Friday, 29 May 2020

May Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And somehow we've come to the end of the 5th month of the year.
Here's what I got up to.
Enjoy!

-BOOKS-
I read a total of 5 books this month, and I'm happy to say, I enjoyed every single book I read.

1. Under the Dome, by Stephen King
I was going to write a review for this book, but I don't think I'd be able to do it justice, so I'm talking about it in my wrap up instead. The only description I can give for this book is that it's like a colossal spider's web, following several people currently residing in a town called Chester's Mill. Having seen the tv show a few years back, I could remember some of the names, but not all of them, so I thought I'd have some idea of what I was in for. Turns out, the tv show didn't even scratch the surface. There were so many characters in the beginning, it was hard to keep track of who was who, which characters were main, which ones supporting. But eventually, you learn whose who, and start to root for the characters, learn which ones are complete crap-heads that you want to dump a truckload of poo over. Such an intense and addictive read (says the girl that it took nearly a month to finish.). If you want an all engaging read that leave you obsessed for days afterward, I highly recommend this.   


2. A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3), by V.E Schwab
It feels weird that this trilogy is over. I've only known these characters three months and now it's over. I finished this just over 10 days ago and I'm at the point when I'm missing these characters, their amazing/ dramatic adventures that always ends up in some kind of trouble.  Saying that, I liked the way everything was wrapped up, if not in the way I expected. A Conjuring of Light was so good, it's most likely made it's way on to my Favourite Series List of all time, which probably isn't a surprise because of the hype this series has. Please give me more VE Schwab. 5 stars.





I loved this book so much I posted a review about it (and I haven't written any reviews all year, so that is no understatement.) If you want more in depth thoughts you can click the link (it's in the title) but to sum it up, A Girl in Three Parts is about Allegra, an eleven year old girl that's basically trying to 1)figure out what kind of person she wants to be when she's being pulled in three different directions by the people she loves most; 2)find out what happened to her mother when she was young; 3) find out why her two grandmothers can't stand the sight of each-other (they're polar opposites.) All in all, an absolutely smashing debut novel, can't wait to see what else she has in store.




4. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanen McGuire
I finished this at the start of the week, and I'm happy to say that I loved it just as much as I loved the first book. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a prequel to Every Heart A Doorway, focusing on Jack and Jill, before their time at Eleanor's Home for Wayward Children. After reading this I might actually listen to the first book again, just to put the second book into more context. This book actually made me wish there were prequels for all the characters in the first book, just so I can get to know each of them, but I know there's no way that would be realistic. One thing it did achieve: It certainly made me excited for Book 3.




5. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1), by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
I finished this this afternoon, and my main question is: Why did I wait so long to read this book?! A 5 star read, if the rest of the series is as fantastic as this, there's no reason why it shouldn't much my favourite series list of all time. It certainly wins as one of the most beautiful covers list. Illuminae is basically a case study, so this is a book full of evaluations, ship diagrams, and text message conversations. A book that my Ravenclaw brain cherished, I can't wait to see what happens in Gemina. Highly recommend this, and I can't stress that enough.


-FILMS AND TV SHOWS-
Films
1. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)- One of those classic favourites of mine that I can play as often as I like and still enjoy it!
2. Sense and Sensibility (1995)- it may only be a film, but it's the first time I've seen something that Jane Austen created! (Definitely need to read some of her books soon.)
3. Black Panther (2018)- Undoubtedly an unpopular opinion but I enjoyed this a lot less than what I thought I would (based on the excitement I got from other people's opinions on this film.)

TV Shows
1. Chicago Med~ Seasons 2/3
2. RuPaul's Drag Race~ Current season
3. The Next Step ~ Season 4

-What I Did This Month-
1. Worked.
2. Ran.
3. Read.
4. Posted.

That's about it.

Okay! That's my wrap up for May! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all on Monday with my June TBR! I hope you have a lovely weekend, with this wonderful weather, and I hope you all continue to stay safe in these troubling times.
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxx


Monday, 25 May 2020

A Girl in Three Parts, by Suzanne Daniel

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I honestly can't remember the last time I posted a book review! A Girl in Three Parts earned 5 stars from me on Wednesday, so I figured this was worth going into more detail for, especially as it's new out so you can read it too if you so desire.
Enjoy!

