Tag: book haul

YALC 2019 Roundup

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment
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I went to YALC for the first time this year! The Young Adult Literature Convention takes place annually for three days from Friday to Sunday in July, as part of London Film and Comic Con. This year I attended with two friends on the Sunday. I was really excited to finally go as I had been looking forward to it all year. Not only was it my first time attending YALC, it was my first time attending any kind of event like that. Following the advice of various bloggers, I brought a small, wheeled suitcase with me, which worked really well.

The day could have started better, as my train was cancelled and the next was delayed, but I still managed to make it in time for the first panel at 10am, which I really wanted to attend. So I headed straight for the stage when I arrived. The panel was called ‘New voices of YA fantasy’ and the authors on the panel were Adrienne Young, Bex Hogan, Christine Lynn Herman, Kesia Lupo, P. M. Freestone and Rachel Burge. It was really interesting to hear about how they found becoming a debut author and about the worlds they created for their books.

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May Book Haul!

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

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I ended up having a bit of a book buying month in May. Having just finished the second book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (review coming soon), I went out and bought the third book, A Storm of Swords. It’s published in two volumes here in the UK because it’s so long! I’m quite glad they did it that way, as it would be rather heavy to hold!

I’m planning to go to the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC) in London this July, so decided to do some reading in preparation. When I was looking through the list of authors attending, Rachel Burge’s The Twisted Tree really caught my attention. It sounds dark, mysterious and unique so I’m looking forward to reading that.

I’ve read a few verse novels and enjoyed reading a story told in a different form, so when I spotted The Poet X I made a bit of an impulse purchase. Verse can be a really effective way to tell a story when done well.

Having heard a lot about Internment, I just had to go out and buy it. I’m reading it right now, and so far it’s really good. It’s so relevant to current issues in our society and is actually a terrifying near-future dystopia. I’ll be posting a review when I’ve finished it!

February Book Haul!

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

I had a good haul of books last month!

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The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

Having read The Wrath and the Dawn, I wasn’t desperate to read the sequel, but invested enough to want to. So when I saw the Kindle edition discounted, I went for it. I’m curious to see where the story goes.

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The Young Elites, The Rose Society, The Midnight Star (Young Elites trilogy) by Mary Lu

I saw these books as a pack of three for less than the price of one – I’ve never been one to resist a book bargain. The series I was originally interested in by Lu was Legend, but having read the back cover of The Young Elites I thought I would give this series a go.

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The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

I have seen this book so many times in book shops and just fell in love with the beauty of it. It’s a lush hardcover with thick pages that are beautifully illustrated in colour. I loved Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm (I have yet to read the final book in the trilogy!). This book is a collection of short stories that are fairy tales from the Grishaverse.

October Book Haul!

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

This month I ended up with a pretty satisfying haul of books.

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Now this is an odd group of books, and they were purchased for my dissertation research. However, they’re books I would be interested in reading anyway. And a book is a book!

The Female Man by Joanna Russ – (sci-fi) The concept of this feminist science-fiction book is incredibly interesting. It’s about four women from different realities in which their lives are very different. This idea instantly caught my attention and I’m curious to see what it’s like.

More Than This by Patrick Ness – (young adult, sci-fi) I don’t know much about this book, since I read a review that said it would be best to go into the book knowing little about it. I’ve heard very good things about it though, so hopefully it will live up to those high ratings!

The Man in The High Castle by Philip K. Dick – (sci-fi) Having read and loved Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I’m hoping I’ll enjoy more of Dick’s works.

Kindle Haul:

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – (young adult, fantasy, sci-fi) I liked the sound of this fantasy book from the description. However, from the sounds of it, a lot of it takes place in a military academy – what is it with young adult fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal books being set in some kind of school/academy/something like that? It seems to come up a lot. We’ll have to wait and see whether I like this one.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor – (young adult, fantasy) I got hold of all three books in the series (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood and Starlight and Dreams of Gods and Monsters) when they were on offer! Got to love a book deal.