Special meat. Made of humans. Hi and welcome to my channel! My name
is Sarah and I love to talk about books. And today I’ve got a slightly overdue book
haul to share with you. These are all books that I have bought since January, maybe the end
of December, and I thought I should probably get them out of the way seeing as lockdown is starting
to ease here in Scotland and I can see me being in front of the queue for the charity shops when they
finally open! So let's talk about the books I have got my grubby little mitts on in the past few
months. And I feel like I should say that this video is sponsored by Nelle and Scott at Gunpowder
Fiction And Plot, because their influence is heavy on this book haul! A lot of the books I have
bought in recent months - in fact probably all of the books I’ve bought in recent months - have
been purchased through Blackwell’s, which is…I mean I knew of Blackwell’s, but I hadn't ever
used them before until Scott and Nelle had a conversation with Shaun The Book Maniac back
in January sometime, I think it was, and Shaun had actually said to them, for people who are
wanting to reduce their reliance on Amazon, that Blackwell’s is a really good alternative because
it's not linked to them - to amazon - in any way. And actually, through using it, I found
that it's a really great alternative. Because it's very similar to amazon in that you
can buy new and used books on it, and so you can find books that are not too pricey, particularly
if you're looking for backlist titles - I’ve picked up books for a couple of quid. And I think
that's really important to talk about when I’m doing a book haul, because consumerism is bad,
m’kay? And I think a lot of us do find that our love of reading can sometimes be constrained by
our lack of funds. I know I definitely feel that, I don't have a lot of cash to splash, and also,
I’m not a big spender anyway. You wouldn't know that by looking at my house - my house is really,
really cluttered and I am on a kind of mission (if I can get off the sofa…), I’m on a kind of
mission to really declutter my entire house, my entire existence. And for me that
involves any sort of excess spending, particularly things like clothes, or toys for
the kids that they are never going to play with. It's just it's a waste of money, it's bad for the
environment, it funds capitalism. But with books, yes, I use my library - and you should always use
your library! Use it or lose it, people, we need to be using our libraries - but I do also like to
own books, as you can see. I use them not just for reading, but I like the way they look in my house
as well. But there is that part of booktube where we do these hauls, and we are kind of “oh, look
what I’ve bought!” That's not why I do hauls, I do hauls to share books, well - the same way that
I do all my videos - to share books that I think sound really interesting, or that I’ve loved
and I want other people to enjoy them as well. And so by pointing out somewhere like
Blackwell’s, where you can still pick up second-hand books that are cheap, and I buy books
from charity shops and things as well, because I don't want to exclude anyone who maybe isn’t
in a position to do big purchases and have big book hauls. But also to show that you don't
have to buy everything brand spanking new to join in the fun of things like book hauls.
So I’ll get off my soapbox. I've got hair on my face…it's really annoying me. Ugh! Been attacked
by my own body. Right, so where should I start? Well, seeing as I’m talking about second-hand
books, how about I start with the second hand books that I’ve got? So, two of these I bought
through Blackwell’s…I thought there was more second-hand ones in this haul from Blackwell’s?
It's possible some of the ones that I think are new are actually second hand as well, they're just
in really good condition. But these ones I could definitely tell were used. And so the first one
I want to talk about Is Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I think I’m the
last person alive who hasn't read this yet, so I don't know how much I really need to tell
you about this. And this is definitely a booktube purchase because, well - I’ll tell you what it's
about in a minute. But yeah, I don't know if I would have necessarily picked this book up, but
I know that so many people have loved it and the sequel as well, so I just was kind of feeling like
I needed to give this one a shot. Because it's set in a cafe in Tokyo, this is a very special
cafe because if you sit at a certain table you can travel back in time. The
only catch is you have to be back before the coffee gets cold. And so this follows
four such time travellers, why they want to travel back in time and what happens when they do. And I
think that does actually sound really interesting. I don't know if I would necessarily always
be interested in a time traveling story. Yes, I know The Time Traveller’s Wife is right behind
me! But yeah, this does sound like it's going to be really interesting. I know people have loved it
and so I bowed to the peer pressure for that one. And the next one is Lucy Mangan’s Bookworm.
