Spring Secondhand Book Haul 2020

Video in ENGLISH

Secondhand books bought in April-May:

1. "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves
2. "Claudius the God" by Robert Graves
3. "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik
4. "The Stranger" by Albert Camus
5. "Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata
6. "Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt" ("My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry") by Fredrik Backman
7. "Educated" by Tara Westover
8. "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde
9. "Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake
10. "Blue Bloods" by Melissa de la Cruz
11. "Masquerade" by Melissa de la Cruz
12. "Revelations" by Melissa de la Cruz
13. "The Van Alen Legacy" by Melissa de la Cruz

Main source of books
All of them are secondhand finds, of course. I think I bought the most from Erikshjälpen.

Do I reasonably have space for these new books in my room?
I thought I didn't, but somehow they're all in here now. Magic?

Best find
I was ridiculously happy to find the books by Robert Graves. I'm also very pleasantly surprised to now own "Three Dark Crowns" and "His Majesty's Dragon".

Most expensive book
"The Stranger", which cost 37SEK.

Best bargain
"Three Dark Crowns"; a very hyped book for the insanely low price of just 5SEK.

Most excited to read
The books about Claudius :D

Most likely never to be read
Probably the fourth book in the "Blue Bloods" series, just in case I don't like the first ones. Other than that, I'd say maybe "The Eyre Affair", because I'm intimidated by all the references to classics I've not yet read.

Books I (kind of) regret not buying
None! I bought all the books I wanted to.

New series

1. "Claudius" by Robert Graves
2. "Temeraire" by Naomi Novik
3. "Thursday Next" by Jasper Fforde
4. "Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake
5. "Blue Bloods" by Melissa de la Cruz

Total amount of books
I wish I knew exactly how many. Goodreads says 480 now, but that doesn't count bind-ups. I'd guess closer to 490. It's cool that I'm closing in on 500!

Overall thoughts
I'm happy with the books I manage to find. Regarding covid-19, I want to assure you that I haven't been breaking restrictions, and I've been careful while shopping. I'v kept my distance and executed extra good hygiene to protect myself and others. The restrictions in Sweden allow people to go outside with some limitations. Stores are still mostly open, and I want to do my best to still support the ones I often visited before the pandemic (Emmaus, Erikshjälpen, etc.).
Also, please watch the video, because it's in English! Exciting times!

10 Authors That I Want to Read More By

Hello there!
I thought it was about time I made another list, but since I mostly do the same kind of lists over and over again (sorry), I wanted to do one that was a little different. 'Tis not groundbreaking, but I'll get to talk a little more about books I've enjoyed a lot and my thoughts on different authors.
In this list, I will tell you about authors whom I've read only one or two books by and whom I want to read more by. The reason for this is that it's rather obvious I want to read more by an author when I've already read four or five of their books.
They're listed in chronological order, meaning the more time that has passed since I last read the author's book(s), the earlier you'll see them on the list. We'll work towards the author I read most recently.

1. Iain Banks

1954-2013
Read: The Wasp Factory
Most popular: The Wasp Factory, Consider Phlebas (Iain M. Banks)
Motivation: I read "The Wasp Factory" back in 2015 at the recommendation of my father. This is one of his favourite authors, so I wanted to give him a try. I found that book to be very strange and interesting, almost a bit unsettling. Banks also goes under the name Iain M. Banks when he writes sci-fi. He's a bit more known for his science fiction works rather than the other weird books, and I'm interested in trying more of both. My dad owns a bunch of his books, and I'm sure I'd be allowed to borrow one or two.

2. Laini Taylor

Read: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood and Starlight
Most popular: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Motivation: The one with the pink hair! Laini Taylor is known for her beautiful writing style and widely popular "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" trilogy. I've read the first two books in the trilogy. I want to finish that and then also read her duology "Strange the Dreamer". I actually met Laini Taylor back in 2015 at the annual Swedish Book Fair in Gothemburg. I'd dyed my hair extra blue to match Karou from "Daughter of Smoke and Bone". This is definitely an author I want to explore more.


