March Wrap Up

It's been a while since I've posted but I've been so busy! My last post was my January Wrap Up and now I'm back with my March Wrap Up!

I didn't bother doing a february wrap up as I only managed to read 2 books. In March I managed to read 4 books which for me is pretty good. It's hard for me to read a lot when I'm so busy with school and there's a lot going on at the minute but I'm happy with having read 4 books, I'm now also 48% through my reading challenge and it's only the start of April!

1. Stardust by Neil Gaiman (5*)

I was really excited to read this as I've watched the film a lot and didn't even realise it was an adaptation of a book! The book is very similar to the film and it was so lovely and magical, I loved it but of I'm honest, I prefer the film. 

2. Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (5*)

I've wanted to read this book for ages because I've seen it everywhere and after finishing my christmas books, I borrowed it off a friend and got to read it. I am in love with this book! The story is so cute and I envy Anna's and St. Clair's relationship, they're adorable! I want my own St. Clair. I feel like anyone can enjoy this book, it's so light and easy to read and feels so real.

3. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (3*)

It's safe to say I was hugely let down by this book. I desperately wanted to love it like every other person seems to but I really did. I didn't cry once and maybe that makes me a bad person but for me, the writing lacked emotion. It was definitely over hyped and it was compared to "Eleanor And Park meets The Fault In Our Stars", 2 books I disliked, so it was no wonder I didn't like this book.

4. Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (4*)

I enjoyed this book and obviously it was very similar to Anna And The French Kiss.  I didn't like the character Lola as much as I liked Anna (who I loved to be honest). I find that in so many books, the girls are always really pathetic and moany but Anna was never like that and all her reactions were really justified. Lola on the other hand was sometimes annoying. I did like the book but I found it weird how she wore costumes all the time and no one judged her for it which is great but not real life at all and I find it hard to believe she'd be able to pull a 22 year old "rockstar" when she dressed like a kid. I think my favourite parts of the whole book were those with Anna and St. Clair, they're definitely my book OTP.

So that's what I read in March! What did everyone else read? I probably won't be reading much in the coming months as I have exams soon but when they're over I'll have plenty of time to catch up for the months I've missed!

January Wrap Up

In January I managed to read 6 books which for me is a huge accomplishment although one book was for school and it was a very short play. 

At the end of 2014 I did a 2014 wrap up and I've decided now to do monthly wrap ups because I really enjoyed the 2014 one.

So here's what I read in the month of January!

1. Briar Rose - Jana Oliver (3*)

I really don't know whether I liked this or not. I felt some of the language was way too "fake" and wasn't how teenagers talk at all. The plot was both good and bad and kinda weird in parts but overall it's was alright. For some reason I think this book would have been better as a TV show not a book (??).

2. An Inspector Calls - J.B Priestly (no rating)

Read this for school, it's not brilliant but I kinda like the theme of responsibility in it.

3. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (4*) 

I actually started this in 2014 but ended up reading other books at the same time and never finishing this. I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to but I really enjoyed the main plot and the writing style. It was really nice to read a fantasy for a change.

4. The Sky Is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson (5*)

Really loved this. I loved the poems in the book and I want my own Joe Fontaine.

5. Blood Red Road - Moira Young (4*)

This book really irritated me because it used no speech marks but other than that it was a good read and it was nice to read more dystopian seeing as I haven't read any since finishing The Death Cure.

6. Rebel Heart - Moira Young (4*)

I kinda prefered this book to the first one but I did not like the way Saba acted in some parts with DeMalo, I think it was just wrong and made me feel sick.

So that's what I read in January! I'm now 24% done with my GoodReads challenge!

My Thoughts: The Night Circus

I find that I'm awful at writing reviews and I write them but never post them because they're so boring so this is an attempt of a new kind of post.

Instead of completely reviewing the book I'm just going to give a few thoughts and opinions.(which I guess is a review but let's just go with it).

The Night Circus is one of the most hyped up books ever, especially because of the Internet with things like GoodReads and booktube. 

I've never once heard someone tell me they don't like it but sadly, I am that person.

I was desperate to love this book because of all the hype surrounding it but I think all that hype meant that no matter what, it would always have disappointed me even if I had enjoyed it.

Although I'm not a fan of YouTubers, I did once see Jim Champan mention this book in a video and he explained that he wasn't into reading and this was a great book for people like that because it was so easy to read. It wasn't. It's probably one of the most difficult books to get into, especially for people who don't read often.

Erin Morgenstern's writing style is very unique and descriptive and it made the book all the more magical and I loved that quality about it but it was pretty long winded and I did struggle to get into it and finish it. It seemed that no matter how much I read, I was never getting nearer the end.

The book it's self is difficult to follow with jumps in time forwards and backwards and what felt like a million subplots, some with little relevance to the main story, with hundreds of different characters. 

I can understand why people love this book so much but for me it was just way too heavy going and packed up, it was a little overwhelming.

Despite not enjoying the book as much as the majority of people, I still rated the book 4* on GoodReads purely because of the idea of the book and the writing style. It is very lovely and heartwarming and it was nice to read a magical story for a change.

I am still so so so upset that I didn't love this book though, I really wouldn't rave about it to anyone and I want to so much but it really wasn't for me.

Books For Christmas

This post has ended up being uploaded a lot later than I had expected but I decided to do it anyway. 

For Christmas I didn't ask for a lot other than books!

I gave  my mum a list of books I wanted to read and asked her to buy me a random selection as I wanted a surprise for my presents because all I asked for is books, haha.

So she got me a few off my list and a few surprise books.

So here's the Christmas book haul!

1. Tiger Lily - Jodi Lynn Anderson

I had wanted this book for such a long time so it was the first book I started reading and it was incredible.

2. Briar Rose - Jana Oliver

I had asked for Briar Rose by Jane Yolen but when you search that in amazon this is the first book that comes up so I think my mum may have got confused.

3. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld 

I've heard a lot of people talk about this book and I've seen mixed reviews so I hope it lives up to the hype and good reviews.

4. The Sky Is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

I added this to my GoodReads a while ago but I honestly don't remember what it's about. It seems to have quite an original format from what I can see from flicking through it.

5. Stardust - Neil Gaiman

I watched the movie of this years ago and I was in love with it. I actually didn't know it was a book until last year so I hope it's as good as the movie adaptation.

6. The Dustlands Trilogy (Blood Red Road, Rebel Heart, Raging Star) - Moria Young

These are the books I hadn't asked for and I haven't actually heard of them but they're recommended for fans of The Hunger Games (like every dystopian novel) so I'm hoping to enjoy them. 

Hope everyone has had a good new year so far!

2014 Wrap Up

2014 is officially over and we have all welcomed in 2015. I'm excited to read more in 2015 but I thought I'd take the time to reflect over the books I read in 2014.

I signed up to GoodReads in August so I lost track of books I read before then so I don't know if in reality I read more books than I thought in 2014.

Anyway, here's the 2014 wrap up.

1. Noughts And Crosses - Malorie Blackman (5*)

I loved this book so much. This was in fact, the first book to make me cry. It's so well written and the concept and plot is amazing, I really fell in love with the characters and love Callum's and Sephy's relationship.

2. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green (3*)

I read this book because of the hype and really did not enjoy it. John Green's writing style isn't for me and I didn't cry at all. I expected great things from it but unfortunately I didn't get that. I loved te movie though.

3. The Host - Stephanie Meyer (1*)

It's a big book and has a tiny font and it took forever to read simply because I was not enjoying it. There was no real storyline and I didn't really like the concept.

4. The Princess And The Captain - Anne-Laure Bondoux (1*)

My sister and mum both told me to read this and raved about it so much so after a few years I finally gave in. I didn't enjoy it at all, I did not like the ideas or plot and found the ending a little stupid.

5. Stolen - Lucy Christopher (4*)

I don't remember this book much but I remember enjoying it. It's a very original idea and was well written. It was also very gripping from what I remember.

6. Paper Towns - John Green (4*)

This is the one John Green book I really enjoyed. I loved the whole mystery and Margo was such a good character (even though she turned out to be a bit of a bitch in my opinion) I desperately wanted to be her. The ending let me down though.

7. Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck (3*)

I read this as my GCSE English book, I had no choice. 

8. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan (1*)

This book in my opinion was awful. It was poorly written, difficult to understand and had a hugely disappointing ending.

9. The Book Theif - Markus Zusak (5*)

I had wanted to read this for ages and I saw it for really cheap and picked it up and I'm so glad I did! I've not heard a single person say they don't like this book and I can see why. It's so lovely (and very sad) and it's so descriptive and well written and the death narrative is so original and creative, I loved it.

10. Wonder - R.J. Palacio (3*)

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would considering the hype surrounding it. Though I didn't enjoy it, it's very uplifting and teaches the reader some valuable life lessons which ultimately is be kind.

11. Looking For Alaska - John Green (2*)

I didn't like it and Pudge was insanely annoying.

12. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time - Mark Haddon (4*)

Honestly, I don't remember much of what happens in this book and I know I didn't love it but it was a good read.

13. The Maze Runner - James Dashner (4*)

Loved it. It was nice to read dystopian again.

14. It's Kind Of Funny Story - Ned Vizzini (5*)

I can't fault this book. It's absolutely perfect and will definitely be one of my all time favourite books for ever.

15. Eleanor And Park - Rainbow Rowell (3*)

It was an okay book but I struggled to finish it, I had to drag myself to the end and I could not stand Eleanor.

16. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher (4*)

I really did enjoy reading this but I found some of the reasons she mentioned a little petty and irrelevant.

17. Happily Ever After - Harriet Evans (3*)

I liked how real it was and how it followed Elle's life for a long period of time and you saw how she developed and matured. It's not really a book for my age though so I didn't enjoy it too much, it's just written more for adults.

18. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner (4*)

Again, loved it. Probably better than the first book to be honest.

19. The Death Cure - James Dashner (3*)

It started off great but the ending let it down so much.

20. Billy And Me - Giovanna Fletcher (4*)

It's a light, easy read. I really liked Gi's writing style.

21. Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli (5*)

It's strange I gave this 5* as it didn't enjoy the story much. I just loved the ending and it's so positive and uplifting. I longed to be Stargirl for hours after reading the book (and still do)

22. We Were Liars - E. Lockhart (5*)

Wow. I loved this so much and I was left so shocked, I was not expecting the ending at all, it was pretty sad in the end.

23. Why We Broke Up - Daniel Handler (4*)

I liked this concept and idea, the format reminded me of Thirteen Reasons Why.

24. This Song Will Save Your Life - Lelia Sales (5*)

I loved the topic of this book and over all really enjoyed it.

25. Tiger Lily - Jodi Lynn Anderson (5*)

Along with It's Kind Of A Funny Story, this will be one of my all time favourite books. It was great to end the year on a reading high. I loved the fantasy world and I've always loved Peter Pan and the idea of Neverland. It was just so incredible. I cried a lot at the ending. Like loads.

So that was what I read in 2014. I've set my new 2015 reading goal as 25 books which should be easy to complete (last year I set my challenge as 15 books). 

Very excited to discover more new books in the new year!!

 

The Chocolate Book Tag

It's a given that everyone loves chocolate and chances are, if you're reading this, you love books too. So what better tag to do than the Chocolate Book Tag?

1. Dark Chocolate - a book that covers a dark topic

There's definitely a lot of books I could pick for this but I'm going with 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher which covers the topic of suicide - doesn't get darker than that really.

2. White Chocolate - your favourite lighthearted/humours book

I've not read many funny books but It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli are both books that's are quite lighthearted and uplifting.

3. Milk Chocolate - a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read

I'm dying to read a lot of hugely popular books but I've wanted to read Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Lani Taylor for ages and a lot of BookTube tags I've watched recently have mentioned it, making me want to read it even more.

4. Wafer Free KitKat - a book that has surprised you lately

Recently I read Billy And Me by Giovanna Fletcher and I wasn't expecting much from it but it was a lot better than I thought it would be.

5. Snickers - a book you are going nuts about

This is easily It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini which I cannot stop gushing about. It's such a wonderful book, I don't think I have enjoyed a book quite as much as this.

6. Hot Chocolate With Cream And Marshmallows - a book you would turn to for a comfort read

If I really wanted to feel comforted I think I'd go with one of my childhood books which would be either Gobbolino The Witch's Cat/The Adventures Of The Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams, Humphrey's  Corner by Sally Hunter or Necklace Of Raindrops by Joan Aiken. Maybe even Harry Potter And The Philosopher's stone.

7. Chocolate With A Caramel Centre - a book that made you feel gooey in the middle while you read it

Any romance/chick lit obviously, possibly Billy And Me by Giovanna Fletcher, a very cute, fanfic style book.

Again, I have no one to tag seeing as I don't know any book blogs yet.

Hope you enjoyed! 

Book Review: Billy And Me - Giovanna Fletcher

It may be wrong to judge a book by its cover, but how can you resist when it's this pretty?

Since I first heard about Giovanna Fletcher taking up writing, I have wanted to read her debut novel, Billy And Me.

Billy And Me follows the life of Sophie May, an introverted kind of girl who is happy living a quiet life in a small village in Kent. She is very much out of the celebrity world and when she meets Billy Buskin, a huge Hollywood actor, in the cafe she works at, she has no idea who he is. Billy instantly takes a shine to Sophie and before she knows it, she's whisked off to London, seeing herself in newspapers and caught up in Billy's hectic world. Can Sophie cope with the showbiz world?

Before reading this I heard very mixed reviews about it. This left me wondering if perhaps Giovanna only got offered this book deal because of who she is married to and the good reviews were from McFly fans. I hoped that wouldn't be the case because it would be an unfair way of making money/getting famous and I would also feel sorry for Gi if she was super passionate about writing but people only liked her books because of who she was.

I actually really liked Giovanna's writing style, it was very chatty, informal and it felt as though Sophie was genuinely talking to you. 

I gave the book 4* on Goodreads but it wasn't a brilliant book. It was an easy, entertaining, light read but the plot didn't really hook me or make me fall in love with the characters etc. 

The book began with me thinking that all the characters were decent people but by halfway through, Sophie May had found her way into the Top 10 most irritating characters and Billy Buskin had become a bit of a dick.

Sophie seemed like a perfectly nice girl, a likeable character. However, she grew increasingly more irritating as the book went on. She definitely didn't understand the way the outside world worked and to be completely honest, I found her wingey and pathetic, she was like a damsel in distress always needing a man to rescue her. It was a disappointing turn when what I really want to see from a book is a strong, independent, real woman -not one from centuries in the future with a bow and arrow who kills anyone and anything. 

Billy ended up being a bit of a dick to Sophie at times but that didn't excuse Sophie's ridiculously dramatic reactions.

I can see why some people wouldn't enjoy the book. It's marketed as a typical chick-lit book, targeted at women maybe 20/23+ but really it's more of a teen girl read (I'm only 16). I think a lot of people above my age, probably 19 upwards (depending on reading ability and how much they enjoy reading) would find the writing style quite "childish" and "immature" and "basic". It's a lot like reading a fanfic. That's completely just my opinion/view though.

Anyone read this book who agrees with me? Disagrees?