Until recently, I never fully appreciated the wonderful thing that is a charity shop's book section. In fact, I never really wandered into them at all. I stuck to discount stores and supermarkets. I found nothing in them of interest to me, though. Instead, I stopped by at the three charity shops in my town (there's more, but I'm lazy, I just wanted to hurry and get home).
"A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness (£2).
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight, when he wakes, there's a visitor at his window. It's ancient, elemental, a force of nature. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.
First published 2011.
This edition published 2012.
Awards won: Carnegie Medal, Kate Greenaway Medal, Galaxy National Book Awards, Red House Children's Book Awards, UKLA Book Awards.
Author of "Chaos Walking" trilogy.
236 pages long.
No damage to spine.
Ripped on the front cover.
Goodreads rating: 4.27 stars (49, 958 ratings).
Pretty sure everyone, at this point, has heard of "A Monster Calls", and on multiple reviews that I have read, it is said to be not as good as his "Chaos Walking" trilogy...in my case, I haven't read that trilogy so I'm hoping that this will be an advantage for the overall enjoyment of this read. I haven't read anything from Patrick Ness before, this book might just be a 'make or break' in terms of whether I read the trilogy or other works by him - I don't feel like wasting my time on anymore bad books.
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl".(£2)
Remains the most poignant true-life story to emerge from WW2.
In July 1942 Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of the Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse. Anne was thirteen when the family went into the Secret Annexe and, over the next two years, she vividly describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such confined quarters, the constant threat of discovery, the hunger and fear. Her diary ends abruptly when, in August 1944, she and her family were finally discovered by the Nazis.
Anne Frank died in March 1945, aged fifteen, in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.
First published in GB by Viking in 1997
This edition published 2002.
A girl called Gabrielle Jenkins wrote inside the book in a glittery purple pen her name and drew a flower, underneath a quote in pencil says "Jirus (or Sirius, it's unclear) is upset. I wonder what he wants with Jesus".
First page slightly ripped, nothing important to the book missing.
Spine moderately damaged.
335 pages long.
Goodreads rating: 4.07 stars (1, 506, 273 ratings).
Likewise, everyone should know the story of Anne Frank and the secret annexe by now. Sad that that's what it has become now, a story, but all my thoughts on this book will be said when I have re-read and analyzed the book in closer detail. I have a stolen school addition (sorry, high school, my fourteen year old self didn't have the money to buy it) but it's a tiny hardback with stiff pages and is just too...'schoolastic' to be enjoyed. I wanted my own copy. I saw one a short while ago, but it was a terrible edition, and I'm glad I waited. I like the cover of this a lot better.
"A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Puffin Classics Edition). (£1.35)
When Sara Crewe's father is made bankrupt, Sara is reduced from enormous wealth to terrible poverty. At Miss Minchin's school, where she had been a privledged student, she is now forced to work as a servent. But Sara has a loving heart and a quick imagination, and she knows that with the right spirit, she can remain a princess inside.
First published 1905.
This edition published 1994.
No damage to book whatsoever.
296 pages long.
Goodreads rating: 4.19 stars (159, 593 ratings).
When I was a child, one of my favorite authors was Jacqueline Wilson. In her books (the one springing to mind right now is Cookie), she mentions some of her most loved books, including Anne Frank's diary and "A Little Princess". Even since my childhood, I have been keen to find this book but not so keen to spend a lot of money on it, because it's probably going to be a book I read once and once only. However, that was before I read what it was about. I'm highly interested in the movie, too, now that I know it's a movie.
"Harry Potter and the Dealthly Hallows". (£2.99)
No description needed.
First published 2007.
This edition published 2008.
First edition paperback.
607 pages long.
No damage to book whatsoever.
Goodreads rating: 4.58 stars (1, 400, 326 ratings).
I bought it simply because it was a 'first edition' paperback of the novel. I already have three books in 'first edition' hardback and this will make it three books in 'first edition' paperback. The only book I don't have the original cover for is "Goblet of Fire". The need to buy this was more of a need for my book collecting side then actually needing the book - I, of course, already have a copy of it.
"Shadow of the Titanic" by Andrew Wilson (50p, 2 for a £1 offer)
In the early hours of 15 April 1912, the Atlantic Ocean was alive with the sound of screaming as 1,500 passengers of the once majestic liner titanic struggled to stay alive in the icy waters.
The echoes of that night reverberated through the lives of each of the 705 survivers, and shadow of the titanic tells their extraordinary story.
Although we think we know the story of the titanic, little has been written about what happened to the survivors after the tragedy. How did they cope? How did they remember that terrible night? Today, one hundred years after that fateful voyage, this book sheds new light on an enduringly fascinating story, seen through the eyes of those who survived.
Mild damage to spine.
Small pen marks in pages.
Published 2011
This edition published 2012.
350 pages long.
Goodreads rating: 3.84 stars (801 ratings).
When I was younger, I used to have a huge interest in the tragedy of the Titanic disaster. It was one, and still is, of the few historical dates that I remembered. It's a reason unknown to myself, but my great interest in this 'tale' continues today. The 1900's (if you couldn't guess if you've been here a while) is one of my favorite topics to read about. I would hate to live there or be a part of it, but I would love to go back in time and watch them as a bird watches crowds, it would be a dream. I'm going a bit off topic, but the idea of this book interested me and I can't wait to see how it reaches expectations.
"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte (£1, 2 for £1 offer)
Cathy and Heathcliff, childhood friends, are cruelly separated by class, fate, and the actions of others. But uniting them is something even stronger: an all-consuming passion that sweeps away everything that comes between them. Including death.
No spine damage.
Pen marks, dog-eared pages.
First published 1847.
This edition published 2009.
331 pages long.
Goodreads rating: 3.79 stars (765, 259 ratings).
Again, bought mostly because it was a classic I heard about a lot as a child. I'm not a fan of love stories, especially one's in the past, but I might just be pleasantly surprised. I just remembered I saw "Jane Eyre"...let's hope that's still there when I go look for it, shall we (huge turn off, by the way, that the front of the book had a reference to Twilight by saying that this was Bella and Edward's favorite book...uh, I hope not).
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it.
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