3. Marissa Meyer

Read: Cinder, Scarlet
Most popular: Cinder
Motivation: Meyer was one of the most hyped authors on BookTube back when the "Lunar Chronicles" series was being released (2012-2015). I read the first two books in that series together with a group of friends in 2017 and 2018. I loved "Cinder", but "Scarlet" fell very flat to me. Sadly, I kind of gave up after that, which is not the way I want things to end between Meyer and me. While I might not continue that particular series very soon, I do own her standalone novel "Heartless". It has me intrigued, and I hope I will be able to get to it soon.


4. Mikhail Bulgakov

1891-1940
Read: The Master and Margarita
Most popular: The Master and Margarita, Heart of a Dog
Motivation: I was pretty much blown away my how much I liked "The Master and Margarita" when I read it in late 2018. It was full of wit, imagination, satire, and strange characters. Bulgakov is the first Russian author I ever read, and I'm interested in reading both more by him and by other Russians. Other works by him that I want to read are "Heart of a Dog" and maybe "The White Guard".


5. John Williams

1922-1994
Read: Stoner
Most popular: Stoner, Butcher's Crossing
Motivation: I was incredibly impressed by Williams' ability to portray an ordinary life in "Stoner" when I read it in late 2018. So impressed, in fact, that it quickly climbed the list of my most favourite novels of all time. Unlike most other books, "Stoner" is one that I would gladly re-read many times. He's written two other books that I'm most interested in. These are "Butcher's Crossing", which is more a study of isolation and survival, and "Augustus", which is described as one of the most well written ever historical/biographic novels, telling the story of Julius Caesar's successor. I expect them both to be of the same high quality as "Stoner", albeit different in theme and style.


6. Rainbow Rowell

Read: Carry On, Wayward Son
Most popular: Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, Carry On
Motivation: Rowell is an author who tended to write contemporary for young adults and adult readers alike. She's switched over a little bit to tell the story of Simon Snow in dazzling fantasy adventures. That's what I've ended up reading by her, but I must admit that I'm temped to try some of her acclaimed contemporary novels. One of them I own already; "Fangirl". I think it had potential to be a lighthearted romance with some wisdom woven into it. If I like "Fangirl", I can be persuaded to try even more of her books as well.


7. Madeline Miller

Read: Kirke (Circe)
Most popular: Circe, The Song of Achilles
Motivation: I was wonderfully lucky to get an early arc of the Swedish translation of "Circe" last summer. It was a book that I truly enjoyed reading and the feminist message was one I appreciated. I also learnt a lot about Greek mythology, which is always a plus! I've heard great things about her other popular book, "The Song of Achilles", and I'd love to try it out. More Greek mythology from Miller, please!



8. Samantha Shannon

Read: The Priory of the Orange Tree
Most popular: The Bone Season, The Priory of the Orange Tree
Motivation: I'll start by saying that "The Priory of the Orange Tree" held some nice surprises for me when I read it last December. It was one chunk of a book, but I had a fun time reading it and delving into the complex world and politics. It's also one of my most beautiful covers! Shannon is previously known for her successful series "The Bone Season", which I now own the first book in (in Swedish). It's a series that some love and others find bland. I of course hope I'll belong to the first group.


9. Taylor Jenkins Reid

Read: Daisy Jones & The Six
Most popular: Daisy Jones & The Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Motivation: Jenkins Reid has recently become known for her fictional biographies about made up celebrities. Earlier this year, I listened to the audio book for "Daisy Jones & The Six". While it had it's flaws, I greatly enjoyed it as a whole. I have high hopes for "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" to be even better, and I'm certain I'll read it eventually since I already own it (in Swedish). Her books have gotten a lot of praise and I believe in her talents as a writer.


