CHARITY SHOP BOOK HAUL: take 2

Ah it's been so long! Apologies for disappearing for a week, things have been hectic and I was feeling a little uninspired. I was planning to post a review of 'The Hate U Give' but I wanted to make sure it's worded respectfully so I'm taking my time to make sure it comes across the way I intend!

The other day there I had a notion to go trawling through Charity Shops, particularly in search of Claire North's books 'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' and 'The Sudden Appearance of Hope' as well as keeping an eye out for others on my 'to buy' list (of which there are over 200 according to Goodreads.. oops!)

To begin, I found both of the Claire North books I wanted which was so exciting! Her books are somewhat popular but although some people class them as YA, they are typically shelved in adult fiction (at least in my local stores) so they are less talked about within the YA bookblogger-sphere!

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
​This is a book that is quite literally what it says on the tin. We follow Harry August through his first 15 lives. He dies and comes back to life at the same point as a child with all the knowledge he gained in his previous lives however at the end of one life he gets a message from someone and we follow Harry as he "tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow." I'm super intrigued by this and although some people haven't enjoyed it I'm looking forward to seeing what I think!

The Sudden Appearance of Hope 
Don't you just love the titles of these books? They're so intriguing but also so literal to the plot! All I know about this book is that since she turned 16, people forget Hope. Her mum forgets to set a place for her at dinner or take her to school. Friends look straight through her like she's a stranger. Teachers don't chase up late homework. But she also commits crimes and other things that she gets away with. I have a feeling we're going to follow her trying to make people remember her but I honestly have no idea! 

How I Live Now
I've seen this book multiple times from my time as a bookseller but never paid it any attention. I actually still don't know what it's about - I think it's set in New York and the main character's father died although I may be completely wrong - I'm awful for not really paying attention to what a book is about, I just start reading them; blurbs are so spoilery at times! The edition I got is black with just a gorgeous sort of floral design I adored and for only £1 I figured why not. It's a little tatty and has seen much better days but I'm planning on taking it on holiday with me in a few weeks so no worries there!

Pure
I'd never heard of this book before and I have no idea what it's about because someone put a proof edition in to a charity shop! For those of you who don't know, it's illegal to sell ARCs/Proofs as they are still the property of the publisher. However, the particular shop I got this in was doing a 3 for 99p deal and I had 4 so they put this one in for free! I believe this is some sort of sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian type novel but as it's a proof it's literally just an all black cover with the title and author in a slightly different shade/material that's nearly invisible there isn't a synopsis. I saw somewhere that she is a YA author so I'm hoping it's something I will enjoy!

Moriarity
So, I saw this book in one of the charity shops the last time I did a haul but I left it as I was trying to behave myself... it was still there this time so I decided to buy it. I went onto my go-to website FantasticFiction.com to check it wasn't part of a series and they have it listed as a novel on it's own so I paid £3 for the hardback only to get home, scan it on goodreads and - bam - it's a sequel. *sigh*. If I'm honest, I only bought it because it's Sherlock and I LOVE Moriarity as a villain so I doubt I was going to read it anyway but we'll see: it's on my 'read within a year or unhaul' shelf on goodreads!

​Tithe and Ironside
These two books I picked up because they look gorgeous. The problem is they are the first and third in a trilogy and it seems that these covers are hard to find now as they've switched them. Whilst the new covers are equally gorgeous, they don't match and we can't have that. I mean, if I LOVE the first book then I'm sure I can hunt down a matching copy of book 2 but if not there's no harm in it not matching if I like it enough to read on - because if I don't absolutely love it I'm not going to reread it and it's more likely to end up unhealed eventually!

The Dream Thieves
I'm sure you all know this is book 2 of The Raven Cycle. I'm sure you all know I haven't read The Raven Boys yet. I own it, but I've not read it! I read Maggie Stiefvater's book Shiver when it first came out (I even remember walking around ASDA and seeing Linger and being super excited that the second one was out!) and I just adored it but I'm pretty sure I only got halfway through book 2. I had a weird time reading during those high school years but I still own them and plan to reread/finish the series soon! Anyway, The Raven Cycle. I'm sure I'm going to adore these books also, but I'm just collecting them up as I see them. I have way too many series started but not finished on my shelves as I panic about being able to finish them whilst I remember what happened in the books etc. and I have over 250* unread books to get through so I'm not too keen on rereading books I read recently and agh it's a struggle! But I'll get there!

The Scorpio Races
I've only briefly heard of this book, again by Maggie Stiefvater, and really knew nothing about it. I actually assumed it was a series but was always a little wary because... horses... and horse books just have such a bad reputation which I'll admit I don't disagree with.. They just seem weird. But this seems different as it's more fantasy and believe is inspired by mythology (celtic? maybe?). But you know I saw a Maggie Stiefvater book for 99p and had to buy it. Super excited it's a standalone so I can pick it up whenever and not worry about having to read another 2 or 5! I didn't realise at home that my copy looks like a small animal chewed off the bottom right corner which sucks as it's a gorgeous edition but hey, 99p. Not complaining! There's also been talks of a film I believe so very excited to read this and see what it's about considering Maggie is such a popular author but this book is NEVER mentioned - hopefully a hidden gem and not so terrible it's forgotten!!

Sophie's World
​Next I grabbed this book which I know nothing at all about. This cover is new, and I previously saw it with a black and white patterned one with people on it, which I didn't really like. Whilst the colours on this one are lovely it seems... strange. It's also got a weird subtitle 'A Novel about the History of Philosophy'. I used to study philosophy and... it's interesting. I love it and hate it. I'm not sure how I'll enjoy this book but I'm willing to give it a go! I really only bought this because I recognised it!

Son
This is the fourth book in The Giver Quartet of which I own and have only read the first of. I definitely want to get the other two and continue on, especially as I believe they follow different characters however I believe they connect in some ways so you still need to read them in order! If you haven't read The Giver yet you must! I want to see the film as there's an aspect to that book that I'm super curious to see how they could convey it on screen without giving it away immediately! 

P.S I Still love You
Another book I'm sure you are all aware of but for those who aren't, this is the second book in what was the Lara Jean duology but is now a trilogy. It's another where I own the first book 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' but am yet to read. Soon! Possibly this summer!

Mad Girl
And finally I picked up a non-fiction book! I own Bryony's book 'The Wrong Knickers' (surprise surprise I've not read it!) but this one is new and about her mental health but typically her OCD and how she manages to live with it. I'm super keen to get into this one. This section might get a little... not heavy but I'm an open person so I'm going to talk about my own mental health. I don't think it will be triggery but you are warned!

I have my own mental health issues but for the most part I am undiagnosed. I have diagnosed anxiety and depression but have been told by counsellors etc that they think I could have OCD and "other things" (helpful) but when brought up to my doctor I was told: 'Yeah, probably. It goes hand in hand with anxiety and depression but your meds are used for that anyway.' No diagnosis. Brushed off from being diagnosed because the meds I take help. And whilst they meant it with no harm, it drives me insane not knowing 100% if I have this disorder or not. Whist not as comforting as a diagnosis, I'm hoping by reading this book that, one I can relate to it, but mostly that I can take something from it, that I can be inspired and find ways to keep going and to deal with things. 

I did also purchase two Harry Potter books. Don't worry! I have read them, I just want to reread them but don't want to further damage my original childhood copies!
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​So yeah, once again I bought too many books to keep up with! Whoops! As mentioned at the start my THUG review/discussion will be up in the next week hopefully and I will also be posting my May Owlcrate within the next two weeks :)

-Emma

*I just want to mention that I am by no means trying to brag about money and being able to afford so many books. Until about two months ago, I was a bookseller (for 2 and a half years) and I received a 50% discount in store which made books a lot cheaper for me. A lot of my books are also charity shop buys and where I live a lot of stores have a 3 for 99p offer and most books are only one or two pounds. I also am utilising my library a lot more now that I'm not buying new books so regularly and in a little more of a tight budget! ​