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My Weekly Book Haul: 19/04/2014

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Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week. All book covers and their summary come from back of book or Goodreads.


I have had a fun, tiring and interesting week. I worked a few days of it, but have a whole six days off. I was hoping to get 6 days of blogging, planning posts and scheduling done, but it hasn't worked out. I have had two days walking round London so far, one for my best friends birthday and one with my sister and her boyfriend. It has been fun, but tiring.
I got my Butterfly garden delivered and I am super excited. You essentially get ten caterpillars delivered to your house, along with a netted house to put them in when they go into pupa stage. Then in a few weeks, I will have beautiful butterflies that I can release! I can't wait
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I also had a brilliant discussion on the blog, which was about how abusive relationships are romanticised in fiction at the minute. I am fed up of woman swooning over men who are essentially controlling and abusive. It was really nice to see that so many other bloggers are sane as well, and find these types of characters just as repulsive as I do. You can read the original post here. 

Whilst walking round London I visited some of my absolutely favourite places in London. I bought some amazingly awesome bookish related things as well, which I will feature below. First of all, I got two amazing Harry Potter shirts that I saw whilst walking through Camden Market, whilst on my way to get liquid nitrogen ice cream (if you ever go London, go get some... it's delicious!). One says Keep Calm and Avada Kedavra, with a glow in the dark lightning bolt. And the other is a loose fitting one that has the Deathly Hallows symbol and 'Together they make one master of death' written on it. I LOVE IT. The last thing I got was a Lannister notebook from Forbidden Planet. I spent far too long trying to choose between Lannister, Stark or Targaryen because I actually love them all for different characters. I got Lannister in the end because it was red and looked the best out of them all.





Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1)Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.
Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

I couldn't resist getting this finished hardback from a local charity shop, it was £2.50!


How to LoveHow to Love by Katie Cotugno

This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.
This is real. This is life. This is how to love.
BEFORE:
Reena has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember. But he’s never noticed her, until one day… he does. They fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town, leaving a devastated – and pregnant – Reena behind.
AFTER:
Three years later and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter Hannah. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again.
After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer again?

Got this from the same place for only £2.


Spy Society Sleuth or Dare (Also Known As, #2)
Spy Society & Sleuth or Dare by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.
Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.


Cracked by Eliza Crewe
Cracked (Soul Eater, #1)Meet Meda. She eats people.
Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.
They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.
Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.
The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it


Origin (Lux, #4)
Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I got this so that I can read book three and four back to back. Won't post blurb in case it has any spoilers. 


The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble
The Sweet Dead Life (Sweet Dead Life, #1)"I found out two things today: One, I think I'm dying. And two, my brother is a perv."
So begins the diary of Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad year. Her mother spends all day in bed. Dad  vanished when she was nine. Her older brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs—difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. Really sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.
Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her, looking pretty good. Better than ever, in fact. Downright... angelic. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that her brother didn’t survive the accident at all, and she isn’t just sick; she’s being poisoned. Casey has been sent back to help Jenna find out who’s got it out for her, a mystery that leads to more questions about their mother’s depression and their father’s disappearance.


Boomerang by Noelle August

BoomerangThe first book in a sensational New Adult trilogy from Noelle August
Welcome to Boomerang.com, the dating site for the millennial gen with its no-fuss, no-commitments matchups, and where work is steamier than any random hook-up
Mia Galliano is an aspiring filmmaker. Ethan Vance has just played his last game as a collegiate soccer star. They’re sharp, hungry for success, and they share a secret.
Last night, Ethan and Mia met at a bar, and, well . . . one thing led to another, which led to them waking up the next morning—together. Things turned awkward in a hurry when they found themselves sharing a post hookup taxi . . . to the same place: Boomerang headquarters.
What began as a powerful connection between them is treated to a cold shower courtesy of two major complications. First, Boomerang has a strict policy against co-worker dating. And second, they’re now competitors for only one job at the end of summer.
As their internships come to an end, will they manage to keep their eyes on the future and their hands off each other, or will the pull of attraction put them right back where they started?

I am really excited for this one, it's co-written by Veronica Rossi!!!
Releases: 15th July 2014


In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

The only thing bigger than the world is fear.
In a Handful of Dust (Not a Drop to Drink, #2)Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.
When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.
In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier.

Have got the first book, I now just need to read it. 
Releases: 23rd September 2014




And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 850 Bloglovin' followers!





Exile by Kevin Emerson: 2.5/5 Review
The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel: 3/5 Review
Five Friday Favourites: Villains


50 comments:

  1. I saw How to Love over at Asda for like £3.00 - I had not heard anything about it though, so I did not buy it.
    Great haul - have a good weekend :)

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  2. Great post-just added Cracked to my tbr list :)

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  3. Nice haul! I love JLA's Lux series. Definitely one of my favorites!

    Also I always find it interesting when titles are changed for international versions. SPY SOCIETY and SLEUTH OR DARE have different titles here in the US.

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    1. I know, I find it really weird when they change titles. And I also wonder why they decide to change the title.

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  4. I spy How to Love. I adored that book! I hope you like it as well :)

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  5. I have How To Love waiting to be read. I've heard such brilliant things about it. I hope you enjoy all of your new books! :-)

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  6. Great haul!I really want to read How to Love but I'm not really sure if I'll like it so I haven't picked it up yet!Hope you enjoy all the books you got this week!Happy Reading!

    Elena @ Book Lady's Reviews

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  7. I haven't heard of Cracked before but it does sound intriguing! I might have to check that out. Enjoy your books and have a good weekend!

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  8. I've had Cracked for a while, but this reminds me of why I picked it up... Must get round to it. I hope you enjoy all these.

