October 2019 Reading Wrap Up

Sorry for posting this wrap up so late but I've got a ton of uni work due in the next couple of weeks so most of my attention has been on that but it's here! I managed to read a total of 11 books in October which I'm pretty pleased with. Commuting really does help with the amount of books I can read as I have an hour train journey to uni and an hour train journey back so I spend most of my time reading and I'm able to get a good chunk of my book read. I had a bit of a mixed bag this month, with some amazing reads, a couple that were just average and one that really disappointed me.

WWW Wednesday | 06/11/2019

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished Brighton Rock by Grahame Greene yesterday and I'm still trying to work my head around it. I'm not gonna lie, there were a few instances where I was really confused about the circumstances so I had to do some googling to kind of figure out what went down. Overall, it was good but not one that I'd ever revisit.

 

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading One Day by David Nicholls. I'm only about 35 pages in but I'm already enjoying it a lot although this may be because I've seen the movie adaptation and it's one of my favourite romance films so that might be why I'm liking it so much! I'm excited to continue it!

What do you think you'll read next?  

I'm planning on reading The Places I've Cried in Public by Holly Bourne next which will be a bit of a full circle for my blog as It Only Happens in the Movies was the first book I ever reviewed on here. This has got great reviews so I'm looking forward to some more romance after One Day.

Amelie loved Reese. And she thought he loved her. But she’s starting to realise love isn’t supposed to hurt like this. So now she’s retracing their story and untangling what happened by revisiting all the places he made her cry.

Because if she works out what went wrong, perhaps she can finally learn to get over him.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!

Book Tag | Pumpkin Spice Latte Tag

Oh look, I'm back. After three months of no desire to blog whatsoever I'm going to attempt to slowly bring myself back into it. I don't really have an explanation for why I disappeared, I think I was just getting stresses and I had no inspiration but I do miss writing posts and I'm also considering starting a booktube channel in January so I want to get some of semi-regular posting going on before I jump into making videos.

Today I'm going to be doing the Pumpkin Spice Latte Tag which I spotted over on The Book Dutchesses and was originally created by The Book Pusher over on booktube. I don't actually like coffee but I am in an autumnal mood so wanted to give this tag a go!

ARC Review | The Stranger's Guide To Talliston by John Tarrow

Title: The Stranger's Guide To Talliston
Author: John Tarrow
Publication Date: 11th July 2019 by Unbound
Format: ARC via Netgalley
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Science-Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon | Waterstones

Synopsis  

Abandoned and alone, thirteen-year-old Joe's world is shattered when he enters a deserted council house and becomes trapped within a labyrinth protecting the last magical places on earth. There, Joe discovers a book charting this immense no-man's land, without time or place, its thirteen doors each leading to a different realm. Hunted by sinister foes, the boy is forced ever deeper into both the maze and the mystery of his missing parents. What will he find at the labyrinth's centre, and can it reunite him with the family he so desperately needs? 

My Rating  

Book Review | The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass

Title: The Life and Death Parade
Author: Eliza Wass
Publication Date: 12th July 2018 by Quercus
Format: Paperback
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis

One year ago, Kitty's boyfriend Nikki Bramley visited a psychic who told him he had no future. Now, he's dead.

With the Bramley family grieving in separate corners of their home, Kitty sets out to find the psychic who read Nikki his fate. Instead she finds Roan, an enigmatic boy posing as a medium who belongs to the Life and Death Parade--a group of supposed charlatans that explore, and exploit, the thin veil between this world and the next. A group whose members include the psychic... and Kitty's late mother.

Desperate to learn more about the group and their connection to Nikki, Kitty convinces Roan to return to the Bramley house with her and secures a position for him within the household. Roan quickly ingratiates himself with the Bramleys, and soon enough it seems like everyone is ready to move on. Kitty, however, increasingly suspects Roan knows more about Nikki than he's letting on. And when they finally locate the Life and Death Parade, and the psychic who made that fateful prophecy to Nikki, Kitty uncovers a secret about Roan that changes everything.

Rating 

Book Tag | Who Am I?

So, again I was doing a little blog hopping and going through some of my favourite blogs archives and I found this tag on Howling Libraries, which is one of my favourite blogs to browse through. This seemed like such a fun tag as I love all those personality tests and it's also a great way to get to know the person behind the blog in a different way.

Top Ten Tuesday | Favourite Childhood Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This Weeks Topic Is... 

Favourite Childhood Books and this was such a trip down memory lane. I loved looking up all those books I loved when I was younger, so much nostalgia rediscovering books I loved but had forgotten about. I can't wait to read some of these to my neice when she's a bit older and hopefully they'll become some of her childhood favourites as well.

June 2019 Reading Wrap Up

I managed to read a total of 10 books in June which isn't bad, it's only a couple less then what I read in May, and yet for some reason I'm quite disappointed in myself. I think it's mostly down to the fact that I didn't manage to read all of the books on my June TBR post and therefore didn't reach my monthly goal. I've had a couple of slow weeks so I've only felt like reading a few chapters here and there rather then picking up a book and reading half of it in one sitting. I suppose it brings up the question of whether we should be setting ourselves reading goals and whether or not that applies too much pressure on us as bloggers. We should just be reading what we want when we want and reading simply for pleasure instead. Anyway, here's all the books I read in June and a little of what I thought about them...

July 2019 TBR + The Book Junkie Trials

How is it nearly July already?? We're now nearly 7 months into the year and I just don't know where the time is going, I feel like it was Christmas only a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, a new month means a new TBR. I didn't quite manage to read all of the books on my June TBR, you can find that post here, as I had a bit of a slow reading week near the beginning of the month so I didn't manage to read my classic or my non-fiction book of the month, as well as one of the books from my TBR box and an ebook. I've decided that whatever I don't manage to read from my TBR posts will just get put straight into the next months TBR and will be prioritised.

Series Review | The Cogheart Adventures by Peter Bunzl

 

Title: Cogheart Adventures series (Books 1,2 & 3) 

Author: Peter Bunzl

Publisher: Usborne

Format: Ebooks via Scribd

Target Audience: Middle Grade

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Goodreads | Amazon 

Synopsis

Cogheart -

Lily's life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her? With her friends - Robert, the clockmaker's son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox - Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart...

Moonlocket - 

Storm clouds gather over Lily and Robert's summer when criminal mastermind the Jack of Diamonds appears. For Jack is searching for the mysterious Moonlocket - but that's not the only thing he wants.

Skycircus - 

When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can't wait to step aboard... But there's something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they're captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away...

Overall Rating

WWW Wednesday | 26/06/2019

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth, the second book in the Carve The Mark Duology. I ended up giving this book 3 stars, the same rating as the first book, as I thought it was just ok but nothing that really wowed me. The writing style was probably what I enjoyed the most and I did like Cyra and Akos's characters for the most part. I was just really confused throughout most of this book. There are so many POV's and character names and places and the names all looked really similar and eventually my brain was hurting from trying to figure out who was who.

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Genuine Fraud by E. Lockheart and whilst it's slightly confusing and I haven't quite worked out what's happening plot-wise, it's also incredibly gripping. I'm enjoying reading a novel written backwards and seeing all the events unfold that led up to the opening chapter.

I've also just started The Strangers Guide To Talliston by John Tarrow which is an eARC I received through Netgalley and have heard absolutely nothing about. It's actually only got one rating on Goodreads so far. The premise sounds interesting though as it follows a boy who enters a house with thirteen doors which each lead to a different realm and you have to work out a puzzle to unlock the next door. I'm only a couple of pages in but I'm very excited to read on.

What do you think you'll read next?

I have a feeling I won't be able to read all the books on my June TBR post so right now I'm focusing on my library books and trying to get them read before they're due back. I'm going to read The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury next which reading the synopsis actually sounds quite similar to Carve the Mark so we will see how my opinions differ between books once I've read it.

Sixteen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, no one speaks to her. No one even looks at her. Because Twylla isn't a member of the court. She's the executioner. As the goddess-embodied, Twylla kills with a single touch. So each week, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love her. Who could care for a girl with murder in her veins? Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to her touch, avoids her.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose playful smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the goddess. Yet a treasonous romance is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies-a plan that requires an unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?  

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out! 

Top Ten Tuesday | Books On My Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This Weeks Topic Is... 

Books On My Summer TBR. When I think of what I want to read during summer it's always generally lighter content and more geared towards romance and contemporary (although, yes I do read those all year round as well!) as they just represent summer for me. I love reading about summer vacations, road trips and summer romances whilst it's hot outside and I don't have to worry about school until September. These are the ten books I want to read this summer, the majority are contemporaries but there are some others in there to mix it up a bit...

ARC Review | Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla

Title: Beau and Bett
Author: Kathryn Berla
Publication Date: 16th July 2019 by Amberjack Publishing
Format: ARC via Netgalley
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads


 Trigger and content warnings: Mentions of sexual assualt.

Synopsis

After Beau LeFrancois's mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch.

Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as "The Beast" at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie.

Rating

 

 

My Thoughts

"And in every beast, there's a human heart with a story of how it got to that place. A story waiting to be changed with understanding. A story waiting to be changed with just a kiss." 

I'm gonna start off by saying that I really didn't enjoy this book. I was expecting a really fluffy and cute Beauty and the Beast retelling but there was just no substance to any of the elements to this story.

The fairytale is modernised so it's now set in California and we follow two teenagers, Beau, who comes from a Cajun family and Bett, who is the daughter of a wealthy ranch owner. The main plotline is that after Beau's mother damages Bett's car, Beau has to work off the debt on the ranch and whilst there he develops feelings for this girl that everyone has told him to stay away from. And that's it. That's all that happens.

There was just zero development in this novel. I felt like the story was happening so quickly but nothing was actually happening that had any purpose. There was literally a sentence explaining to us how he rinsed out a soapy bucket; "I emptied the soapy water out of the bucket and rinsed the sponge and bucket, then squeezed the water from the sponge and set it on top of the wall to dry". Do we really need a step by step of this?

Both characters were infuriating and just so boring. Beau has slightly more characterization but that's mostly because we're seeing everything from his point of view but he's just so obsessive and kind of creepy. He has a big crush on this girl at his school, who's name I can't even remember, but all that he likes about her is her hair and her 'sexiness' and he keeps on asking about whether they'll fall in love and break up within a week like she did with her last boyfriend. Beau just really needs to get a grip.

Bett is just the absolute worst. She's spoiled and entitled and so incredibly rude to everyone. When she first meets Beau she tries to trick him into doing the dishes for her when she promised her grandmother that she'd do them herself. I get that she's supposed to be the beast character but my god she didn't possess any manners whatsoever. She explains her behaviour away by saying that she's an introvert and she doesn't trust people easily but I'm an introvert and I definitely don't treat people like crap until I get to know them better like she does. There is a further reason why she is the way she is but I also felt that wasn't developed well, it was only revealed within the last few pages so we weren't really able to get any further understanding about the situation.    

As for the writing style, I didn't like how short the chapters were. They felt very jarring and very stop and start, they also ended in really odd places so the pacing of the entire book wasn't great. I also felt that the dialogue was a little too cheesy and a lot of the times just did not make sense within the context.    

If I had to say I liked anything about this book it's probably the fact that it's a gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast which is what intrigued me about the book in the first place. I liked the idea of the boy being the sweet and innocent character whilst the girl is more standoffish and icy. Unfortunately this book just didn't deliver for me and was just an overall massive disappointment.

·       * I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes included in this review are subject to change.

 

Book Review | The Girl Who Came Out Of The Woods by Emily Barr

Title: The Girl Who Came Out Of The Woods
Author: Emily Barr
Publication Date: 2nd May 2019 by Penguin
Format: ARC via Netgalley
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones

Synopsis

Arty has always lived in the Clearing, a small settlement in the forests of south India. But their happy life, hidden from the rest of the world, is shattered by a terrible accident. For the first time in her sixteen years, Arty must leave the only place she's ever known, into the outside world she's been taught to fear. 

Her only goal is to get help from a woman called Tania, who used to live in the forest, and the Uncle she knows is out there, somewhere. As she embarks on the terrifying journey, pursued by an enemy she can't fathom, Arty soon realises that not everyone is to be trusted. She's looking for answers, but what she'll learn from Tania and Uncle Matthew is a shocking truth about her past. 

ARC Review | Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Call It What You Want
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publication Date: 25th June 2019 by Bloomsbury YA
Format: ARC via Netgalley (384 pages)
Target Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis

Rob had it all – friends, a near-guaranteed lacrosse scholarship to college and an amazing family – but all that changed when his dad was caught embezzling funds from half the town. Now he's a social pariah.

Maegan always does the right thing. But when her sister comes home from college pregnant, she's caught between telling their parents the truth about the father and keeping her sister's trust.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a project, they form an unexpectedly deep connection. But Rob's plan to fix his father's damage could ruin more than their new friendship …

WWW Wednesday | 19/06/2019

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I finished The Life and Death Parade by Eliza Wass which despite having no expectations towards this book - it just ended up being a massive disappointment. I picked this up in the library cause I liked the sound of the brief synopsis and it was also quite short, around 250 pages, so thought it would be a quick read. It follows Kitty who is attempting to find ways to communicate with her dead boyfriend and she meets a psychic who says he can help. I didn't end up liking any of the characters, the plot just didn't interest me at all and yeah, wasn't a big fan of this one.

What are you currently reading?

Stolen by Lucy Christopher, which I have actually read before but it was like nine years ago and so I wanted to re-read it and see how I felt about it now.
This was actually one of my random picks from my TBR box for the month and so I was pretty happy that I picked this one out. If you don't know, it's about a young girl who is kidnapped and taken to the Australian outback and it's basically written in the form of a letter to her captor detailing what happened. Although I know how the book ends already, I am really enjoying revisiting this book.

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm planning on picking up The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth which is the second book in the Carve the Mark duology. I didn't completely love the first book, I think I gave it 3 stars, but I spotted this in the library and the first book intrigued me enough to pick it up. I know these books have divided a lot of readers but I'm just happy that I'm gonna actually finish a fantasy series for once!

The lives of Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth are ruled by their fates, spoken by the oracles at their births. The fates, once determined, are inescapable.

Akos is in love with Cyra, in spite of his fate: He will die in service to Cyra’s family. And when Cyra’s father, Lazmet Noavek—a soulless tyrant, thought to be dead—reclaims the Shotet throne, Akos believes his end is closer than ever.

As Lazmet ignites a barbaric war, Cyra and Akos are desperate to stop him at any cost. For Cyra, that could mean taking the life of the man who may—or may not—be her father. For Akos, it could mean giving his own. In a stunning twist, the two will discover how fate defines their lives in ways most unexpected.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out! 

Top Ten Tuesday | Most Anticipated Releases July-December 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that highlights ten books that all relate to a certain topic and is  hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This Weeks Topic Is... 

Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019 and my god was it hard to wittle this down to ten. There are so many good books being released in the upcoming months but these are some that I'm extremely excited for.

Mini Book Review | A Little Princess by Frances Hodgeson Burnett

Title: A Little Princess
Author: Frances Hodgeson Burnett
Genre: Children's Classic
Links: Goodreads, Amazon

Synopsis

Sara Crewe seemed just like a real princess... When Sara Crewe arrives at Miss Minchin's London boarding school, she seems just like a real little princess. She wears beautiful clothes, has gracious manners, and tells the most wonderful stories. Then one day, Sara suddenly becomes penniless. Now she must wear rags, sleep in the school's dreary attic, and work for her living. Sara is all alone, but keeps telling herself that she can still be a princess inside, if only she tries hard enough.

Rating

 

My Thoughts

Suprisingly I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I was going to. I absolutely adore the film and I just thought this would be a nice little heartwarming story but in the end I think it translated a lot better onto the screen. Maybe it's because I grew up with the 1995 film version and I'm so familiar with the story that it stopped me from being able to see the plot through new eyes.

A lot of it is pretty similar, the characters and the setting and most of the major plot points are there. It still has that kind of magical childlike wonder about it and I still love the message behind it. Sara was so resilient throughout, she made the best of every situation and she never stopped being kind or hopeful.   

One thing I did dislike about it was how different the ending was. I loved the ending of the film but the original is slightly different and it disappoint me a little. It did work with the story but the version in the film is so uplifting and beautiful that I was surprised when it didn't play out like that in the book. I also miss Sara telling all the other girls at the academy her imaginative stories set in India, I just remember them being so vibrant in the film.  

Overall a little disappointing but it's a classic for a reason and I'm sure the story will live on for a long time.  

WWW Wednesday | 12/06/2019

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words that highlights three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What did you recently finish reading?

I've had a pretty slow reading week so I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked. I just finished Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson yesterday and I enjoyed it so much. It's definitely one of my favourite books I've read this year (so far at least!), I loved the writing style and the characters and I especially loved how cleverly everything unfolded. It did end on a massive cliffhanger and actually not much got resolved so I'm really excited to pick up the next book - The Vanishing Stair.

What are you currently reading?

I've hardly made any progress with Skycircus by Peter Bunzl which is a shame cause I am enjoying it but I've just been so busy and I've been more focused on reading Truly Devious. I'm only about 30% in and it's not pulling me in as much as the first two books but I'm
going to try to get a big chunk read today.

What do you think you'll read next?

I'm going to be picking up The Life + Death Parade by Eliza Wass as my next physical book. It's quite short, just over 200 pages, so I'm hoping I'll speed through this and get back on track with my TBR for the month.

One year ago, Kitty's boyfriend Nikki Bramley visited a psychic who told him he had no future. Now, he's dead.

With the Bramley family grieving in separate corners of their home, Kitty sets out to find the psychic who read Nikki his fate. Instead she finds Roan, an enigmatic boy posing as a medium who belongs to the Life and Death Parade--a group of supposed charlatans that explore, and exploit, the thin veil between this world and the next. A group whose members include the psychic... and Kitty's late mother.

Desperate to learn more about the group and their connection to Nikki, Kitty convinces Roan to return to the Bramley house with her and secures a position for him within the household. Roan quickly ingratiates himself with the Bramleys, and soon enough it seems like everyone is ready to move on. Kitty, however, increasingly suspects Roan knows more about Nikki than he's letting on. And when they finally locate the Life and Death Parade, and the psychic who made that fateful prophecy to Nikki, Kitty uncovers a secret about Roan that changes everything.  

My next Ebook will be Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla which was available to read straight away through Netgalley. This is a beauty and the beast retelling and whilst I generally prefer my retellings to be a bit darker, this seems like it could be a nice fluffy contemporary romance.

After Beau LeFrancois's mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch.

Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as "The Beast" at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are you currently reading and hoping to pick up next? Leave a comment or link your own WWW Wednesdays below for me to check out!