I am trying to be more conscience of Book Bought vs Books Read Ratio so I can start getting my chunky TBR list down. I will go over numbers etc on my Wrap up post later this month but I decided by doing book hauls might be a good way to keep me accountable, while also shouting about all the pretty books!
The Books
Where the drowned girls go
Seanan McGuire
Wayward Children #7
What The Book is about…
Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.
Where is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.
It isn’t as friendly as Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
And it isn’t as safe.
When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn’t save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.
She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming…
Why I am excited:
I love this series and always have my pre-order into Forbidden Planet as so as they go live. I did have an advanced copy and it was my last read of 2021. You can find my review Here!
The Twyford Code
Janice Hallett
Waterstones signed edition pre-order
What The Book is about…
About the book:
It’s time to solve the murder of the century…
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven’s memory won’t allow him to remember what happened. Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Isles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today? Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it…
Why I am excited:
I had this as an eARC and I just new I was going to love it. So when the post Waterstones triple points deal ran pre-Christmas I knew it had to be on the pre-order list. I have read and reviewed this one … HERE
The Key in the Lock
Beth Underdown
Waterstones signed edition pre-order
What The Book is about…
I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace.
By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy – one whose death decades ago haunts her still.
For Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the Great House, and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover, if she is ever to be free.
Brimming with secrets, this lyrical haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Macneal, Sarah Waters and Diane Setterfield.
Why I am excited:
Another Waterstones triple points pre-order, it was just such a pretty cover and while not my favourite read of the month I still enjoyed it. I have read and reviewed this one … HERE
The Christie Affair
Nina De Gramont
Waterstones signed edition pre-order
What The Book is about…
In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Aside from the famous author herself, only I know the truth of her disappearance.
I’m no Hercule Poirot.
I’m her husband’s mistress.
Agatha Christie’s world is one of glamorous society parties, country house weekends, and growing literary fame.
Nan O’Dea’s world is something very different. Her attempts to escape a tough London upbringing during the Great War led to a life in Ireland marred by a hidden tragedy.
After fighting her way back to England, she’s set her sights on Agatha. Because Agatha Christie has something Nan wants. And it’s not just her husband.
Despite their differences, the two women will become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to . . .
The Christie Affair is a stunning novel that reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926, which captivated the world.
Why I am excited:
I pre-ordered this before I had read the ARC and have since found this book to be a little disappointing. The Christie esq mystery hinted at isn’t delivered. However its still and interesting read and a beautiful edition. You can find my review HERE
Seven Mercies
Elizabeth May and Laura Lam
About the book:
After an ambush leaves the Novantae resistance in tatters, the survivors scatter across the galaxy. Wanted by two great empires, the bounty on any rebel’s head is enough to make a captor filthy rich. And the seven devils? Biggest score of them all. To avoid attacks, the crew of Zelus scavenge for supplies on long-abandoned Tholosian outposts.
Not long after the remnants of the rebellion settle briefly on Fortuna, Ariadne gets a message with unimaginable consequences: the Oracle has gone rogue. In a planned coup against the Empire’s new ruler, the AI has developed a way of mass programming citizens into mindless drones. The Oracle’s demand is simple: the AI wants its daughter back at any cost.
Time for an Impossible to Infiltrate mission: high chance of death, low chance of success. The devils will have to use their unique skills, no matter the sacrifice, and pair up with old enemies. Their plan? Get to the heart of the Empire. Destroy the Oracle. Burn it all to the ground.
Why I am excited:
I have the first in this series and I really enjoyed it, I am currently reading this one and enjoying it just as much!
Age of Ash
Daniel Abraham
Goldsboro SFF subscription
What The Book is about…
Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.
This is Alys’s.
When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.
Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.
Why I am excited:
One half of the writers of The Expanse (a series I need to read, and watch!) It seems like this is going to be a very sad and detailed story about life in the ancient city.
The Song of Achilles, Circe
Madeline miller
Illumicrate editions
What The Book is about…
The Song of Achilles
Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.
They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
Circe
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
Why I am excited:
These are just gorgeous! beautiful books filled with beautiful prose! I have read these but i am putting them back on the Tsunduku pile as I need to re-read them in these stunning editions!!!
Murder in Mesopotamia
Agatha Chrsitie
Hercule Poirot #14
What The Book is about…
An archaeologist’s wife is murdered on the shores of the River Tigris in Iraq…
It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of ‘Lovely Louise’, wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner.
In a few days’ time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late…
Why I am excited:
I bought this in preparation for my February Poirot Buddy read and part of my Agatha Christie project!
So those are the 9 books I have added to my shelves this month. I am glad I have already read or am in the process of reading most of them so I don’t think my numbers will be thrown off too much!
Both my Fairyloot and Illumicrate (and its a double book month!!!) have been delayed so they will feature in Feb’s Haul!
Have you picked up any new gems this month?
I would love to chat all things bookish with you! You can comment down below or find me on Twitter or Goodreads!
Happy Reading!
Fi's Bibliofiles 
I hope you will enjoy all of these! I really enjoyed Where the Drowned Girls Go!
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I have read most of them already. In fact I read where the drowned Girls Go last year as I had an arc. I it was awesome.
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I’m really excited about Age of Ash too. I ‘ve read both of his previous fantasy series and loved them both. I definitely agree with being underwhelmed by The Christie Affair. I think it was possibly because I just didn’t like the main character very much.
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Those editions of Circe and The Song of Achilles are stunning!
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