    My StS.

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  9. Oh what a good week hunny! You got some bargains at that shop, hardcover for £2.50 of a newish book, good on you! I've heard good things about that and How to Love, so hope you enjoy them, and I've heard great things about The Lux series, and Jennifer L Armentrout herself and you obviously like the series, so have fun with that too! :)

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    1. I know, that shop is AMAZING!!! I am excited to continue the Lux series. :)

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  10. Hi,
    You really now how to get fun. I stop to your blog and I like it, so I'm your new blog follower.Enjoy in your book haul.
    Silvy from http://books-are-my-life-silvy.blogspot.com/

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  11. Oh wow! Awesome week!

    Great haul too! Looooooved Origin! Shocked you could wait this long to read it after Opal's ending! Happy Reading!

    My STS will be up tomorrow, so be sure to stop by then!

    Have a GREAT weekend!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. I haven't read Opal yet lol! So that's how I managed it. Will be reading them back to back. :)

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  12. You will have to let us know how the butterfly garden goes. My youngest wants to get it but I fear they will not hatch. Let me know how you like it!

    Mary
    My STS

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    1. Well so far at work we had 9 successful caterpillar to chrysalids. And so far 5 of those have emerged today as butterflies. The other four should definitely come out tomorrow as well. I LOVE IT! :)

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  13. Great haul! I've only read Origin and it's amazing. Best Lux book ever! =D

    No book haul for me this week again!

    Happy Reading!

    ~Stephanie @ Bookfever

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  14. Sounds like you're having a great time off. I've never been to London but I'm hoping to visit this summer…you're so lucky to live there!

    How to Love…what a great book. And Cracked is so good, what a different main character. Origin! You are lucky to be reading Opal and Origin back to back because I almost broke my Kindle when I finished Opal. Have fun reading! ~Pam

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    1. It's like anywhere, when you live there you kind of don't understand what is so great about it and yet you love it at the same time! I hope you get to visit some time; the weather is miserable, the people are rude and the tube is evil but London is a lot of fun!

      Thanks so much, excited for them all! :)

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  15. Nice haul of books. It sounds like you had a wonderful time in London. That's so cool about the Harry Potter stuff you got. ice cream sounds really nice. enjoy your books.

    Grace
    books of love

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  16. I really enjoyed How to Love. Hope you enjoy all your books! Here’s my STS .

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  17. How to Love is Awesome!

    http://www.aleisuremoment.com/2014/04/19/stacking-the-shelves-3/

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  18. What a great haul! I got Cracked a while ago and I still have to read it, but it sounds really good. I really have to get caught up on the Lux series as well; I really loved Obsidian! I really love your blog design too. I hope you enjoy your books and thank you for sharing. :)

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  19. I haven't heard of a lot of these books, surprisingly. I really like the sound of How To Love though, so I'm going to add that to my Goodreads shelf. I spotted the House notebooks in the same Waterstones I mention in my post this week and I was definitely most drawn to the Lannister one, it's gorgeous!

    This week I visited UK's most beautiful library! Find me Under The Mountain

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    1. Most beautiful library, I have to see that! I hope you enjoy How To Love! :)

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  20. LOVE Origin! I need to read a Simone Elkeles book and Not A Drop To Drink! So many goodies! Enjoy!

    My Stack

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  21. Enjoy all of your books !:) Haven't heard of the Sweet Dead Life before - it's interesting! Will have to check it out.

    Stacking the Shelves #35

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  22. I love your blog header! Just thought you ought to know that. AND THAT AVADA KEDAVRA SHIRT. I want it.

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  23. Your week sounds like fun, wandering around the city is always a good way to spend a day :)

    I hope you like Not a Drop, I'm keen for the sequel!

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

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  24. I think we have a different name for the Robin Benway books state-side, but I really liked the first one. Now I need to go see if the second one is at the library. :)
    My Stacking the Shelves

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  25. Awesome week! I must get back to London asap! I haven't seen Camden yet.

    Great book haul, too. I have yet to read Cracked but will get on it soon. And I am really suriosu about Armentrout's books.

    Also, nice Lannister notebook! I'd go for Stark of course, I'm one of the loyalists :D

    Happy reading!

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  26. "I am fed up of woman swooning over men who are essentially controlling and abusive. It was really nice to see that so many other bloggers are sane as well, and find these types of characters just as repulsive as I do." - TRUTH..At first I never realized it, but when I read some blog posts about Twilight and other books, I was surprised at how I didn't even realize it. Truly an eye-opener. Just because a guy stalks you, doesn't mean it's romantic. I've had personal experience with this, and it's not romantic (in the least), it's scary and frightening O_O Definitely going to check out your post!

    Love all the books and the covers are different from Canadians, so pretty!

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  27. I've been wanting to read Wild Cards since it came out! But with SO many books releasing every week, it just got pushed back! And I was thinking about downloading In a Handful of Dust off edelweiss, but I decided not too because I've yet to read the first book. Even though it's the companion book, and I could of read it and not been lost. I still wanted to wait and read the first book first.

    Anyways, I hope you enjoy all your great books this week!

    My STS: http://addictreaders.blogspot.com/2014/04/stacking-shelves-52.html

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  28. In a Handful of Dust looks awesome! & butterfly garden?? Umm heck yeah! I think I'm totally gonna have to buy it for myself lol Happy reading!

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  29. Well it does look like you had a fun packed week!
    The plan is to read How to Love this week. Super excited for it.
    Yay! Origin! You'll fly through the series. It is literal book crack. Well anything JLA writes is crack. For me anyhow. :)
    Happy reading!
    Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life

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