That means only two more weeks of holidays for me?? And then I'm supposed to be a Senior?
Anyway, here are the books I purchased in August!
BOOK HAUL
Holes by Louis Sachar
The first book I got in August!
I've seen snippets of the movie before (and that glorious Zero scene on tumblr) but I've never really got the whole hype behind this story.
So when I saw it, I just had to get it!
Goodreads-Summary:
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (again)
I gave my copy to my best friend, so she bought me a new one!
Goodreads-Summary:
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
The Martian by Andy Weir
I mentioned this book (just as Outlander and The Princess Bride) in my previous post, so I won't go into detail. All you need to know: I'm really excited to read it while I'm in Spain.
Goodreads-Summary:
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death.
The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next.
Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My best friend got this book as a birthday present waaay back in April, and ever since then she asked me to read it. So - finally! - I got it and read it (spoiler alert: I love it)
Goodreads-Summary:
Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful— irresistible to all who meet him.
Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.
They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name.Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows.
Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
As I've already mentioned, I talked about this book in my previous post.
Goodreads-Summary:
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it's about everything.
WRAP-UP
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Beautifully written but it's no book to fly through!
My review
4 out of 5 stars
Holes by Louis Sachar
Love, love, love it!
I didn't expect it to be so amazing!
I'm working on a review right now, so stay tuned!
5 out of 5 stars
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Waaay better than the first one!
I'm in love with Ziri (as you can guess from my recent Fan Art Friday)
My review4.5 out of 5 stars
Dreams of Gods an Monsters by Laini Taylor
Definitely a satisfying conclusion!!
Ziri!! And Liraz!!
Love those two.
Review is coming soon!
5 out of 5 stars
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
*violent nodding*
Achilles and Patroclus are my babies and you cannot tell me otherwise.
You may know Patroclus already from my "Top Ten: Cinnamon Rolls", I did earlier this week!
Achilles, on the other side, is definitely a problematic fave. Maybe I'll do a Top Ten on that topic too!
Review will be up in September.
5 out of 5 stars
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