May’s Result – The House in Poplar Wood by K.E. Ormsbee
I enjoyed a lot of elements in this book: divided families, a house tucked in the woods, apprenticeships to an unusual trio (Death, Memory, and Passion), a historical rival becomes an ally, an angry older brother who has more going on than you might expect, twins who look out for each other while remaining distinctly their own person, a pact from the past that must be resolved. No surprise that I didn’t like the budding hints of romance, though. It didn’t bring anything to the story. The premise of The House in Poplar Wood gave it a unique atmosphere somewhere between spooky gothic and scary murder mystery. I will keep an eye out for any future releases from Ormsbee (ah, Goodreads reminds me that I already have her 2015 release The Water and the Wild on my TBR).
August’s Selection
August’s theme is oldest books on my TBR. I sorted my Goodreads ‘want to read’ shelf by date added, ascending, and then pulled out the first four books that made me think “I can’t believe I haven’t read that yet!” This makes for an eclectic list of titles that have have been on my TBR for nearly seven years…
- Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhoods by Maria Tatar (added June 2012) – Non-fiction. I added this way back when I was in my second year of a degree specializing in children’s literature…now that I’m starting work as a children’s librarian, it sounds highly relevant!
- Bruiser by Neal Shusterman (added June 2012) – Contemporary young adult. One of Shusterman’s earlier works, and his most popular one that I have yet to read.
- At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (added September 2012) – Non-fiction. Even my mom read this three years ago.
- The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany (added December 2012) – Classic fantasy. Probably added because pre-Tolkien fantasy.
Which book should I read in August? Vote on the poll below or by leaving a comment on this post. (I can’t tell who voted on Twitter, so if you’re really keen you can vote in the comments AND on Twitter ;P) Voting closes on 31 July. Voting is now closed.
I really enjoyed The King of Elfland’s Daughter! I’ve forgotten most of the details now, but I loved it at the time.
Good to know, thanks!
I voted! This is always a neat idea Jenna. I loved seeing the different books that were the oldest on your TBR that you are still dying to read. ❤️
Thank-you so much Dani!! ^^ I’m really glad I came up with this series cos it’s a fun way to engage with my blogging buddies 🙂