WWW Wednesday | 30/06/2021

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?

Top Ten Tuesday | Most Anticipated YA Releases July-December 2021

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 2021! I'm not really one to keep up with what's being releases other then the odd book so making this list is the perfect opportunity to dig out some books that flew under my radar. There's a lot of sequels coming out later this year but I'm obviously more of a standalone person so here's some standalones plus some series starters that I'm getting excited for. 

 

#5OnMyTBR | Roadtrips

This meme was created by E. @ Local Bee Hunter's Nook and you can find the announcement post here. Also, side note, these aren't necessarily books that I own physically but they're all on my Goodreads TBR and they'll mostly be the five most recently added.  

 

This Week's Prompt is...

Roadtrips! AKA the perfect prompt for me cause I just love a good roadtrip in books. Here's a few that I hope to get to soon.

 

Down The TBR Hole #41

 

Current TBR shelf: 3772

Last week's TBR shelf: 3781

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Book Review | Junk by Melvin Burgess

Publication Date: July 1st 2021 by Anderson Press (25th Anniversary Edition)

Format: Netgalley ARC

Target Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary,  

→ Author's Site

 

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

 

Content warnings: substance abuse, strong language, strong violence, sexual assault, references to prostitution, teenage pregnancy

 

Synopsis

Two teens fall in love with each other and heroin. Tar has reasons for running away from home that run deep and sour, whereas Gemma, with her middle-class roots firmly on show, has a deep-rooted lust for adventure. Their first hit brings bliss, the next despair.

Rating

My Thoughts

Down The TBR Hole #40

 

 

Current TBR shelf: 3781

Last week's TBR shelf: 3789

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Book Review | How to Be Brave by Daisy May Johnson

 

Publication Date: July 1st 2021 by Pushkin Press

Format: Netgalley ARC

Target Audience: Middle Grade

Genre: Contemporary,  

→ Author's Site

 

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

Synopsis

Calla’s mum has never been normal. She’s been known to go out in a lab coat and slippers and often forgets to perform basic tasks because she’s been thinking about ducks. When a job offer arrives to study her beloved birds in the Amazon rainforest, Calla knows her mum has to go. Nervously, she agrees to go to boarding school.

She quickly learns that trouble is afoot in this odd convent school. A mean new headmistress is imposing horrible rules and making everyone eat Brussels sprout cake, and the students are itching to revolt. As Calla makes new friends and gets drawn into their rebellious plot, she keeps waiting for her mum to call. She will, won’t she?

 

Rating

My Thoughts

 

WWW Wednesday | 16/06/2021

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?

 

Top Ten Tuesday | Books on My Summer 2021 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 2021 TBR! This is always a fun post to do as it gets me thinking about the books I want to read and which ones I should be prioritising. These are a mixture of physical books that I want to read as well as a few library ones that I need to get to before they need to be returned!

 

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

This is the final book by Morgan Matson that I need to read (well, apart from her newest release!) and what's a more perfect time to read a fun romantic contemporary then summer? I've loved all of Matson previous books so I'm hoping I'll have just a positive reaction with this one too. There's dogs so what's not to love?

 

Birthday by Meredith Russo  

I love the premise for this one. Told over eighteen years specifically on their shared birthday, we follow two people as they grow up. It's also LGBTQ+ with one of the characters identifying as transgender. I'm really looking forward to this one and it's a perfect read for June as it's Pride month!

 

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff   

I've actually already started this one at the time I'm writing this as 1. I just couldn't wait and 2. there's a few people waiting to borrow this after me from the library so I needed to get it read. The cover was definitely what drew me in here, I love the vintage style of it. It also sounds exceptionally summery being set by the beach and a summer romance as the main plot. 

 

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith     

I realised that I've been slacking when it comes to my whole 'reading a classic a month' thing I promised myself I would do. (Yeah, that hasn't happened!) So I thought that this one sounded like a perfect summer's day read, also they live in a ruined castle which just sounds like a dream.

 

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor       

Another coming of age story, are we sensing a theme yet? It's set in the 60's and sounds full of humour and heart and quirkiness. This was an impulse borrow from the library when I knew little about it but I'm excited to get to it in the next few weeks.  

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  

I'm a little late to the hype with this one (like I am with every hyped book, I read them years after everyone else!) but I know Daisy Edgar-Jones and Harris Dickinson are going to be in the adaptation of this (I love both of them!) so I knew I had to pick it up soon. It's a well loved book already and the mystery sounds really interesting.

 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne  

Also incredibly hyped in the romance genre is this enemies to lovers rom-com. I've seen so many people love this book and it's also getting the movie treatment so when I spotted it on sale on Amazon I had to buy it. I'm not a big reader of pure romance so I'm a little worried I won't like this as much as everyone else but I'm gonna give it a go!  

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas 

I love time travel stories and ones that have a murder mystery incorporated into it are right up my street. This sounds very female focused and a great entry into the speculative fiction genre. Very excited to read it as soon as I can squeeze it in!

 

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin    

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and although I own it, I still haven't managed to pick it up. I do this a lot with books I'm super excited for cause I don't want to be disappointed. It has such an interesting premise and I really, really want to love it so I'm gonna take the plunge and read it this summer. 

 

The Queen's Rival by Anne O' Brian  

I only just borrowed this from my library a few days ago again on a whim, even though I don't read historical fiction especially about real life royalty very often. It was definitely the cover that drew me in cause it's my favourite kind of cover style with all the illustrations around the title. I'm not sure this is going to be a new favourite but I'm interested to read more about this period of history. 

What books are on your summer 2021 TBR? Have you read any of the ones on my list? Leave a comment or link your own Top Ten Tuesday's for me to check out! Happy Reading!

Down The TBR Hole #39

 

Current TBR shelf: 3789

Last week's TBR shelf: 3796

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Owlcrate May 2021 Unboxing | Expect the Unexpected

 

 

I hadn't been particularly interested in the first four themes Owlcrate had done in 2021 but when I figured out what this months book was there was no question that I would be renewing my subscription. (Another thing I love about Owlcrate is that it allows you to skip months without losing your subsciption place!) This is a little late going up cause I've been swamped at work but I finally found some time to get it done.

May's theme was Expect the Unexpected and this box was definitely one of my favourites so far!

First up we have a book tin, part of an ongoing series by Owlcrate that will eventually have book tins to represent the different London's in V. E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series. As I only tend to get Owlcrate when I really want the book, I don't know how many of these I'll be getting and seeing as I missed the first one I won't have the complete collection. I'm not sure I mind too much as it's still lovely and will look great on my bookshelves on it's own. This tin is inspired by Grey London and has a gorgeous design created by Forensics and Flowers. 

I was very intrigued to discover what this item was when I pulled it out and it turned out to be a lovely corduroy tote bag inspired by Obsidio, the second book in the Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. I love the material used, it feels well made and it's a good size too so it would work well as a day bag. The lettering is wonderful too and the quote sounds so beautiful, hand-lettered by Studio Kyra Calligraphy. Makes me want to pick up this series even more now!

Next up we have an officially licensed Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo inspired scarf from Out of Print, obviously to tie in with all the hype surrounding the Netflix adaptation of Shadow & Bone! It's a really gorgeous design but I'm not too keen on the material used as it feels a bit stiff and scratchy and I also have never worn this type of scarf before so it may be an item I don't get much use out of unfortunately.      

We also got this little vinyl sticker designed by Lion in the Trees featuring a quote from The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. I really love this design and again, it's a great quote for a bookish product. I'm planning on buying myself a new laptop soon so maybe I'll save this to stick on there. 

Possibly my favourite item in this month's box is this absolutely stunning metal bookmark featuring quotes from Scythe by Neal Shusterman and The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and designed by Pixel & Ink Creative. Honestly, I just love bookmarks and I'm always looking to add to my collection! This looks and feels so well made and I can see myself using this a lot cause it's too beautiful to leave in a mug with my other bookmarks!

We also have this month's pin too which is obviously inspired by the featured book. I adore that quote and the design by Icey Designs is one of my favourites to come out of an Owlcrate box.   

This month's book is The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He!! This book is describes as We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli and to me that sounds like the perfect book! We've also got a complicated sisterly relationship and an abandoned island so plenty to look forward too! I completely adore this cover so so much, I love the changes Owlcrate have made, switching from blue and green tones to lilac and pink. Whilst the original cover was definitely more moody in tone, I just think these colours work so well together and it's physically stunning. 

 I don't think these end pages are exclusive but I thought they were just too pretty not to share along with the exlusive foil design on the hardcover case which is beautifull designed and works well with the overall theming of the book itself. So glad I made the decision to get this box cause honestly it has one of the prettiest front covers I own!

Wrapping things up we have the spoiler card for next month's theme which will be Go Your Own Way and will feature an enamel item from Pineapple Sundays! I won't be getting this box but hopefully you enjoy it if you do! If you're interested in buying a box for yourself you can find all the information at the Owlcrate website. Until then, Happy Reading!

Book Review | Things to Do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr

Publication Date: May 6th 2021 by Penguin

Format: Netgalley ARC

Target Audience: Young Adult 

Genre: Contemporary, Science-Fiction, Thriller, 

→ Author's Site

 

Goodreads • Waterstones • Blackwells

Synopsis

One minute you're walking in the park, hiding from a party. Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last. Everyone's last. You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct.
You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do, or to do something brave, to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster, to rage against the dying of the light.

Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to. She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard. When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there's only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives - everyone, that is, but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know exsisted. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having a effect on her. But what if Natasha isn't everything she first appears to be...?

 

Rating

 

My Thoughts

"I never worked out how to be myself in a way that I could bear. I never knew how to trust the world when it was outside my control."

 

I really quite enjoyed another of Emily Barr's books, The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods, which was released in 2019 and one I was approved for on Netgalley (you can check out my review for that book here) so when I spotted her new release on there I knew I had to request it.  

 

Things to Do Before the End of the World is a mash-up of genres. The kind of overlying theme is that the world is essentially ending pretty soon. Like in 9 months soon. Our main character Libby is a shy teenager who is struggling with her feelings for another girl at school and now has to deal with the fact that everything could be over in a matter of months. Adding to this her long lost cousin appears suddenly in her life and takes her under her wing, giving her a list of things to do before the world ends in the hopes of boosting her confidence.

 

So we've got a sci-fi/dystopian kind of set up, with some contemporary themes regarding the characters but with a few thriller elements thrown in for good fun as well. Somehow it does manage to work though and whilst for the majority of the story it mainly feels like a contemporary, those other elements ramp up the stakes and intrigue of the plot. The world ending debacle is definitely a background portion of this as a way to set up other parts sort of like a chain reaction but I kind of liked that it wasn't the main focus as it allowed for the plot to move forward but not overshadow anything else. I also liked the settings too, the way the story moved from Winchester to Madrid to Paris, Barr did a great job of bringing those cities to life on the page. 

 

Libby is an interesting character, one that I can see some people being frustrated with due to her naivete and her trusting nature. I found a lot of my teenage self in her though, her struggle to show herself to the world and her natural instinct to retreat from any kind of social scene. We also both did school plays! I wasn't overly sold on her character as I felt she was maybe a bit too subservient but by the end I was really attached and fairly protective over her. It's difficult to talk about her cousin Natasha's character without giving away spoilers so I'll just say that she definitely brought the entertainment factor to this book. It was fun to read about the two of them running around Madrid and Paris performing magic tricks for money, if only it could've stayed that way!

 

My main issues were with the pacing. In the first half we jump forward in time a fair bit. We go from December to July within about 100 pages, everything happening in those months goes by so quickly. Whereas in the second half we're pretty much solely in the month of August and the time period is over two or three weeks. I also felt that nothing much happens in the first three quarters of this book whilst it's setting up the characters and the relationship between Libby and Natasha, it was just dragging so much. It does redeem itself in the last quarter though as that's where things really get going and suddenly I was racing through in order to find out how it ends. It also targeted my anxiety so much, my heart was racing at the situation Libby found herself in. 

 

I could be persuaded to up my rating by half a star but I just didn't find myself invested in the storyline or the characters up until that last section. Barr is a great YA writer though who does a terrific job of blending contemporary with different genres and I'd be up for reading more of her work in the future as well as one of her previous books that I already own. 

* 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. Massive thank you to Penguin for providing me with a copy.

WWW Wednesday | 09/06/2021

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?

 

Top Ten Tuesday | Give Me Some Recommendations Based On Books I've Enjoyed

 

 

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 I Loved that Made Me Want More Books Like Them. I essentially took this as meaning that people will help to suggest book similar to the ones you've enjoyed so here's a few books that I loved that I'd like to find more like them. 

Six Degrees of Separation | From The Bass Rock to The Thirteenth Tale

Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. I spotted this post over on BooksPlease and loved the premise of the post! 

The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld kicks off the chain, an historical novel set in 1700's Scotland that interweaves the lives of three women. I hadn't heard of this book but I'm super intrigued now so it's made it's way onto my TBR shelf. 

Another book set close to the sea and focusing on three women is The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex. After three lighthouse keepers vanish, the women they leave behind must handle their grief stemming from this tragedy. It's also set in Cornwall which leads me to my next link...

Ross Poldark by Winston Graham kicks off the popular Poldark series that takes place on the Cornish coast and follows a returning soldier and his attempts to rebuild his life. The BBC series is one of my favourites (I mean who doesn't love a bit of Aiden Turner!) although it ended in 2020, the same year another favourite BBC series was released...   

I loved both the series and the book of Normal People by Sally Rooney. The adaptation is one I've gone back to numerous times since it's release as the relationship between Marianne and Connell is just so complex and irresistable to me. We move onto a different novel that also explores complex relationships in a university setting...

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is one that's been on my TBR for the longest time but i'm slightly intimidated by the hype surrounding it. But a dark academia murder mystery seems like exactly my sort of thing so hopefully my expectation won't be destroyed when I eventually do read it. My final link is to another mystery containing twins...

Another book I own but still haven't read is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. A gothic mystery (with twins!) but also a love letter to the art of storytelling, it's one I need to prioritise cause I love a good spooky story.   

This was such a fun post to do and I'm definitely looking forward to continuing on next month! (Also, I've just realised I miscounted and should have added an extra book, oops 🙈 I'll make sure to do it properly next month 😂.)

Down The TBR Hole #38

 

Current TBR shelf: 3796

Last week's TBR shelf: 3806

The rules   

1. Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
4. Read the synopses of the books
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Stacking the Shelves | May 2021

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality that highlights all the books you've recently added to your shelves. Here's all the books I hauled in May!

 

What with me being employed now and everything, I can actually treat myself to brand new books every now and again without worrying that it'll break the bank and so I got a few I'd heard good things about recently. All Our Hidden Gifts in particular is a new release that I'd have my eye on as the premise just sounds completely up my alley! I also loved The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton so I had to pick up his newest release. Lastly, I spotted a graphic novel/memoir that handles grief and losing your mother which I really wanted to give a go.

• The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton 

• All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue 

• Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

 

My pre-order of Threadneedle also showed up this month. I loved this book so much that after reading my Netgalley ARC I immediately put in an order for the Waterstones exclusive edition. I also popped into a charity shop on my way to work a couple of weeks ago and struck gold with two wintery reads that I'll be saving for the colder months!

 

• Threadneedle by Cari Thomas

• North Child by Edith Pattou

• In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

 

 

My ebook selections include my Amazon Prime first read choice although I'm finding it harder to pick one as their choices for the last few months haven't intrigued me all that much. Things To Do Before the End of the World is actually an E-ARC that I was approved for (weirdly on the day of it's release!) that I actually just finished and accidently put in the wrong section... Lastly, I also grabbed How To Save a Life which was on offer for 99p on Apple books.

 

• Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry

• Things to Do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr

• How to Save a Life by Eva Carter

 

     

I also discovered that my library has started using the Libby app as well so borrowed a few titles that piqued my interest.

• My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

• The Prime Suspect Cases by Lynda La Plante

• This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

 

What have you hauled over the last month or even week? Leave a comment or leave a link to your own hauls down below. Happy Reading!

May 2021 Reading Wrap Up

May seems to have flown by but it also kinda dragged in places but that's probably because I got ill (again!) therefore the amount I actually read wasn't as much as I wanted it to be. Saying that I am close to finishing three books at the time of writing this (the 2nd) so it kind of picked up in the last few days of the month. I'm taking part in Whatever-You-Want-A-Thon in June so fingers crossed I get plenty of reading done as the weather picks up.

 

Stats

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

This middle grade fantasy started out so promising what with all the fairytale theming, the fact that the characters destinies were switched and the banter between Agatha and Sophie all seemed like this would be the perfect book for me. The worldbuilding is super fun, I loved how different fairytales and different cliches were used to create contrasting classes, rooms and the backstories for some of the secondary characters. It just lost me in the second half. It definitely didn't need to be as long as it did (544 pages is a LOT for a middle grade) because it started becoming slightly repetitive and the pacing went askew. I was also disappointed in the romantic subplot as there was definitely more chemistry between Agatha and Sophie and I couldn't understand why they kept fighting over the princely character who's name I can't remember... 

I'd be up for continuing the series and I'm interested in the upcoming adaptation too.    

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett

I read the absolutely stunning MinaLima edition with the beautiful colour illustrations and interactive elements which may have upped my rating slightly as it became such an immersive reading experience. This children's classic has such a magical and whimsical feel to it. I've never been one for gardening myself but if I could have a hidden one like in the book (along with my own Dickon!)  I think I could reconsider. I also love Mary's character development from sullen and spoilt to full of wonder and love for her friends and her garden. This is definitely a product of it's time though as the language used and the casual racism can be uncomfortable to read. I also think this is a pretty sophisticated children's book as even I struggled with the Yorkshire dialogue and the slow pacing at times.

 

Incredible Doom (Volume 1) by Matthew Bogart and Jesse Holden      

This was my first ever physical ARC (thank you HarperCollins!!) so I was more then excited to dive in to this contemporary style graphic novel set in the 90's and focusing on teens and the early years of the internet. I'm still pretty new to graphic novels so take my rating with a pinch of salt due to my unfamiliarity with this format. It definitely has an interesting premise and the characters are fun to follow. I had some issues with the dialogue feeling unrealistic at times and one of the storylines feeling more developed then the other. The art style is the best part for me though as it just fits so well with the time period and themes. You can read my full review here.      

What Makes Us by Rafi Mittlefehldt

I finally got round to reading one of my oldest ARC's on Netgalley 🙌 and it honestly surpassed my expectations. This is a contemporary YA novel that mainly follows Eran, an Israeli teen, who's involvement in a protest that turns violent sets of a chain reaction and he eventually unearths some hidden secrets about his father's association with a terrorist attack. We also have two other POV's in here too, Devorah (Eran's mother) and Jade, one of his classmated who's family has secrets of their own. This was really fast paced with fascinating commentary on religion, family and the prejudice people hold against others. It's by no means perfect but it will definitely get you thinking about how much we judge someone based on the actions of their family.   

 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman     

A murdery mystery set in a retirement village? Exactly my cup of tea. I love a good cozy mystery and this did not disappoint on any level. I LOVED the British humour, the characters were all so real like they felt like somebody's grandma/grandad. Richard Osman really nailed the voice and characteristics of the elderly characters and the main group of four were equal parts adorable and a force to be reckoned with. The mystery kept me guessing and it was just so much fun to see the characters reaching conclusions for all the clues they'd gathered. If you like a more lighthearted, witty side to your mysteries rather then the dark grittiness you often find then I think you'll really enjoy this one. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment. 

 

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry  

The final book I finished in May was this collection of Greek myths that I listened to as an audiobook. This was definitely the way to go as Stephen Fry is just an excellent narrator and his voice really brings these stories to life. It took me most of the month though because this book is long. Like 15 hours long! It's a great introduction for someone with little knowledge of Greek myths AKA me, as Stephen Fry adds plenty of humour and energy into every tale making it plenty accessible. Because of the length I did find myself tuning out a few times though although that may be because audiobooks are still a format I'm adjusting too. Overall, it's a highly entertaining audiobook with a modern way of storytelling. 

 

What did you read in May? Have you read any of these books? What were your opinions? Leave a comment below and happy reading!