October Wrap Up (2019)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I'm posting this wrap up a little early so that I can post my TBR on Thursday, because I probably won't have the time to post on Friday.

That's all I have to say for the intro, so all I can say now is:

Enjoy!

-BOOKS-

I read a total of five books this month, and considering how little I read last month, I'm really happy that I achieved five books, even if they weren't the longest.

These are the books I read:

1. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

As much as I enjoyed this book, I wish it had been shorter than it was. It took me longer to finish it than I would have liked. The ending was what redeemed the book for me. Once I got over the novelty of the newness of Green Gables, there wasn't a whole lot that I enjoyed about the book. So when some events finally began to unfold which I found interesting, I was so relieved. Look, I get the hype for this novel. When Anne of Green Gables was released, it was probably way ahead of it's time. But there was just something about the book that didn't gel well with me.

2. Faceless, by Alyssa Sheinmel

I'd seen this book in a couple of shops before and I've always been intrigued, but I've bought it. And when I first started it, I found it hard to get into, for the first 50 pages or so. But after that, I got sucked into this story about a girl that didn't recognise the face that stared back at her in the mirror, and had to learn to become the person she was now, regardless of what she had gone through. Hard to read, because of the difficult subjects discussed within the pages of this novel, but such an addictive read. I recommend this if your in the mood for a sad one.

3. The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry

The girl in red. To be honest, I was expecting the classic story, told in a more modern way. That's not what I got, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The Girl in Red is set where most of the world has died, been infected by this mystery disease. Red is riding alone, trying to get to her grandmother's house. She has a prosthetic leg, which means she doesn't run headlong into battle (though that doesn't stop her fighting back when she needs to), so it adds to an already interesting story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely want to read more of Christina Henry's books in the future.

4. Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

OMG this book. Eliza and her Monsters, I'm glad to say, is so worth the hype. This will definitely make my favourite list for the end of the year because it just blew me away. My eyes were glued to the pages the minute I opened the book all the way through to the last page. I started crying at work because of this book and that never happens. If you haven't picked this book up yet then I urge you to.

5. A Sorrow Fierce and Falling (Kingdom on Fire #3), by Jessica Cluess

The third and final book in the Kingdom on Fire trilogy. The second book, A Poison Dark and Drowning was one of the challenges for my TBR Jar Challenges, and I figured that I may as well finish the trilogy and add it to my completed list. For months now, I've been trying to get myself to pick it up, but have never seemed to manage it. But eventually I did, and I ran through it so quickly I wasn't sure I'd even started it, or whether it was just a dream. I've grown to love these characters so much over the last three books, and this book tore me to shreds with the way everything ended. I actually can't believe the series is over. Recommend this if you like books that feel Jane Austen-ey, with a mix of magic, and violence.

-TV SHOWS-

1. Chicago Med~ Seasons 4 & 5 (Caught up)

2. Waterloo Road~ Season 10 (Finished)

3. Pramface~ Seasons 2 & 3

-FILMS-

1. I, Tonya

2. Orphan

3. Daddy Day Care

4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year

5. Saw

6. Saw II

7. Mulan

I haven't done much this month, other than work so I'm going to leave it there.

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you all on Thursday, with my TBR!

Feel free to comment what you got up to down below!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Series I'm Up To Date On

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And even though I make sure I update any new series' I complete regularly, I haven't done a post on what series' I'm up to date on, and awaiting releases for.

There are five series on this list, and I hope you enjoy it.

1. Heartstopper series, by Alice Oseman

I read the first volume in the series when I went on holiday to a cottage in Durham for a week in June, and I fell in love with the characters. I can't explain how much I love and root for these characters. As soon as it's released on 6th February, my eyes will be scouring the pages, for what happens next. If you like books about love, and are interested in pursuing more of the graphic novel genre, then I highly recommend this series.

