5 Books on my To Be Read Pile | February 2017

My blog has become a lot more book-themed recently, completely by accident! But I have been reading a lot recently, and I do enjoy it so I guess it makes sense to transfer that into writing on my blog! I love reading posts about what other people want to read, or have read and I love writing about my own too, so that's what I'm going to do for this post. So here is a list of just 5 of the books that are quite high up on my TBR list:

Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

My friend lent me her copy of this book as I’ve wanted to read it for so long – and she's been wanting me to read it for ages too! (We do love a good book discussion haha). Now that I finally have a copy in my possession (for a while, at least) I’m much more likely to get around to reading it! I adored Fangirl when I read that, and loved the way that Rainbow writes, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy this book too!

If I Stay and Where She Went, by Gayle Foreman

Again, these are two books that my friend lent me. I wasn’t too bothered about reading them, but then I read I Was Here by the same author which after thoroughly enjoying, made me so excited to read these two books!

The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla

I’d heard about this book a while ago, but didn’t really know much about it. I became aware of it again more recently after hearing about Nikesh's second project which will focus on politics written by Britain’s youth. The Good Immigrant, as I understand it, is a collection of essays contributed to by 21 writers exploring “what it means to be black, Asian & minority ethnic in Britain today”. It’ll be very different to anything I’ve ever read before but I know it’ll be such an insightful important book, especially with the political and cultural issues going on around the world today. I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – The Original Screenplay, by J.K. Rowling

If you don’t know, I love Harry Potter and anything to do with J.K. Rowling’s wonderful wizarding world. On the opening night of the Fantastic Beasts film, I was at the cinema, wearing my Hufflepuff scarf with pride. I found the film so beautiful and Newt was as fantastic as the Beasts were. I want to read the screenplay to re-cap over the story and immerse myself in 1920s magical New York because let’s face it; why wouldn’t you want to? :)

A Quiet Kind of Thunder, by Sara Barnard

I follow a lot of book-blogs and book-YouTube channels and so I’ve heard so many good things about this book already! It hasn’t even been out for that long! I do have my own copy of this book, and just as a quick side note: the cover is stunning. It sounds fantastic from the blurb and what I’ve heard from other people, and I’m pretty sure that this is the book I’m going to read next after I finish my current one! 

So those are just 5 (or 6 I guess, but I counted the two Gayle Foreman books as one, since they’re the same series) of the books I can’t wait to read!

What are some books you can’t wait to read?

G x

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Books To Read This Autumn

I've read 10 books throughout the summer which is unheard of for me as I'm such a slow reader usually! It's fair to say that I've rediscovered my love for reading and have become a proper book worm. I definitely do not want to have to put reading aside now that I'm back at college, so I'm going to tell you about the books I'm going to be sure to read this Autumn:



On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

My friend bought this for me a a birthday present but I haven't had the chance to read it yet! Before meeting my friend, I'd never watched Carrie as a YouTuber, but I now really love her channel. The cover of this book is so beautiful and the story sounds great. The blurb is very vague, which always intrigues me, but I know it's a love story, and so I reckon I'll love it!



Always with Love by Giovanna Fletcher

Sticking with the Fletcher family, this is also an 'I-can't-wait-to-read-it' book. I read Billy and Me as part of the Zoella Book Club, and after initially taking a while to settle into the story, I genuinely adored it. The characters were so well written and I found it so easy to like them all, so when I finished the book, I knew I had to find out more in the second book!



You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

I was in Waterstones a while ago, picking up random books and exploring different blurbs to find interesting books. And this book definitely jumped out to me as one I really wanted to read. It's about two characters; Kate who is 'running away from a chance of meeting the girl she has loved from afar' and Mark, who is 'in love with his best friend, Ryan', so the book clearly has representation of the LGBTQ+ community. I've never read a love story from an LGBTQ+ perspective - I guess because there aren't many out there, or at least not as many publicized as much. I think it's so important to see this representation, and I'm hugely excited to read about this story.



Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Of course this is a book I'm going to be reading this Autumn. I was lucky enough to see the play in August (don't worry; no spoilers ahead) and couldn't have fallen in love with the story more. I've started to read the script already, and find that I'm able to picture the scenes so well, which I love and am so hugely grateful for. I'm not going to be reading it all in one go, but rather savouring it and reading it gradually so it lasts for longer. But anyway, it's an incredible story :)


What books are you going to read this Autumn?







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Books On My 'To Be Read' Pile

Okay, so I've just written two book-related posts in a row (you can read the last one here) - I guess I'm just really into reading right now! Anyway, I have some other genre posts which I'm aiming to put up soon, so stick around!

