Monday 20 July 2015

New books!

Time for a new books post. Despite my best efforts they still seem to find a way into the house. I wonder if my TBR pile will ever diminish...

First up, some I bought for myself (what was that I said about 'best efforts'? *Cough*)


After reading Cathy's review of Plagueland by S.D. Sykes and checking the library to see if they had it - they didn't - I decided to treat myself. Naturally when Amazon told me it was a book that was part of their '3 for £10' current offer I was not going to pass that up. So, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd was added, as I've had it on my radar for a while and would like to read it for The Southern Lit challenge I'm doing this year. Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett will be read by me and my grandson this summer holidays. Hopefully it's a good choice... it certainly looks like fun.

Then one day last week the postman brought me a package. I knew I wasn't expecting anything so it was quite exciting seeing what it was. What was it? Well it this:


My lovely 'Sis' in Florida, Pat at Here, There and Everywhere, had seen this lovely little book about Scotland somewhere, thought of me and my holiday there last year and bought it for me. Postage from the USA to the UK is not cheap but she sent it to me regardless. Pat is without a doubt one of the kindest people I know and I'm so proud to know her and I honestly wish she really was my sister. The book is called, In Search of Scotland by H.V. Morton. And it's full of beautiful pictures like these:



And this lovely map:


I can't thank Pat enough for this thoughtful and lovely gift. I am so blessed with my friends.

And then yesterday I had a visit from a bookish friend and we sat and chatted about all things books and she had brought these books with her for me:


The quality of the photo is not great I'm afraid. The books are:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
A Quest for Orion by Rosemary Harris
The Ivory and Horn by Charles de Lint

A nice selction and of course she wasn't allowed to leave unless she took some of mine away with her. LOL!

~~~oOo~~~

11 comments:

DesLily said...

well now LOL..I can see your tbr pile isn't going down any! LOL LOL

awww.. the dragon book by Pratchett looks delightful! and all the others.. well, what can I say except I am glad that you and I are so alike when it comes to having more books than we can ever read! LOL LOL

glad the Scotland book is one you might like! It screamed your name lol..and I thought the map and old photos would suit you! :)
Love you!

BooksPlease said...

I can see why you had to buy those books - if the library hasn't got a copy and if a book is part of a 3 for £10 offer what else could you do! And of course you couldn't possibly refuse those books from your friend :)

And what a lovely present from Pat!

Kay said...

What a great bunch of books! It's always fun to have new reads and how kind of Pat and your other friend to share with you. That book about Scotland looks wonderful. We want to visit there in a couple of years. Already making plans. :-)

Cath said...

Pat: Nooooo... not that anyone would notice. LOL

Yeah, it's nice that we're partners 'in crime' so to speak.

The map and old photos suit me down to the ground. You have excellent taste and judgement, Sis.

Margaret: Exactly. I don't feel like I had any choice in the matter! LOL!

It's a gorgeous gift. Pat is a lovely lady.

Kay: I think it's one of life's pleasure to share things, particularly books but also jigsaw puzzles.

I hope you get your wish to go to Scotland, it's one of the most beautiful places I know.

Penny O'Neill said...

How very lovely to see all of your new books, especially In Search of Scotland. I can't think of a more kindly gift than that of a book. I think I just may need to visit a bookstore soon.

Unknown said...

Dear Cath,

Forgive me for contacting you this way, but I am very new to the world of blogging and could not access your email. Having read your blog, I thought you might be interested in my debut mystery which takes you to India.

My first mystery, "The Girl who went Missing," came out on April 23rd. It is set in Mumbai, India, and though it has mystery written all over it, there is a sliver of romance as well. I wrote it to entertain readers but at the same time I wanted to highlight a socially pressing topic.

While it's never easy to convert a 245 page (89,616 words) novel into a few paragraphs, here is the synopsis:
When June Warner arrives in India to visit her sister Thalia, a trip to take her mind off her jilted engagement, she is greeted by the bright hot chaos of Mumbai but not her sister. She goes to the YMCA where Thalia is staying, only to find that she is not there.
Convinced that Thalia’s no-show is a sign that she is in danger, June begins a desperate search for her younger sister.
Police Commissioner Oscar D'Costa, scarred by the tragedies of his past, swears he will never again ignore his gut instinct when it comes to a missing girl. And with more and more dead foreign women being found in his precinct, he becomes convinced a conspiracy is at play.
Through the two worlds of American naiveté and Indian chaos, they must find the girl who went missing.
If this interests you, I would be delighted to send you a copy that is Kindle friendly. I do have some reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, if you choose to read them. Finally, I don't have a time frame for a review; you get to it when you get to it.

Thank you so much,
Ace Varkey
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WJBDQ22/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1429761715&sr=1-1&keywords=Ace+varkey+the+girl+who+went+missing
GR link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25101394-the-girl-who-went-missing?from_search=true&search_exp_group=group_b
FB link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ace-Varkey/979108745446338
Blog:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13604423.Ace_Varkey/blog

Cath said...

Penny: Glad you enjoyed my new books post. I agree, there is nothing more kindly than the gift of a book.

Ace: I'm so sorry but I don't do ARCs at all.

Judith said...

Ohmigosh! I read Plague Land this past spring and loved every minute! I'm hoping to find more books by this author. Not only that, but this title made me crazy for historical fiction about England in the deep past. I thought this book was exceptionally well-done. I hope it works for you!

Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)

Cath said...

Judith: Thanks... I'm really looking forward to reading it. Can I recommend The Vizard Mask by Diana Norman as a really good historical, set around the time of the plague.

Peggy Ann said...

Love your new books! The Scotland one is really gorgeous! Isn't it grand to get a surprise in the mail and especially a book! I might have to check out Plaque Land!

Cath said...

Peggy: It's wonderful to get a surprise in the mail. Pat is such a kind person.

I saw Plague Land reviewed on Cathy at Kittling Books site, several weeks ago. I thought it sounded like my kind of thing.