Nostalgic Book Haul (March)

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Sweet Valley High #43 – Hard Choices – “Enid Rollins can hardly wait for her grandmother to come live with her and her mother. But when she arrives, Enid is dismayed that the kind, sprightly woman she remembered is now burdensome and demanding. Because Enid’s mother works long hours and is often out with her boyfriend, Enid finds herself making all sorts of sacrifices to please her grandmother. She skips school events and even stands up her best friend, Elizabeth Wakefield. Worst of all, she never has any time for her boyfriend, Hugh. It’s beginning to look as if Enid may have to say good-bye to someone she loves.”
 
Sweet Valley High #53 – Second Chance – “Quiet, determined Kristin Thompson knows exactly what she wants from life. Since she was little, she has had one goal–to become a world-class tennis player. Now all she has to do is win one more tournament and she’ll qualify to turn professional. Then handsome Bruce Patman invites her out and sweeps her off her feet. But there’s not enough room in Kristin’s life for a boyfriend and professional tennis. She begins to wonder if a romance with Bruce will make her happier than winning the tournament ever could. Will Kristin give up the dream of a lifetime to live like an ordinary teenager?”
 
Sweet Valley High #55 – Perfect Shot – “People are always telling Shelley Novak that she has everything going for her. She’s one of the best basketball players at Sweet Valley High, and she’s as tall and graceful as a model. The problem is, being so tall makes Shelley feel like a freak. Until she meets Jim Roberts. He has a way of making her feel special. But when Jim, a photography buff, starts taking of her, Shelley makes him promise never to show them to anyone. Then the Sweet Valley News sponsors a photography contest and Jim thinks he could win with a photograph of Shelley. But if he’s wrong, will Shelley ever forgive him?”
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Paula’s Choice Haul

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Resist Super Antioxidant Serum – I recently finished up the Darphin serum I had been using for months, and decided it was time to try something new. This is a product I tried over five years ago and felt it was too heavy for my skin, but I think it will be well suited for my skin at this age and will fit well into my routine.
 
Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser – This is an absolute staple in my skincare routine, and is a product I can’t live without. This is my daily face cleanser, and as I am about to finish up my current bottle, I of course had to pick up another one to open immediately after.
 
Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer – When I logged on to make my purchases I was disappointed to see my favourite moisturiser (Hydralight) was not in stock, but I picked this up as an alternative. I’m interested to see what this is like, I’m starting to incorporate more and more hydrating products into my range as I get older so hopefully this will be a good match for my skin.
 
Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 15 – Sebastian recently ran out of facial moisturiser, and this was the easiest way to get him to start wearing a decent SPF. Unfortunately it looks like this does not work well for anyone who has facial hair, it refused to sink into his skin underneath his stubble and left him with a white cast to the lower half of his face all day.
 
Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream As with the Electrolyte moisturiser above, I picked this up because my trusty Hydralight was out of stock. I try to pick up two moisturisers every time I place an order, because I work through them faster than something like a cleanser or a serum and I don’t want to have to place any extra orders unnecessarily.
 
Reusable Cotton Rounds This was the first time I’d seen reusable cotton rounds anywhere, so I added them to cart at lightning speed. I am really impressed with these, I’ve been using them for a couple of weeks now and I don’t think I’ll be making the switch back to regular cotton rounds anytime soon.
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March TBR

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The Bluffs by Kyle Perry – “When a school group of teenage girls goes missing in the remote wilderness of Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers, the people of Limestone Creek are immediately on alert. Three decades ago, five young girls disappeared in the area of those dangerous bluffs, and the legend of ‘the Hungry Man’ still haunts locals to this day. Now, authorities can determine that the teacher, Eliza Ellis, was knocked unconscious, so someone on the mountain was up to foul play. Jordan Murphy, the local dealer and father of missing student Jasmine, instantly becomes the prime suspect. But Detective Con Badenhorst knows that in a town this size – with corrupt cops, small-town politics, and a teenage YouTube sensation – everyone is hiding something, and bluffing is second nature. When a body is found, mauled, at the bottom of a cliff, suspicion turns to a wild animal – but that can’t explain why she was discovered barefoot, her shoes at the top of the cliff, laces neatly tied.”
 
