Hello again, book fiends!
How are we?
This week was very much a case of quality over quantity, having only managed to visit the community bookshelf once over the past two weeks. But I made it count by turning up with eight books in one go. Four hardbacks and four paperbacks.
A perfectly balanced offering to the BookCrossing gods.
So without further ado, let’s get into it…
Week #4 – This week’s drops
As always, fair warning: I haven’t read any of these, so this isn’t a recommendation post. Just me sending them off into the world, in the hope they find the reader they’re meant for. Which is far better than them sitting on my shelf.
The hardbacks:
- Double Cross by James Patterson – An Alex Cross novel in which he faces two killers whose separate murder sprees begin to overlap.
- The Sting by Kimberley Chambers – A London-set crime novel dealing with the fallout of betrayal, family loyalties, and life around the criminal underworld.
- The Postcard Killers by James Patterson & Liza Marklund – A crime story about a series of murders across Europe, each preceded by a postcard sent to a journalist.
- Brothers in Arms by Geraint Jones – A memoir of the author’s tour as a British Army officer in Afghanistan, reflecting on frontline service and the relationships within his unit.
The paperbacks:
- Scarlet Feathers by Maeve Binchy – A character-led novel set in Dublin, centred on a catering business and the lives of the people connected to it.
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – A psychological thriller about a woman accused of killing her husband who then refuses to speak, and the therapist trying to understand why.
- Mother Loves Me by Abby Davies – A domestic psychological thriller focusing on a complex and increasingly unsettling mother–daughter relationship.
- Two Women by Martina Cole – A crime novel following the lives and friendship of two women growing up in a tough London environment.
With this week’s additions, my BookCrossing total now stands at 52 wild releases and 57 controlled releases.
Did I pick anything up?
From the community shelf…
No.
I know. Character growth. We love to see it.
I did, however, have a very enthusiastic man try to gift me a Marilyn Monroe book, which I politely declined. So leaving the recommendations where they were, I walked away before I could change my mind, and headed to Starbucks for my usual caramel latte, because some routines are sacred.
Latte in hand, I then wandered into the library “for a quick look”… and emerged a couple of hours later with a little pile of books and absolutely no regrets.
The library is rapidly becoming my book-buying-ban survival strategy.
All the joy of new books, none of the damage to the NYC fund.
Winner!
- The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab – A dark fantasy inspired by folklore, set in a small town where a child disappears after the arrival of a mysterious stranger.
- Gallant by V.E. Schwab – A Gothic fantasy about a girl who is sent to live at a strange, isolated house and discovers a hidden world beyond it.
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – A fantasy novel about a government caseworker sent to assess an orphanage for magical children on a remote island.
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – A Gothic classic in which a young bride moves to her husband’s estate and finds herself overshadowed by the memory of his first wife.
Rebecca has been on my wish list for years after loving the film, so finding it sitting there waiting for me felt like it was meant to be. And the V.E. Schwab double? After absolutely devouring The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (review to follow), these definitely had to come home with me.
TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea has sparked chatter online, partly because the story was inspired by the Sixties Scoop and Canadian residential schools. Some critics feel that turning such real-world trauma into a whimsical “found family” story raises questions about representation and sensitivity.
Honestly, I haven’t read it yet, so I’m not commenting on the story itself, or the controversy surrounding it. I’m just here for the books, and the magic of finding and sharing them.
So technically I didn’t take anything home from the community shelf…
…but I also didn’t come home empty-handed 😅
Have you read any of these? Or maybe one’s been sitting on your TBR for ages? I’d love to hear which ones have caught your eye.
Until next time… 🖤
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