Some books I've read, loved, but do not own a physical copy of yet

I'm sure each and every one of us has some books on our wishlist that we have already read but never owned a copy of. I'd like to share three of such books with you, that I can't wait to have in my library at home.

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

Synopsis:

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long.

Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness — featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.

Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

I read the e-book version of this curious tale, and soon after I made my mum read it too. We both loved it. It's a family story; very gothic, very gripping and there is a mystery in it with a hard-to-guess solution that blew me away.

I'd really like to know if I liked this novel for the second time around as much as I did for the first time and I'm determined to get a physical copy and give it a re-read to find out.

Daughters of Rome

(The Empress of Rome #2)

by Kate Quinn

Synposis:

This sweeping, powerful epic tells the story of one of the bloodiest years in Rome's history through the eyes of two remarkable women fighting for survival

A.D. 69. The Roman Empire is up for the taking. The Year of the Four Emperors will change everything - especially the lives of two sisters with a very personal stake in the outcome. Elegant and ambitious, Cornelia embodies the essence of the perfect Roman wife. She lives to one day see her loyal husband as Emperor. Her sister Marcella is more aloof, content to witness history rather than make it. But when a bloody coup turns their world upside down, both women must manoeuvre carefully just to stay alive. As Cornelia tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams, Marcella discovers a hidden talent for influencing the most powerful men in Rome. In the end, though, there can only be one Emperor...and one Empress.

Daughters of Rome is the second book in a series and yet I read it first, interestingly. I found it in the library while I lived in London and realised it'd been a long time since I read anything set in ancient Rome. It seemed to be able to work as a standalone and it did, giving me so much pleasure and sleepless hours; I was extremely pleased with this book. Later I purchased the first instalment, Mistress of Rome, that was just as good, and so I really would like to own the whole series. One day...

Their Eyes Were Watching God 

by Zora Neale Hurston

Synopsis:

At the age of 16, Janie is caught kissing the shiftless Johnny Taylor, so her grandmother quickly marries her off to an old man with 60 acres. Refusing to compromise in spite of society's expectations, Janie endures two stifling marriages before meeting the man of her dreams.

 The language in this book is truly enchanting. I borrowed it from the library too, but it wasn't a chance find, I heard about Zora Neale Hurston's novel at uni while completing my American Studies. It is a coming of age story: a girl matures into an incerdibly strong woman through adventure, love and calamity. A must read for everyone and a must-put-my-hands-on-again for me.

So these are some of the books I've read but do not own yet.

Have you read anything that you don't have a physical copy of, even though you want to? Tell me in a comment below which novels you'd put in a post like this!