allmyprettybooks-new

I had expected Girl in the Walls to be a gothic thriller, perhaps with ghostly goings-on in the vein of Sarah Perry or Laura Purcell, and was very pleasantly surprised to discover this is a literary thriller, whose story leaps off the page and demands to be read to its conclusion. While reading, I could easily imagine this book in movie form.  Elise is a young orphan, returned to the house she considered her true home, though as another family now lives there, she survives by secreting herself in the walls.Her occupancy does not go wholly unnoticed: Eddie, the younger of two teenage boys, often thinks he sees someone from the corner of his eye. An awkward boy, he wonders if the presence is a figment of his overactive imagination. Until his boisterous older brother confesses that he's noticed things too.  I truly don't want to share any more of this fast-paced plot. Suffice to stay that events unfold which spiral out of control and put the lives of all the main protagonists in ...

Earlier this year, I discovered the unexpected delight of Alix. E. Harrow’s Ten Thousand Doors of January (I muse upon that excellent title in the review post), so when I learned that this excellent word-mistress had another novel in progress, I was very excited to read it!Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of The Once and Future Witches , which I consider to be a glorious feminist approach to Witchcraft in literary form. The plot revolves around three sisters: James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, who have - at different times in their lives - escaped their abusive father and drifted to the town of New Salem. Though at first, none of them are aware of their other sisters’ presence. An ominous magical occurrence draws them together, though at first the bond between them is frayed. Remembrance of their grandmother’s tales Witchcraft and the poetry of spells help fortify them - and their allies - against the oppressive dangers of the patriarchy and t...

Having read and loved Stuart Turton's debut, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle , I was very excited to be able to read and review The Devil and the Dark Water. I knew from the start that this would be a very different story. Set in the 1600's, the plot follows "Problematory" Samuel Pipps, who has been imprisoned for a crime he may or may not have committed, aboard a ship setting sail from Batavia to Europe. He is accompanied by his bodyguard, Arent; there are similarities between these two and Holmes/Watson, though there are MANY more differences, which makes these characters uniquely compelling. As they board the ship, the crew and passengers behold a demonic premonition of the problems which will besiege the ship in the coming weeks, and the promise of a terror which may (or may not) be supernatural. The duo are assisted in their investigations by a feisty female heroine and her teenage daughter, while blighted by other passengers and select persons from the cr...

I was really pleased to discover that Claire North had written a new title. Everything of hers I've read so far has been insightful, intelligent and hugely enjoyable. Sweet Harmony is no exception: though a shorter novella than her standard books, it packs a punch in its exploration of human nature through a slightly dystopian setting in the near future. The plot centers around Harmony: a young woman dissatisfied with her appearance and her life, who chooses to seek assistance from"nanos": a new technology to physically aid and enhance our bodies. The plot shifts between the recent past and the present, in which Harmony is in debt, and unable to continue payments for her nano packages. We learn how Harmony found herself in this situation: her dissatisfaction that her "plain" physical appearance proved a barrier to her career; the abusive relationship which led to a breakdown... It reads like an episode of the TV series, Black Mirror, in which every word and sent...

Description from Goodreads:  Lucy and Jake live in a house by a field where the sun burns like a ball of fire. Lucy has set her career aside in order to devote her life to the children, to their finely tuned routine, and to the house itself, which comforts her like an old, sly friend. But then a man calls one afternoon with a shattering message: his wife has been having an affair with Lucy’s husband, Jake. The revelation marks a turning point: Lucy and Jake decide to stay together, but make a special arrangement designed to even the score and save their marriage–she will hurt him three times. As the couple submit to a delicate game of crime and punishment, Lucy herself begins to change, surrendering to a transformation of both mind and body from which there is no return. Told in dazzling, musical prose, The Harpy is a dark, staggering fairy tale, at once mythical and otherworldly and fiercely contemporary. It is a novel of love, marriage and its failures, of power, control and reve...

We've reached the autumn season, when the temptation to curl up with a good book in front of the fire is at it's highest. What's more, this unexpected year yields a bounty of new and forthcoming releases. Last week, we had "Super Thursday" when almost 600 new books entered the UK market. In a few weeks more, around 800 new titles will be released in time for the Christmas sales.  In this post, I want to share the books I  anticipate the most. While they may not be to everyone's tastes, those who read my blog with regularity will recognise the genre and style of the books I favour most. Where possible, I've tried to include short videos and photographs (particularly those books most beautiful) to explain in visual form the reasons for my literary covets.  Here are my most anticipated books for the coming months: Orfeia by Joanne Harris Film made by my beautiful daughter to celebrate the pub day of #ORFEIA . I get CAKE for dinner too pic.twitter.com/SyZ96ZvL...