2. This Mortal Coil trilogy, by Emily Suvada

This is one of the few Science Fiction series that I'm interested in. Sci-fi is one of my top three genres that I like to read, but I haven't been reading much, because I've been picking up more fantasy. But the third book comes out in January, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be one of my TBR Jar Challenges for next year. This is a DNA sci-fi ish story where a disease continues to mutate and evolve. People are few and far between. But it's incredibly fast paced, and each chapter wants me to keep reading.

3. Legacy of Orisha (series?), by Tomi Adeyemi

I thought the sequel to this book was released in March. Turns out, it's not out until December. I don't remember much of this book, despite it being so good, so I think I'm going to re-read this at some point, but I know that if the sequel is half as good as the first book, then the whole world is (probably) going to really enjoy this. (Because the hype is huge for this book.)

4. The Noughts and Crosses series, by Malorie Blackman

This was a series that I loved many moons ago, and to this day it remains to be my favourite series to date. Crossfire joined the collection on 4th July, and there is to be another book coming soon, because it ended on a cliff-hanger, of all things. I haven't found a release date for book 6 as of yet, but I can't wait to find out what happens to Troy and Libby, how the trial on Tobey is going to go, knowing that once again, Troy and Libby's fate is balanced on a knife point.

5. Skulduggery Pleasant series, by Derek Landy

I'm not going to post all the covers for this series, because there's 12, not including spin-offs. This is a humongous series, and I've been reading this since I was about 12, and I still haven't gotten bored of it. It follows a skeleton detective, (called Skulduggery Pleasant), with his partner (Valkyrie Cain) as they fight bad guys, and solve mysteries. It is quite dark, but it's such a good series if you're looking for a good intro into YA, because it's more of a mature middle grade series'.

From what I know, the next book is due to be released in March 2020.

Okay! I hope you enjoyed that post, let me know in the comments what series you're enjoying at the moment, because I'm always looking for recommendations.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon!

Byeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx

31-40 Books of 2019

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's time for another look at some of the books that I've read recently!

I've currently read 43/52 books for my Goodreads reading challenge, so these will be the books that I've read up to the end of September!

Enjoy!

31. Heartstopper Volume 2, by Alice Oseman

This was just as amazing as volume 1! I flew through this book in just under an hour, and it's definitely going to be on my Favourites list for 2019! If you like heart-warming, funny graphic novels with an LGBT romance within it's pages, then this is the series for you. I seriously can't wait for Volume 3.  

32. Twilight (The Twilight Saga #1), by Stephanie Meyer

This was one of my selections for Reading-rush-a-thon. It had been a while since I had picked it up, and it fit a couple of the categories, so I decided to give it a re-read. And I'm so glad I did. If I feel like it, I might pick it up in the new year, (when I've read all the books I have on my TBR- I have 8 left.)

33. A Poison Dark & Drowning (Kingdom on Fire #2), by Jessica Cluess

The second book in the Kingdom on Fire trilogy. This is one of my TBR Jar Challenges for the year, and I'm still trying to read the third one so I can be done with this trilogy. (Do you ever feel like you want to be done with a series, but really don't want to pick it up? That's how I feel.) But this was a pretty decent book. We get to explore the world a little bit more, meet new people, and we find out a bit more about Henrietta's history and her heritage. Writing about this now, has actually got me in the mood to pick the third and final book in the trilogy. (Maybe I'll read it next.

34. The Surface Breaks, by Louise O' Neill

When I started this book, I didn't know what to expect. Based on the opinions on Goodreads, I knew some people loved this, others hated it. But having read it, I realise that some people might not have got the message behind the story. This is meant to be a feminist version of the Little Mermaid. I don't know if I would call it that, but it's definitely a lot darker, and more powerful than the Disney classic that we all have come to know.

35. Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1), by Natasha Ngan

Another book that I wasn't too sure about, going into it. I'd heard some mixed reviews, (but saying that, there are mixed reviews with any book.) Overall, even though there were some scenes that were very unsettling, other than that it was great. The character development wasn't the best, not much changed once you met all the girls, and what the aim of the book was, but what Natasha did really well was the building of the tension, particularly towards the end of the book. A solid read.