Look how lovely this cover is. Actually, before the coffee gets cold - it's got a really
nice cover, looks sparkly. I don't know if that's picking that up very well, but yeah that I think
that's gorgeous as well. So I picked this up on the strength of the author. I really enjoy Lucy
Mangan, she has written a column for a long, long time for Stylist, which is a free magazine
that you can get when you're a commuter. Which doesn't sound all that interesting, but actually
it's one of the best magazines I’ve ever read. It's got a very feminist angle on things,
it's got some really interesting articles I’ve really missed it in the past, well, over a
year now since we've been in lockdown and work from home orders and all that sort of stuff.
Because it was literally my favourite thing, was on - I think it was a Tuesday - and walking
to the train station after work and seeing the woman that handed out the Stylist at Queen
Street Station and getting my copy. And one of my favourite parts of stylist - and I will
link their website in the description box, because I think it's a good magazine, I’ve got
really good book recommendations from stylist as well - and Lucy Mangan writes a column each
week in it, and usually picks out a topic that's been in the news and talks about it from quite a
feminist perspective. So I definitely wanted to read this based on the strength of the author,
but also - it's a book about books. And I love books about books. If you've been watching my
channel for a while, you'll know that one of my favourite books of 2020 was Cathy Rentzenbrink's
Dear Reader, which is also a book about books, and I thought that was an absolute gem
of a book. So I do have high expectations on this one. I don't know if it will quite get
to dear reader heights, but I just think there's something so nice about reading about someone who
loves reading. And in this book, this is a memoir of childhood reading, so she's very focused on
the books that she read as a child. And actually, from what I can gather the ones that it mentions
- you know, it talks about Narnia and Wonderland, womble burrows and rabbit holes - and I think her
childhood reading will have been very different from mine. Some of the children's classics I
have now read, but I read them in adulthood. I really didn't read children's classics when I
was a child, and she clearly did and that's what she's focused this book on. So I don't necessarily
think I’ll get the nostalgia aspect of this book, but I know with Lucy Mangan I’m going to get some
good writing anyway. So I’m looking forward to this one. And then the next two second-hand books
I want to talk about are ones that my mum got me. So, I got my love of charity shops from my mother,
I also got my love of books from my mother, and every now and again she will pick up a
book that she thinks that I will like. And she's normally dead right, because the first one
she picked up for me I’ve actually already read! And this is Larchfield by Polly Clark. This
book I read a few years ago from my library, because it's set in my town and that sort of thing
never happens! So I’m actually really glad that she found this copy for me to keep for myself,
because, like I said, the one that I read was a library copy. So yeah, this is the story of Dora,
who has recently moved to a new town. She's had a premature baby and she is suffering with postnatal
depression, and her situation is made worse by the neighbours in their new house - they do
not get on with them, and she feels quite hemmed in by them. She's an academic and she wants to do
some work on w.h Auden, who had lived in the town and worked at the local…well, private school?
Was it a boy’s school? I think it was a boy’s school. And so the stories of Auden and Dora
are interwoven together, and I just thought it was really interesting. What I’m gonna do is read
you my Goodreads review of it. Let's have a look… “as someone who lives in Helensburgh, I’d picked
this book up as I was curious to see what my town looked like on the page. And it wasn't
flattering. As someone who loves where I live, it was hard to accept that actually some of it was
pretty accurate. Much like many towns there are pockets of entitled holier-than-thou types, and I
think the author did an amazing job of capturing how vindictive these people can be. Particularly
those who position themselves as upstanding members of the community, surrounding themselves
with cronies to try and force out those they think don't belong.” I was clearly on a bit of
a rant when I was writing this. I said, “because for me, more than a story about a famous
poet who once lived here, this was the story about how noisy, nasty neighbours can really demoralise
and destroy a person's mental well-being. Dora's story was the one which spoke to me the
most. I actually didn't warm to her immediately, and I found the description of her pre-term labour
and subsequent maternity care very problematic (inaccurate and fear-mongering -nothing irks me
more than irresponsible portrayals of birth and healthcare).” Still ranting, maybe I’ve forgotten
this - maybe I didn't like this book at all? “but I gritted my teeth and stuck with her, and found
myself relating to her fragile mental health and sense of isolation. New motherhood isn't always
soft focus and happy families, and I thought this book handled that very well. The shadow of living
in close quarters with neighbours who are doing everything they can to make her life miserable
was so tangible, I wanted to scream for her. I did enjoy the W.H. Auden chapters too. I
thought it worked really well having another storyline to focus on, and seeing how the two
came together in a way that I wasn't expecting. I know nothing about Auden, or poetry, so I can't
say how well he was captured but as a character. I felt for him and the difficulties he faced.