10. Naomi Novik

Read: Spinning Silver
Most popular:  Uprooted, His Majesty's Dragon, Spinning Silver
Motivation: Novik has written a fair amount of books, most of them belonging to her series "Temaraire", which is about dragons. I've just recently read one of her standalone fairy tale retelling novels; "Spinning Silver". It was highly recommended to me by a friend, and that friend was kind enough to lend me their copy so I could read it. Luckily, I really enjoyed it! The atmosphere was well described and immersive, and I appreciated that the story was focused on following the success and lives of young women without the story getting clouded by romance. I'd love to read more by Novik after this.


So there you have it! Have you read any books by these authors? Would you recommend any to me? Feel free to write a comment! <3

Another 5 Books I Want to Read in 2020

Really, my reading isn't going well enough for me this year to add another five books to this list, but I've bought and thought of some new ones and I just wanted to share that. I've already made an original list of the top 10 big books I want to read in 2020, and those are probably my priority. However, here are some more that I'd love to get to if I have the time. Otherwise, I'll just have to save them for another year.
The books are sorted from shortest to longest:

1

"Högt spel" ("Six of Crows") by Leigh Bardugo (424 pages)

The truth is that I somehow managed to not include any books in Swedish in my original post with books I want to read this year. The truth is also that I have yet to read a book in Swedish this year, which is unusual, seeing as I own a lot of them. Therefore, books like this are included now. I've wanted to read this for years, since it's so incredibly hyped and has even managed to cling onto that hype still. It's not even very long, so I should be able to work through it quickly.

2

"Stolthet och fördom" ("Pride and Prejudice") by Jane Austen (473 pages)

A classic, finally! I've just heard so much about Austen lately that I've become really interested in reading one of her books. I own three by now, all in Swedish translations, and this is the one I think I'd enjoy most. I've loved the movies and I'm sure I'd love the book as well.

3

"Eragon" by Christopher Paolini (523 pages)

Probably the one I'm least likely to pick up, just because I've owned it for so long and still manage to avoid it. Still, this is a modern classic in the high fantasy genre, and a must read for me sooner or later. I wouldn't be mad at myself at all if I picked it up this year. This is also the Swedish translation.

4

"Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor (536 pages)

A book that I bought this year and therefore couldn't include in my original list! A friend of mine have read this and loved it a lot, and I've liked Laini Taylor's work before, so I think I'm guaranteed to fall head over heels for this one.

5

"Midnight Sun" by Stephenie Meyer (672 pages)

Okay, so I know this isn't going to be out until August, but I do really plan on reading it this year. How could I not? I was a big Twilight fan back in the day, and I can not say no to the opportunity to read part of the story from Edward's perspective. I'm stoked for this release!

Winter + Spring Wrap Up 2019-2020 (December-April)

Wrap up in Swedish

Stay Home Reading Rush vlog & wrap up in Swedish

Books read in December - April

1. "The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon
2. "The Archived" by Victoria Schwab
3. "The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson
4. "The Well of Ascension" by Brandon Sanderson
5. "Going Bovine" by Libba Bray
6. "The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" by Mackenzi Lee
7. "Shadow Study" by Maria V. Snyder
8. "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
9. "Crown of Midnight" by Sarah J. Maas
10. "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik
11. "Our Man in Havana" by Graham Greene
12. "The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay" by J.K. Rowling
13. "Malamander" by Thomas Taylor
14. "The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare
15. "Bloodlines" by Richelle Mead

Audiobooks listened to in December - April

1. "Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh

Stars of December - April
I'd say that out of them all, "The Priory of the Orange Tree", "The Final Empire" and "Spinning Silver" have been the ones I liked most. None of them have gotten full on 5/5 stars, but they were all very close to it.

Biggest disappointments of December - April
I'm sad to say that both "Going Bovine" and "Shadow Study" let me down. Both are by authors I've loved before, but these two just didn't cut it for me. "Going Bovine" was definitely the worst of the two, but my expectations for "Shadow Study" were very high. I was also disappointed by "The Archived" way back in December.

