December book haul

I'm back with another book post already! Don't say I didn't warn you!

So, I have a confession to make...

I am a stress shopper (dun dun dun). And not just any stress shopper, I am a stress online book shopper (yes I know that is not an actual phrase). Book shopping is my kind of retail therapy and honestly makes me feel so good.

Now I may have gotten carried away and bought a little too many during December because let me tell you guys, the third year of university is hard and stressful! It's essentially the workload of the first two years combined with a million other small things which determine your final grade. Talk about pressure *rolls eyes*. So to make myself feel a little better I decided to splurge some money and treat myself and what better way to do it then by doing a haul!

I will try and make this a regular section on my blog and post a new haul every other month.

So grab a cuppa and let's start...

1) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I have heard about this novel countless times and just never picked it up. The final push for me was the review by Jess from sunbeamsjess (she's amazing, do check her blog out), I just couldn't help but place it in my basket.

The story follows two characters by the name of Ifemelu and Obinze who are young and deeply in love but are forced to depart military-ruled Nigeria to two different corners of the world. While Ifemelu heads to New Jersey USA, Obinze due to being denied entry into the USA heads to London. 15 years post departure they reunite in their beloved land and continue from where they had left off.

2) A Thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini  

Ahh, the mother of all books. One of my favorites from my school years but can you believe I never owned a copy?!

This would definitely be a re-read for me and I actually cannot wait!

If you've not read this (have you been living under a rock??), here's a short summary...

The story is set in Afghanistan spanning the years between the 1960's and 2000's and follows a young girl by the name of Maryam for most of the novel. Maryam is the illegitimate child of a wealthy cinema owner and his maid Nana and faces a difficult childhood and an even harsher adulthood due to this label. Alternatively, Laila born almost a generation later is shown to have a more advantaged youth, however, when their stories intersect we see a mother-daughter bond blossom.

3) Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansari

So as I shared on my Instagram (follow me if you aren't! :D), one of my goals this year is to read more history, so when I came across Destiny Disrupted I was intrigued to find out what this particular piece of literature holds.

This one is going to be a difficult to summarise so here's the synopsis:

"We in the west share a common narrative of world history. But our story largely omits a whole civilization whose citizens shared an entirely different narrative for a thousand years.In Destiny Disrupted, Tamim Ansary tells the rich story of world history as the Islamic world saw it, from the time of Mohammed to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and beyond. He clarifies why our civilizations grew up oblivious to each other, what happened when they intersected, and how the Islamic world was affected by its slow recognition that Europe—a place it long perceived as primitive and disorganized—had somehow hijacked destiny." -Goodreads 

Does that not sound so intriguing?! I think I might pick this novel up during Ramadan, It would be the perfect time to read a novel in such context!

4) The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 

Again, this was one of the novels I was hesitating picking up because of how close to home I expect it will hit, but 2018 is about pushing myself out of my comfort zone in terms of a lot of things, literature being one of them, and here it is in my haul!

The Namesake follows Gogol, a first-generation South-Asian British citizen who is divided between two cultures and unsure of what to call his own. Interestingly the story revolves around Gogol coming to terms with his name and reasoning behind it and eventually coming to understand his father's reasonings of naming him, Gogol. 

5) The underground railroad by Colson Whitehead 

The underground railroad had been raved about in the book community on Instagram and elsewhere so I did the sensible thing and bought myself a copy. 

The main theme of this novel is slavery, which is a topic I want to educate myself on to better understand the history of the 'greatest nations of the world'. Bearing in mind the last time I studied the history of slavery was even before GCSE (disappointing I know), this seemed to be a good point to start with.

From the countless reviews, I managed to write up a short summary. 

The story follows Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia and Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia. We follow their journey as they discover and make their way across the underground railroad which is anything but a mere metaphor. 

6) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The one I'm most looking forward to is Nightingale! Why have I not read this yet you may ask? I ask myself the same questions *hides behind screen* 

But having read so much about this novel, it was a definite pick for my 2018 TBR list! 

The Nightingale, based during world war II, shares the horrific situations during the time period in the French region in particular. The story follows two courageous sisters who despite living in such fearful time, become the pillar of support and hope for so many in need.

I am all for hope and a positive look towards everything this year, so The Nightingale is most likely the very first novel I pick up after I finish my current read. 

7) River of time by Jon Swain 

This one was definitely an impulse buy because it's not one I had heard of before. I came across it when watching other book recommendation videos/blogs (please tell me I am not the only one who does that in their free time?!). Honestly, I couldn't find a reason to not click buy, since I am trying to read more history. 

River of time is essentially a story based on Vietnam. It is told from the perspective of Jon Swain who during the years of 1970 & 1975 experienced the Vietnamese war first hand and accounts his experience and how it changed his perspective on life, through his novel. 

Well, here we are! I really should cut down on my impulse book buys but it makes my heart happy and 2018 is all about taking care of my own happiness so sod it! 

I hope you enjoyed that because boy that was a long one *wipes a bead of sweat*

Have you guys read any of the above? Do let me know your thoughts!

-A