A brief synopsis from the publisher: The Labyrinth of the Spirits is an electrifying tale of passion, intrigue and adventure. Within its haunting pages Carlos Ruiz Zafón masterfully weaves together plots and subplots in an intricate and intensely imagined homage to books, the art of storytelling and that magical bridge between literature and our lives. I took a long time to read and properly engage with this book. Perhaps because I knew it would be the last in a long and beautiful series, but also because I felt the timing was wrong the first time around. This long and enchanting novel weaves together the threads from all the previous in the quadrilogy (which began of course, with Shadow of the Wind). It does so beautifully, and in a hugely satisfying manner. Carlos Ruiz Zafon remains (and likely, always will be) one of my favourite authors and a master story-teller. Reviewed by Amanda Kennedy on 31/08/2020. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is...

'Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices... Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?' The Midnight Library is the life-affirming, feel-good book you didn't know you needed! Usually books of this type are not on my reading list, but the title, fantastic premise and beautiful cover were enough to persuade me to give this book a chance. Pleasantly surprised I was indeed to realise that I rather enjoyed it, being the type of story with simple yet reassuring prose which feels like a warm hug. It became a treat to read over a few evenings with a warm drink before bed, leaning in to the exploits of protagonist Nora while making mental parallels if her life-choice regrets with my own. If Matt Haig had hoped to help readers feel that "yes, life's actua...

Having just finished reading The Betrayals, I feel as though in a daze. It was such a wonderful, well-crafted and brilliant tale of "alternate" historical fiction which I couldn't put down.  The setting is that of a boarding school, presumably in an alternate reality of 1930's England, where for the first time a female has been appointed Magister Ludi where previously only men have been allowed to study the Grand Jeu - a spiritual game combining philosophy, mathematics, music and literature. There are flashbacks to a decade previous, where the schools' two brightest students, initially rivals, slowly begin to form an allegiance. Yet there is tragedy, in more forms than one, which change the course of their lives forever, and the ghostly voice of a little girl who haunts the halls.  There's so much to enjoy in this finely-tuned novel: politics, religious persecution, the role of women in society, the meaning of friendship and love, and above all, betrayals. I ...

A brief synopsis from the Goodreads page: Fourteen years ago, the police caged a notorious serial killer who abducted and butchered two victims every February. He was safe behind bars. Wasn't he? But then another body is discovered, and soon enough, the race is on to catch the real killer. Neuropsychologist Kyra Sullivan fights to use a new technology that accesses the minds of the witnesses, working with the police to uncover the truth. Will Kyra discover the person behind the murders, and if so, at what cost? And how far will she go to ensure justice is served? Much of the marketing describes Witness X as “Silence of the Lambs meets Blade Runner”, and while I agree should this excellent novel be translated to film, that is indeed how I would expect it to present. However, in it’s written form, I found that description rather misleading. Perhaps that is because this literary style is unlike anything else I’ve previously read..? The setting is in the near future, where the brilli...

From the blurb: Feminism’s success is down to complicated, contradictory, imperfect women, who fought each other as well as fighting for equal rights. Helen Lewis argues that too many of these pioneers have been whitewashed or forgotten in our modern search for feel-good, inspirational heroines. It’s time to reclaim the history of feminism as a history of difficult women. Difficult Women is an insightful and thoroughly entertaining book charting the history of feminism through the stories of (so-called) difficult women. It does not shy from character flaws: rather than paint these women as unblemished heroines it properly explains their behaviour and motivations, even when their actions may not today be seen as morally right or politically correct. I appreciated Lewis’ personal insights and bias: as a British feminist, she focused primarily on British history and events, and was unafraid to detail aspects of her own personal life which shaped the narratives within. Recommended for all ...

Here’s a brief description from the publisher: She sleeps, a pale girl in a white room . . .  Three years ago, Gabe saw his daughter taken. In the back of a rusty old car, covered in bumper stickers. He was driving behind the car. He watched her disappear. But no one believes him. Most people believe that his daughter, and wife, are dead. For a while, people believed that Gabe was responsible.  Three years later and Gabe cannot give up hope. Even though he has given up everything else. His home, his job, his old life. He spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, sleeping in his camper van in service stations, searching for the car that took her. Searching for his daughter.    This book had me on the edge of my seat! Had I been able to read in a single session, I most certainly would have done. To make things more interesting, the novel is set on a stretch of motorway I am deeply familiar with. The opening pages created an immense tension and ...

From the blurb, as I really don’t want to give much away about this magical story: Natasha Pulley returns grateful readers to the singular universe of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street in this bewitching sequel set in a gloriously gothic Japan. Bizarre hauntings and electrical storms blight a Tokyo mired in mystery and mayhem, as The Lost Future of Pepperharrow dazzles and beguiles with fast-paced plotting and quirky characterisation. I was thrilled to be offered this as an ARC from the publishers. It has been a long time since I read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (the prequel to this novel), but the story soon came rushing back to me. The deepening of the relationship between the central characters was very much appreciated, particularly with the addition of Six, the young girl adopted by our favourite couple, who is most likely autistic and having to deal with her differences in a world which truly does not understand her. I would recommend reading The Watchmaker of Filigree Stre...