36. Dear Evan Hansen, by Val Emmich

Such a beautiful read. Having heard the soundtrack about a million times, I was more than eager to pick this up once I knew they were turning it into a book. And even though I imagine I'd be crying X100 if I was watching the show (it's come to the West End this October in fact.) This was such a beautiful book to read, the language, the lyrics were drafted beautifully into the novel. I'm so glad I picked it up.

37. Crossfire (Noughts & Crosses #5), by Malorie Blackman

It was absolutely fantastic to dive right into the world that Malorie Blackman created all those years ago. Even though some years have passed since the end of Double Cross, Crossfire fits right in with the other four. Everything came flooding back as soon as I read the first page, and it was wonderful to read about all of my favourites characters once more, along with a few new ones too. What's more, there's going to be another, so I really can't wait for that to be released!

38. Opposite of Always, by Justin A. Reynolds

To sum this book in one word: heart-wrenching. It's always hard to read about a person whose always the underdog, always close but never quite there. Well, we have to read about that multiple times in this book when Jack is just too late to save the girl he loves. Sometimes, you have to go through something more than once to learn how far you're willing to go. A very... unique read. (I promise, it's a lot less depressing than I'm making it sound. It's incredibly funny as well.)

39. Becoming, by Michelle Obama

One book that I absolutely have to insist you listen to this on Audiobook. There was just something special about hearing her talk about her story with such conviction. When she described what it was like living with her brother, and her parents, her education, and what eventually led to being the wife of the president. I can now say with some confidence, that Michelle Obama is a national treasure. Give it a read. You won't regret it.

40. Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4), by Kendare Blake

The fourth and final book in the Three Dark Crowns series. Also the final TBR Jar Challenge for the year. Although it wasn't my favourite throughout the series, it was still a decent ending to the series, and I'm satisfied with the ending. Being honest, I'm actually going to miss reading about these characters, even if they were all poised to kill each-other. What I liked about this series was how it became so much bigger than the three Queens fighting to rule. They were more than just strategizing to gain power for their party, they became real people. There was still a fair share of mystery, surprise twists and violence, but it was honestly such an amazing series. Highly recommend, and I can't wait to see what Kendare Blake writes next.

Okay! That's the end of the post, and that's going to do it for today!

If you've read any of these books, and want to talk about them, then let me know in the comments and we can chat about it!

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

The Addams Family Book Tag

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And when I saw this book tag, I got so excited :)

I don't really have much to say other than, enjoy!

1. Morticia Addams: the Mother & Witch

What is your favourite witch book?

Other than Harry Potter, this is probably the only book that contains witches. Sweetly is a Hansel & Gretel retelling, the second in the Fairytale Retelling series, and it's arguably my favourite out of the four of them. The descriptions of the sweets that Sophia makes is absolutely mouth-watering. Combine that with mystery of the witch, along with why all the females leave on the same date every year. Add some gun shooting, and you've got Sweetly.

2. Gomez Addams: the Loving Father

Who is your favourite fictional dad?

There really is no other fictional Dad that I could go with. Not only is he the son of seven children, he is the first father figure that Harry has ever known.

3. Uncle Fester: Can generate electricity!

What book makes you light up so much you can't stop from talking about?

These books are probably what I've talked about the most the second part of this year. Nothing has really even come close to how much I loved reading these books, these characters. I flew through both of these in under 2 hours, and I can't wait for Volume 3 to see what happens next!

4. Wednesday Addams; is obsessed with Death!

If you could kill off a character in any book, who would it be?

The King, in Girls of Paper and Fire; I wish he'd just drop dead. If you've read this book, then you know why I wish I could kill him off.

5. Pugsley Addams; has a vicious nature and plays nasty pranks on everyone.

Who is your favourite villain?

By far the creepiest and most intriguing villain out there. I didn't get the chance to see Part II last month, but I will, when it comes out on DVD in a couple of months. I read the book last year and being in the mind of that creature was weird to say the least.

6. Lurch; is based on Frankenstein's monster/ is a Zombie.

What is your favourite adaptation of a story?

Even though I haven't yet finished this book, (I've just under 100 pages left) it feels like it was specifically written for me to read it. I bought this book up on a whim, because I didn't feel like I had anything Halloween-ish for the upcoming month. But I saw the cover, read the blurb, and bought it in London last month. (Alongside Eliza and her monsters) I can't wait to see how this ends, whether the virus will take Red, and whether a wold will make an appearance.

7. Grandmamma; an old classic horror book.

What is your favourite old classic horror book?

Can I skip this one? I don't really read old classic horror books, unless you can consider Stephen King books old classic horror books?

8. What are you going as for Halloween this year?

Although you can't really trick-or-treat at my age, if I get invited to any Halloween parties this month, I will be going as Android 18 from Dragonball Z. Fairly simple clothing, and Jordan already has the costume for Android 17, so we're all set!

9. Favourite Halloween films!

I haven't watched too many, but here are some of my current favourites:

-The Mist (first Horror film I watched-ever)

-The Purge: Anarchy

 -The Shining

-House at the End of the Street

-The Woman in Black

Okay! I hope you enjoyed The Addams Family Book Tag!

As always, if you want to do this tag, then feel free!

Right, that's it for today, I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all next week!

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

Faceless, by Alyssa Sheinmel

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And yesterday I finished Faceless, by Alyssa Sheinmel.

I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd write a book review about it!

Enjoy!

Title: Faceless

Author: Alyssa Sheinmel

Genre: Contemporary

Status: Standalone

Pages: 343

Blurb: "When Maisie is burnt in a terrible

accident, her face is partially

destroyed. She's lucky enough to

get a face transplant, but how do

you live your life when you can't

even recognise yourself any more?

As Maisie discovers how much her

looks shaped her relationship to

the world, she has to redefine her

own identity, and figure out what

'lucky' really means."

My Thoughts

This book broke my heart. It physically took it, and shattered it into a million pieces. It's one of my favourite books of the year.

Imagine looking in the mirror, and not recognising your face. A stranger's face.

That is what Maisie has to do when part of her face is burned off in a horrific accident. She's told that she is 'lucky', by having a second chance, by being given a new face.

But it's more than just a new face. It's a new medication plan. It's restrictions. A number of things you can no longer do, and some things that you can never do. It's a whole new life.

How do come back from that?

This is a story about Maisie. Who, after her face was basically melted off, has to come to terms with the fact that she'll never be able to have children, won't be able to run again. And being a runner myself, it was hard to accept that I couldn't run for any length of time (at one point), so let alone never again!

This was a book with a lot of difficult topics to say the least. You're in Maisie's brain from the start, when she's on her run, when she wakes up a month later, when she's in physical therapy gaining movement in her left side, when she goes back to school. What makes this book so good and so addictive is that while Maisie is going through all this, you can feel her anger, her pain, and her desperation to get back to the life she used to live before her accident. You feel every emotion as she tries to piece her life back together, every little piece.

But as well as living her pain and anger at the injustice of it all, as she grows to love the person that she's become, you get to see her come to accept this new future, and it's wonderful to see.

Even though it was hard to get past the first fifty pages or so, after that the short and snappy chapters made me eager to find out what was going to happen to this girl next. The endings of the chapters were especially good, like a mini story within each chapter.

The side characters were decent, I grew to like some of them more than others. Ellen surprised me, and I liked Serena from the start. The other characters were just as well written, I just didn't like them as much, which is how it was meant to be.

Overall, it's a wonderful, but a tough read. In it's simplest form, it's a story about a girl learning to love herself and the person that she is, despite the obstacles in her way. (And don't hate on me because I said that losing half of your face was just an obstacles. It's an insanely huge one), which is a hard thing for everyone to do, regardless of the severity of the obstacle.

I highly recommend this book, it'll change your life.

Okay! I hope you enjoyed the review, let me know in the comments what you thought! (Or if you've already read the book, and want to share your opinion.)

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon!

Byeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

September Wrap Up/ October TBR (2019)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And in terms of reading, it's been a really poopy month. I didn't read much, honestly. But I did do a lot of things, so I'll talk about those instead.

Enjoy!

SEPTEMBER WRAP UP

-BOOKS-

I read a total of two books this month. Told you I didn't read much. They were both pretty amazing though.

1. Becoming, by Michelle Obama

Honestly, I don't know what it was that drew me to this book. Even now, having read it, I'm trying to come up with a reason why I started listening to this book. I'm just really glad I did because it was what I was expecting and more. Because it was Michelle herself that was talking, the one doing the storytelling, it made all the difference. You could hear the emotion in her voice as she talking about her upbringing, her time in Uni and all the other parts that complete her autobiography. Highly recommend this.

2. Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4), by Kendare Blake

This was the fourth and final book in the Three Dark Crowns, and it's also the final TBR jar challenge that I have to complete for the year. Even though I didn't expect the ending, like I thought it was going to go in a different direction, but I am going to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very respectable finale, with lots of action and twists and turns.

-TV SHOWS-

(Didn't watch any films)

1. Chicago Med

I'm now officially caught up on Chicago Med, at the end of season 4. Season 5 has just been released, and even though I haven't got it on my hard-drive yet, I'm really eager to start watching, especially after the end of Season 4.

2. Glee

I'm only a few episodes into this, and because of how big a phenomenon it becomes as the series' go on, I'm eager to keep watching to see what happens next.

3. Waterloo Road

Jordan and I are still working through it, and what saddens me is that we've only got 30 episodes left. Out of 200. We've been watching since mid June and we're halfway through Series 9. I'm holding on to the fact that there's still 1 series after this.

4. Anne With An E

I'm currently trying to work my way through the books and I thought I'd try to rewatch the tv show. I've got further than I did the first time around, stopping halfway through episode 1 of Season 2, but I've got through that episode at least, and I hope to carry on because there is also going to be a Season 3 too.

OCTOBER TBR

1. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M Montgomery

I've got 100 pages of this book left and I swear to god, I've been reading this book for so long, it feels like I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading it. I'm going to try and finish it this week, and hopefully I do, because it's my top priority right now. As for how I'm liking it so far, there's just something about the writing style, the page long monologues, that I'm just finding it hard to stick with. But, I'm determined to finish this.

2. Faceless, by Alyssa Sheinmel

I didn't actually plan to buy this; I just saw it in a charity shop yesterday and I couldn't resist. I've seen this book in charity shops before, but I've never been able to make a decision as for whether to get it or not. But, I'm biting it, and as soon as I got home, I read 50 pages, right off the bat. Faceless is about a 16 year old girl whose face gets burnt off when she's out running. The story is about her recovery, and about her piecing back her life after she is given a transplant. I'm only 70 pages in and it's already one of the most unique books I've read this year.

3. The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry

Since this month is October, I thought this would be perfect for a Halloween theme. I recently got this for the "Making a mark with a book" idea that I've started up recently, and the cover jumped out at me right away. Aside from that, I haven't read a retelling in a while, and I've never read a Little Red Riding Hood one before so this should be interesting.

4. Eliza and Her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

I've been wanting to read this for a while, after hearing all the fantastic book reviews everybody has been sharing. Francesca Zappia has also got another book out soon (though not until November) so it makes me all the more eager to find out what everyone has been talking about with this novel.

Okay! So that is my September Wrap Up/ October TBR (2019)! If I was going to pick up another novel this month (if I manage to finish all of these) I would probably pick up A Sorrow Fierce and Falling so I can finish the Kingdom on Fire trilogy, but that's unlikely.

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon!

Byeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx