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Book Haul | January 2018


"I won't buy any more books" I said at the end of 2017 and clearly, I didn't keep my promise and you know what? I do feel bad about it but I'm also happy with what I got so I'm just going to try and wash away the guilt. However, this is indeed the last book haul in a while and I mean it. I've made a bet with my sister and my mother: after my last final (the 6th of February) I can't buy anymore books until April when Circe by Madeline Miller comes out. I need some cheering on this one though. My will power is non-existent.

There is again a mix of a lot of things and some titles in Spanish. I haven't really made a post talking about it but I'm gonna start writing my posts both in English and Spanish. I've already started doing it on Instagram. For that reason I'll try and be as brief as possible so we don't get a very long post. Let's focus on the books!

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. This is the sequel of The Bear and the Nightingale which I read last year and enjoyed. The sequel is getting a lot of hype and actually the cover for the third and final book was revealed last week. I want to continue the story and I'm hoping to get to it in February or March.

Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about It by Kate Harding. I believe the title is pretty much self-explanatory. Comes highly recommended.

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah. A short story collection that is supposed to be wonderful. I added this one because it featured in a lot of "best of 2017" book lists and I'm trying to read more short stories this year.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Am I ready for this book? Nope. Do I want to read it? Yes.

Nada de Carmen Laforet. Would you look at that! A Spanish classic! This is set in Barcelona in 1944 and I picked it up on a whim. This is one you either love or hate and I'm hoping I'll be one of those in the former category.

The Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. The first installment in an epic fantasy series. Comes highly recommended and as you know I'm dedicating more time to fantasy this year after abandoning the genre for the past two.

Diarios completos by Sylvia Plath. This is somewhat the The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath in Spanish. I could've picked up the English edition since it's the original one but this edition published by Alba Editorial is an absolute gem.

Canción dulce by Leïla Slimani. This is a French book that has been translated into English as Lullaby and that is published by Faber&Faber. Since it is originally written in French, I've picked up the Spanish translation published by Cabaret Voltaire.

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. I've lost count of the times I've put this on my basket to put it out later on. I know this is gonna break my heart. I normally stay away from movie-tie editions but this one is gorgeous and my adored Alicia Vikander is in it.

Not included in the picture: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock and The Hazel Wood because what is the point in pre-ordering books if they're not gonna arrive in time? I understand about Book Depository and also it's ordinary mail and although it says it takes between 4-8 days normally it takes up to 3 freaking weeks (Spanish mail system is super efficient) but Amazon is just ridiculous. If you don't have enough copies available, don't let people pre-order because we do so as to have the book on publication day. It is as simple as that. Rant over.

I hope you've had an awesome January and happy reading in February!


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POST EN ESPAÑOL

Me prometí a mí misma que no compraría libros en Enero tras recibir algunos por Reyes pero como podéis ver esa promesa no se ha cumplido y aquí la prueba. Voy a intentar ser lo más escueta posible porque al añadir el post en español se va a hacer larguísimo pero bueno, ¡qué remedio! A partir de ahora van a desaparecer los hauls mensuales porque he hecho una apuesta con mi hermana y mi madre: después del 6 de febrero (es cuando tengo mi último final) no puedo comprar más libros hasta abril que es cuando se publica Circe de Madeline Miller. Creo que no quieren morir enterradas por los libros que hay en casa. Tengo muy poca fuerza de voluntad pero esta apuesta la tengo que ganar. Aquí tenéis los libros: 

- The Girl in the Tower de Katherine Arden. Este es el segundo libro de la trilogía Winternight (el primer libro es The Bear and the Nightingale) y le tengo muchas ganas porque quiero saber cómo sigue la historia de Vasya.
- Asking for It: the Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What Can We Do about It de Kate Harding. Este es no-ficción y creo que el título habla por sí solo. Espero que me guste aunque sé que posiblemente me enfurezca bastante.
- What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky de Lesley Nneka Arimah. Una colección de historias cortas que viene muy recomendada. Lo he visto en las típicas listas de los mejores libros del 2017 y me llama mucho la atención.
- Lolita de Vladimir Nabokov. Este libro no necesita presentación. No sé si estoy preparada para leerlo pero el caso es que quiero leerlo.
- Nada de Carmen Laforet. No suelo leer muchos clásicos españoles pero lo vi en la tienda y dije '¿por qué no?' y me lo llevé.
- The Daughter of the Forest de Juliet Marillier. ¡Y más fantasía para el cuerpo! Llevo mucho tiempo queriendo leer los libros de Marillier y dicen que este es muy bueno. Espero que sea así.
- Diarios completos de Sylvia Plath. Cuando vi esta edición de Alba Editorial es que no puede resistirme y básicamente compré el libro al instante. Es una lectura que me voy a tomar con mucha calma.
- Canción dulce de Leïla Slimani. Este libro lleva haciendo los "rounds" en Booktube desde hace un par de meses y creando mucho hype. Al ser un libro escrito en francés he preferido ir a por la traducción al español.
- Testament of Youth de Vera Brittain. Voy a llorar a mares con este, ¿verdad? He visto la peli y bueno, me destrozó el corazón. Llevaba mucho tiempo queriendo leer el libro y siempre lo añadía mi cesta pero luego me echaba para atrás. Ha llegado el momento. Tendré los kleenex a mano.

En la foto faltan dos libros, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock y The Hazel Wood porque aquí da igual que una compre un libro en pre-venta que lo más normal es que llegue dos o tres semanas después, porque sí. Porque no hay copias suficientes. Y por esto he estado esperando tanto para hacer este post y al final nada, he tenido que publicarlo sin esos dos títulos. Verás como es publicar el post, y que me avisen que ya están disponibles, ¿os apostáis algo?

Eso es todo. Espero que hayáis tenido un enero estupendo y que febrero sea ¡todavía mejor!



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