles.
Happy Reading in March and have a good weekend 🙂
I’m hoping to read the Clare Mackintosh book this month as she’s going to be at a book event I’m attending next month.
I am intrigued by Darlings of the asylum, will have to look out for that one. 🙂
The Bryant & May series is on my tbr list
Right now, I’m starting book #8 of the Jackmans & Evans series by Joy Ellis, and waiting impatiently for Elly Griffith’s last book in the Ruth Galloway series to appear here in America.
You had me at when you said you “accidentally bought 7 books!” HA! Your one-book-a-week aim is really inspirational, Nikki, and buying them at charity shops is a no-brainer. Out of curiosity, do you keep the books once read or return them to charity shops? And is there such a thing as for every one (or two?) books you donate, you can take one in return? I have seen books for the taking in your red telephone booths. I can picture a give-n-take system there, though the selection might not be as great/copious. Regardless, I’m most impressed!
I’m a bit of a hoarder, so I tend to keep a selection of the books but others I give to friends (when I decide to have a clear out). A couple of friends have been known to go away from mine with a box full of books! I should probably go through them and donate to charity shops too. Sadly, our poor old village red telephone box got sold from underneath us and taken away one snowy day a few winters ago. People weren’t happy!
I generally read in bed and only can do around four or five pages before a fall asleep still with the light on. Consequently, it takes me weeks to read some books!
I generally read in bed too. Some nights I’ll only get a handful of pages done because of being tired, but other nights I don’t put the book down until midnight.
I have to say, I couldn’t commit to a book a week, Nikki, though it doesn’t really sound a lot. I read in fits and starts, depending on what’s going on in my life, though I could never not have a book in my life. The current one is Sebastian Faulks, ‘Where my heart used to beat’. I only started it yesterday and am loving it already. Maybe only 2 weeks for this one. We’ll see! Killing Jericho I might read but I’d have to skip the grizzly bits. The more historical stuff I find depressing. You wonder how women ever managed to survive those times. Happy March, hon!
I thought that if I committed to a book a week by posting it on my blog I would have more chance of completing it! I’ve got some book events coming up in the next couple of months too, so I’ll be sure to mention them. I’ve not read anything by Sebastian Faulks, though of course I have heard of him.
I love to see a good book haul and even better when they’re all such great bargains. You’ve got plenty of reading matter to get stuck into now.
Even as an avid reader, I will never attain one book a week before retirement. As I have not one but two piles of books waiting, and cannot stop buying new-to-me ones from the charity shops, it’ll be neverending!
I will have to check out The Charity Bookshop in Craven Arms in June. To be honest, we have only stopped off in Craven Arms to visit The Land of Lost Content … Thank you for the reviews of the books you managed to read, Nikki! xxx
Sadly, The Land of Lost Content will be closing at the end of this year. I’d recommend a visit to the Shropshire Hills Centre in Craven Arms too. They have a gift/bookshop there, a cafe and a section about the mammoth remains found nearby. It’s also a great starting point for walks, and Stokesay Castle is just up the road.
I am looking forward to Ken Follet’s next book in the Kingsbridge series and also Kate Mosse’s latest book in the Burning Chambers series. Both due out later this year.
One of the independent book shops I follow on Tiktok showcased a special edition cover of the new Kate Mosse book. The cover alone is tempting me!
Hello! Thanks so much for the kind comment on my blog!
Oooh, I love a new pile of books! You did really well with your purchases!
I am intrigued by all the books you read and I feel I should look out for them in the library or bookshops- intrigued particularly by your strong recommendation for Jericho!
Nice haul! That’s so sad about Christopher Fowler.
Thanks for the thorough reviews and recommendations!
Great finds on used books! The reviews are interesting, too. I love a good mystery!
I do love it when I find some good reads in at charity shop. Enjoy your reading this month.
I always buy more books than I read! I say that I must be a dragon in disguise to hoard books like that LOL
I think that it is a rule that you need to buy books when they are cheap. Right?
The first one, The Darlings of the Asylum, sounds so interesting. I am doing some research into Victorian views of health and that’s just the sort of book I would read, for fun.
I hope you are enjoying the books you are reading this month too.
What a great bookish month you had! Love that you were able to get all of those books for such a great price! And I will definitely have to add Killing Jericho to my list for when it comes out later this spring.
My books come from the library. But I have a pile from my sister who is preparing to downsize.
I hate when a book ends abruptly, and leaves me feeling, but, the last chapter is missing! (Even worse when the ‘last chapter’ is ‘from my next book’ leaving me twice confused)
Engrossed in the Spanish Civil war – There your heart lies – Mary Gordon