JUNE READING WRAP UP 2016

In June I read 6 books, including 1 audiobook. In June, my mum and I discovered Audible and it has changed our lives; initially I was reluctant, I was snobby and didn't think an audiobook was the same as reading a physical book, but I've tried it and I've really enjoyed it. I wasn't going to count my audiobook towards my reading goal for the year, but Goodreads counted it automatically for me and, frankly, I couldn't be bothered to go through the effort of changing it. Expect more audiobooks to come. I'm also currently reading 'Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer' by Rick Riordan; I'm feeling a bit reading-slumpy (after 'The Crown') so I'm taking it slow but I'm getting through it. (Also yay I'm officially on my summer holidays).

Books Read: 

1. 'Red Rising'- Pierce Brown
I downloaded this book over a year ago on Kindle and it had been weighing on my mind to read it soon; honestly, if I didn't already have it on Kindle, I don't think I would've bothered to read it. (I only finally decided to read it because I watched a load of Pierce Brown and Tashapolis videos on Youtube). I went into this book completely blind, the only thing I knew was that it was set on Mars, and still it was nothing like I thought it was going to be. I really wasn't enjoying it, I considered giving up around 30% of the way through, but I decided to give it a bit more of a chance and I ended up quite enjoying it. I enjoyed the links with Greek and Roman mythology, especially since I've been reading a lot of Rick Riordan lately. I don't think I'm going to be continuing with the series, but it was quite an enoyable read.

2. 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'- Sarah J. Maas
I'd put off reading this for so long, despite really enjoying the 'Throne of Glass' series, because I'd kind of misinterpreted what it was going to be about. I thought I wouldn't like the fae element, as that's sometimes hit-or-miss for me, and I thought Tamlin was going to be some creepy, pervy, way older guy. I decided to finally pick it up after all the incredible hype and feedback of the second book, and I really, really enjoyed it. Sarah J. Maas is still a reigning queen of fiction. I'm really looking forward to picking up the second book (hopefully) in July and seeing where the story goes next.

3. 'The Crown'- Kiera Cass
Lets start by saying that a spin-off series to the Selection was 1001% NOT NEEDED. AT ALL. Obviously, because I loved the Selection series, I was going to try out the spin-off, but when it came to this one I literally couldn't remember a single thing that happened in the book before. I had to read a full recap of the Heir, but I still couldn't remember who half the characters were. It's the Selection world so obviously this book was still a lot of fun, I just had way more problems with it than with any of the other books. Everything major in this book (particularly one thing which I won't mention because spoilers) felt really random, out of the blue and rushed. There was no sign that some of these things were about to happen and they were literally just thrust in your face. There was a distinct lack of romance in this book which I was not okay with, I came for the romance, not the politics. (I love politics usually, just not in the Selection). Overall, this spin-off duology was okay, but not a patch on the original trilogy (which I'm now tempted to read again because I need that slushy romance and princesses in my life).

4. 'The Hidden Oracle'- Rick Riordan
I was so, so, so excited for this book because... Apollo. Human. Camp Half Blood. Percy. Camp Half Blood. Apollo. Chiron. Greek mythology. Camp Half Blood. Yay. I hate to say it but this book disappointed me ever so slightly, it felt slightly too young (though I understand it is marketed towards younger people), but it's the usual Rick Riordan genius Greek mythology in the modern world, so it was still pretty fab. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the rest of this series/trilogy/series/I-don't-know-what-it's-going-to-be.

5. 'Bossy Pants'- Tina Fey (audiobook)
I'd wanted to read this for a while, particuarly last year when I went through a faze of reading non-fiction by famous females (particualrly comedians), but I couldn't get my hands on it then. I jumped when I saw it on Audible, especially since it was read by Tina Fey, and I really enjoyed it. I like Tina Fey anyway, but I'd highly recommend listening to this one (and other books by female comedians) on audiobook, as it's really fun to hear them read it themselves, and it puts a different spin on it than when you read it yourself. This book was a lot of fun.

6. 'Shadow and Bone'- Leigh Bardugo
I'd wanted to read this for a long time, so I pounced immediately when I saw it was only 99p on Kindle. I read Leigh Bardugo's 'Six of Crows' at the end of last year which I really enjoyed, and due to that and the premise of this book, I had high hopes. I feel a little let down, it was good, but no where near the level of 'Six of Crows'. The fact that I could feel a reading slump didn't help, I had to force myself to read it a lot of the time, but the story wasn't gripping me so much anyway. Like with 'Red Rising', I enjoyed this book but I won't be continuing with the triology. I just really expected to love this one and I didn't.

Rosie

Nearly caught up on all Rick Riordan

MAY READING WRAP UP 2016

In May I read a massive 7 books, including some very long reads. I finally completed the Heroes of Olympus series this month (you can see how I managed to alternate them with everything else I read), and I just want to read books set at Camp Half Blood forever and ever. I am also about 50% through 'Red Rising' by Pierce Brown, and so I'll hopefully finish that in the next couple of days.

Books Read:

1. 'The Son of Neptune'- Rick Riordan
Like the first book, this had a very slow start and it takes about 200 pages before it actually starts to get going, but after that it's just as great as the rest. I was so glad to get Percy back in this one, but I miss being inside his head in the same way that the first series is. Overall, this is my least favourite book of the series, but it was still a fantastic and genius continuation.

2. 'A Gathering of Shadows'- V.E. Schwab
I actually think that the first book could've been a standalone, but I had so many unanswered questions and I loved it so much that I'm really glad it wasn't. (Shall we briefly mention here again that I was a hypocrite; I didn't finish the first book the first time round, but I absolutely loved it the second time round. Let us speak of this no more). V.E. Schwab is so clever with all the different languages and cultures and worlds she has created, big respect to that. I loved, loved, loved seeing more of Rhy in this one, it was a magnificent continuation and I need the next book NOW.

3. 'The Mark of Athena'- Rick Riordan
What I really enjoyed about this book was getting to see more of Annabeth; you learn so much more about her than you ever do from Percy's point of view and it adds a whole new, really interesting layer to her character. I don't have much to say about this one apart from it's Rick Riordan and Percy Jackson so obviously it's fantastic, and they are actual squad goals on the Argo II.

4. 'Winter'- Marissa Meyer
Again with the hypocrite-ness, I said I've never read the Lunar Chronicles and here I am having finished and loved it. Winter was such as interesting character, without giving any spoilers, you never normally read anything like her, and I'd been excited to find out more since the end of Cress. I also really enjoyed how all the characters were slightly different ages, in YA you normally only read about 16 year olds, but this was a nice change. Another thought I had whilst reading this book was the life on Lunar reminds me a lot of the Capitol in the Hunger Games, but I'm not complaining. I would've liked to see a bit more of the history of the worlds and the Lunar royal family, but maybe that should've occurred in an earlier book. This book was a whopping 800+ pages (longest YA book ever?) but it needed and I loved every single one of those pages, which doesn't often happen with books like that. Just when you thought there was going to be a resolution, more and more things kept happening, and it was an incredible end to the series.

5. 'The House of Hades'- Rick Riordan 
Obviously I couldn't just stop reading Percy Jackson after the ending of the Mark of Athena. I read this one to give myself a bit of a break after some really slow parts of Lord of the Rings and, like every other book in this series, I flew through it in only a few short days. Potential unpopular opinion, I'm not a big fan of Frank; he annoys me a bit too much in his point of view chapters, I much prefer him in other peoples' chapters. Once again, incredible, like nothing I've ever read before. If you've never read any Percy Jackson before, what are you doing with your life?

6. 'The Fellowship of the Ring'- J.R.R. Tolkien
I'd been quite in the mood to read this for a long time, and I was quite in the mood for the Council of Elrond. I've watched these films countless times, I've read The Hobbit book (don't get me started on that film series), but I'd never read the Lord of the Rings before. This is an incredibly solid start to one of the most epic fantasies of all time, I'm really surprised by what they'd left out of the film (where was Tom Bombadil, please?), and I was also surprised about how scary it was. I've always loved these characters so much (Fellowship goals) and I'm excited to see what the rest of the books will bring (even though I know what's going to happen, I can never remember what happens in each film).