Surprises of December - April
The two biggest surprises for me have been quite different from each other. The first is "My Year of Rest and Relaxation", which was just a roller coaster of a read. It was pretty crazy, and I still can't say if I loved it or disliked it. The other is "Throne of Glass", which certainly didn't live up to the hype, but it was very entertaining.

Theme of December - April
December's theme was to read a book with something blue on the cover, for which I read "The Archived". The themes so far this year have been to read a book with a title that has a "(The/A) __ of __ (and __)" structure, to read a book that your friend picked for you, to read a book that has been hyped, and to read a book with a big or annoying face on the cover. For these themes, I read "The Well of Ascension", "Going Bovine" and "The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue", "Throne of Glass", and "Bloodlines".

Pages read in December - April
Ca 6 430, plus maybe 15 hours of audio books.

Series started

1. "The Archived" by Victoria Schwab
2. "Mistborn" by Brandon Sanderson
3. "The Montague Siblings" by Mackenzi Lee
4. "Soulfinders" by Maria V. Snyder
5. "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
6. "Malamander" by Thomas Taylor
7. "Bloodlines" by Richelle Mead

Oldest on the shelf
I'm guessing that's "Throne of Glass" and "Crown of Midnight", which I ordered together back in 2013, if I'm not mistaken. I remember it because I bought "Throne of Glass" as soon as the paperback cover came out in hardcover. I've also owned the "Mistborn" series for some years.

Overall thoughts
I got off to a slow start this year, reading only two 400+ page books per month. I picked up the pace in April again and hope to keep going with that for the summer at least. So far this year, I've read 9 big books, which puts me a little bit behind schedule. Wish me luck with catching up... ;)

Book reviews: The Comedy of Errors | Bloodlines | The Golden Lily

Title: The Comedy of Errors
Author: William Shakespeare
Original title: The Comedy of Errors
First published: 1591
Genre: Play, Comedy, Classic
Series: --
Publisher: Avenel Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 20
Finished: 19/04/2020
Summary: Two sets of twins are separated at birth by a storm at sea: a pair of masters (both named Antipholus) and a pair of servants (both named Dromio). Years later, the Antipholus-and-Dromio pair raised in Syracuse happen to visit Ephesus, where the respective twins reside—providing the basis for ongoing incidents of mistaken identity, within a lively plot of quarrels, arrests, and a grand courtroom denouement.

My thoughts: This is the book I read for the prompt to read an entire book/literary work in just one room. I of course picked my bedroom, which is where I do the vast majority of my reading nowadays. I did, however, venture outside with this book, but only to take a photo for instagram.
So what did I think? Well, this is the first time I properly delve into Shakespeare, and I must admit I was a bit apprehensive. Would it be too difficult? Would I understand nothing? Would I be left in despair? Alas, this was not the case. It actually went really well! I've seen the play before in Swedish, and that helped me a bit in following the plot. It's an amusing story, but what I enjoyed most were the typical Shakespeare insults that I've only seen in quotes before. "Dromio, thou drone, thou snail, thou slug, thou sot." It was a good time, and I'm glad to have finally read some Shakespeare. I feel encouraged to read more in the future. This is also the oldest piece of literature I've ever read now, I think!
PS. This play took up only 20 pages of my edition, whereas it usually takes up around 100 pages when it's published on it's own. Just saying, that font was small and compressed af :/

Rating: 3,25/5

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Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Original title: Bloodlines
First published: 2011
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series: Bloodlines #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 421
Finished: 26/04/2020
Summary: Spoiler alert for Vampire Academy! Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.
But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.
The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one...