On the whole, after a rocky start I really did enjoy this book.” So my memory was right, I did
enjoy the story. It's written by a local author, but she herself is an outsider to the town
and I thought it was a really interesting perspective that she brought to it. I think at
the time we had moved from our previous house, mainly because we'd outgrown it but we did also
have some really horrible neighbours, and so this book really struck home to me as well - which
is why I’m on a bit of a rant in that review. So that is a good book. And then my mum also
picked up a Liane Moriarty for me - Three Wishes. I've said before Liane Moriarty is probably the
only sort of chick-lit writer that I tend to read, and I hadn't heard of this one until my
mum got me it. And this definitely sounds more chick-lity than previous Liane moriarty
books that I’ve read. It's about three, 33-year-old triplets - like what she did
there - and they're just dealing with the things that 33-year-old women are often
dealing with – overwhelm, cheating husbands, family issues and things like that. And I think
it's just what happens in that 33rd year of their lives. So, I mean, I don't think I’m in a rush
to get to this book but it's definitely one that I would be interested in reading. And then we get
on to the new books that I have treated myself to, the first one I’ll start with…I’ve got some quite
short books, so I think I’ll start with those. And the first of which is Zadie Smith's Intimations,
which is six essays. I hadn't realised – see, dangers of purchasing books online - I hadn't
realised how short this was. I don't think it was worth the six pounds I paid for it. I paid
full price for it. I like Zadie Smith well enough; I’m not totally bowled over by her, but it
might be because I haven't read White Teeth, which is the book of hers that everyone raves
about. But these are essays that she has written about living in lockdown, essentially. So it's
really timely, it's really short, so I’m going to get to this soon otherwise I think its moment
will have passed. And then…I have not put these in order… oh, you've got a real good shot there
of my lovely lockdown roots that are developing! I hope my hairdresser opens up again soon. The
next one was Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter – again, another book I hadn't
realised how short it was. Maybe I should look at page counts when purchasing books? And so this is
one that I heard mentioned a lot a couple of years ago, and I’ve been quite intrigued by. It's about
a family - a father and his two sons -who are grieving after the shocking, sudden loss of the
mother. And the family are visited by a crow who is equal parts antagonist and healer,
and he tells the family that he won't leave until they don't need him anymore.
So essentially, it's a book…or kind of like a novelised essay, I think, on grief,
but done from a really interesting perspective. And then my other little short book that I got was
Passing by Nella Larsen. So I was meant to read The Vanishing Half in February, and I didn't
have time to get to it. I'm hoping to do it as a buddy read - my first ever buddy read - but I’ve
been really crap at making those arrangements. But I knew that…is The Vanishing Half a retelling
of this, or it was inspired by this? But I thought it might be a good idea to read this first before
going on to The Vanishing Half. So this was written in the 1920’s, and it's about Irene, who
is living quite a comfortable life - her husband's a physician, she goes to balls and galas and
things, so it's quite like a middle class/upper class lifestyle that she's enjoying. And then
she runs into a friend from her childhood, Claire, who reveals to Irene that she has created
a new life for herself passing as a white woman. And she hasn't told anyone her real history, real
identity, not even her husband…who is racist. And Irene is deeply uncomfortable with this
- I don't know if Irene’s a black woman…I’m not entirely sure, it doesn't say on the
back but they were childhood friends and they seem to have grown up in Harlem, which is
a predominantly black area. But anyway, so, as Claire kind of inserts herself into Irene’s life
she threatens to destabilise everything that Irene values. And so I think that sounds like it's
really interesting, I haven't read any books on the topic of white passing African Americans,
and I know there's been a lot of talk about this. There's not only the vanishing half, I’m
sure there's, like, a ya that's dealing with a similar topic that's doing the rounds as well. So
I would like to learn more about that. And then continuing on with the new books I bought, which
one we're going to talk about next? We'll go with Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This
Strange World. So this this book had already been on my radar because I had heard it mentioned on
a podcast, I think, but then I saw the author on the Sky Arts Book Club - starring booktube's very
own Simon Savidge, yes indeed - and I thought Elif Shafak is so interesting. She's, like, mesmerising
to listen to - I think I might have a slight crush on her. And she was talking about this book - she
was talking about loads of other things - when she was talking about this book I was like,
“okay, I really need to get hold of a copy.” And I will see if I can find that episode if it's
still available for streaming, and I’ll link it in the description box below. You know, all of
those Sky Arts Book Club episodes are really good, I would highly recommend it if it's still
available to stream. But this book is about the 10 minutes and 38 seconds after a woman, Leila,
has died, and what happens to her body in each of those minutes as they pass and also the sensuous
memories that come in each of those minutes, particularly ones involving her friends who at
the same time are desperately looking for her. And I mean, that that is such a brilliant premise
for a book. I know it raises, just from that discussion that was on the sky arts book club, I
know it raises a lot of questions and issues about how women are treated in Turkey. And you know, you
get a sense of someone, like, if you see writers talk - a good writer can talk well, and she can
talk well. I'm really looking forward to this one. And next up we have a Scott and Nelle, definitely
a Scott and Nelle book, because there's no bloody way I would have been picking this up if they
hadn't mentioned it all the time. Because, I have a book about cannibalism, people. It's
called Tender Is The Flesh…who's it by? Augustina Bateresa…Bastarika [Bazterrica]? Sorry, sorry -
I really should look at these things before I hit record. So, this is set in a world where animal
meat has become toxic and poisonous to human beings, and so society has to – well, it doesn't
have to, oh my god – society, in all its wisdom, has decided that it's going to eat “special
meat.” Made of humans. And this book follows the story of Marcos, who works in one of the
processing plants for this “special meat.” Guys, I am so easily persuaded. This book
is actually even turning my stomach a little bit even just to talk about it, and I’m
gonna put myself through the reading experience because of Scott and Nelle. Does this count
as bullying? Are they bullying me? They do all these really great book recommendations,
and they put this one in the middle. Do you think they're just laughing all of us who have
picked it up? I gather it's a bit of a criticism on…what do you…like, omnivore? But like
the meat-eating aspect of omnivorism? Maybe a critique of cat…catapulism - oh my god:
capitalism too. And I know that Victoria from What Victoria Read also raved about this book as well,
so we'll see, we'll see how I feel. Next up I have another sparkly cover, quite like these sparkly
covers at the moment, and this is The Braid by Laetitia Colombia…Colombani? Colombani. Laetitia
Colombani. And it's about three women who don't know each other, they live on completely different
continents, but they are all joined together by this braid of hair. So we have smita - who is an
“untouchable” in India - we also have Julia - who is the daughter of a wig maker in Italy - and then
we have Sarah - who is a divorced mum of three, who finds herself with a cancer diagnosis,
in Canada. And they are all linked by this braid. I was fascinated by this premise when I
first heard about this book - I think this was a booktube recommendation from maybe before I
started my channel - and I just think that…I love an interesting plot structure, and I
think that definitely ticks that box. I think I can see how this braid comes
to be and how the women are linked, but I’m just going to remain open and see
where the book takes me. And then I have a book that I’ve been meaning to pick up for
ages, and this is Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi. This was another…this is definitely a booktube
purchase - Emma from Drinking By My Shelf has raved about this book a few times, and it just
sounded really appealing to me. But I don't really know how to describe it, I might just read
the back. So, “Perdita Lee and her mother Harriet may appear your average schoolgirl and working
mother, but they are anything but. For one thing, their home is a gold painted seventh floor
flat with some surprisingly verbal vegetation, and then there's the gingerbread. As we follow the
Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work and wealth, gingerbread seems
to be the one thing that holds a constant value. Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread
holds in classic children's stories - equal parts wholesome and uncanny - beloved
novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family
legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. So yeah, I don't really know what this book is
about, but it sounds fascinating. And sometimes those are the best kinds of books. I've
heard really good things about this writer, I know there's a number of her other books
that I’ve been interested in picking up, but this one by far came with the highest praise
so I think this is probably a good place to start. Then I have a book that I bought…actually,
this was bought some point last year and I just forgot to add it into any hauls or anything.
And I haven't read it yet. And it's The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy lefteri. So way after I
bought this, I saw, I think it was Ange from Ange with an E and Emily from Novelle Novels did a
buddy read of this, and they were both thoroughly underwhelmed…which doesn't make me too excited to
read it. But at the same time…oh look, it looks like that's my hand splitting in two. That's
weird, so let's hold that in a different way. See, I’ve totally grossed myself out talking about
cannibalism and now I’m thinking weird things about book covers. But yeah, I thought I would
keep hold of this because I am really interested about the subject matter. And so this is about
Nuri - who is the beekeeper - and his wife Afra, and they are obviously in Aleppo, when the Syrian
war breaks out. And they have to flee their home and make that infamous, now, immigrant journey
from Syria. And they're aiming to get to Britain. His wife has lost her sight and they're dealing
with unspeakable loss as they make this journey. And Syrian refugees have had a lot of bad press
- mainly from the right-wing press - and it's such a big humanitarian crisis, but beyond the
news I don't really know an awful lot about the human aspect of the situation, and
that is what I’m always really interested in. So I want to read this to find out more,
but I do know that I don't think it's a great book and there probably are better ones I could
pick up to get that knowledge. But I’ve spent the money on this one now, so I may as well
read it. And then I have also got not one, but two Bernadine Evaristoes. Now, this is quite
the gamble considering the fact that I have not yet read Girl Woman Other - it's on my TBR for
this year, but I’ve gone ahead and started to build a collection of her back catalogue when I
don't even know if I like her. But to explain, I have a good sense about this author - I think a
lot of people who I follow on booktube have read Girl Woman Other, and Mr Loverman as well
- that's been mentioned an awful lot - and they are the booktubers that I align most
closely with in terms of my book taste. So I’m hoping this is going to
be a gamble that pays off. Like I said, this one has been doing the rounds,
I think most people will know what this is about. But basically, Mr Loverman is an elderly
married man called Barrington - or Barry - and whilst being married (and I think it
was a happy marriage) to his wife, he has also had, I guess a closeted - I don't
know if that's an acceptable term to use? A secret relationship with his childhood best
friend for 60 years. And this book, I think, comes into a time where his wife is getting
suspicious that her husband is cheating on her, but she would not expect that it was a man. And
this is about that discovery and talking about Barrington -how he's lived his life, his sexuality
- and I think that's a really important topic to consider. Because I know we still have so far
to go when it comes to rights, but when you consider the older age group who didn't have those
rights - it's not as if they were not gay people 40, 50, 60 years ago. There have always been
gay people! And I’ve not read a story about someone who has had to live under the umbrella
of that prejudice in such an extreme way before, so I think this is going to be a really
interesting story. So, I bought this one, and this one came in a Books That Matter
subscription box that I treated myself to as a sort of Christmas present. And I actually, I don't
think I’d heard of this one before it arrived, and I don't really know what it's about
now so I’m just going to read the back. So it says “scroll back 1800 years to Londinium
AD.211 and slip down the side of Gracechurch Street. Here runs a back-alley beauty, a Nubian
knockout with tangled hair and bare feet - Solaika is a reluctant teenage bride with no idea
about true love, she's too busy sneaking out with the slave girls and drag queens. Until one day she
catches the eye of the most powerful man on earth, Emperor Septimus, and the trouble really starts.
Silver tongued and merry eyed, this is a tale to make the muses themselves raw with laughter and
weep for pity. Kaleidoscoping distant past and vivid present, The Emperor's Babe sings a song
of womanhood and of survival in this thrilling, beautiful, breathless world.” That sounds so good.
Like, I’ve said before - my historical fiction, I like it from like the 1800’s, I don't tend to
go further back than that, but even though this is set in AD.211 this sounds like it's going to
be a fun meshing of current day and ancient past, and I just think that does sound really fun.
It had me at drag queens - sorry, not sorry. And then also in a Books That Matter subscription
box - I treated myself to a couple - I got Skin by e.m. Reapy, which is about Natalie who goes
traveling after her relationship's broken down she's become disillusioned with her job. And
she does that typical traveling, I think she goes to, like, Bali? Doesn't say on the back, but
I think she goes to like all the kind of Eat Pray Lovey sorts of places, in order to find herself.
But what she actually finds is that she feels more and more isolated. And she has this obsession
with her body, with her weight, and finds herself more and more often eating compulsively to deal
with those feelings. And this book looks at that, but it also looks at her slowly starting to work
through those issues. And it discusses a lot of important things that women – well, not
just women, but this is told from a female perspective - she's dealing with in terms of that
body image and our sense of self. And oh my god, this book could not be more my life. So I think
I’m going to bump this one up my reading list. And then I’ve just got three more books to talk about,
and these are for book clubs. The first one is A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum, I mentioned this
in my March TBR because this is the ShelterBox book club pick for March (so I really need to
get cracking on this one and get it started). So briefly, because I have already talked about it,
this is about conservative Arab women living in America. I think that sounds really interesting;
I’m really looking forward to getting into that. And then a book club book that I just totally got
behind on, I think this was like December’s pick and I haven't read it yet, and this is An Unsafe
Haven by Nada Awar Jarrar, which I’m actually so behind on I don't even know what it's about, so
let's discover together. “journalist Hannah is deeply rooted in the city of her birth, reporting
first hand on growing unrest in the region. Her American husband peter is uncertain about their
future in Lebanon, and increasingly worried for his friend Anas, a Syrian artist estranged from
his wife and children. Mussoon, an immigrant from Iraq, works with refugees secretly dreaming
of a more tranquil life in the west. A chance encounter on a busy street with a young refugee
and his mother draws the four characters into a startling chain of events that will both test
and alter each of them irrevocably.” This is “an intimate portrait of modern-day Beirut, where
everyone has a story to tell.” So there we go, I was talking about my interest in immigrant
experiences. Although this isn't set in Syria, there is obviously a connection. And I’m really
interested in what's going on in the middle east, but also what has happened in the middle east
in the previous decades, and so this sounds really good. So although I’ve missed the book
club discussion on it and things like that, I will definitely still be reading this. And
then my final book is also for a book club, and it's Scott and Nelle’s Read Under The Bed.
This is the pick for March, On Black Sister Street by Chika Unigwe. And again, I talked about this in
my March TBR video but just briefly, this is about four African women who find each other in Antwerp
while they're working the windows in the red-light district. I gather that one of them is murdered,
and the experience of that brings the other women closer together. It sounds like it's going to
be pretty hard hitting, but I’m totally here for that. And especially, the success of the first
pick for that book club where we read The Death Of Vivek Oji - and this is why I bought Tender
Is The Flesh, because I totally put my trust in Scott and Nelle’s taste in books, and I will go
where they lead me. So there we go. So those are…I didn't even count them, I’ve got no idea how
many books that is but those are the new books for my shelves that I bought in…I guess, the first
quarter of 2021. God knows when I’ll get to most of them because I have enough books on my tbr,
but I’m glad that they're here to join the family. So have you read any of these books? What did you
think? Although if you thought they were rubbish, maybe keep that to yourself! Unless you really
think I shouldn't read one of them. Yeah, especially that Beekeeper of Aleppo - is it
worth my time, is it really gonna teach me anything? Let me know. Next week is the one-year
birthday of my booktube channel, so I’m hoping next week's video will be a little bit different
- maybe less about books, more about booktube? But we'll see, because I’ve still got no idea
what I’m gonna film for that video. But for those of you who’ve stuck with me, thank you
for that and helping me get to the one-year mark anyway! So I will see you for that next week,
and in the meantime *kiss* bye! Oh…oh, she nasty. Maybe need to clean this one. This is probably not
selling the benefit of buying second hand books…