7. 'The Blood of Olympus'- Rick Riordan
WHAT AN AMAZING END TO THIS SERIES.Damnnnnnn. I can't give anything away because of spoilers but there's so much I loved about this book. This is joint with the first book for my favourite in the series (the fact that the first book is one of my favourites has surprised me a little bit, honestly). It was just so good. These characters are incredible. Rick Riordan is incredible. I desperately NEED to read the Trials of Apollo NOW, but my brother is hogging it and I have other reading commitments to make first. This isn't without sacrifice. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't had all the books to marathon like this and if I didn't have the Trials of Apollo to read immediately afterwards, it would've been agony.

Rosie
The Rick Riordan addict 

BOOK DEBATE #4: GIVING UP ON SERIES

We haven't had a book debate for a while, but I wanted to discuss giving up on series and also mention a couple of series that I don't think I'm going to be carrying on with.

Spoiler alert: I'm all for giving up on series.

And let me explain why. What's the point of putting yourself through something that you don't like? The saying is true that there are too many books and not enough time, so why read something you're not enjoying when there's something else out there that you're going to love? For me personally, the rest of the series could be good, but if I don't enjoy the first book then I'm not going to carry on. That's a lot of pressure to put onto a first book. At the moment, I'm finding myself in a mentality where I could enjoy a book, but just not enough that I can be bothered to carry on with the series (looking at you 'Red Queen' and 'The Kiss of Deception'). I'm also finding myself a little bit tired of reading series all the time (I write this as I read series upon series upon series), but I now feel that I need some more standalones in my life.

I can understand why people would continue with series, it may get better in the second book, or even the third, but then again, why risk it? I can also understand the feeling of 'maybe I should carry on, maybe I shouldn't just quit and stick it out'. In 2015, I read more first books of series that I'm not going to continue with than I've ever read before in my life, and I feel that maybe I should carry on with at least one of them, just so that I haven't given up on masses of series in one year. 

That being said, I'm coming round to the idea that life is just too short to read things you're not excited about, and so I thought I'd make a list of some of the series I don't think I'm going to carry on with. You should never had to justify why you don't want to read something, but for me these were all books that I was really excited for and was really let down by.

1. The 'Outlander' series by Diana Gabaldon
2. The 'Fire & Floor' series/trilogy/duoloy (who knows) by Victoria Scott
3. 'The Remnant Chronicles' by Mary E. Pearson (maybe I'll pick up the next book, but at the moment it's looking like a no)
4. The 'Red Queen' trilogy/series by Victoria Aveyard (again, maybe I'll continue but most likely not)
5. The 'Magonia' duology by Maria Dahvana Headley (those covers though, ooooommmmmgggg)

APRIL READING WRAP UP 2016

April was a really good reading month for me, I read a total of 7 books and I'm now 48% of the way through my 50 book reading challenge. I am also currently 400 pages through 'The Son of Neptune' by Rick Riordan, which I am aiming to finish in the next couple of days; I have a lot of big books to read in May.

April was destined to be the most important month of the year book-wise, because The Raven King finally came out. I'd been anticipating this book since August and I'd gotten myself so worked up about it that I was truly scared to read it. It did not disappoint. It was everything I wanted and needed and everything I didn't know I wanted and needed. I feel physical pain that it's over, and when I think of the last line I can't tell if I want to cry or throw up. Beyond incredible. Thank you, Maggie Stiefvater. Plus, I got it four days before the release date so I managed to finish it before it officially came out, which has got me feeling slightly smug.

Books Read:

1. 'V for Vendetta'- Alan Moore and David Lloyd
I read 'Watchmen', a graphic novel by Alan Moore, back in January which I really enjoyed, but, if it's possible, this one was even better. I absolutely loved every second of this graphic novel, it's such an intense and terrifying story, and the complete mystery of all of it keeps you hooked. My one issue with it was the fact that it's not very colourful and a lot of the authority figures looked very similar, so I was often quite confused about who was who, but I'm starting to think that that may have been somewhat intentional. It's such a clever and fantastic dystopian story, I can see why it often makes lists of 'books you must read before you die'.

2. 'Georgy Girl'- Margaret Forster
I hate to say it, especially since my mum got my this book and I always trust her recommendations, but I was really disappointed with this. I got such Bridget Jones vibes from the premise, but it was no where near as fun as I thought it was going to be. I've never read a book where I've absolutely hated every single character, though I do get the feeling that you're not supposed to like them, and overall I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped and thought I would.

3. 'Scarlett-' Marissa Meyer
This book had the reputation of many second-books-in-series in that, though it's good, it's the worst book of the series. Though it wasn't my favourite out of the series, it wasn't nearly as slow as I'd heard it was, and the ending was so crazy and so good. I preferred the bits with Cinder in, I love her as a character and I found her bits slightly more interesting, but Scarlett is an awesome female character in her own right.

4. 'Cress'- Marissa Meyer
I was so glad I had this book to read straight after Scarlett, after Cinder all I wanted was to read the next one straight away, and I'd been more prepared this time. What I'm really enjoying about this series is how it takes place over quite a short period of time, and so the books are more or less following straight on from each other. This book was really interesting as you never get Rapunzel retellings, but I'm really enjoying the sci-fi take on classic stories and I really like Cress as a character. I'd heard really good things about this book, and they are actual squad goals living on the Rampion together. Great, great, great book, the next book is going to be amazing (800 pages of amazing, I may add).

5. 'Moranifesto'- Caitlin Moran
Everyone should know by now that Caitlin Moran is one of my favourite writers, I will literally read anything she publishes, and I can't believe I didn't know this book was coming out until recently. As predicted, this book was absolutely fantastic, Caitlin Moran is often a very controversial writer, but I love every single thing she says and I am nuts about her. Once again, as it happens every time I read a non-fiction book, I really want to read more non-fiction.

6. 'The Lost Hero'- Rick Riordan
It feels so good to be back in the world of Percy Jackson and Camp Half Blood. This is the spin-off series to the Percy Jackson series, which I read all of last year and absolutely loved; this is one of the only book series my brother is passionate about, and he's been on at me to read The Lost Hero for months now. As with all of Rick Riordan's writing, it did not disappoint. Rick Riordan is a genius when it comes to Greek mythology (which Percy Jackson has made me obsessed with), though I was slightly disappointed that mythology didn't feature as heavily as it did in the first series, though it's obviously still a major plot point. I missed Percy in this book, I didn't feel as connected to the other characters as I do to him, but it was a fantastic start to the series and I'm really excited to see where it goes.

7. 'The Raven King'- Maggie Stiefvater 
Where do I even start with this one? I've briefly talked about my feelings earlier in the post, but there is no way for me to properly put them into words. I feel slightly dead inside that the series is over. I don't know what to do now, I've gone on an obsessive rampage and my Raven Cycle mug is currently in the post. As I've said, this was such a perfect end to one of my all-time favourite series. Everything was wrapped up so perfectly, and it was so wonderful and heart breaking and I have all the feels in the world. I'm so glad that this book is so perfect, though I don't know how I can live my life knowing that Henrietta and Aglionby and Blue and her boys are over. I honestly can't handle it; my heart hurts.

Rosie
Weeping tears over the Raven Cycle and my beloved boys

AN ODE TO GILBERT BLYTHE

On this day last year, I heard about the death of Jonathan Crombie on the 15th April 2015. On this day last year, my heart broke. Jonathan Crombie is best know for his role as Gilbert Blythe in the 1985 TV movie version of 'Anne of Green Gables', which is undoubtedly the best version of 'Anne of Green Gables' there is. It is no secret that 'Anne of Green Gables' is my favourite book of all time, and it's unsurprising that the 1985 version is my favourite movie of all time, and in honour of that I wanted to write a post about it.

Gilbert Blythe, oh Gilbert Blythe, the not-so-secret love of my life, the dream of millions of girls everywhere. Oh Gilbert Blythe, I shipped you and Anne long before I even knew what shipping was. The ultimate OTP. 'Anne of Green Gables', the book and the movie, were such a huge part of my childhood and still are such a huge part of my life. I must have been around 7 years old when I first read 'Anne of Green Gables', that's 12 years ago now, and I've read it countless times since. I think that this is the reason that Jonathan Crombie's tragically early death affected me so much; he's not just Gilbert, he's not just Megan Follow's Gilbert, he's MY Gilbert; and I truly felt my heart break when he died. Your favourite book is not just something you love, it's something that is actually part of you, and this death hurt me more than even David Bowie's or Alan Rickman's earlier this year.

