January Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's (finally) the end of January! I know I'm not the only one to see this month come to an end. But, the end of one month brings the start of another!
And yet, I need to see the month wrapped up until I can move on to the next. Honestly, the monthly wrap ups are one of my favourite posts to write because I get to be reminded of all that I accomplished in the duration of the month!
Enjoy! Here's what I did!


-BOOKS-
I read a total of 5 books in the month of January, and each and every one has been a stand-out for different reasons. Here's what I read:

1. The Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe

I read a few chapters of this before I lost my copy a few months back. After finding it, I decided I should at least try to finish it. The Librarian of Auschwitz is based on Dita Kraus' real life experience of Auschwitz from the time that she was 14 years old. She was the librarian, moving and concealing the books for years, constantly aware that a hand on her shoulder could be the death of her. This is definitely something worth reading if you want a real and raw perspective of what it's like in Auschwitz because it feels like I lived every minute of Dita's experience even though it's a book that's under 500 pages.

2. Daisy Jones & the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I honestly didn't plan to pick up this one this month, but something just drew me to the audiobook I had recently downloaded. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this, even though the rest of the world was. But it was something about hearing voices of the characters that made them seem that much like the people they were playing. This is a real life account from all the different band members, and other people close to them. It's also the only one in existence. But whether it was the way the story unfolded, the way it was written, or the way the band rose to the top only to come crumbling down, I don't know. But I highly recommend this if you haven't read it yet!

3. The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

This was such a complex read (but it was amazing.) If I hadn't tried really hard to read a certain amount each day, I feel like I wouldn't have got half as much of an impact as I did. There were so many wonderful elements engrained in this story, it would take forever for me to talk about everything that I loved about this book. I know it's intimidating, but when else will you be able to say that you read an 800 page, Urban Fantasy standalone? Rarely! So if you're on the fence about whether to attempt this novel, I urge you to at least try it, it doesn't matter how long it takes, it will be worth it!

4. 13 Minutes, by Sarah Pinborough

This book is DARK. When I say DARK I mean, do not read this unless you are over the age of 16 because you would not believe the poop that goes down within the pages of this novel. It says in the corner of the cover that it's not suitable for younger readers. That is definitely right. 13 Minutes starts with Natasha being found the morning she nearly drowned. The question on everyone's lips is how did she end up in the lake? What happened the night before? And the story just unfolds from there.  I finished this book just under a week ago and even writing this wrap up now, all the things that take place in this book are coming back to me and it's CRAZY. A really addictive read.

5. Heartstopper Volume Three (Heartstopper #3), by Alice Oseman

Just got a smug grin on my face right now. This isn't out until 6th February but when I saw it in my local Waterstones on Wednesday I just couldn't resist. I read it in one sitting, and it was just as cute and amazing as I was expecting it to be! My two favourite lovebirds fly off to Paris in this one, (hence the map) and I'm now pretty certain that Alice Oseman can turn any event into a cute-fest! I'm feeling a little flat knowing that I'm now going to have to wait until next year for volume four, but I hope that the rest of the world loves the volume as much as I have next week! (Honestly my heart and my EMOTIONS were took on a journey during this graphic novel.)

-TV SHOWS & FILMS WATCHED-

Films

1. The Lion King (good start to the year)

2. Inside Out

3. Jumangi: Welcome to the Jungle

4. Jumangi: The Next Level (Cinema)

5. The Perks of Being A Wallflower (one of my favourite films of all time)

6. Into the Woods

7. IT: Chapter 2

8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Been dying to watch this film recently, and just in time for P.S. I Still Love You, which is out on Netflix on 12th February.)

9. Midnight Sun

10. Wonder

TV shows

1. A Series Of Unfortunate Events (Seasons 2/3- Finished)

2. Bad Education (Seasons 2/3 - Finished)

3. The Next Step (Seasons 1-3)

4. Sex Education (1/2- Currently working through Season 2)

5. Miranda (Season 1/2)

6. Spinning Out (Season 1- Finished)

7. Dragonball Z (that's right-we're watching it again)

Right! That's my January Wrap Up! I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to let me know what you read in January, I'm always looking for cool recommendations!

