November Ins and Outs

Time for another Ins and Outs.

November had a lot books. In the entries side I decided to try a new book-swap site, WinkingBooks, and managed to send some of my books to a new home, and get some more for me to read. On the reading side there also a lot of books (Yay!), especially since this month my computer broke, and between using old ones (and breaking one of them in the process) and getting a new one (early Christmas present!), I managed to read a lot. Which just shows how much time I spend in front of the screen when I could actually be reading.

INS
Bought
Flesh and spirit by Carol Berg
Restoration by Carol Berg
The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind / V. 5 by Hayao Miyazaki
Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut

My Name is Mina by David Almond [O Meu Nome é Mina]
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge [A Rapariga que Sabia Ler]
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau [A Cidade Das Sombras]

These last three were bought using a voucher from the book fair back in June.

Swap sites
*Bookmooch*
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Carta del fin del mundo by José Manuel Fajardo
Ironside by Holly Black

Carta del fin del mundo and Ironside had been on my wishlist for so long. I finally have them! And Ironside in the edition I wanted!


*Winking Books*
Os Conjurados by Jorge Luis Borges
Animal farm by George Orwell
A tale of two cities by Charles Dickens
Great expectations by Charles Dickens

Freebies
*For Review - LibraryThing Member Giveaway*
Finding Fiona by Emily Ann Ward
The Trees: A Collection by Todd Brabander

OUTS

Physical books
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

[Review]

Rating: 5 out of 5





My Name is Mina by David Almond

[Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5




Os Conjurados by Jorge Luis Borges

A collection of poetry and flash fiction by Jorge Luis Borges. Poetry is not really my thing, and except for a bunch of poems, this book didn't really appeal to me. It can be read quickly, or slowly if you go a poem a day. The writing is really good, though.

Rating: 3 out of 5


Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind V.5 and V.6 by Hayao Miyazaki

Volumes 5 and 6 of the Nausicaä Manga. The story is coming close to an end, and at this point is getting very different from the Anime. But very good still.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

[Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5






The silver wolf by Alice Borchardt   *review to come*

Historical fantasy set in the decadent Roman Empire. Regeane, even though a not-so-distant cousin of Charlemagne, lives in poverty and with her abusive uncle who sees her only as a way to get money. She is engaged to a wealthy, and more importantly, strategically locate barbarian lord. But there is a complication, of course. Regeane is not only a woman, she is also wolf.

It was a nice story, with a lot of attention to details when it came to describe the era. In some ways it reminded me of the Kushiel Series, especially in the writing. The main character Regeane was not a favourite of mine, seemed to distant. I did like the love-interest Maeniel, and the little Elfgifa. As the next book in the series is more of a prequel, and about Maeniel, I might read it.

Rating: 3 out of 5


Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

I have seen the movie for this one, and I have read Chuck Palahniuk before, so I knew how wacky it would be. And it was wacky, maybe not as much as I had expected. It's a rather nice book, and I in the midst of all the sex and all the cries for attention, there is something deeper in it. I enjoyed it, but thinking about the story and the adaptation to screen, I am not sure there is much added value in the book form.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5



Ironside by Holly Black   *review to come*

After liking Tithe and loving Valiant, I wanted to read Ironside, the final book on this series. It's more like Tithe than Valiant, and good like both. We have Kaye feeling a bit left out in the world of faery, which leads her to make a declaration (a formal one) to Roiben, which leads to an impossible quest. But Roiben's life is not easy either, he is facing a war he doesn't want to fight and cannot win, but wants to (and has to) win. And then there is Corny seeking revenge. And later on Luis helps Kaye and Corny.

So, it was a return to the much loved characters! And I really liked Corny and Luis on this one. A good close to the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5


The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin   *review to come*

The second on the Inheritance Trilogy, but the only thing that has to do with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the setting, and the Gods (and Godlings). In this one we have Oree, a blind (albeit a different kind of blind) woman who lives in Shadow (the city beneath Sky, Palace), and has various dealings with godlings, including dating them. She also has a strange guest in her house, who she has named Shiny, because he is really anti-social and takes a long time to talk to her (also, he shines).

It didn't take long for me to figure out who is who in this book, but that didn't take the fun out of reading. This is a very good book, better than its predecessor, mostly because of Oree, who is a great character. Can't wait for The Kingdom of Gods!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5



Ebooks
*For Review*
Finding Fiona by Emily Ann Ward

[Review]

Rating: 2 out of 5





*Kindle Store*
Shatter by Elizabeth C. Mock

[Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5






TBR Variation: +7 (From 196 to 203)