And so I wanted to talk about Gilbert. The dream of all women. You don't just want to find your soul mate, you want to find your very own Gilbert Blythe. (Who'll maybe whisk you away to Prince Edward Island and live with you on that small piece of heaven off the coast of Canada). To paraphrase Elizabeth Barrett Browning, how do I love thee, Gilbert Blythe, let me count the ways.

'Anne of Green Gables' the story, the characters, the cast, the setting (Prince Edward Island is my dream) make my heart physically hurt. I can't eloquently put into words how much I love it. It feels like coming home. But we're here to talk about Gilbert, not the series as a whole, or we'll be here all night. Gilbert was never not solid and wonderful and good. He let Anne be herself and he loved her for it. Gilbert is honestly the rock you want in your own life, there is nothing wrong with him, he has no flaws, even though I spend most of the time screaming at him and Anne to realise their love for each other and screaming some more when they finally do. For me, at least, Gilbert Blythe symbolises a lot of things that are right in the world.

But bringing it back to Jonathan Crombie, the reason I'm here writing this. His significance is more than just playing Gilbert Blythe, he brought Gilbert to life. He gave him a true, lasting identity, from when we first see him pulling Anne's plaits, to the heartbreaking scene when we think he might die (that gets us every single time), to that heart-stopping, swoon-worthy scene on the bridge, where we all cry because we love them, we cry because it's finally happened, we cry over that damn beautiful speech, but we also cry a little bit out of jealousy because Anne has him and we don't and because he doesn't exist. Jonathan Crombie was, is and always will be Gilbert Blythe, and his impact over my life will be lasting.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

Rosie

MARCH READING WRAP UP 2016

I've been reading fairly slowly recently, which is frustrating me slightly, but in March I read 6 books, which isn't bad going really. I also finally gave up on 'The Bronze Horseman', which I had a lot of problems with but which I spoke about briefly in this post here. It's something of a relief not to have that book-burden on me anymore.

In March, I read two books by Jeffrey Eugenides, which now means that I've read all three of his novels. This is kind of weird in itself, as I wouldn't consider him one of my favourite authors, but he's one of the only people who I've read all of their books. I also unintentionally read them in publication order.

Books Read:

1. 'Anna Karenina'- Leo Tolstoy
This book had been on my radar for a while, but I was a little apprehensive as it's so huge and old and I don't think I've ever read a translated book before. I know this might be due to the translation, but I was surprised by how straight forward the language was, I rarely found myself confused (except with the complicated Russian names) and the writing wasn't as old as I expected it to be. This book also surprised me in other ways, namely the story lines and the fact that it was so slow and long and took me a good four weeks to read, but that didn't put me off at all, like it usually does. What surprised me about the story lines was that Anna Karenina wasn't actually the sole focus of the novel, she doesn't appear it in all that much compared to the other characters, and that I actually preferred Levin's storyline to hers. (If you've seen the film first, like I had, the film is all about Anna and not really about Levin, whereas he is actually the other main character. Great film, by the way, highly recommend). I expected to like the book, but I actually really loved it, it may be one of my all-time favourite books. It was absolutely fantastic and I'm hoping to read Tolstoy's War and Peace very soon. I love Anna Karenina.

2. 'Salt to the Sea'- Ruta Sepetys
Damn this book was sad. I'd been excited to read it since I first heard it was coming out and I got Titanic-like vibes from the premise, and it did not disappoint. This book was very quick and easy to read, none of the chapters were longer than 3 pages each (which I like), but in those short chapters you still got a proper feel for the characters. I love historical fiction and I like when you can tell that an author has really researched their work, which you definitely could with this book. I also liked the mystery aspects to it. I'm not the first person to say this, and I'm not going to be the last, but I'm amazed at how this was the biggest maritime disaster in history, even bigger than Titanic, and no one has ever heard of it. My dad knew about it but my mum didn't and I didn't have a clue until I read this book. It was a really fantastic and heartbreaking and terrifying read, as all good books should be. (I also like how there's a link between Ruta Sepetys' two books and I'm planning on reading the first one, though they aren't actually linked properly like a series, 'Between Shades of Grey', next month).

3. 'Modern Romance'- Aziz Ansari
What I liked and appreciated about this book is that it wasn't your typical, same-old celebrity autobiography book that everyones written. This was an actual, proper research book and I found it really, really interesting. I've never read a book that was like a proper research paper before and it was a really good way for me to get into more non-fiction writing. This book was non-fiction done properly and seriously, and it was a really interesting deviation from normal celebrity books.

4. 'Middlesex'- Jeffrey Eugenides
This book is nothing like I thought it was going to be, but it was interesting to read a book on hermaphrodites, as that's not a commonly found topic in books. I can't tell whether I liked this book or not, at the time I enjoyed it, but looking back on it I'm not sure if I did. It was a good story and a well written book, my dad's now reading it and he's really impressed with the writing, I'm just confused about my feelings on it.

5. 'The Marriage Plot'- Jeffrey Eugenides
I thought I'd enjoy this book, and then I found out what the story was actually about (the blurb gives no spoilers away), and then I wasn't sure if I would like it. I surprised myself by enjoying it literally straight away. The first half of this book was much stronger than the second half, but overall I really enjoyed it.

6. 'A Darker Shade of Magic'- V.E. Schwab
I didn't think I was going to get to finish this one by the end of this month, so that was a nice surprise. I marked this book as a 'did not finish' around April last year, as I was finding it quite slow to read and I wasn't really into the story, but I decided to give it another go after all the hype surrounding the second book (which has just come out) and because it was only 99p on Kindle. What the hell was wrong with me? I flew through this book in two days, I enjoyed every second and, frankly, I'm embarrassed about not finishing it before. I loved it. I'm now so excited to read the second book, which sounds incredible, and I'm glad it's out already so I don't have to wait ages for it. The only thing that pains me with these books are that the American covers are so stunning and the UK ones are only okay. What the hell was I thinking giving up on this last year?

Rosie
(The ADSOM obsessive and humble-pie eater)

RECENTLY

I thought I'd do a more chatty post today about things I've been watching/reading/listening to recently and also a little bit about where I've been.

So, where have I been? I've been fairly absent from the blog for a while, though this year I'm not in the major blogging slump I was in last year. We'll start at the beginning. In December, I sent off my university application through UCAS and, since January, I've been having all my interviews. I don't think I've spoken about this before, but I'm going to be studying nursing next year. Nursing applications are not like usual applications; in any other course, you apply for your five unis and then you can sit back and wait as the offers come in over the next month or so. With nursing, you send off your application and then you wait for your interviews to come in, and then you wait some more, and then you wait some more. In the mean time, all your friends doing history, English, maths, etc. have their five offers and no one not doing nursing can understand why you're waiting so long. So then, finally, the offer for an interview comes through, you go to the interview, and then you have to wait a further few weeks for either an offer or a rejection based on your interview. Repeat the process five times.

In other words, I've been very busy and just a teensy tiny weeny bit stressed.

So now all my interviews are done, I've got my offers, and we'll talk about all that more in later months.

If you've seen my last post, you'd see it was a playlist post. Because of that, I'm not going to go into too much detail about what I've been listening to recently, but I wanted to talk a little bit about podcasts. Again, I'm not going to talk about them in too much detail because I have a post on them planned for later this month, but I'll talk about it briefly. Recently, I discovered the humble podcast, and I fell in love. I'm podcast obsessed. It started with discovering 'Welcome to Night Vale' in January, and I can't talk enough about how much I love it. It's genius, it's fantastic and you all need to listen to it right away. I started looking for more podcasts to listen to, and I've discovered a few gems that I want to recommend. Firstly, my second favourite podcast, 'My Dad Wrote a Porno'. Honestly one of the funniest things I've ever listened to, I had to stop listening to it in public places because it had me laughing out loud; the second series is coming out in May (I think) and I'm so excited. Other podcasts that I'm enjoying are 'Backlisted Podcast', 'So Many Damn Books', 'Guys We F****d', 'Alice Isn't Dead' (created by the team behind Night Vale), 'The Black Tapes' and 'Limetown'. Expect more detail soon.