The Starless Sea is a book I have been looking forward to since finishing those final few pages of The Night Circus, Morgenstern’s magical debut novel.  I was lucky to be able to purchase a special edition from Waterstones with sprayed edges (which I’ve not yet photographed to my satisfaction) which isn’t the edition pictured here, though I think I may prefer the above presentation to the English hardcover edition… The Starless Sea is a book featuring a different type of magic to The Night Circus. To me, it seems a love letter to bibliophiles and storytellers, with more references than I could possibly catalogue (and probably a few I missed!).  Here’s a brief synopsis from the Goodreads page: Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain si...

Although I’ve seen the Studio Ghibli animated movie more times than I can count, I regret not having previously read the novel on which it is based. Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads: In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls… I really rather enjoyed this short novel, and there are many differences between this and the animated feature film. Most importantly, we discover where the Wizard Howl originated from, and much more detail as to why The Witch of the Waste hopes to defeat him. In my opinion, the book is more magical, and though undoubtedly I imagined the characters in...

It may surprise you to know that many of Studio Ghibli's catalogue of films originate from literary sources. Howl's Moving Castle and Arietty are among the adaptations most people are aware of, yet we've discovered that 13 of the studio's 22 feature films find their origins in books. Here is a list of those films which have been adapted from the printed page for anime by the Japanese giant of animation. Grave of the Fireflies This semi-autobiographical short story was written by the by Japanese author Akiyuki Nosaka in 1967 (later published as a novel including other short stories) and was adapted for the big screen by Studio Ghibli in 1988. This is a heartbreaking story, both on the screen and the page, as it is based on the author's experiences before, during, and after the firebombing of Kobe in 1945. Kiki's Delivery Service Kiki's Delivery Service is based on the popular Japanese children's novel, Witches Express Home Delivery (魔女の宅急便 or Majo no Takk...

Happy Easter Readers! I've decided to release my popular Peter Rabbit Stationery Suite as a free digital download All My Pretty Books readers. The printables in this suite include 12 A5 sized notepapers, 6 A6 notecards and an envelope template with liner, featuring characters and quotes from Beatrix Potter's original Peter Rabbit stories. The files are in PDF format, and are designed to be printed on A4 paper and card. Simply download the files below and print to your heart's content! Peter Rabbit Notepapers Peter Rabbit Notecards Peter Rabbit Envelope and Liner Instructions I hope you enjoy using these pretty literary printables! Please let me know how you've used them by leaving a comment below.

To promote the second instalment of A Series If Unfortunate Events on Netflix, Count Olaf's Misfortune Telling Machine will be touring Waterstones stores across the UK. Here is the official announcement from Netflix: Listen up! Something very unfortunate is on its way to YOU! Watch this adorable, special little girl provide you with all of the Disastrous Details. A post shared by Netflix UK & Ireland (@netflixuk) on Mar 27, 2018 at 8:50am PDT The dates this wonderful promotion will appear are as follows: Easter Weekend: Queens Walk, Southbank, London 4th April: Waterstones, 24-26 High St, Birmingham, B4 7SL 6th April: Waterstones, 91 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2BW What are your thoughts on the series so far? I found it rather different to the books, but no less enjoyable (and I'm rather looking forward to catching up with the Baudelaires on the small scree soon!). If you're able to travel to any of these events, please tell us all about it by leaving your comments b...

I'm currently reading Wilkie Collin's most celebrated novel, The Woman in White, and discovered this wonderful quote within the first few lines. It really is a rather good read, by the way, so if you haven't already enjoyed it, I suggest you go and find yourself a copy. For a classic text, it is much easier to read than you might imagine! Photo credit: Abhi Sharma , via Flickr Creative Commons.

MinaLima, the amazingly talented design team behind the props and paraphernalia of the Harry Potter franchise, have published a series of beautiful interactive fairytale books . A post shared by Karin (@karinlipski) on Mar 16, 2017 at 4:31am PDT I first discovered this series while looking for a gift edition of Beauty and the Beast (pictured above) which is truly one of the most beautiful books I own. Unlike most children's fairytale books, MinaLima editions feature interactive elements, such as pull-out maps, dials to change scenery, pop-ups, hidden treasures and more. These hardcover titles feature foiled covers and gorgeous illustrations throughout. This week marks the book birthday of the fourth book in the series, The Little Mermaid and Other Tales: A post shared by Miraphora Mina & Eduardo Lima (@minalimadesign) on Mar 14, 2018 at 9:56am PDT I can't wait to purchase my own copy of The Little Mermaid, it looks to be the best in the series so far! A further title is p...