A December and January Book Haul

Greetings, Darklings! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! Although... I'm certain my liver isn't too grateful for the generous consumption of whisky I had to offer myself. 'Tis the season to be jolly, after all! 

I've been absent from the blogging world for a couple of weeks due to experiencing problems with my laptop - it turns out there was a fault with the keyboard but it should be fixed for Thursday. Here's hoping! Secondly, I've been extremely busy with an abundance of assignments and of course, the dreaded graded unit! However, I've learned to take advantage of the natural light since the lighting is absolutely dreadful when I arrive home at night and the quality, oh god, the quality. There's always a little light in the darkness... 

Anyway, have no fear. I'm back with a wee book haul which I must admit, is a lot smaller than I had anticipated it to be! I have the tendency to go a little overboard when it comes to purchasing two items; books and vinyl - most of which are secondhand finds. I guess some people find that a bit eccentric when you can buy said items brand new but I prefer investing in something that has sentimental history behind it - especially when it comes to items that instantaneously tell a story upon recognition.

It probably comes as no surprise but I have a perpetually yet oh-so-very sadistic infatuation with serial killers especially when it comes to Jack the Ripper. Fun fact: I was the five year old who found Freddy Krueger "cute" and asked for the Bride of Chucky dolls for Christmas - that pretty much says it all. I'm certain that I've watched every episode of Criminal Minds, Law and Order, NCIS and CSI to date over and over again. Not to mention, I have an extensive collection of serial killer related DVDs and who would've guessed... old school classic horror and crime are amongst two of my favourite genres so when I came across The Autobiography of Jack The Ripper in The Works, I found it a little ironic. An autobiography by a serial killer? How could I resist!

I have to admit, I had no prior knowledge of Leo Tolstoy until I spontaneously watched the film, Anna Karenina a couple of years ago - it's enthralling to say the least but eccentric, in a good way. I had the intentions of instantaneously buying the book a couple of days later but I forgot. I decided to pick up my own copy when I was having a wee browse in the literature section of Waterstones. Despite the fact that it's a long read, I'm eager to see how the plot unravels in comparison to the film version. I can see myself continually flicking through this wordy abyss.

I remember we were given the task of learning - Robert Burns - poems off by heart in primary school and then had to present them to the audience in assembly. Despite the fact that I'm rather shy, it was always something that I looked forward to - as nerdy as that sounds. Throughout the years, I came to realise that my uncle also had an admiration for poetry and because of that, he wrote a lot of his own work which was very traditional and Scottish. I bought this poetry anthology on a complete whim since it was suggested by Amazon. After reading some online reviews, I was enticed enough to start reading it as soon as it came in the post. As melancholic as it is, I find it really relaxing.

"The Anatomy of Being" was another Amazon suggestion! However, this time it was one that I was familiar with since it has been circulating around Tumblr for the past few months or so. Due to the fact that the anthology is very well-known, I was a little wary and wasn't sure what to expect and/or whether it would be of interest to me but upon glancing at the positive feedback, I wanted to find out for myself; like they say, never judge a book by it's cover!

Daphne Gottlieb was suggested to me by one of my friends - this was mostly due to the dark theme of her writing. Whilst certain content might not be suitable for all readers, it seems like a perpetually enthralling read. Upon reading reviews, I can see this being a unique take of what is perceived as being 'beautiful' especially from a poetic perspective.

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? Are there any books by these authors that you would recommend?