Title: A Girl in Three Parts
Author: Suzanne Daniel
Genre: Middle grade.
Status: Standalone (also debut)
Pages: 310
Blurb: "Allegra Elsom
is caught in the middle.
Some days she's eleven, and others she feels closer
to nineteen. Some days she knows too much, and
others she feels hopelessly naïve. Some days she is
split in three, torn between conflicting loyalties to
her grandmothers, Mathilde and Joy, and her father,
Rick- none of whom can stand to be in a room
together since the decades-old tragedy that hit
their family like a wrecking ball.
Allegra struggles to make peace in her family
and navigate the social gauntlet at school while
asking bigger questions about her place in the
world: What does it mean to be "liberated"? What is
it about "becoming a woman" that earns her a slap
in the face? What does it mean to do the right thing,
when everyone around her defines it differently?
As the feminist movement reshapes her Sydney
suburb, Allegra makes her own path- discovering
firsthand the incredible ways that women can
support each other, and finding strength within
herself to stand up to the people she loves."

My Thoughts

How do I start this? Gosh it's been such a long time since I've done this.
A Girl in Three Parts is very much a novel about family. Not a family of mother, father and child as you would think, but Allegra, her two grandmothers, Mathilde and Joy, and her father Rick.

A significant part of why I loved this book so much was to do with the characters, they were so fleshed out, I had no problem distinguishing them from the other grandmother.
Joy is a free-spirited woman, who keeps her tears in bottles, who encourages Allegra to live her "true essence". As strict as Joy is uplifting, Mathilde keeps Allegra on the ball, encouraging her to work her very hardest so she can become a doctor.
Rick, her father, escapes to the waves so he deal with his grief. At the start of the novel he doesn't have much to do with Allegra's upbringing, the love of her both her grandmothers have elbowed him to the outside.
Although these women seem kind of two dimensional at the start, as I progressed further into the book, I grew attached to both of them, as I learned more about them.  

As both grandmothers try and mould Allegra into the person they'd both like her to be, (all while Allegra's trying to figure who she is in herself), you're constantly wondering in the back of your head, what happened with Allegra's mother, and why has it created this division between everybody else. I did have a couple of theories about what happened (but all of them proved false, thank goodness.)

As large as the battle raging inside Allegra, another part that I particularly enjoyed was how the Women's Liberation Movement was brought in as a theme for the second half of the book. A Girl in Three Parts is set in the 1970s, and even though it's set after World War II, where the women were keeping the country going when all the men buggered off to fight in the war, some of the characters, (one in particular) were still under the thumb of the men who didn't care one cent of the hard work that went into their work. (If you can't tell I'm angry about this.)
What I liked the most was how this theme was introduced, it didn't feel rushed at all, it didn't feel like I'd blinked and suddenly the book was completely different, it felt like it was relevant and well-written. I very much liked how the existence of the WL movement seemed to affect the characters in the novel, this theme was actually something that made me care for a certain character a whole lot more than I'd previously done.

Another thing I want to mention is how much I enjoyed Allegra's narrative. She was at the point in her life when she's on the brink of finishing primary school and gaining some independence. She's also at the age where she's starting to question who she is as a person, all at the time that her grandmothers and father are trying to influence her constantly and mould her into someone they each want her to be, so that was an interest POV to read from to say the least.

To sum it up, this was one heck of a debut, and I can't wait to see what else Suzanne Daniel has in store. Before I started A Girl in Three Parts, I was hesitant as for whether I was going to gel with the writing, the characters, the story, as we all are when picking up a debut author's work. But I honestly had absolutely nothing to worry about it, because I loved it just as much as I thought I would when I ordered it.

There, I did it.


Okay! That's the end of my review, I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and I'm glad it was about this amazing novel!
I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you thought in the comments below!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all at the end of the week with my monthly wrap up!
Byeeeeee!

-Abi








Tuesday, 19 May 2020

The Pros and Cons of the Goodreads Reading Challenge

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And today I will be discussing the pros and cons of the Goodreads Reading challenge. I just think it's an interesting topic, one of which has many points, which I think are worth discussing.

Let me know in the comments if there are any other points that I may have missed.


Pros
It gives you a goal for the year.
As much as reading is for the joy of it, I always like to try and either equal or raise the amount of books I can try and read in the year. A goal to strive for is a huge motivator for the start of the year.

It's a good tracker for how far behind/ahead you are for your reading goal.
I'm talking about the line under the reading goal stating how many books you're ahead/ behind your target on. You have more of an idea of whether you can relax and pick up a big book, or whether you need to binge on the short stories and graphic novels to catch up. For me, it's fun doing both!

It's a good reference point for posts like "Favourite books of ______" and the "Mid-Year Freakout Tag".
They're also a good reference point when doing posts like these, when you need to select a book for each category, it's good to have a reminder of all the books you might have loved, or even hated in the year. I love doing both of those posts, I do them every year, so the Goodreads Reading Challenge is a good place to start putting together the list of books that I want to include in those posts.

It can be nice to see all that you've read in the year.
It's nice to look at your achievements once in a while. Even though the yearly wrap ups are up at the end of each year, if you click on to the 2019 one, you can skip to the 2020 one, to find out what was the highest rated, the lowest rated, and how many pages you've read so far this year. There's that, and it's nice to see all of the beautiful covers of the books that you've read.

Cons
Pressure to catch up on reading challenge.

This probably just isn't me, but falling behind, and having to read books quicker than what I thought I could, is my worst nightmare. There are worse things to stress about, but I always come up with a Goodreads Challenge that I think I'll be able to achieve, without too much trouble, but a number I'll have to try hard to achieve. So the minute I fall behind, I have to try extra hard to catch up again. But even when you're not behind, there's always that pressure to read more, to make the most of your free time with reading. And that pressure will never go away.

Pressure at the start of the year to read more books than before, or to read as many as your friends. 
 
I touched up on this in the point above, but whenever I see some of the book counts of my friends on Goodreads, my jaw drops. See, whenever I make a Goodreads goal, I estimate how long on average I'll have to finish each book. For example, 52 books in a year, is a book a week. So whenever I see one of my friends attempt to read 100 books in a year, I can't help but want to try the same, because to be honest, I'm quite a competitive person. I can't help it. But, I just have to accept that I'll never be able to read 100 books in a year, even if they were all re-reads. But, when each new year rolls around, I always watch to aim to be more productive, to read more than what I read the previous year. Let me know if you're the same guys.

Seeing what friends are reading, and wanting to read the same.
I've seen some booktubers struggling with this: the want to always be reading the new releases, when they continue to neglect the books that have been stockpiled in their houses, for years sometimes. As readers, we always want to be on top of the hot new releases, because it's what everyone else seems to be loving. But at the moment I'm trying to get out of that habit, I'm trying to pursue the books that seem interesting to me, myself, and if I'm reading what everyone considers to be the new hot release, then great! But I'm not going to beat myself up if it's not.


Okay! That's my discussion of The Pros and Cons of the Goodreads Reading Challenge! This was a lot of fun to do, and let me know if you want to see more of these discussion type posts in the future because I'd love to do more!
That's going to be it for today, but I'll see you all soon! I love you guys!
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxxxx








Thursday, 14 May 2020

Reading Habits Book Tag

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And today I'm doing the Reading Habits Book Tag!
I don't think I've done this one before, so I'm looking forward to answering some new questions. Enjoy!


Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
The most comfortable place for me to read is on my bed, lying on my belly, with a book in my hand. I haven't quite mastered having a cup of tea whilst on my belly yet but I'm working on it.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Bookmark. I've got a number of bookmarks that I use for whenever I start a new book. I've had the odd time when I've forgotten to take a bookmark with me when I picked a new book up, but I've always replaced the receipt or whatever it was when I've got home.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?
I always like to try and get the end of a chapter or a part before I stop but as I read a lot during my lunch break, that isn't always a definite. Most of the time I'm lucky though.

Do you eat or drink while reading?
I often have a cup of tea while reading in the evening, and I'm always snacking on my lunch in the afternoon. I suppose I do, but not in the evening.

Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
I always play music when I'm reading, but it's a specific list that I know won't distract me from the words on the page in front of me.

One book at a time or several at once?
Unless I'm working through a mammoth size book (like Queen of Air and Darkness, last year), it's always 1. If I was to read a big book, and be working through others at the same time, they would most likely be small and easy to fly through, (it would probably be a graphic novel, or something like the Wayward Children series.)

