Monday 3 August 2020

July Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 
And since we've come to the end of another month, it's time for another wrap up. I'm very happy with how much I was able to read this month (though there's no way I would have been able to read as much as I did with the Reading Rush.) So this one is going to be one heck of a long one! 
Enjoy! 

-WRAP UP- 
I read a total of 10 books this month (which is the most I've ever read, I'd say) and I'm happy to say that even though they weren't all my favourite, most of them I enjoyed. 

1. Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3), by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 
Even though this was the first book I read this month, it remains my favourite out of all of them. Such an amazing conclusion to an already fantastic trilogy. Although I wish there were going to be more books in this world, I'm very satisfied with the ending. I can't say a whole lot about the story, because it's the third book in the series, but I can say that a whole load of characters that I like meet, after it seems like a long and intense wait (which I very much enjoyed because there were a lot of other events happening.) 


2. How to Make Friends with the Dark, by Kathleen Glasgow 
How to Make Friends with the Dark is an authentic, heartbreaking, and although it was about a very sensitive subjects, the sweet moments and the hard to read moments were so flawlessly done. Losing your mother isn't something that life prepares you for, but when she's your only family you've ever head, it feels so much worse. Although it was hard to read through some of the scenes in this book, How to Make Friends with the Dark is certainly one that will stick with me for a long time.  


3. Scythe (Arc of A Scythe #1), by Neal Shusterman
4. Thunderhead (Arc of A Scythe #2), by Neal Shusterman 
5. The Toll (Arc of A Scythe #3), by Neal Shusterman 
My opening note- I enjoyed this trilogy a lot less than I was expecting to. I literally had to push myself to get through this most of the time, and when I forgot myself, and actually enjoyed the story, those chapters were few and far between. I think I can safely say that I will never feel the urge to pick this trilogy up again. I'm sure that I will be in the minority with this, because aside from the couple I sought out in Goodreads, the world and it's mother seems to love this trilogy to the moon and back. 


6. Come Tumbling Down (Wayward Children #5), by Seanan McGuire 
Come Tumbling down is the fifth book in the Wayward Children series, and although it wasn't my favourite of the series so far, I did very much enjoy it and I'm kind of sad that I'll now have to wait until the new year for the next book. Once again we return to Eleanor's West Home for Wayward Children and escape to a world that has been visited before. I had high hopes that this would leave me with anticipation for the sixth book, which is out in February 2021, I think, and even though I was a little disappointed, I enjoyed it enough to give it a solid four stars. 


7. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen 
Out of all the books I chose for the reading rush, Sense and Sensibility was the book I found the hardest to get through. In hindsight, I'm not surprised- it was written in 1811, so the language was what made it difficult to wrap my head around. Aside from that, the print was tiny! But I managed it, in two days, and even though I'm rethinking about whether or not I should try and read more Jane Austen, I'm still intrigued to see why everybody loves these classics. 


8. Dark Blue Rising (The Circle Trilogy #1), by Teri Terry 
Dark Blue Rising is the first book in Teri Terry's new sci-fi series and honestly, right now it's up there with her debut series- Slated- if you've stuck with me you know that Slated is one of my favourite trilogy's that I've read- ever- and I flew through this easily. This is why I stuck it on my reading rush TBR, despite it being the largest of the bunch. Dark Blue Rising starts when Tabby-caught in a car accident is whisked away from her mother-only to find out she's anything but. As more time passes, Tabby's life is full of questions- why was she taken away from her parents in the first place, why is she drawn to the sea? And what does the Circle have to do with all of it? This is such an addictive read, I can't wait until 2021- when I can find out what happens next! 


9. 19 Love Songs, by David Levithan 
19 Love Songs was the perfect book to compliment what else I was reading during the reading rush. It was literally a relief when I didn't want to continue to struggle through Sense and Sensibility, or I needed a break from the intense goings-on in Dark Blue Rising. 19 Love Songs delivered cuteness, fleshed out characters, and compelling plots, in almost every story. I have my favourites within this collection, but that's always the case. One thing I will say is that this certainly won't be my last David Levithan novel. 


10. The Last Children of Tokyo, by Yoko Tawada 
I'm not sure what to make of The Last Children of Tokyo. It wasn't a bad book, but I certainly wouldn't say it deserves more than 3 stars. Although I felt that the setting was explained very well, (The Last Children of Tokyo is set in well, Tokyo, after some huge catastrophe has isolated them from not only the rest of Japan, but the entire world). It centers around a man and his great grandson. What's interesting is that the elderly are living to post 100 years, and it's unlikely Toshiro's grandson is going to make it to adulthood. Although it was interesting to read about these two characters, the story didnt really seem to go anywhere. A nice placeholder, but I doubt I'll be picking this up again. 


-TV SHOWS AND FILMS-
TV SHOWS
1. Ru Paul's All Stars~ Season 2 (Finished)

2. Anne With An E~ Season 3 
I'm one episode into this series, but hopefully I should get stuck in in August.

3. Dragonball Z 
That's right, we're watching this through again! Love getting stuck back in with this series. 


FILMS
1. Oliver and Company 
This wasn't actually my pick, but Jordan's. Doesn't matter, I'll watch it whenever he wants! This is one of my favourite Disney films, about a cat, called Oliver, and it's based off of the musical. 


WHAT ELSE I DID 
-Started training for Boston Half Marathon- which is still going ahead at the moment. 

-Met my friends- social distancing outside- for one of their birthdays. It was nice to do something different. 

Other than that, I worked, read and wrote! 
 

Okay! I hope you enjoyed that, because that's all I've got! 
I hope you all have a wonderful day, and remember to stay safe! 
I hope you get lots of reading done, and I'll be back with my August TBR soon! 
Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxx

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