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all in February!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxx

All My Favourite Fairytale Retellings!

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And today I will be listing some of my favourite fairytale retellings! (Basically all of the retellings that I've read to date.) But then, every fairytale that I've read, I've enjoyed one heck of a lot!

Enjoy!

1. The Surface Breaks, by Louise O' Neill

This is known as a feminist version of The Little Mermaid, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! Based more on Anderson's original story, as opposed to the Disney Classic film, it's a lot darker than you would expect going into the story, so just be aware of that when you pick this up. You read from the POV of Gaia, one of the seven mermaid princesses, and the only one who longs to break the surface. A year after she saves a young man from drowning, unable to take it any longer, she trades her legs and voice and swims towards the surface, in the hope that she finds love, happiness, and all in all, her mother, who was lost at sea when Gaia was young.  I haven't even picked at the surface for how good this book is, when there is so much more below the surface (ha...) so do yourself a favour and pick it up, especially if you're in the mood for a Little Mermaid retelling that's dark and twisted.

2. Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1), by Jackson Pearce

I read this long before I started this blog and it still remains one of my go to reads when I'm in the mood for a re-read with both decent plot and characters. The POV jumps from Rosie & Scarlett, two sisters that run around their town, killing Fenris (werewolves) and protecting the town. There's romance, violence, sisterly love and a ritual, and even though I usually don't read many books that have a ritual in them, because I'm not a huge fan of that trope, this book is so easy to fly through and so easy to get invested in, that I honestly don't mind. I also love the cover (even though I'm still annoyed that they decided to change the cover design half way through the series!)

3. Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2), by Jackson Pearce

Sweetly constantly switches places with Sisters Red for my favourite book of the series. When the first book in the series was an adaption of Little Red Riding Hoods (they wear red capes when they're out hunting), the fairytale for Sweetly is more easy to guess. It's based off of Hansel & Gretel, and it makes me hungry for all the chocolates, every time I read it. Because one of the characters owns a chocolatier. Anyway, what I love the most about this book is that it never loses the premise of Hansel & Gretel, it's just a bit darker, with more violence and intrigue. I really should re-read this series again.

4. Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3), by Jackson Pearce

Although I prefer The Surface Breaks (they're both Little Mermaid retellings), this was the first one that I had ever read. I haven't read this in a while and it's definitely the one I remember the least, but it's kind of a race against time between two characters. Lo, who wants to take the boy she once saved, so she can have her soul back; and Celia who, according to her anyway, has the worst power out of her sisters (she can see the past.) Both girls, when they form a friendship, also have no idea they're competing for Jude (they boy's) affections. All I remember was that this shit was INTENSE.

5. Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4), by Jackson Pearce

Even though the synopsis on Goodreads makes this sound like a manufactured book about the classic fairytale Snow Queen, this was a book that surprised me with every chapter. I know that when I read this, I was a bit nervous as for what I was going to think, being that my thoughts on Fathomless weren't very encouraging. But this is basically a hide and seek tale, with Ginny pursuing Kai, her love for forever, after he mysteriously vanishes, after following a mysterious yet beautiful white woman. With the help of the last Reynolds brother (the Reynolds brothers are a recurring theme in this series- and you don't see me complaining, because they're all awesome) you get to read this beautiful and descriptive story as the Fairytale Retellings series comes to an end.

6. The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry

I feel like I've talked about this in practically every other post I've done since I've read this book. I love this book so much because of the main character, Red. She has one goal throughout the course the book, and that is to find her grandmother. I also love the protagonist because she was what the book needed, which wasn't necessarily what I thought I wanted to read about. I love her character, because not only is she tough, but she's got a gammy leg, which makes her real and relatable. She symbolises that even if your not perfect, you can still survive, so long as you stay strong and don't lose focus.