Girl A by Abigail Dean – “Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped. When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared.”
 
The Favourite Sister by Jessica Knoll – “Brett and Kelly Courtney are the shining jewels in a New York-based reality TV show called Goal Diggers. One of the most popular shows on American national television, its fiercely competitive cast of five self-made women are defined by their success, beauty and ruthless drive to reach the top by whatever means necessary. The Courtney sisters’ rivalry goes skin deep despite the blossoming business they have built together that helps disadvantaged women in Morocco. Harbouring bitter jealousies and dark secrets about their manufactured screen lives they’re joined by three other hyper-competitive women who all have their own agendas. And the latest season promises sparks to fly in the quest for even higher ratings. Vicious backstabbing, scathing social media attacks and finely-tuned scripting draw in the viewing public every week, all orchestrated by the show’s omnipotent producers. But even they don’t know that season 4 will end in murder…”
 
Into The Forest by Jean Hegland – “Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society’s fall. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. Their arrival into adulthood, however, forces them to re-examine their place in the world and their relationship to the land and each other.”
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Autumn Book Haul

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Girl A by Abigail Dean – “Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped. When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared.”
 
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim – “In rural Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine – a pressurised oxygen chamber that patients enter for “dives”, used as an alternative therapy for conditions including autism and infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community. Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night–trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges–as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.”
 
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier – “Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken. A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student-Instagram famous-and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he’s rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn’t her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he’ll be the last. She’s falling for him-and that was never part of the plan. Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek’s lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.”
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Nostalgic Book Haul (February)

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Sweet Valley University #29 – One Last Kiss – “Gin-Yung Suh is dying! A crushed Todd Wilkins is devastated by the news–especially since he’s been rekindling his love for Elizabeth Wakefield during Gin-Yung’s hour of need. Now he must take what little time he has to make it up to her–to fill her last days with laughter instead of tears. Tom Watts madly loves Elizabeth. But she’s too busy with Todd to notice. Tom’s determined to tell Elizabeth how he feels, how he’s sorry for all he’s done. It’s never too late for true love… is it? Undercover cop Nick Fox is hot on the trail of a dangerous felon… until feisty Jessica Wakefield gets involved and blows the whole case. Something’s got to change for Nick. He can’t be a cop and Jessica’s boyfriend at the same time. But can he live without her?”
 
Sweet Valley University #31 – The Truth About Ryan – “Ryan Taylor has gone back to his dangerous old habits. Can Elizabeth Wakefield help him out before he’s kicked off the Sweet Valley lifeguard squad for good? Jessica Wakefield has sacrificed so much this summer. In order to lure Ben Mercer away from brainy Priya Rahman, she’s been hitting the books when she should have been hitting the beach. But how someone new is tempting Jessica… someone forbidden. Will Jessica give up her studies–and Ben–for a risky summer fling? Life with surfer Stu Kirkwood is pure bliss–that’s what Nina Harper thinks. But will a woman from his past make her think again?”
 
Sweet Valley University #32 – The Boys Of Summer – “Jessica Wakefield finally has Ryan Taylor all to herself. He’s wild, daring, spontaneous–everything Jessica wants in a boyfriend. He’s also the guy who broke her sister’s heart. Elizabeth Wakefield’s summer can’t get any worse, now that Ryan has left her for Jessica. But Elizabeth knows Ryan is spinning out of control, and he could be putting Jessica in danger. Can Elizabeth ignore her jealousy long enough to save them both? Wendy Paloma wants to leave her superstar husband, Pedro, but her friend Winston Egbert knows they belong together. When Winston and Pedro team up to win Wendy back, is their plan too crazy to work… or just crazy enough?”
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