In my Mailbox #2

Today has been a fairly good one for acquiring new reads. I got one book in the post, and I have just returned from a shopping trip, where I bought two more, one for University and another that I've had on my wishlist for at least 2 years!

So what are they?



The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole Wasterstone's synopsis:
First published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it Walpole attempted, as he declared in the Preface to the second edition, 'to blend the two kinds of romance: the ancient and the modern'. He gives us a series of catastrophes, ghostly interventions, revelations of identity, and exciting contests. Crammed with invention, entertainment, terror, and pathos, the novel was an immediate success and Walpole's own favourite among his numerous works. His friend, the poet Thomas Gray, wrote that he and his family, having read Otranto, were now 'afraid to go to bed o'nights'. The novel is here reprinted from a text of 1798, the last that Walpole himself prepared for the press.

This one isn't a choice I would make for myself, but it is one of the Gothic novels I have to read this semester for university, that has somehow managed to stay off my book-shopping list until now. I have to admit though, that I am more interested in reading this one, than some of the others on the module.


Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Waterstone's synopsis:
Longlisted for the 2004 Man Booker Prize Shortlisted for the 2004 Orange Prize A haunting tale of an Africa and an adolescence undergoing tremendous changes by a talented young Nigerian writer. The limits of fifteen-year-old Kambili's world are defined by the high walls of her family estate and the dictates of her repressive and fanatically religious father. Her life is regulated by schedules: prayer, sleep, study, and more prayer. When Nigeria begins to fall apart during a military coup, Kambili's father, involved mysteriously in the political crisis, sends Kambili and her brother away to live with their aunt. In this house, full of energy and laughter, she discovers life and love -- and a terrible, bruising secret deep within her family. Centring on the promise of freedom and the pain and exhilaration of adolescence, Purple Hibiscus is the extraordinary debut of a remarkable new talent.

This had been on my wishlist now for around 2 years, or possibly more, so I can't quite remember what originally drew me to the novel. I decided to buy it today though because after studying feminist theory in literature at University last year, I think I may read this novel in an entirely new way to how I did before, as it seems to have a very strong feminist theme running through it. This will definitely make an interesting read!


Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready Waterstone's synopsis:
Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. She's always found this mysterious ability pretty annoying, wishing only that she could reverse it and have some peace. But when her boyfriend, Logan, dies unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections to the dead...Devastated by Logan's sudden death, Aura realises that her ability to see ghosts might actually be a blessing. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all? But just when Aura is coming to terms with having a ghost as a boyfriend, she starts developing feelings for her new friend Zachary, who is understanding, supportive and, most of all, alive. Each boy holds a piece of her heart - as well as vital cues to the secret of the Shift - and it's time for Aura to choose between loving the living, or embracing the dead...

This one was a recent addition to my wishlist, which I decided to buy when I found it for £2.81 online, and it arrived in today's post. I think I saw this novel on a friend's goodreads profile when she rated it 5 stars, and as we have very similar reading tastes, I thought I'd give it a shot! There aren't too many books around in this genre where the characters can talk to ghosts, so it comes across as being fairly original in its modern genre, which can only be a good thing! I'm quite excited about reading this one, so I think I may get round to it quite quickly!