Okay! That was my favourite Fairytale Retellings list! I hope you enjoyed the list, and feel free to share your recommendations, because I love reading these retellings!
I hope you all have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon!
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxx

2020 Anticipated Book Releases (January-March)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And today I'll be posting my Anticipated Book Releases (up to the end of March at least-because it would be a heck of a long list if it was just one for the entire year.)

January Releases

1. This Vicious Cure (This Mortal Coil #3), by Emily Suvada

Release date: 23/1/20

This is released in a matter of days and even though I (probably) won't get to it for a while, because of the amount of books I already plan to read, I can say that I've been anticipating this since I read book 2 last January. To add to that, usually these are released back in September, but the release date was pushed back to this January, which makes me want to read this all the more. The This Mortal Coil trilogy is a sci-fi series that has everything to do with DNA. Set in a world that is in ruins, Catarina must travel to the place where her father was taken and killed, in the hope of decrypting an unknown message that may save the world. A lot has happened since that and I'm looking forward to seeing how this will all wrap up in this final book.

February Releases

2. Heartstopper Vol 3 (Heartstopper #3), by Alice Oseman

Release date: 6/2/20

Last year I became obsessed with this LGBT graphic novel series and it's probably the one that I'm most anticipating out of everything that is on this list. These are so fun to read in one setting. So much so, that I've done it twice! These characters are just so cute and so wonderful that, when I'm reading these, my emotions all come through in a rush, without warning. It's so easy to love them, and to wish them the best even though you know it's probably not going to. Can't wait to see what happens in the third volume!

3. Of Curses and Kisses, by Sandhu Menon

Release date: 18/2/20

I literally only heard about this when I was doing the research for this post. I haven't heard anybody talking about it on Booktube, but that doesn't matter. Of Curses and Kisses is by the bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi and I am very excited for this novel, even though I never got to her previous series. Of Curses and Kisses is a sort of contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it sounds interesting to be honest. Looking forward to reading my first Sandhu Menon book.

March Releases

4. Only Mostly Devastated, by Sophie Gonzales

Release date: 3/3/20

All I needed to know about this was that it's a LGBT version of Grease the Musical. Having read the synopsis on Goodreads, I am down for this novel, and I'm hoping that I will love it as much as I love Heartstopper. Grease the Musical is probably one of my favourite, and I'm not the only one. I've been to see the show twice, and it's always on at some theatre of another near my town, year after year. Aside from that, one of the characters will have to make the decision as for whether to love who he wants to love, and risk losing all of his friends, or to stay in the closet. This book should be interesting.

5. The Kingdom of Back, by Marie Lu

Release date: 3/3/20

After loving Wildcard, back in December (which seems like so long ago, even though it was last month), I've been eager to get my hands on another Marie Lu novel. And what better novel to pick up, then one that's all about classical music? The Kingdom of Back is read from the POV of Nannerl, the older sister of Mozart, who's dreams of being a classical composer will end when she reaches a marriageable age. However, all that might change when a mysterious stranger approaches her with an offer. But his help will cost her everything. Is it worth it? One thing I will say is that I'm looking forward to seeing how Marie Lu's first historical fiction novel will turn out.

6. All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban

Release date: 17/3/20

This for sure sounds like a book that I have never read before. After reading the synopsis on Goodreads, my first thought was that it sounds like Saw II. A number of teenagers in a trapped house, with the choice: one of them must die, or all of them will. (There's a bomb in the room.) They all have shady secrets, that they will keep hidden by any cost. They're all also from totally different social groups as well so it's also like The Breakfast Club. This is meant to be for fans of Karen McManus' books (and One of Us Is Next is actually on my TBR for next month so go figure.)

Okay! I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know if any of these books interest you as well, and we can talk about them! If not, then let me know what you guys are anticipating (I bet at least one of you are waiting for Chain of Gold).