There are so many books that I want to read! I'm such a slow reader so the list is probably going to grow at a faster rate than I'm actually getting through the books, but is that actually a bad thing?

Anyway, other than re-reading the Harry Potter series (which I've only read once - I feel like a terrible fan...) there are plenty of books I want to read during the rest of 2016 and going into 2017. So here they are.

"All the Bright Places", by Jennifer Niven
I've heard so many good things about this book, firstly from Zoe's channel ages ago, and then I was reminded about it when she included it in her book club selection. (I bought all 8 books by the way!) It's definitely the one that I'm most excited to read from her picks, and I'm really looking forward to it!

"Reasons to Stay Alive", by Matt Haig
I saw this in Tesco of all places and it was the title that grabbed me. It sounded like such a positive book and when I read the blurb, that initial feeling continued and I knew I had to buy it. It's a short book, but has been highly praised and so I cannot wait to read it. It's going to be the next book I read!

"Brooklyn", by Colm Toibin
I haven't seen the film, but I'll admit that this was where I first heard about the story. It was nominated for many awards (and won some...maybe. I can't remember, sorry) and so I was drawn in. For once, I decided that I should read the book before I watch the film, so it may be ages before I see the film at this rate! I'm looking forward to it though because it sounds like such a beautiful story.

The "Gone" Series, by Michael Grant
My friend has highly recommended this series to me. I managed to buy a few of the books in cheap sales so I really have no excuse not to read them when she tells me how great they are. I don't know why I haven't read them yet because she says they are amazing, so I really should read them soon; they're a definite feature on that 'to be read' pile.

"Me Before You", by Jojo Moyes
I saw the film adaptation last week and absolutely loved it, just as I thought I would. It was totally my sort of film as it so cleverly allowed you to feel close to the characters and feel their whole range of emotions with them. It was utterly beautiful and the story is one that I have to know in more detail, so I bought the book (again, from Tesco) and cannot wait to read it.

"The Fault In Our Stars", by John Green
Yes, I am one of the very few people who hasn't read the book. I have watched the film though, and like "Me Before You" I absolutely loved how I was able to feel the emotion along with the characters. I've loved the other books of John Green's that I've read ("Paper Towns", "Looking For Alaska" and "An Abundance of Katherines") so I have no doubt that I'll love this one too. I really should get a move on and read it!!

"Fangirl", by Rainbow Rowell
This is also a feature in Zoe's WHSmith Book Club, but I've wanted to read it for a while. I love that feeling when you walk into a bookshop and explore the blurbs in that beautiful quietness of the shop. I must've read the blurb of "Fangirl" quite a few times by now and I don't really know why I haven't bought it before now. But as I bought the 8 books in Zoe's book club, I now happily own "Fangirl" and so I'll actually get round to reading it now.

So those are just a few of the books that I'm hoping to read in the next few months, There are so many more than this, but these ones are the ones I'm most looking forward to reading!

What books are on your 'To Be Read' pile?



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The Books I've Read This Year

At the beginning of the year, I made a few new year resolutions. I can't remember what they all were because I've probably broken all of those ones, but the one that I can remember was to read 15 books by the end of 2016. In the last few years, I've been so bad at reading and last year I think I probably only read about 5 books, so I thought 15 would both be a challenge but still realistic.

On Friday though, I finished the last page on my 15th book which I was so proud of because we're only half way through the year! Yes, some of them are a bit 'too young' for me, but that made a really nice change because A-Levels are so, well, adult and I wanted something to put my mind at ease. Even if some of them are recommended for age groups well below my own, they were all great books and I thoroughly enjoyed them. So, without further ado, here are the books I've read!



The "Noughts & Crosses" series, by Malorie Blackman

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Consists of 4 books: "Noughts & Crosses", "Knife Edge", "Checkmate" and "Double Cross"
My Rating: 9.5/10 (I'll be like Hazel Grace and save my 10)
This is without a doubt one of the best series I have ever read. It's not a light-hearted book, and so should only be read by older readers, but the power of the characters and story lines is utter genius; it revolves around a racially segregated society, where the black crosses are the superior race and the white noughts are severely discriminated against. The book is so clever and if you want a series to make you really think and sometimes question society, then this is really the book for you.



Two of the "Alex Rider" series, by Anthony Horowitz

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Consists of 10 books: "Stormbreaker", "Point Blamc", "Skeleton Key", "Eagle Strike", "Scorpia", "Ark Angel", "Snakehead", "Crocodile Tears", "Scorpia Rising" and "Russian Roulette" 
Read this year: "Snakehead" and "Crocodile Tears"
My Rating: 7/10
This is a series for younger readers, but it's a great one. I read the first 6 when I was a lot younger, but because I haven't been reading much in the last few years, I never got round to finishing the rest! Alex Rider is a great character; he's a 14 year old boy who was recruited by MI6 as an agent. It does sound a little cliche and unbelievable, but they're cleverly written and the story lines are great scenes packed full of action. I still have 2 left to read, one of which I'm reading at the moment, but they're thoroughly enjoyable and I'd recommend them to anyone who likes a good action novel!



The "Gallagher Girl" series, by Ally Carter

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Consists of 6 books: "I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you", "Cross my heart and hope to spy", "Don't judge a girl by her cover", "Only the good spy young", "Out of sight out of time" and "United we spy"
My Rating: 8/10
I loved these books. Again you could argue that I'm too old for them, but they really are great. They're about a group of girls who attend the Gallagher Academy which to the outside world is a private school for the richest, 'snobby' girls, but is actually an elite training school for secret agents and spies. The story lines are clever, and believable as there's a great balance between the spy thing, and just the fact that they're teenage girls experiencing new areas of life. They are quite easy to read because the vocabulary isn't too hard, so if you want a great book that won't stress out your brain too much, then these are the books for you!



"At the sign of the sugared plum", by Mary Hooper

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My Rating: 6/10
This is a historical book set just before the great plague in London. It follows Hannah who goes to help her sister in her shop in London, which brings her many new discoveries and experiences. It humanizes the people who lived through the plague and really makes you think of it as something real that happened to real people. Although, I've probably just made you think it's a dark book, it's absolutely not; it's lovely! I really enjoyed this and it wasn't very long so it was a nice book to read in just a couple of days (or hours for all you quick readers out there!)



"The Baby", by Lisa Drakeford

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My Rating: 5/10
This is a book about a group of friends, one of whom, Nicola, suddenly gives birth at Olivia's house party without even knowing she was pregnant. It's a uniquely written book, as each of the 5 characters get their own P.O.V in the book in 5 separate installments. It's also written in the present tense which was very different for me and I did find it a little difficult to read at times. Having said that, it was an enjoyable book, and if you want something a little different, then this book might be for you!



"Looking for Alaska", by John Green

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My Rating: 9/10
I'm sure you've all read this, and if you have, you'll probably agree with me in saying that this is a fantastic book. John Green, being the genius that he is, has written such a captivating story, one which is anything but predictable. It is so clever, giving each chapter a different time i.e "120 days before" and each chapter counts down to something which you know is going to be big. It's so engaging and (I know, cliche but...) really makes you want to keep on reading. Please, please, if you haven't read this, you really should!

Anyway, that concludes the 15 books that I've read so far this year! I'm hoping I'll be able to add to this total by the time January comes around and maybe I'll be able to do a second one of these posts! Also, I'm considering writing a book review in more detail about some books, so you might see one of them on here soon!

What books have you read this year? Have you read any of the same as me? What did you think of them?




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P.S I know it's not important, but I wanted to clear this up. I don't actually have my own copy of some of these books, so I borrowed some from the library and therefore no longer have them in my room, as I've already returned them. That's why there aren't actually all 15 books in the title photo. I know some of you don't care about this, but for any of you who may have been wondering, that's why!

A 2016 Book Challenge!

Hi Guys!

I've been so busy (and lazy) over the last year or so and I really feel that the love I had for reading has genuinely suffered. You know when you were younger and in primary school you had to write paragraphs about yourself to practice descriptions and adjectives or what-not - well I'd always say that I was a reader. 

Recently though I haven't read enough to sustain that title. 

So a few months ago, all the way back in 2015, I decided that 2016 would be the year that I rediscover my love for books, and I've set myself a challenge. I'm going to read at least 15 books this year. It sounds a bit pathetic I know, especially if I compare myself to my friend whose target is 50 (and she's already read about 8) but I'm reminding myself that I do have A-Levels to study for so it's not too bad!

I have already read 4 books and I'm loving the fifth. They are:

"Noughts and Crosses" by Malorie Blackman
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green
"At the sign of the sugared plum" by Mary Hooper
"Snakehead" by Anthony Horowitz

And I loved them all.

I might end up doing a couple of book reviews throughout the year, so let me know if you'd like that.

What books are you reading at the moment? Let me know!

Thank you so much for reading,

Georgia

xxx