Reading at home or everywhere?
Everywhere. That's how you read as much as you possibly can: Always keep a book with you, just in case you need it. You never know when you'll be able to get another couple of pages through. So, I try to read everywhere I can.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?
A bit of both, I sometimes switch to reading silently in my head, but I've been told that I tend to mouth the words that I'm reading, sometimes even say the dialogue. So, both?

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
Never. I used to skip to the last page when I was younger, but there's no way I'd do that now. I only skip to the last page to see what the page count is.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
I always try and keep it like new, but before I discovered Booktube, I didn't realise how good it feels to keep a book looking nice, so I try not to crack the spine, even a little bit, though the more often I read something, the more messed up it tends to be. I don't know why.

Do you write in your books?
No I don't, though I should probably buy some post it notes, so I can start to review more books. The amount I've posted in the last year or so has pitifully small.

Readabit Questions
When do you find yourself reading?
Whenever I get the chance (when I'm not playing a game or working on a post.)

What is your best setting to read it?
My room, sprawled out on my bed.

What do you do first- read or watch?
Although there have been a couple of cases where I've watched the film before I've read the book (The Girl on the Train), any other times I've always made sure I've read the book before watching the film.

What form do you prefer? Audiobook, e-book, or physical book?
Although I delve into Audible every so often (I try to pick up one audiobook a month), physical books take the cake for me.

Do you have a unique habit when you read?
Other than miming the words on a page when reading, not really.

Do book series' have to match?
In a perfect world, all my book series' would match. It's not a perfect world, unfortunately. Sometimes publishers change book cover designs halfway through the series, and there's nothing that can be done about it. (I'm looking at you Fairytale Retellings series).

Okay! That's my book tag, and that's going to be it today. As always, anyone that wants to do this tag, is now tagged!

I hope you have a wonderful day, and continue to stay safe in these troubling times.
I'll be back next week, and I'll see you then.
Byeeee!

-Abi



Monday, 11 May 2020

Books That Make Me Hungry

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And today I'm writing about a list of books that make me hungry (because they're about food.)
There isn't much else I wanted to say so, enjoy!


1. Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2), by Jackson Pearce
Sweetly is arguably my favourite from this series, and the Chocolatier is a big part of that. Not the entire part, because a book can't be a favourite based purely on description alone. But when I'm reading this it's as if you can taste the delectable treats pass your lips. It makes me wish I could bake such sweets and cakes like this, but that's never going to happen (I'm not that great a cook- yet.) Sweetly is a Hansel and Gretel retelling, if you didn't know.



2. With the Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo
Unlike in Sweetly, cooking is a main theme in With the Fire on High. Emoni is a single mother in high school, whilst also trying to carve a living out so she can provide for her child. I was drawn to this because there are so few books with teen mum representation, but what kept me wanting more was her cooking. What makes you want to keep reading is Emoni's desire to learn her craft, her willingness to work hard, and above her delicious cooking. Just from the words on the page, it's so easy to imagine the smell, the taste of anything Emoni makes. I swear, if there was a restaurant with Emoni as head chef, I would gladly go. In an instant.

3. Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
Although the food isn't as complex as the previous books', just the simplicity of what Heidi and Grandpa Alps have after a busy day in Dorfli is what I like. It's genuinely just cheese on toast, or meat, as fresh as can be, but it's enough to want to visit the famous Alps, so I can experience the day for myself.



4. Heartless, by Marissa Meyer
Yet another fairy-tale retelling, but this time, it's the story of a villain we all know. This is a story of how the infamous Queen of Hearts came to be. It's also kind of like Wicked, in the respect that you would expect the person that you know is going to become The Queen of Hearts, to be bitter and hateful, but she's the opposite of that. Anyway, what Catherine wants more than anything, more so than possibly becoming the next Queen, is to start a bakery with her best friend. Even though her delicious desserts are only mentioned at certain points (like it's a subplot at most), her cakes sound like they're to die for.  

5. Pumpkin Heads, by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
I read this graphic novel on Halloween last year, and it takes place on Halloween, at the Pumpkin Patch. And because it's a graphic novel, I didn't just read about everything, I got to see it too! The Pumpkin Patch is full of food stalls: The Fudge Shoppe, Chilli Fries Stand, and not to mention the S'Mores Pit. I wish I could try all of these foods, but of course they're not real. And that hurts. (Though thinking about it, I could probably make chilli chips without too much trouble.)

Okay! So that's my list, and that's going to do it for today.
I hope you all have a wonderful VE day, and continue to stay safe.
Byeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxx

Monday, 4 May 2020

May TBR (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And with the start of a new month comes a new TBR. I had to be creative and really think about what I wanted to read when assembling this TBR, because I only own Under the Dome & A Conjuring of Light left that I haven't read yet.
But here's what I came up with: Enjoy!


1. Under the Dome, by Stephen King
I have approximately 100 pages left of this, and I'm hoping I'll be able to finish it sometime in the next couple of days. I will have to dedicate some time to this, but I want this finished and on to the next read. Aside from that, I'm eager to find out what is going to happen with all these characters, particularly Big Jim and Barbie because a showdown will happen between those two, and it'll be soon. It will probably be explosive, and I doubt everyone will make it out of the dome alive. This is going to be one hell of a finale.


2. A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3), by V.E. Schwab
The third and final book in the Shades of Magic trilogy, and I have no idea what the heck is going to happen. I do know that I am very excited to see what was going to happen, and what is going to happen when a certain meeting (the anticipation has been building since the start of book 2) takes place. I also know that I am not ready to say goodbye for these characters, but thankfully this is the longest one of the three, so at least I won't be finishing this in 3 days. From what I can tell, A Conjuring of Light is about Kell trying to help the planet, because another London that was previously crumbled, and Kell is trying to stop that from happening. In the midst of all this, Lila has to try and control the magic she discovered in the magical trials. All of these crazy things will be happened in book three, and I can't wait to dive in.


3. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanen McGuire
I sped through the first book during my 24 hour readathon last month and I can't wait to read the next one. The audiobooks are 2-3 hours long, and they're quick and snappy, perfect for keeping a Goodreads challenge up whilst tackling a longer book. Down Among the Sticks and Bones takes place before the events of the first book, going into the backstory of two characters that were featured in Every Heart A Doorway (Jack and Jill). I'm curious as for why it's important to experience this place to progress in the story, but I'm looking forward to finding out more about the characters that I was introduced to in book one. I'm very much looking forward to going back to this world.


4. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1), by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
A few days ago I did a surprise poll on Instagram. With the Shades of Magic trilogy coming to an end, I need a new series to work towards, and my two frontrunners were: Scythe, by Neil Shusterman, and this. Honestly, I had no inkling of how it was going to go, as they're both two highly loved series' in the Booktube community. The Illuminae Files is now my new series that I will be picking up! I'm ashamed to say that this is my first series that was written by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff and I'm looking forward to seeing for myself who everyone loves this duo so much. The Illuminae Files is a study case, and within it's pages is research, medical reports, interviews, and being the ravenclaw that I am, I can't wait to sift through all of them and analyse them to death.   

5. A Girl in Three Parts, by Suzanne Daniel
It's already a few days into May and I have yet to pick up any anticipated releases for April- June. A Girl in Three Parts sounds like a light contemporary about an 11 year old girl, with some serious themes to make it interesting. It's about Allegra, who is torn between who her grandmothers' want her to be, and who she is. Aunt Mathilde is strict, and wants Allegra to concentrate on her studies, whereas Aunt Joy is a free spirit, and wants her to follow her heart and be creative. These aunts do not get along and Allegra is caught in the middle, until one day, the turmoil that caused this division, explodes in the person they all cherish most. This doesn't sound like anything I've read before, and I received it today!

Okay! That's it for today. That is my plan for what I want to read this month, let's see if I can stick to it! (Honestly, who knows?)
Feel free to comment down below what you plan to read this month!
Right, I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon.
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxx





Friday, 1 May 2020

April Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here!
All of a sudden, it's the end of April! That means another monthly wrap up. Because of my 24 hour readathon, I read a fair amount of books, so let's get to them!
Enjoy!


-BOOKS-

1. Educated, by Tara Westover
This is the story of a girl who never set foot in a school until she was 17. Her father denounced hospitals, so she never had a birth certificate. Gashes, concussions, even the aftermath of an explosion, were all treated at home. With the need to know more than her home and the mountains with which she grew up in, she taught herself mathematics, without any formal education from anyone else. The blurb on Goodreads barely scratches the surface of what Tara goes through in her journey to be educated. This is very much a book about her family, and how she balances growing up with the family that she has. If you want to know what I mean by that, read it. It's such a powerful book.

2. Skyward (Skyward #1), by Brandon Sanderson
The first book in a new Brandon Sanderson series. One of my favourite books this year for sure. Ten years after Spensa's pilot-hero Dad is branded a coward, she wants nothing more than to become a fully fledged pilot, just like her dad. But, she won't even be given a chance to become an initiate- until the Krell double their attack. Now, Spensa will get the chance to prove she has the skills to get through training- and to prove she's different to her father. I highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in space, aliens or flying- or Brandon Sanderson novels.


3. Unbecoming, by Jenny Downham
No matter how many times I talk about this book I never get tired of it. Unbecoming has some of my favourite tropes to date: families, independent female characters and discovering who you are and learning to be proud of it (character arc). This is the story of Katie, the responsible and studious daughter of Carolyn, who kissed her best friend. When she meets Mary, the grandmother she never knew she had, fills her world with possibilities. Can Mary help Katie embrace who she is, before she loses her grip on reality forever? This is a book about relationships, how meeting the people you need can change your life, and I just love how cleverly it's written, even years after first picking it up. It will remaining a favourite for years to come and it was a joy to pick it up again.
4. A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2), by V.E. Schwab
Not a filler, at all. Our favourite characters both return (I'm talking about Kell and Lila if you didn't know.) and there's a huge battle of magic (kind of like the Olympics.) Why isn't there a tournament like these in every fantasy series? It set some fab endings up for the conclusion of the series, which is my next read after I finish Under the Dome, it's actually my motivation for finishing it. Absolutely loved this. After thoroughly enjoying A Darker Shade of Magic, I knew there were more to these characters than what I read in the first book, and that was exactly what I got. So excited for the third book.

5. The Kingdom of Back, by Marie Lu
I wish I hadn't read this book the first time around so I can read it for the first time again. Another trope I love that I haven't mentioned is an underdog, and even though a fair amount of the setting is fantasy based, Nannerl Mozart's story is pure fact. This was Marie Lu's first historical fiction, and it flowed just as well as all of her past novels. The Kingdom of Back is a story of Nannerl, the famous Wolfgang Mozart's older sister, the sister that is constantly overlooked by her prodigy brother. But when a mysterious character approaches her with an offer, it's one she can't refuse. Of course, naturally he wants something in return. Is it worth it, and what will happen once she takes the offer? Read it to find out. A phenomenal book, I have to admit. Realistic characters, with a fantasy plot so well weaved into the historical fiction background, it almost seems real. I could read this for days, so I'm bummed its just a standalone. Recommend to Marie Lu fans.

6. Every Heart A Doorway (Wayward Children #1), by Seanen McGuire
You'd think that after finishing A Gathering of Shadows and The Kingdom of Back that I wouldn't want to read anymore? Well since this was a 24 hour readathon (the last three books on my wrap up this month) I picked up the first book in the Wayward Children series. Well, I loved it, and I can't wait to hear the audiobook for the next few. It took a while before I got the grasp of what was going on, but once I did, it was just an instant love! I don't think I've fallen in love with a cast of characters sooner, and then things just started happening to the characters and I wasn't expecting it! Let me know in the comments if anybody predicted the ending, because I certainly didn't! I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series and finding out more about a couple of characters that I met in the first book.

-FILMS & TV SHOWS-
Films
1. The Heat
2. Crazy Rich Asians
I genuinely think that was it. It probably wasn't, but that's all I can remember.

TV Shows
1. The Next Step~ Season 4

2. Chicago Med ~ Seasons 1/2


The Next Step was something that was watched sporadically this month, just when I wanted something quick and easy to watch.

Chicago Med was something I watched, pretty much everyday. It was something I put on when working on blog posts, or just doing tasks in my room. I really hope I don't get further than the end of season 4 during this pandemic but that's looking likelier every day.


-What I Did This Month-
1. Work.
2. Read.
3. Write.
4. Play Pokémon.
5. Run.
6. Repeat.
That's all I've done, most days this month.


Okay! There's my April Wrap Up.
Honestly, it feels weird that it's going to be 1st May tomorrow. I just wish we weren't missing out on the best weather days just staying inside. But that's the way it has to be right now.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of reading and whatever it is that you like to do. Inside that is.
I will see you all next week with my May TBR (2020).
Still haven't fully decided what I'm going to read yet because I've got no books left.
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx