JULY AND AUGUST READING WRAP UP 2016

In about mid-July, I wrote a mini post saying that my July reading wrap up was going to be a bit late as I was away at the end of the month. After looking at my Goodreads, I realised that I'd only actually completed 2 books in July, which didn't seem enough to make a whole wrap up about. So, in short, that's why my July and August wrap ups are combined this time, with a (not so) grand total of 8 books over the two months. I'm also currently reading 'Sense and Sensibility', but Jane Austen books take me so long to read that it's putting me in a bit of a reading slump.

Books Read:

1. 'Magnus Chace and the Sword of Summer'- Rick Riordan
Reading Magnus Chase was interesting for me, as I am completely lost when it comes to Norse mythology (apart from Thor, Loki and Odin because of the Thor films). When reading Percy Jackson, I was already familiar with the basics, Gods and some stories in Greek mythology, but here I had no clue what was going on and spent quite a lot of time fairly confused. This book was nothing like I thought it was going to be, there was much less emphasis on Godly parents than there usually is in Rick Riordan's writing, and I expected it to be more similar to his other books that it turned out to be. I thought it was a good book and I'll be continuing on with the series, but it was no where near as strong as the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series, and at times I found it much too slow for my liking.

2. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'- Stieg Larsson
I've mentioned before how my parents wouldn't let me read this book until I was over 18, and now I can see why. This book is not for the faint hearted and it is DEFINITELY not for people aged under 18. This is quite a horrible book at times, but it makes up for it with just how clever it is and how it keeps you gripped from the start. I didn't realise that this was a mystery as well as a crime thriller and I really enjoyed that aspect of it, I love mysteries that keep you guessing constantly. It's such a genius book, but be warned that it does get quite graphic and violent. I'm told this is the most horrible book of the trilogy, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

3. 'A Court of Mist and Fury'- Sarah J. Maas
Again, this is not a book for the under 18s. I really enjoyed this book, but judging from everyone's reactions on social media, I expected to love it a lot more than I did; I don't think it helped that I read this really slowly while on holiday and I was in a bit of a reading slump at the time. But then the ending happened and ohmygosh I need the next book urgently, the fact that we have to wait another year will kill me. What I really appreciated about this book was that so many books ignore the traumatic events of the book before once it's over, but Sarah J. Maas actually addressed it and addressed the impact it had on Feyre and the other characters. It made the story seem so much more realistic and honest. I liked Feyre's character development, I absolutely hated Tamlin's character development, and I really enjoyed seeing more of Rhys and the Night Court- I've been excited to see more of Rhys since the first book. A really great continuation, this trilogy keeps getting better and better.

4. 'Since You've Been Gone'- Morgan Matson (audio book)
This is the one Morgan Matson book that I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy and wasn't actually sure if I'd ever read, but I get really in the mood for contemporaries in the summer and this seemed like the perfect summer read, so I downloaded it as a audio book. I was kind of surprised but I ended up really enjoying it, I liked (nearly) all the characters, I liked the list and I liked watching Emily's character development. I also really liked the fact that I could related to Emily quite a lot. One thing I want to add though is that I really hated Sloane, I hated every scene with her in, and I found her was so annoying and manipulative. It wasn't my favourite Morgan Matson book, but it definitely wasn't my least favourite.

5. 'The Unexpected Everything'- Morgan Matson
This is by far my most favourite Morgan Matson book, I absolutely loved it and I want to read more about this story and these characters. I found it really refreshing, I'm so tired of romance only happening at the end of books and not getting to see any of it, and it was nice to have romance all the way through this one. One thing I'd liked to add is that I love all the subtle links between all of Morgan Matson's books. I loved this book so much, highly, highly recommend.

6. 'The Fey Man'- James T. Kelly
This book was the absolute definition of a cover buy (the cover also reminded me of Shrek haha). I got this super cheap on Kindle over a year ago and it had really been weighing on my mind that I needed to read it. I started this book before my holiday, but didn't finish it before I left, I then took a three week break from reading it and forgot everything I'd read. But I finished it off after 'The Unexpected Everything', which was a pleasingly relevant thing to read before (you'll know what I mean if you've read 'The Unexpected Everything', no spoilers). I'm glad I finally read it, but I'm not bothered enough to continue with the series, neither the story nor the characters did anything for me, and overall it was only okay.

7. 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'- J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany
I wasn't sure about either the Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts, to me it honestly seemed like a bit of a money grab (especially the play being in an unnecessary two parts), I don't think either of them were needed and I think the Harry Potter story was finished and over (this is why I've also never bothered to read the little add extra bits about the Harry Potter world and wizarding all over the world that are released). Unlike a lot of people, I wasn't excited about either the Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts when they were first announced, but it's Harry Potter so I can't not read them. Also unlike a lot of people, the fact that this was a play and not a novel didn't bother me so much; I've been comparing it to Shakespeare in the way that Shakespeare is very 'tell' rather than 'see', but the Cursed Child is very visual, and I think it would be more enjoyable if seen rather than read, especially if you consider that dialogue in plays is very stiff and stunted, but it always works well when you watch rather than read it. I appreciate that it wasn't actually written by J.K. Rowling, but I really hated the characterisation of Harry, Ron and McGonagall, I don't think any of them would act the way they do in the book, and I wasn't a big fan of Rose either. (Scorpius would not have been in Slytherin, big plot hole, doesn't work with his character). I did quite enjoy it, but only if I completely disassociated it with Harry Potter and thought of it as something else. I completely agree with everyone who says it's more like fan faction, and it's definitely easier to enjoy if you pretend it is.

8. 'Much Ado About Nothing'- William Shakespeare
I saw a production of this play a few weeks ago, and I always like to read Shakespeare plays after I've watched them, as it helps me to get a better understanding of the story. 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a lot of fun, a typical nonsense Shakespeare romantic comedy, but it has a great cast of characters and I'd say it's one of my favourite Shakespeare plays that isn't a history.

Rosie