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

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

New Year's Book Tag

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And today I was going to write my Little Women review, but I really really felt like posting something else.

So, because it's already halfway through the month, I've decided to do the New Year's Book Tag!

How many books are you planning on reading in 2020?

My official Goodreads Reading Challenge is at 60 books for the year. My goal was 52 books last year and I managed 53, but I want to stretch it a bit further this year. I'm two books in and working on my third.

Name five books you wanted to get to in 2019 but want to prioritise this year:

1. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1), by V.E Schwab

2. Skyward (Skyward #1), by Brandon Sanderson

3. Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1), by Jay Kristoff

4. Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1), by Neil Shusterman

5. The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern

 

Because I accomplished what I wanted to (mostly) from last year, it was a real struggle to come up with this five. Most of them are essentially, the first book of fantasy series', but that doesn't mean that I'm excited for each and every one of them.

Name a genre you want to read more of.

There are a couple of genres I want to try and read more, but the two main ones I want to try and pursue are historical fiction and graphic novels. Last year I started off to a great start, and although I continued on with some more graphic novels, I didn't really read much more historical fiction other than a couple of books. So I'm going to try and make more of an effort to pick up historical fiction and graphic novels this year.

What's a book you've had forever that you still need to read?

My current read:

I'm currently 500 pages through, and even though I've only had it 6 months, it's the book that's been on my TBR the longest.

One word that you're hoping 2020 will be?

Life-changing. Or altering, in any case.  

Tag a friend:

Hanna from @Hanna Reads

Okay, I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all next week! I very much enjoyed this tag, the first of the new year!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxx

2020 TBR Jar Challenges

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

Happy new year! I'm back with the first post of 2020, and it contains the TBR Jar Challenges I will be attempting this year!

So enjoy, as I list the challenges I probably won't get around to this year.

1. The "Shades of Magic" trilogy, by V.E. Schwab

I put this on my list of series that I wanted to get to in 2019, and I didn't even start it (frankly I didn't finish any of those series'.) However, I managed to read everything on the TBR Jar list last year, so the series is making the jump. I've been interested in picking up this series for the longest time, and hopefully putting the trilogy on this list will change that.

2. Alice Oseman books: Particularly -Radio Silence

-Solitaire

-Heartstopper: Volume Three, of course

Having started and fallen in love with Heartstopper Vol 1& 2, this year I want to pick up more of Alice Oseman's books. I did a bit of information digging about some of her other books and I found a couple that seem interesting to me. Other than that, of course I'll be carrying on with the Heartstopper series as well!

3. Twin Ambitions, by Mo Farah

Last year I read a couple of autobiographies, and I really enjoyed them. I read Michelle Obama's autobiography, Becoming, and then, Paula: My Story So Far, at the end of 2019. It was wonderful to read about such inspiring people, so I decided to put another autobiography on my TBR Jar for the year, and since I very much enjoy running long distances, so I thought I'd try Mo Farah's autobiography.

4. Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I honestly didn't think this was going to be the first TBR Jar that I accomplished. When I was reading this, it was supposed to be Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon. But something called me to this book. To nobody's surprise, I absolutely loved it. It was so cleverly done, so well structured, so well cast, the story unfolded, like the opening of a book. This isn't a soft book, I'm not going to lie. Read this if you a hard, real life event of what went on in the 70s, behind the scenes of a world famous band. This will more than likely be in my Favourites list for the year. And it's only January!

5. This Vicious Cure (This Mortal Coil #3), by Emily Suvada

This is the third and final book in the This Mortal Coil trilogy. It's an exciting and fast paced story about DNA, in a world that's nearly in ruins after an epidemic swept the world. This is unlike any sci-fi trilogy that I've read to date and even 1 year later, I can still remember the ending to the second book. I have no idea where the story will go from here, and how it'll wrap up, but I'm excited to find out.

6. "The Chronicles of Alice" duology, by Christina Henry

The Girl in Red was one of my favourite reads last year (favourite books of 2019 is linked, by the way,) so I'm excited to pick up her Chronicles of Alice duology this year. It seems a lot darker than The Girl in Red, but it's been a while since I've read a dark Halloweenish series. (And it means that I can leave this one for a while and focus on the others for a while too.)


Okay! Those are my 2020 TBR Jar Challenges! I hope you enjoyed reading about them, and let me know in the comments what you want to read this year.
I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon with my Little Women Film Review!
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

January TBR (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's 2020! It honestly doesn't seem quite real. But it's already the 6th, so I guess it'll have to.

Here's my TBR for the month.

1. The Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe

I only just finished this last night, but if I had posted this sooner, I wouldn't have finished this. But as hard as the subject manner is to get through, it was a really engaging, and quick read. However, I didn't want to fly through it, so I tried not to read too much each day. And even though, I did that, I still feel like I should have finished it sooner. All in all, this was such an eye opener, because even though I knew about Auschwitz, it wasn't the same as reading about what it was like to live there for an extended period of time. I highly recommend this if you can handle tough material.

2. Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and the Six is one of my TBR Jar Challenges, a post which isn't yet out. Reaching for this book next wasn't a deliberate choice, it's just the book that seemed the most appealing at the time. I got the audiobook a couple weeks back, because everybody has been really enjoying the audiobook, because it's written entirely in interviews. I'm actually listening to this at the time that I'm writing this. I've barely started this and I already love it. To sum up this book, it's about a band that was huge in the 70s. Their rise, when Daisy joined them, and their downfall. Also includes sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll.

3. The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

I feel like this has made an appearance in every TBR in the past six months and I haven't got past the first couple of chapters, (the one time I actually picked it up). This was going to be my next read after The Librarian of Auschwitz, but something made me pick up Daisy Jones & The Six. I'm thinking that maybe I'll try the audiobook & the book, read and listen at the same time, this time around. It worked with QOAAD so I'm hoping it'll work out with this one too. The Priory of the Orange Tree is about four protagonists, from both sides of Inys, a divided kingdom. Magic is forbidden, but it always lurks in the shadows. Meanwhile, Tane` is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel, destroying her dreams of being a dragon-rider. There's a lot of different plot lines going on within this book and even though I've been putting it off, I still really want to read this.

4. The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern

Although I found The Night Circus a bit slow in terms of pace, there's something about this book that intrigues me. Aside from that, it reminds me of Strange the Dreamer, a book which was one of my favourites of 2018, if my memory serves me right. I've heard nothing but fantastic reviews about this book, and the fact that it's a standalone, that I won't have to wait until next year for a sequel, pulls me towards it even more. The Starless Sea starts when Zachary Rawlins stumbles across a book in his university library that leads him on a journey unlike any other. He's introduced to lovelorn prisoners and lost cities, but also something impossible: a recollection from his own childhood. As he follows the clues, he finds himself at the labyrinth, a place hidden far beneath the surface of the Earth. When the labyrinth is threatened, Zachary must race through the twisting tunnels of the labyrinth, to find his own story.

Although I don't think I'll get to this, because of how big The Starless Sea & Priory are, I'll still include it.

5. What If It's Us, by Adam Silvera & Becki Albertalli/ Children of Virtue & Vengeance (Legacy of Orisha #2), by Tomi Adeyemi

These are the other two books that I have left on my TBR (aside from A Darker Shade of Magic which I'm waiting to read until I've read everything else- I want to be free to carry on with the trilogy if I want to) and I'm not going to decide which one to read just yet. As much as I'm leaning towards Children of Virtue & Vengeance, I'm not too sure if I'll want to read three fantasy books in a row, but I also don't know if I'll be in the mood for a contemporary either.

Okay! That's my January TBR (2020)! I hope I get to all of these, but it's unlikely I will because there are some fairly big books in this TBR!

I hope you enjoyed the post, and feel free to comment with book you think I should choose!

I will see you all soon guys, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx