Hello all and welcome to part two of my January book haul for 2018. I am getting some unforgettable review copies this year and I am excited to share them all with you. There is a huge variety on this list so I hope you can all find a book to your tastes. How To Build A Car was another unanticipated delivery from Harper Collins but I am chuffed that I get the opportunity to read it as I have always been fascinated with F1. There are a few requests in here, some sent by publishers and several unsolicited titles but I am beholden to all those who find my blog worthy of their content. To the books!
January Book Haul Part Two
Released 02/11/2017 via Harper Collins
F1 has been a fascinating concept to me my whole life. I have been lucky enough to experience high-speed racing a few times and it literally takes my breath away. I love specifics, details and informative stories so How To Build A Car is going to be a great read for me. I hope it is as good as it looks.
Book Synopsis
How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved.
A true engineering genius, even in adolescence Adrian’s thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays. From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One, we learn in comprehensive, engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works. Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster. And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs, there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna’s death during his time at Williams in 1994.
Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings, How to Build a Car encapsulates, through Adrian’s remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine, the perfect combination of style, efficiency and speed.
Released 02/11/2017 via Trapeze (Orion)
This book is vital to me as a father. I am a tad rusty on all the activities I learned as a youth so this will be useful to replenish my knowledge in time for me to teach my sons all about the great outdoors. I do think it is important for everyone to learn how fun it is to be outside amongst nature, especially in this age of technology, so I am looking forward to getting stuck into The Wild Book.
Book Synopsis
Fun, easy-to-do outdoor activities to unleash your inner child.
Let a little wildness in. Adventure is closer than you think. A lavishly illustrated celebration of the wonders that await in the outside world; the perfect gift for fans of Norwegian Wood, The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Almanac.
Fly through the air on your homemade tree swing, feel the rush of water as you speed down your slip ‘n’ slide, taste the delicious smokiness of your campfire-cooked meal and learn more about the natural world. Unleash your inner child as you run, jump, craft, cook and wander your way through THE WILD BOOK.
Whether you want to add a dash of adventure to your daily life, take a break from screen time, sleep under the stars or simply make something by hand, this book will inspire you to rediscover the outdoors and feel truly alive. It’s full of fun and easy practical activities that will reawaken your sense of wonder and open up the world around you.
Released 25/01/2018 via Trapeze (Orion)
Death is relevant to us all so this could be a vital read in 2018. I am very intrigued in each cultures approach to honouring the deceased and Caitlin’s travels around the globe for research looks incredibly informative. I know it seems that books like this are an obvious bummer but I vehemently disagree. Facing people mortality is an important step in life and this book celebrates a species capability to love those they have lost.
Book Synopsis
An eye-opening, entertaining and thought-provoking account of a mortician’s journey around the world to discover how other cultures care for their dead
As a practising mortician, Caitlin Doughty has long been fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies. In From Here to Eternity she sets out in search of cultures unburdened by such fears. In rural Indonesia, she observes a man clean and dress his grandfather’s mummified body. She meets Bolivian ñatitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls), and discovers the Japanese ritual of kotsuage, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved-ones’ bones from cremation ashes.
With curiosity and morbid humour, Doughty introduces us to inspiring death-care innovators, participates in powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in the West and explores new spaces for mourning – including a futuristic glowing-Buddha columbarium in Japan, a candlelit Mexican cemetery, and America’s only open-air pyre. In doing so she expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with ‘dignity’ and reveals unexpected possibilities for our own death rituals.
Released 01/06/2017 via Tinder Press
There has been an influx of 19th century medical novels featuring women and I have been having a great time delving into them all. I recently read Beloved Poison by E S Thomson and if The Wages Of Sin meets that standard then I am in for a treat. Tinder Press are a dab hand at finding talented writers who break boundaries so I have high hopes for Kaite Welsh.
Book Synopsis
An irresistible mystery set in 1890s Edinburgh, Kaite Welsh’s THE WAGES OF SIN features a female medical student-turned-detective, and will thrill fans of Sarah Waters and Antonia Hodgson.
Sarah Gilchrist has fled from London to Edinburgh in disgrace and is determined to become a doctor, despite the misgivings of her family and society. As part of the University of Edinburgh’s first intake of female medical students, Sarah comes up against resistance from lecturers, her male contemporaries, and – perhaps worst of all – her fellow women, who will do anything to avoid being associated with a fallen woman…
When one of Sarah’s patients turns up in the university dissecting room as a battered corpse, Sarah finds herself drawn into Edinburgh’s dangerous underworld of bribery, brothels and body snatchers – and a confrontation with her own past.
Released 11/01/18 via Yellow Kite (Hodder)
Having a full time job, a full time family and a full time hobby can be a tad stressful at times. The Gift Of Silence could potentially be a great tool to be utilised in my life. Learning to switch off from the chaos would be a valuable ability so I am counting on this book to teach me some vital tips and tricks for future reference. No pressure!
Book Synopsis
Do you struggle to find peace and quiet? Do you yearn to disconnect, find an escape, slow down and just breathe? Are you overwhelmed by modern life?
The simple solution lies in this book.
Rooted in the ancient Zen philosophies that ground her work, French Buddhist nun, Kankyo Tannier, will show you how to channel the power of SILENCE to get back in control of your thoughts and access the refuge that lies in your mind. Using her practical on-the-go tools, you’ll learn how to overcome stress and capture the moments of golden stillness that will transform all areas of your life, for an enhanced wellbeing and sense of fulfilment. Kankyo’s warm and engaging voice, spiritual insights, plus a sprinkling of French charm make this an accessible pleasure to read.
Switch off the noise and discover the calm and comfort you need to navigate this fast-paced world.
Released 25/01/18 via Granta Books
The blurb for this novel (plus the gorgeous cover art) was so cryptic it was impossible not to review The Earlie King & The Kid In Yellow. I have absolutely no idea what to expect with this novel and I love it 😀
Book Synopsis
Ireland is flooded, derelict. It never stops raining. The Kid in Yellow has stolen the babba from the Earlie King. Why? Something to do with the King’s daughter, and a talking statue, something godawful. And from every wall the King’s Eye watches. And yet the city is full of hearts-defiant-sprayed in yellow, the mark of the Kid.
It cannot end well. Can it? Follow the Kid, hear the tale. Roll up! Roll up!
Released 18/01/18 via Granta Books
All The Devils Are Here sounds enticingly original. An alternative British history regarding the dark sides of the Kent Coast. This book seems to be slightly bizarre with some pretty ‘out there’ writing so I am not sure what I should be expecting. David Seabrook’s work could be a thoroughly good read, it could also be not so good. I hope it is great!
Book Synopsis
Twenty years ago, in a series of mysterious, incandescent writings, David Seabrook told of the places he knew best: the declining resort towns of the Kent coast. The pieces were no advert for the local tourist board. Here, the ghosts of murderers and mad artists crawl the streets. Septuagenarian rent boys recall the good old days and Carry On stars go to seed. Clandestine fascist networks emerge. And all the time, there is Seabrook himself – desperate perhaps, and in danger.
Dark, strange and immediate, this is a classic work of sui generis British literature.
There are devils here, and the reader will remember them.
Released 08/02/2018 via Icon Books
This is the most bookish book I have seen in a long time and I love it. Filled with letters to classic stories, I am definitely getting caught up in the essence of the book. I laughed a lot at the letter Annie wrote to Misery by Stephen King. It was spot on. Great book and can’t wait to read more!
Book Synopsis
Have you ever wished you could tell your favourite books just what they mean to you? Or wanted to give a piece of your mind to the ‘must-read’ book that you wish you hadn’t? Librarian Annie Spence has done just that, writing letters to the books under her care, from love letters to Matilda and The Goldfinch, to snarky break-up notes to Fifty Shades of Grey and The Hobbit.
Annie’s letters will make you laugh, remind you why you love your favourite books, and give you lots of new entries for your reading list. She’s also on-hand to help out with your bookish dilemmas: recommendations for lazy readers; excuses to tell your friends when you’d rather stay home reading; and how to turn your lover into a reader.
Hilarious, compassionate and smart, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is the consummate book-lover’s book.
Annie Spence has spent the last decade as a librarian at public libraries in the Midwest. She lives in
Detroit with her husband and son. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is her first book.
Thanks again for stopping by to check out all the books that have appeared on my doorstep during the second half of this month. There are some really exceptional reads awaiting me next month and I am keen to get stuck in as soon as possible! If you have read or are reading any of these titles then please get in touch to let me know what you thought! It would be good to know where to start. Until next time, happy reading to you all.
Always Trust In Books 
Great book haul!
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Wages Of Sin is a great read Stuart and I really want to read From Here To Eternity! 🤗 Determined to read Smoke Gets In Your Eyes first though. Great haul!
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