Book Haul #1

With a Few Reviews Mixed in For Good Measure

Normally, I am of the opinion that too many hauls promote shameless consumerism. However, because I am a hypocritical bigot, and I am all for the shameless consumerism of books (and films actually, but some other time), I thought I might talk about some books I bought recently before my skiing holiday. I haven't read them all yet, but ones I have I thought I might add a quick opinion, as well as the titbits of plot I am divulging for them all.

Lolito, Ben Brooks
When Etgar is left alone for the summer holidays after his grandmother suddenly dies, he spends the time to mull over his ex-girlfriend and move on in a very, very unconventional way.
I bought this book because I genuinely found the book "Grow Up" by Ben Brooks intriguing and interesting - even if I occasionally found the sex, booze and drugs a little monotonous. Grow Up provided me with a subtle but truly beautiful coming of age story about a boy's movement back into sanity and working out what he has to do to reintegrate into society. I did not get that with Lolito - instead I got the sex, booze and drugs which were as monotonous as before, but without the character development. I expected there to be some motion at the end after several major events affected Etgar, but I never really did. Even the cover was rubbish, nowhere near as good as the clown artwork on the front of Grow Up! 2/10

Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
When you turn 16, you will have an operation which will transform you into a "Pretty", a perfectly beautiful human being. For Tally, it's all she ever wanted. But the summer before her operation, when all of her friends have abandoned her to become Pretty, she falls in with rebel Shay and things might not be so easy.
I found the cover of this book really intriguing, if a little cliche for a young adult novel. After The Hunger Games and Divergent, though, this seemed like the one that everyone thought I should read. I should warn you; this book, unlike many other books in a trilogy, does not stand alone at all. If you buy Uglies, be prepared to read Pretties and Specials - I know I probably will. The plotline in this story is absolutely wonderful! I completely recommend it. Unfortunately, the storytelling is occasionally mediocre and cliche, and worse, Tally the protagonist is incredibly annoying - the kind of character that worries and pontificates and takes next to no action until forced to. I'm sort of hoping the series improves though, because the cliffhanger at the end was definitely exciting enough for me to be forced to continue. 6/10

Nine Uses For An Ex-Boyfriend, Sarra Manning

When Hope walks in on her boyfriend of thirteen years kissing her best friend, her life is over. Their dysfunctional relationship hits the rocks hard, as she struggles to regain what little normality she can. But is normal and back to the way that they were what she ultimately wants.
This one is a slight lie, I've had a copy of this book for ages, but technically it wasn't mine - it was a friend's who moved away. But I've sent his copy back now I have his address, so I had to buy my own - it was so good! It's a really nice, really realistic read, far from the chick-flick or revenge story that the title suggested. Hope is loveable but by no means perfect, and Jack, her boyfriend is by no means the faceless evil that many cheaters are considered in books. We see them through a turbulent patch with a million obstacles, ranging from predictable to insanely unguessable! The ending, too, was difficult to precedent but incredibly believable. However, there are NO uses for an ex-boyfriend listed at all. I have no idea why it was called that. The cover too, was disappointing, especially as I have a real attachment to the cover on the other Sarra Manning novel I have read, Adorkable. 10/10

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
A group of people, seemingly randomly selected, move into Sunset Towers at the invitation of a man who does not exist. But not everyone in the house is what they seem. Amongst the residents, there is a bomber, a bookie, a mistake, a thief and an ornithologist. And when Sam Westing, the rich business man from up the hill dies, they are all catapulted into a convoluted inheritance game in which only two can triumph. 
Another book I had read before buying it, my god is this book amazing. The story is so convoluted - the first time I read it I had a pencil and paper so that I could work my way through some of the more subtle, significant details. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and nobody is quite what they seem. The writing style is matter of fact and easy to read, making this one of the most accessible modern classics I've read. It's a fabulous tale of human spirit; nobody, no matter how little they appear, or how oppressed they are, or how stupid they seem, can be overlooked because everyone is as vital to the plot as the more high profile cast members. I also had the privilege of buying one with the most beautiful cover, which, if nothing else sums up the intricate nature of the plot. Absolutely fabulous, I would recommend this one to anybody! 10/10

Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell
Park Sheridan and Eleanor Douglas are two teenagers living in Omaha. Eleanor and Park ultimately documents their personal growth as seen through their relationship.
I haven't read this one yet, but as "Fangirl" was released there was so much hype over Rainbow Rowell's work that I thought I could give it a go, especially as it was likened to John Green's literature and overall, with the possible exception of The Fault In Our Stars, I do enjoy his books. This young adult romance novel looked truly promising, and I did like the minimalist book cover.

The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones
Clary goes to a club with her best friend, and witnesses some incredibly strange, incredibly attractive teenagers sneaking around in the storeroom. She follows them, and watches as she kill a man. The problem is that no one else has noticed.
I have no idea why I am so late on the Mortal Instruments train. I mean, I've read pretty much every major teenage craze, from Gone to His Dark Materials. Somehow, this one slipped under my radar for a while, until finally, my curiousity was piqued and I decided to give it a go, even though I know next to nothing about the plot or even in detail about the genre.


What books should I read next? Any recommendations?
Yours, Bella Fern xx
@ThatBellaFern