So onto books. Obviously, with my reading wrap ups, you know what I've been reading each month so I don't need to go into too much detail there, but I wanted to talk about a few bookish things. Namely, not finishing books. In January, I started reading 'The Bronze Horseman' by Paullina Simons; it's such a highly rated book, so many people love it, it's been said to be a fantastic love story in a fascinating setting, I had high hopes. And, this week, I officially marked it as a 'did not finish' book on Goodreads. I got 33% of the way through on Kindle, which is roughly 277 pages out of 800, and decided that I couldn't take it anymore. The story was so slow, it was taking me ages to read and just nothing was happening; I've read a couple of negative reviews that say the same thing happens basically the entire way through. I was also really disappointed with the setting, the siege of Leningrad is such an awful but interesting part of history and I was really excited to read a book where the main character was living it but, again, reviews said that this topic was barely even touched upon. My main problem with this book, however, was the characters. They're all annoying and infuriating and a lot of the time they just made me really uncomfortable. Right from the beginning, Tatianna and Alexander's relationship felt wrong, I hated it from the moment he followed her home on the bus and every romantic encounter they had made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't want to read on to see how it developed. One thing I can never stand in books is main characters that are annoying and frustrate me through their actions. Tatianna is a classic case of an awful main character. She's so annoying and self-centred and she does the most stupid things. I honestly can't stand her and a main character like that will ruin a good book for me. I just really did not enjoy this book and I see no reason for pushing myself to finish it.

Other bookish thoughts at this moment in time; I marked 'A Darker Shade of Magic' as a 'did not finish' book last year, but all the hype around the second one is making me want to give it another go, which I'm going to do later this month. I'm currently reading 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides, but three chapters in (spoiler alert) two siblings have married each other and that's kind of putting me off it a bit. Right now at this very second in time I'm researching 'The School for Good and Evil' by Soman Chainani as I have the sudden urge to read it. And, finally, I've preordered 'The Raven King' by Maggie Stiefvater and I am beyond beyond excited, I need it so desperately it hurts. (But there's a theory that Adam is going to turn into a tree and dear God I do not want that happening, so, so badly, that cannot happen, please).

And finally, what I've been watching recently. I don't tend to watch that much TV anymore, but recently my family has got really into 'The Night Manager', it's so tense, so good, the cast is great and I'd highly recommend. I've also been watching the new second series of 'Raised by Wolves', written by Caitlin Moran and her sister, which is one of my favourite things out there. The show is based on the Morans' own childhood and is absolutely hilarious, as you would expect. And finally onto what I've been watching on Netflix. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've been watching (and loving) 'Barbie- Life in the Dream House'; it's strangely addictive and entertaining, and I feel quite sad that I've finished all the episodes. And the last thing I have to talk about today is 'Reign'. I love historical fiction with princesses set in courts, and this is ticking all the boxes for me. I don't mind that it's not historically accurate, I love it, and it's got me really in the mood to read historical fiction of the same nature (recommendations would be welcome). 'Reign' also has Megan Follows in its favour who, as the actress of Anne of Green Gables in the most fantastic film ever, makes me quite emotional every time I see her.

Rosie

FEBRUARY READING WRAP UP 2016

I didn't have the best reading month in February, in total I read 4 books, and I've read 11 books so far in 2016. I'm also just over half way through 'Anna Karenina', which I'm really enjoying but is taking me a long time to read, and I'm also still 33% of the way through 'The Bronze Horseman', which is so long and slow I'm debating giving up on it. We'll see. I have big plans for March (lots of library books to read).

Books Read:

1. 'And Then There Were None'- Agatha Christie 
I watched the new BBC version of 'And Then There Were None' when it came out at Christmas and I absolutely loved it; I was desperate to read it afterwards and this month I finally picked it up. This is the first Agatha Christie book that I've read and I was surprised at how quick and easy it was. The story flows so smoothly and I sped through it without even realising (I think it took me about 24 hours to read). What I love most about this story is the premise, I absolutely loved the way it was centred around a poem, it was absolutely genius. A fantastic read and a really great start into Agatha Christie's novels.

2. 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'- Douglas Adams
I picked this one up on something of a whim, I just randomly felt like reading some sci-fi. I enjoyed this book, but I definitely wanted some more world building from it, there's quite literally the whole universe, and I felt that the story was really lacking in more detail. I'm undecided about whether or not to carry on the series, I wasn't going to but I'm hoping to get some more world building out of the later books and I feel that the story is missing something if treated as a stand-alone. Overall, however, I did really enjoy it.

3. 'Absolute Beginners'- Colin MacInnes 
The two sole reasons I read this book were because of how much Andy Miller raved about it in 'The Year of Reading Dangerously' (yes, I'm still talking about it) and because it was only 99p on Kindle. I honestly do not have a clue about how I felt about this book. It's got very 50's-era language, which meant that a lot of the time what they were saying and the story itself didn't make much sense to me; it may be just me, but not a lot seemed to happen. I am definitely not the target audience for this book, and I'm really not sure what to say about it.

4. 'Cinder'- Marissa Meyer
HYPOCRITE ALERT. I am the biggest hypocrite in the world. In December I wrote a blog post called '5 series I have no interest in' and I marked the Luna Chronicles as one of them, as I normally struggle to get on with sci-fi, no matter how much I want to like it. In my defence here, however, I did also say that I wasn't entirely decided against reading it, I just wasn't sure. Ever since Winter (the final book) came out in December, and after seeing the hype surrounding that, I've been kind of wanting to pick up Cinder and see for myself. After reading Hitchhiker's, I was in a spacey mood, so I finally jumped on the bandwagon and read it. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I really enjoyed and I'm planning on binge-reading the rest of the series asap. The book wasn't as spacey as I thought it was going to be, but I actually wanted more (I think/hope this will increase as the series develops). I really liked the futuristic, new technology aspect, and I like how it combined all your typically YA new technology/killer disease/future world aspects without being your stereotypical dystopian novel. I really, really enjoyed this book and I'm excited to see where it takes me.

Rosie

GROWING UP?

So we're going to have a bit of an honesty hour here and discuss changes in reading preferences and growing out of certain books. As you probably know, I read Andy Miller's 'The Year of Reading Dangerously' in January, which I talk about a lot. As extreme as this sounds, this book changed me. The book documents Miller getting back into reading, and the 50 'great' classic books he challenged himself to read. As crazy as it is, I felt myself growing up in the less-than-a-week it took me to read this book. At the end of 2015, I was rethinking my reading choices and preferences, and TYoRD highlighted that even further for me. And the conclusion I came to is this:

I'm not sure I want to read YA anymore.

Obviously, this is a slightly over-reacted statement, I will still read YA because I can't help but love some of it, but right at this moment in time I find myself only wanting to reach for historical fiction YA and being a little bit tired of everything else. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this, but so much YA is so similar to each other and I'm getting so tired of it. I'm finding myself getting increasingly frustrated with YA characters and the way they act without thinking, and just the general unrealistic-ness (and dare I say childish-ness?) of YA books. Maybe I just can't relate to them anymore, who knows? Honestly, I think I'm growing up. At the end of 2015 I set myself the goal of reading more literature for adults (I want to refer to it as 'adult fiction' but I'm well aware that that makes me sound like I'm talking about erotic fiction, which I'm most definitely not!), as I'm eighteen-nearly-nineteen and I thought it was time I broadened my reading choices. In all honesty, it scares me slightly that I don't want to read much YA anymore, it's going out of my comfort zone and I'm not sure I even know where to start with general literature. All I know is that I'm just tired of YA and I maybe think I'm getting too old for it. (I'm not bashing anyone older who still loves YA, this is just how I feel personally about myself, read what you want and don't let anyone put you off it).

'The Year of Reading Dangerously' has thrown me completely off balance, suddenly I'm rethinking all my recent TBR's and I'm not sure what I want to read anymore. I'm almost feeling a bit like I'm in a reading slump, whilst still reading happily; I'm reading multiple books and I don't know what's right for me at the moment. I've realised that I definitely want to read more non-fiction and general literature, which I never felt the urge to before, and I'm looking forward to that. Wanting to read non-fiction is very new for me, I've never been interested in it before, but after reading 'I am Malala' and TYoRD, I'm starting to crave it slightly. I'm especially interested in historical and political non-fiction, and also non-fiction about books and film. I want to read what I want to read, and right now that's just not teenage fiction. In the past few weeks alone, I've branched out way more that I usually would. Don't get me wrong, I will still be reading some YA, but it's no longer going to be the only thing I read.

Don't be afraid of change and admitting to it.

Rosie

JANUARY READING WRAP UP 2016

Hello and welcome to my first reading wrap up of 2016! In 2016 I am aiming to read at least 50 books, my Goodreads challenge is set to 50 but I'm hoping to surpass that again. In January I read 7 books without realising it, which I think is a good start to the year. I'm also 214 pages through 'The Bronze Horseman' (on Kindle). In 2016 I'm planning on reading a lot of new things that I wouldn't normally pick up (which I've already started this month), and I'm excited to see where the rest of the year takes me.

Books Read: 

1. 'I Capture the Castle'- Dodie Smith
I started reading this book in December, but it's a very slow read and so I finished it at the start of this month (this annoyed me, I wanted to end 2015 on a complete and finished book). I have started reading this book multiple times over the years, but it's very slow and I never got into the story so I never finished it. I finally decided that it was high time I read this book the whole way through, and I was determined to do so. Once you can finally get into this book, it's quite good, it didn't wow me, but I enjoyed it. This book is okay, it's not the worst thing I've ever read, but it's so slow and I think that's what brings it down for me.

2. 'Watchmen'- Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
I rarely read graphic novels, but this one has really put me in the mood to read more. This graphic novel was great, it's definitely not a cheerful, nice, suitable-for-young-people story, but I really enjoyed it. I love Watchmen, I've been intrigued ever since I first saw the film trailer years ago, the story was great, the artwork was great, overall top notch.

3. 'I am Malala'- Malala Yousafzai
There is no doubt about it, Malala is an incredible person. I was a little apprehensive going into this book, there's a lot (a LOT) of history and politics that I wasn't sure I'd enjoy, but I really loved every second of this book, it was so interesting and it's got me wanting to read way more non-fiction about more serious topics. This book made me realise how ignorant I was about all these awful things happening all over the world (in my defence, I was too young for it all), and what I hadn't realised is that Malala and her father had done so much campaigning work throughout their lives and were already so well known, even before they became more widely known about in the Western world. The book stops not long after the shooting and all the medical treatment, but I would have really liked to read more about all the things she's done afterwards; I'm just hoping that one day she'll write a second book. Highly, highly recommend.

4. 'Anna and the French Kiss'- Stephanie Perkins
I only read this book in December, but I absolutely loved it and was itching to read it again. Again, I loved it, it's a lovely story with fantastic characters and I just have a great time with it every time.

5. 'Welcome to Night Vale'- Joesph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
Since the start of January I have started listening to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast and I am completely and utterly obsessed. Obviously, I had to read this book as soon as possible. I'm sad to say that I was slightly disappointed with this book, it was obviously as excellent, weird and genius as the podcast, but it didn't wow me in the same way the podcast did. I think what makes Night Vale so special is the actual listening experience, so I am planning on listening to the audio book of this as well at some point, which I think I should have done from the beginning. Night Vale is very close to my heart and I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of the podcast (listen to the podcast before you read it, though).

6. 'The Year of Reading Dangerously'- Andy Miller
This book. Holy shit. This book. I borrowed this off my dad to read on my way to work when I didn't want to bring my Kindle on the tube. This book has literally changed my life. I've had a full-blown epiphany about books and what I do and don't want to read anymore. I feel like it's caused me to grow up in the space of less than a week. I'm so obsessed, if you love books then please read this book, I'm desperately trying to get everyone to read it. The basic premise of this book is Andy Miller trying to get back into reading, starting with all the classics he's claimed to have read but never has and working his way up from there. The book is some of Miller's thoughts on the 50 books he read in that first year. Obviously, I loved this book, Andy Miller is hilarious, a genius, a mastermind of words, and it's just so, so real and relatable; he's managed to persuade me to read so many new old books (and non-fiction). This is the ultimate book about books. I'd highly, highly recommend it to anyone who loves books and reading. I love it so much I can't comprehensively write my thoughts on it.

7. 'Fair Play'- Tove Jansson
I've read all of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, but this is the first time I've ever read one of her books not written for children. If I'm being honest here (which I'm going to be), I just didn't get this book. It was a nice, really well written collection of short stories about two old friends (in both senses of the word 'old'), but the stories didn't connect or flow and, in all honesty, I didn't understand it. There's nothing wrong with not understanding books, some books are nice, but they're just not for everyone.

Rosie

16 THINGS I WANT TO READ IN 2016

I've already started making a list of things I want to read in 2016, and it's already around 40 books long. I was going to title this '16 books I want to read in 2016', but I'm cheating a bit and including most things as groups or series (or remainders of series), and a few individual things.

1. Finish the 'Game of Thrones' Series
I've been reading this series for years, but they're all around 800 pages each, and it's a true investment to start reading them; on average it takes me about two months of slow reading and reading other things to finish each book. I only have two (published) books left to read, and I want to read them both during 2016.

2. Finish the 'Anne of Green Gables' Series
Anne of Green Gables is my favourite series of all time, but I've only ever read up to the third book. I re-read the first three books in 2015 so now I'm all caught up and ready to finish the series. In 2016, I want to read the final three books in the series, and then maybe read the spin-off books next year. I'm definitely going to finish it over the next few years (that seems like a long way away) and it's going to be a job well done.

3. More Graphic Novels
I've always quite liked graphic novels and I definitely want to get into them more. My most specific ones of read right now are ones by Alan Moore. I'm currently reading 'Watchmen' and I have 'V for Vendetta', and I also want to read 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. I'm also really interested in Noelle Stevenson's work, and I want to read 'Nimona' and 'Lumberjanes' at some point too.

4. More Fiction for Adults
Obviously I love YA fiction, but I'm 18 now and I really want to broaden what I'm reading and read more fiction written for adults. I'm basically going into this blind, as all the books I hear about online are YA, but I'm looking forward to discovering new things and branching out more.

5. 'Illuminae'
I really, really want to read this book.

6. 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
I've had this book for years and it's absolutely awful but I've never read it. I've never even opened it. I really need to rectify this as it's getting embarrassing and my mother's been harassing me for years to read it, I'm definitely going to in 2016.

7. 'The Heroes of Olympus' Series
This is the spin-off series to the Percy Jackson series, which I read the whole of in 2015 and absolutely loved. I want to at least start this series this year, but I'm hoping to read the whole thing. I love Percy Jackson and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

8. 'And Then There Were None'
The BBC made a mini three-episode series of this book at the end of December that I was obsessed with. I loved it so much I'm absolutely dying to read the book, and I'm hoping to do so at some point in January. (This reminds me how obsessed I was with the mini series of 'Great Expectations' a few Christmases ago, which I definitely also need to read this year).

9. 'I am Malala'
I got this book for Christmas and Malala's story is such an incredible, horrific, inspiring one that I need to read it really soon.

10. 'Wolf Hall'
I loved the TV series of this that was on last January and February and I really wanted to read the book after I watched it. I started this around April last year, but I wasn't really feeling it at the time, so I put it down. I want to restart and finish this book, and then hopefully read the second one before the third book comes out. I also want to read more of Hilary Mantel's books, especially 'A Place of Greater Safety'.

11. The 'Poldark' Series
I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago and really, really enjoyed it. I loved the TV series that was remade of it, and it reminded me that I needed to read more of the series. I can't really remember what happened in the first book, so I need to read that one again, but I want to get a good start on this series during 2016 (it's a very long series, 14 books that my parents absolutely love).

12. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Trilogy
I've wanted to read this for quite a while now, I've heard nothing but good things from everyone who's read it. However, I was never allowed to read it as I was too young for it; this is the only book that my parents have ever expressly told me not to read. Now that I'm well over 18 and closer to 19, my dad is telling me to read it as soon as possible, and I'm going to take advantage of his enthusiasm.

13. 'Red Rising' and 'The Fey Man'
These are two books that I bought on my mum's Kindle nearly a year ago and still haven't got round to reading. It's high time I read them, and I should do it soon.

14. More Historical Fiction
I absolutely love historical fiction, I've always said that it's my favourite genre, and yet I never read enough of it. I don't know why, I enjoy more or less every historical fiction book I read, but I always get side-tracked by fantasy and forget to read historical. I'm definitely going to be reading more historical fiction in 2016, I've got quite a few lined up over the next few months and I'm looking forward to all of them.

15. More Non-Fiction
I've read a fair few autobiographies written by famous female actresses and comedians, but I want to read more serious non-fiction books. I'm currently reading 'I am Malala' (which I'm really enjoying) and it's got me thinking that I want to read more non-fiction on real-life, current, not-at-all-happy topics. I also maybe want to read some wider non-fiction books, and branch out a bit more from the usual biographies and autobiographies.

16. 'The Secret History'
Every time I look at my bookshelf and unread books, this is one that always jumps out to me and I feel like I should read it soon.

Rosie

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS 2016

It's that time of year where we all make New Years resolutions and don't stick to them, so here are mine for the year of 2016.

1. Read 50 Books
Let's start with the reading goal, which is not technically a resolution. In 2015 I read 72 books, so I thought 50 was a reasonable goal for me to achieve. I'm hoping to read more than 50, but as I'm hopefully moving to university in September (fingers crossed), we'll see how much time I have after that.

2. Exercise More and Eat More Healthily
This is my main resolution, which it was last year as well, along with probably nearly every single other person. I'm getting a lot better at the healthy eating, I'm making a conscious effort to eat at least 3 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day, though that has gone slightly downhill over the Christmas holidays. I'm not good with the exercising thing, I don't enjoy it and mostly I can't be bothered. I'm well aware that I need to get fitter and to exercise more, and I'm really going to try hard at that this year.

3. Worry Less
My anxiety has got worse and I want it to not be worse.

4. Live For Myself
I've got a lot better at this, I've mostly stopped worrying about what other people think about me, but this is something I'd like to maintain and get even better at.

5. Pass my Driving Test
I've restarted my lessons with a new teacher and they're going really well. I'd like to pass my test before I go to university, which should be well within my reach.

6. Get Into University
And finally, I'd like to actually get into university please and thank you.

2015 READING CHALLENGE: DECEMBER ROUND-UP

Happy last day of 2015, crazy right? In December I read 10 books, and I read a grand whopping total of 72 books in 2015, which is beyond belief as I only properly got back into reading (after a hiatus) in the last few months of 2014. I am also currently reading 'I Capture the Castle', which I am planning on finishing over the next couple of days. I started this year with a reading challenge of 30 books, which I increased to 50 after the summer, and I exceeded by 22 books; I am 144% through my reading challenge which is ridiculous. As of the time of writing this, I have read over 28,180 pages in 2015. 2015 was a fantastic year for me in general, I hope you all had a great year and that 2016 is amazing for us all.

Books Read:

1. 'Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods'- Rick Riordan 
I really, really liked the sound of this book when I first heard it was coming out, it's the stories of the main Greek Gods and Goddesses but told in the voice of Percy Jackson. I love Greek mythology, but I'd forgotten most of what I know about it. This was a really fun, interesting, enjoyable book and I really feel like I learnt a lot from it.

2. 'Anna and the French Kiss'- Stephanie Perkins
I never thought I'd enjoy Stephanie Perkins' books, they didn't sound like something that would interest me, but they were all really cheap on Kindle so I bought them. This book though, holy crap, it was fantastic. I absolutely loved it, I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours and I'm already desperate to read it again. I love all the characters, I fell in love with St Clair almost straight away and I am obsessed with this book; I loved it so much I bought myself a physical copy as well as a Kindle one.

3. 'Lola and the Boy Next Door'- Stephanie Perkins 
After reading Anna, I needed to read this one straight away. However, I'm really disappointed to say that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did Anna and the French Kiss, I couldn't get into the story in the same way and I really couldn't stand any of the characters. Cricket and the appearance of Anna and St Clair were the highlight of the book for me; the last four or so chapters saved this book.

4. 'Anne of Avonlea'- L.M. Montgomery 
I was on a reading roll at the start of December, I read three whole books and the end of Percy Jackson in less than a week. Everyone knows by now that Anne of Green Gables is my favourite series ever, but I hadn't re-read this one in such a long time, I couldn't remember what happened. I really, really enjoyed this book, much more than I remembered doing so, and I thought it was a really fantastic continuation of the series; I love everything about this world so much.

5. 'Isla and the Happily Ever After'- Stephanie Perkins
The synopsis of this book initially appealed to me most out of all Stephanie Perkins' books, but I was nearly put off by the first chapter until I released that Isla wasn't usually like that. What I like about this companion trilogy is that all the characters from the other books make appearances, and I especially liked the fact that it was set in Paris again, I was missing that in Lola (plus, after Anna, I'm slightly obsessed with Paris when I never was before). No spoilers, but I really liked how the romance in this book happened quite early on, instead of having to wait till right at the end like most books; the romance in this, and in Anna especially, was so sweet and lovely and made my heart all warm and fuzzy.

6. 'Anne of the Island'- L.M. Montgomery 
Again, this is the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series, which I'm working my way through re-reading. I only actually read up to this book when I was younger, and again I really enjoyed it, and it's rekindled my love of Gilbert Blythe.

7. 'Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes'- Rick Riordan
As with Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods, this is Greek mythology told in the voice of Percy Jackson. This is the stories of some of the Greek Heroes, which I think I actually enjoyed more than I did the Greek Gods. This was also a really fun and enjoyable read, and I liked the fact that Rick Riordan included quite a few female heroes as well, which you don't often hear about in Greek mythology.

8. 'Let it Snow'- John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle 
I read this book for the first time last winter and I was quite disappointed with it. I didn't love any of the stories, they all fell a bit flat for me, and I only gave it three out of five stars on Goodreads. I also found it to be a really slow read, it took me so long to read each story, and that added to everything that wasn't great about it. I decided to read it again this year as I needed a book to take with me on the train to work, as the hardback edition of the Percy Jackson book was absolutely massive and not practical at all; plus, it's Christmas and you're obliged to read Christmassy books at this time. This time, I enjoyed it much, much more and I read each story in one day each, which I think added to my enjoyment. So much better the second time round. I thought, as well giving my opinions of the book overall, I'd also say a little bit about each individual story.
'The Jubilee Express'- Maureen Johnson
This is my favourite of the three stories, the first time round it creeped me out a little bit, but this time I really enjoyed it. It made me feel really festive, much more than the other stories did, and I really enjoyed this one.
'A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle'- John Green 
I enjoyed this story so much more the second time around. It's not like your typical tragic, misunderstood John Green story, which was good for me. It was just nice, and nice is what you want at Christmas time.
'The Patron Saint of Pigs'- Lauren Myracle
This story let the entire book down. It's the longest of the three, which does not work in it's favour. The story itself was okay, but all of the characters are so annoying that they just let the entire thing down; not good.

9. 'A Christmas Carol'- Charles Dickens
I read this book either last Christmas or the year before and it's one of my favourite classics. Everyone knows the story of a Christmas Carol, and it's one that I love and really enjoy reading. I'd highly recommend this one, it's absolutely fantastic and a must-read in December.

10. 'Six of Crows'- Leigh Bardugo
This book has got so much hype and I've been interested in reading it since the beginning of the year or whenever it was announced; it was described as similar to Ocean's 11, which is one of my favourite films ever, and I've been desperate to read it ever since then. I didn't think I was enjoying it all that much at first, and then I found myself thinking about it whenever I wasn't reading it, and then I realised I was basically hooked. This book is actually genius, the plot twists and not-plot twists were amazing, and I really loved how the reader was kept in the dark about their genius plans so there were so many surprises and then double surprises. I loved it and I need the next book asap.

Happy New Year

Rosie

INSTAGRAM YEAR 2015

I didn't Instagram all that much in 2015, and most of them are pictures with other people, but I thought I'd share a few of my Instagram pictures from the year.

August- we hiked to the top of the Brecon Beacons in Wales 

August- I met Lego Darth Vader

November- we celebrated Christmas early at Cub camp 

November- I saw the RSC Henry V at the Barbican

December- we went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour

December- we went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just a short little note to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I'm currently sitting here in the world's tackiest Christmas jumper watching The Holiday, having over-indulged in probably the best Christmas dinner of my life, as you're supposed to do on Christmas day. I've had a really, really great Christmas and I hope you all have too. Merry Christmas everyone.

Rosie 

BOOK DEBATE #3: 5 SERIES I HAVE NO INTEREST IN

I'd like to start this post with a little disclaimer. This is my own personal opinion. In no way do I mean to be rude or offend anyone, this is just my feelings on the matter at present. My opinion may change, there are many things and book series that I once had no interest in but have now read and highly enjoyed. But right now these are 5 popular book series that I have no interest in ever reading.

1. The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare
I've never had any interest in this series and I don't think I ever will; it's far too long and it always kind of annoys me when people add extra books to series that should've been finished (like with this series). My brother read the first book years ago and he's always said that it's not worth reading; I also think it's a case of ageing and reading preferences changing. I am fairly interested in the sound of the Infernal Devices Trilogy, the prequel trilogy to this series, and I'd consider giving that ago but I just don't see myself ever reading the Mortal Instruments.

2. The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Like all the series here, this book series is immensely popular. As of yet, I am not entirely convinced that I will never read it, I haven't yet made up my mind. My main problem with this series is that sci-fi just doesn't appeal to me all that much. It has to be a pretty spectacular sci-fi for me to read and enjoy it; it's a genre that I'd like to like, but I struggle to. I do like retellings a lot, and the hype around this series is making me consider changing my mind, but I'm not convinced that it's something that would interest me.

3. Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi 
There is basically nothing about the premise of this trilogy that appeals to me; no matter how many people tell me it's amazing, I can just never see myself wanting to read it. The idea of superpowers in non-superheroes books doesn't appeal to me and I am convinced that I will never read it.

4. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon 
I read the first book in the Outlander series earlier in the year, and I'm so disappointed to say that I hated it. It was so slow and long and boring and I had such high expectations that have been completely let down. I'm definitely not going to be carrying on with this series ever (it's something crazy like 8 books as well, ain't nobody got time for that), but the TV show is really good and I'd recommend watching that.

5. Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin 
There are two reasons why I don't think I'll ever read the Mara Dyer trilogy. Firstly, the premise does not appeal to me at all, it doesn't look like anything I'd enjoy and I don't think I'd like it. Secondly, I've heard great things about the first two books, but I've heard that the ending of the third (and final) book is one of the biggest disappointments of all time (I may be over-exaggerating here, but I've heard awful things about the third book). I don't see the point of getting involved in a series that I know is going to end badly, what would be the point?

MOST ANTICIPATED 2016 BOOK RELEASES

As I got majorly back into reading in 2015, I also discovered so many new books that were released this year. I've made a list here of my most anticipated book releases of 2016, including sequels and brand new releases, and also a small list of books that I've been waiting to come out as paperback in 2016.

Most Anticipated Releases

1. 'The Raven King'- Maggie Stiefvater
For me, this is the most important release of 2016. I read the first three books in the Raven Cycle over the summer months, and I became obsessed. This is one of my most favourite book series, and this is the final book, and we know that Gansey is going to die, and this book is going to kill me. I'm writing this in November, the week the cover was finally revealed, and ohmygod it's sunning.
Expected Release: 26th April 2016

2. 'The Fever Code'- James Dashner
This is the second most important release of 2016 for me. I've been excited for this book since 2014 and it has been agony. At the end of 2014, I became a little (lot) bit obsessed with the Maze Runner series (still obsessed) and this book sounds just to die for. It's another prequel, occurring in between the first prequel and the first book (a sequel to the prequel?) and it follows all the characters living in the maze before Thomas arrives. It's basically my dream book.
Expected Release: some point in 2016

3. 'The Fate of the Tearling'- Erika Johansen
I read the first and second books of the Tearling trilogy in 2015, and I'd go as far as to say that the Invasion of the Tearling (the second book and a new release in 2015) was the best book I read this year. It was mind-blowingly incredible and I can't wait to find out how this trilogy ends.
Expected Release: 7th June 2016

4. 'Throne of Glass 5'- Sarah J. Maas
This book does not yet have a title, but it's the fifth (and penultimate) book in the Throne of Glass series, and obviously it's going to be absolutely incredible.
Expected Release: some point in 2016

5. 'The Crown'- Kieras Cass
I loved the Selection trilogy, it's one of my guilty pleasure reads, but what's not to love about princesses and castles and pretty dresses and romance? This book is the second book in the spin-off duology; the first book wasn't as good as the original Selection books, but I'm interested in how the story will end and I want more trashy princesses in my life.
Expected Release: 3rd May 2016

6. 'Passenger'- Alexandra Bracken 
I've never read an Alexandra Bracken book before, I can never fully decide if the Darkest Minds trilogy appeals to me or not, but this book sounds incredible and I'm dying to read it. I don't know all that much about it (I like not knowing much) but from what I've gathered it's about time travel and pirates. I've been desperate to read a pirate book for ages (I love pirates) and I've finally found one that appeals to me. So excited.
Expected Release: 5th January 2016

7. 'Crooked Kingdom'- Leigh Bardugo 
So this is the sequel to Six of Crows, which I haven't read yet but I am absolutely desperate to read. Literally desperate. I've been dying to read Six of Crows since way before it came out and it was described as 'Game of Thrones meets Ocean's 11' which are two of my favourite things ever. I haven't read the Grisha trilogy, though I'm told you don't have to read it first, and I'm definitely going to read SoC in January.
Expected Release: 22nd September 2016

8. 'The Hidden Oracle'- Rick Riordan
The Second 'Magnus Chase' book by Rick Riordan is also coming out in 2016, but I'm more excited for this one. It's back to the Greek mythology, which I absolutely love, and this series follows the God Apollo. I don't know much about this book, but I do know that it's going to feature Camp Half Blood, and I love CHB more than anything.
Expected Release: 3rd May 2016

9. 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (Illustrated Edition)- J.K. Rowling
I don't own the illustrated edition of Happy Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but it's Harry Potter and I'm not not going to be excited about it.
Expected Release: some point in 2016

10. 'The Beauty of Darkness'- Mary E. Pearson
The third book in the Kiss of Deception trilogy. I read the first book a couple of months ago, and I thought it was pretty good, so I'll likely carry on with the series.
Expected Release: 2nd August 2016

11. 'The Haters'- Jesse Andrews
I read Jesse Andrew's first book, 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' earlier this year and I loved it, I read the entire thing in a day, so of course I'm going to read his second book when it comes out.
Expected Release: April 2016

12. 'The Crowns Game'- Evelyn Skye
From what I can gather, this book is going to be a historical/fantasy fiction with magic, with some royalty and some sort of test/game, all of which appeal to me. It's also set in a version of Russia with the threat of the Ottoman Empire, and I've never read anything set in Russia before, so that should be really interesting. I love royalty and I love historical fiction; I am intrigued by this book.
Expected Release: 17th May 2016

13. 'Front Lines'- Michael Grant
More historical fiction, because it's one of my favourite genres and I don't read enough of it. This book is set in World War 2, which I've always found interesting and enjoyed (as far as you can enjoy it) reading about. This book really appeals to me, as it's about what would have happened if women had been allowed to fight in the war, and I'm all about that girl power. This should be a highly interesting read.
Expected Release: 26th January 2016

14. 'The Star-Touched Queen'- Roshani Chokshi
This book sounds incredible. There's royalty (I love), marriage (I love), mystery (I love), secrets (I love), and basically everything about it sounds like something I'd love. I am very, very excited for this.
Expected Release: 3rd May 2016

15. New Untitled Stephanie Perkins Book
Until December, actually, I wasn't interested at all in any of Stephanie Perkins' books. And then I read Anna and the French Kiss and I am absolutely obsessed with that book. I read the whole trilogy in less than a week, and regardless of what this book is about, I know I'm going to read it. (It's actually a horror book in the style of Scream, which should be pretty fun- the Goodreads description of it is fantastic).
Expected Release: some point in 2016

16. 'The Winds of Winter'- George R.R. Martin
This is the next book in the Game of Thrones series and the release date keeps getting pushed further and further back. Hopefully it's going to finally be released this year, and that's still not a definite. I'm reading all the books before I watch the TV series (I've literally been reading them for years, they're massive) but I've only got two left to read and I'm definitely going to finish them in 2016.
Expected Release: hopefully finally in 2016

17. 'This Savage Song'- Victoria Schwab 
I started reading A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab earlier this year, but I couldn't get into it at all, I found it so slow that I actually gave up reading it before I'd even got 100 pages in. This book sounds pretty good, it's about monsters which aren't something I normally read about, and I'm intrigued to give this a go.
Expected Release: 7th June 2016

18. 'Salt to the Sea'- Ruta Sepetys
I've heard nothing but good things about Ruta Sepetys' other book, Between Shades of Grey, but it never really appealed to me. This book, however, sounds right up my street. It's more historical fiction set in World War 2, but it's sounds like it's got a Titanic-vibe to it, and I do love a good, tense, disaster story. I'm excited to read this one.
Expected Release: 2nd February 2016

19. 'Forever Doon'- Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon
I shamelessly love the Doon series, it's trashy and romancey and childish but it's fun and the setting is beyond incredible. This is the fourth and final book in the series and I'm obviously going to read it. Plus, every book in this series has beyond beautiful covers, it's the most incredibly attractive book series I've ever seen.
Expected Release: 2nd August 2016 

20. Untitled Sequel to Illuminae- Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
As with Six of Crows, I haven't read Illuminae yet, but I am absolutely desperate to read it. It's another book that I'm planning on reading in January and, like Six of Crows, I am fully prepared to love it.
Expected Release: some point in 2016 


Paperback Releases:

1. 'More Happy Than Not'- Adam Silvera
This book sounds just incredible, and I've heard nothing but good things about it, but the hardback is very expensive and I've been waiting for it to come out in paperback to read it.

2. 'A Wicked Thing'- Rhiannon Thomas 
I've been waiting nearly a year for this one to come out in paperback, and I've been dying to read it. It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (I love retellings of fairy tales) but with the twist that it's not all happily ever after and peachy when she wakes up. It sounds fantastic and I really hope it doesn't disappoint.

3. 'The Heart of Betrayal'- Mary E. Pearson
The sequel to the Kiss of Deception, so obviously I'm going to read it.

4. 'Emancipated'- M.G. Reyes
This one sounds like a great summer contemporary, but it was super expensive in hardback so I've been waiting for the paperback and I'm hopefully going to read it in the summer.

5. 'Legacy of Kings'- Eleanor Herman 
More historical fiction, this one sounds absolutely incredible and I'm desperate to read it.

2015 READING CHALLENGE: NOVEMBER ROUND-UP

I was so excited for all the books on my TBR in November, I had a brand new release to read (Carry On) that I ordered roughly a week after it came out, I had the final Harry Potter book and I had my favourite ever book to re-read (Anne of Green Gables). In November I read 6 books and I have read a grand total of 62 books so far in 2015; only one month left to go... I am also around 300 pages through 'Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods' by Rick Riordan, which I will finish either today or tomorrow.

I also read 'The Maze Runner' files by James Dashner, a sort of novella to the Maze Runner series, but it's so short I didn't count it towards my Goodreads total. I enjoyed this novella, if you can even call it that? It's about 50 pages long and I read it in about half hour, but I did enjoy that short amount of time. I liked getting an insight into the releasing of the Flare virus, it's not explained all that much in the books themselves and this made it much clearer; I also enjoyed reading from other points of view aside from Thomas's. I especially liked how the telepathy thing was actually explained and made sense, it was the one thing in the book that never seemed right until now. I'd recommend this for any fan of the Maze Runner series.

Books Read:

1. 'Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian'- Rick Riordan
This was such a good end to the series, I was so satisfied with the ending, I didn't feel like I needed anything else, it was just all-round fantastic. What I liked most about this book was that, in most books the big epic fight scene only lasts about two or three chapters, whereas here it was the entire book. I loved that. I also liked the twist on the 'last Olympian', I liked how it isn't what you think it's going to be and how ambiguous that was. I am so excited to read the spin-off series next.

2. 'Carry On'- Rainbow Rowell
'Carry On' is everywhere at the moment, and I was so desperate to read it that I bought it the week after it came out in hardback (I never do that). This book is related to 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell, but you don't need to read 'Fangirl' first to read this. Rainbow Rowell stated that this is a kind of spoof (without being a stupid spoof) of Harry Potter, and you can definitely see the similarities. However, after Part 2 it started becoming more of it's own story and I got really invested in it. One thing I would say is that it's very confusing, their magic literally makes no sense to me and I don't think it ever will. As it's written like the 8th book in the series, the mentioning of past events is quite confusing and you really feel as if you've missed out on something by there not being the previous 7 books. Apart from this, I really, really enjoyed it. I ship Simon and Baz so much it hurts and the romance scenes were beyond perfect (I wouldn't consider that a spoiler, everyone knows what the romance is before even reading the book). It definitely picks up after Part 2 (or Part 3, I can't quite remember) when Baz arrives, Simon is rather annoying with his obsession with Baz before then. I'd recommend this, it was fab, fab, fab. Love it.

3. 'Anne of Green Gables'- L.M. Montgomery 
I won't say all that much about this one. It's no secret that 'Anne of Green Gables' is my absolute favourite book of all time and it was definitely due a re-read. I love this book so much, it's just a lovely, lovely, mostly happy story and it's just such a perfect read. I can't put my love for it into words.

4. 'Fangirl'- Rainbow Rowell
After reading 'Carry On', I became a bit obsessed with Rainbow Rowell's writing and I wanted to read everything she's written (I'd actually never had any interest in any of her books before). I thought 'Fangirl' was a really enjoyable read, I flew through it really quickly and I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I'd highly recommend and I'm excited to read more of Rainbow Rowell's books.

5. 'Henry V'- William Shakespeare
I watched the RSC's Henry V at the Barbican a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely fantastic. After watching Shakespeare, I like to read the play afterwards; I find that watching it first helps me get a better understanding of what's going on. I love Shakespeare and his histories are by far my favourites of his works.

6. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'- J.K. Rowling
And now I have finished re-reading the Harry Potter series. And now I am emotionally fraught.

2015 READING CHALLENGE: OCTOBER ROUND-UP

In October I read 5 books, meaning that I have read 56 books in 2015. I re-kicked my Harry Potter obsession this month and now it's basically all I ever think about. I also started but didn't finished 'Not That Kind of Girl' by Lena Dunham, I just couldn't get into it and I really couldn't stand the writing voice of the author. I am currently a little over 100 pages through 'Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian' by Rick Riordan, the final book in the series.

Books Read:

1. 'Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?'- Mindy Kaling 
I love Mindy Kaling, I read this book in around November last year but I wanted to re-read it, as I've been watching the US Office and I wanted to re-read what she'd written about it, as it didn't make sense to me the last time. I also wanted to re-read it before her second book came out at the start of October. The first time I read this book, I thought it was only okay, I gave it about 3.5 stars on Goodreads but this time, ohmygosh, this time, I absolutely loved it. I flew through this book in about two days, it was a five star read and I'd consider it one of my favourites. Definitely worth a re-read, it was incredible and hilarious and insightful and oh I just love Mindy so much.

2. 'Why Not Me?'- Mindy Kaling
The minute I saw this was coming out, I wanted to read it. I also had no clue that it was coming out so that was a nice surprise. I found this one a slower read than Mindy's first book, I wasn't as into it as I was the first book, but I'm wondering if it'll be the same case as before where I'll absolutely love it if I re-read it. I still really enjoyed it, I enjoy Mindy's writing style and her topics, and I still absolutely love her.

3. 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'- J.K. Rowling 
Now this book. This book. This book. This book has always had a bad rep as being the most boring of all the Harry Potter books, it's very, very, very long and fairly slow paced, and it's always seen as everyone's least favourite. I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series at the moment and I was very apprehensive about this one, I read it when I was quite a bit younger and I was wondering if being older would change my opinions of it (my parents said it wouldn't). But OHMYGOD I absolutely loved this book, everyone I say this to thinks I'm crazy because of how negative the perception of it is but it was incredible. I was absolutely hooked and I'd go as far as to say that this beast is in my top three Harry Potter books. (Top three, previously two, four and seven, currently (as I write this) one, three and five with number six fighting it's way into the top).

4. 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince'- J.K. Rowling
After I finished Harry Potter five I was somewhat obsessed, I literally didn't want to do anything else apart from read more Harry Potter, so I did. And holy shit this book was incredible. I flew through this in about three days (it's a 600-and-something-page book) and it was just so, so, so good. I'd always said how good the film of this book was but it really does not do the book justice. There's so many things in the book that aren't in the film and it's just amazing, I absolutely loved all the bits with the memories and the horcruxes and just wow. I can't believe I only have one book left to re-read.

5. 'Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth'- Rick Riordan
I'd tried to start this book twice before I finally got down to reading it, but the other times I just hadn't been in the mood. But this time, I was so in the mood and it was absolutely incredible, I loved, loved, loved the labyrinth and, obviously, I'm absolutely in love with the genius use of mythology. I love Percy, Rick Riordan is a genius, this is the best book of the series so far.