My thoughts: I read "Bloodlines" for the reading theme of April, which was to read a book with big or somehow annoying faces on the cover. The covers for all the books in this series are all about faces, so it seemed an appropriate choice. I've also wanted to delve into the "Bloodlines" series for over a year now, since it's the sequel spin-off series to "Vampire Academy", which I really enjoyed in early 2019.
There's something about these vampire books that makes me want to keep reading forever. Once I'm reading one of these books, I can't stop thinking about them in between reading sessions. Are they great pieces of literature? Well, perhaps not on the same level as for example "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr, but I don't think that's a fair comparison to make. Mead's books are pure YA entertainment, and she does it well. There wasn't a ton of action in this first book of the series, but I still enjoyed it a lot because of the characters. I really like the new protagonist, Sydney, and feel that I can relate to her on a more personal level than I could to Rose. She's academically ambitious, wants to solve all the problems she encounters, and always wants to do her best to help others. And of course I'm still loving Adrian, despite his obvious faults. He's the stellar image of what a love interest was supposed to look like in YA fantasy novels back around 2010; tough on the outside but soft on the inside, emotionally unstable, and is reluctant to fall in love with the protagonist. Clearly that was a winning concept then, and I'm still enjoying it now for old time's sake.
I sincerely look forward to continue reading the series, and I can only imagine that it gets better from here.

Rating: 4,25/5

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Title: The Golden Lily
Author: Richelle Mead
Original title: The Golden Lily
First published: 2012
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Series: Bloodlines #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 418
Finished: 04/05/2020
Summary: Spoiler alert! In hiding in a Californian boarding school, Sydney's life has become irrevocably intertwined with Jill Dragomir, the vampire Moroi princess she has been tasked with protecting. She has grown close to those in Jill's royal circle - and to someone in particular. Someone that forces her to question everything the alchemists believe in. Someone forbidden.
When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world - her new world - apart, Sydney's loyalties are tested more than ever. Should she trust the alchemists - or her heart?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this just as much as "Bloodlines"! Sydney is still a character I can relate to and I liked seeing even more of Adrian. Guessing what's going to happen in the story isn't super difficult, but sometimes that's what I need in a book. Easy to love, easy to follow. Not everything needs to be super complicated. I just want to keep flying through this series, but I think I'm going to take a small break to read something else between this and the next book, "The Indigo Spell". Luckily, the upcoming two books in the series are both just over 400 pages. After that, I'm in trouble with the rest of the series... oh well.

Rating: 4,25/5

Reading Theme of May, 2020

White

"Snow White" by Disney (1937)

I wanted to do things a bit different this time by showing you how the monthly theme is chosen. I have a longer list of prompts, from which five original ones are chosen to go into a separate list. These are the ones that have a chance to be picked for the month by me using a random number generator. The five prompts in the list were chosen/hand picked by me based on what I think sounds most appealing, and once a theme has been chosen, I add a new one to that slot in the list. Beginning with May, this is what that list looked like:

 sorry it's a bit grainy

I then generate a random number from 1-5 through a generator on Google. That step is tricky to include as an image since blogger doesn't want to accept my screenshots, so you'll have to trust me on this one. Either way, 2 was the number that I got this month, which means the theme will be "white covers". This theme will now be replaced by "favourite song" in the list. Now you know how it works!

We haven't had a colour related theme yet this year, but the "random number generator" decided that it was time for it now in May. The colour that was chosen is more a shade of light than anything else; it's white!
In my opinion, there are pros and cons to white book covers. A pro is of course that it can look rather sleek and classy. The very big con is how easily they look dirty. I also talked about white covers in my book cover pet peeves post, which you're welcome to check out if you please.
As per usual, we'll each find a book with something white on the cover to read this month. The whole cover doesn't have to be white. It's up to you!

I've read a few white books in my day, mostly without ruining them with dirt. Here are some of them that I think you might also enjoy:

• "The Circle" by Mats Strandberg & Sara Bergmark Elfgren
• "The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater
• "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
• "A Darker Shade of Magic" by V.E. Schwab
• "The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson

As always, I also own a ton of unread books. These all have some (more or less) white on them:

• "A Gathering of Shadows" by V.E. Schwab
• "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson
• "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
• "Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi
• "The Golden Lily" by Richelle Mead

Two of these books are on my list of "big books" that I really want to read in 2020. I don't think I'd be able to finish "The Way of Kings" in a month, but I could at least try to start it in May. We'll see! Either way, I hope you'll enjoy the theme of May.
Happy reading!