April Wrap Up (2021)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

I'm back! I'll be the first one to admit that I haven't been exactly active on here this past month- but I'm back with my wrap up. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

1. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4), by Rick Riordan 

2. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5), by Rick Riordan 

The last two books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I loved both of these, and I am excited to continue on with my Percy Jackson catch up with the Heroes of Olympus series, which I will be getting to very soon. At the end of book three, I could definitely feel some sort of solid plot going on, and the last two books in the series was exactly what I was looking for. Although everyone seemed to love Battle of the Labyrinth, I did have a bit of trouble getting through it. Nevertheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The Last Olympian was my favourite of the entire series. Having marathoned the series all in one go, I had grown to love these characters so much, I didn't want anything bad to happen to them. (Of course I knew most of them would survive, because a lot of them are featured in the next series, but I was still worried about who wouldn't make it.) A phenomenal ending to such a wonderful series. 

3. The Authenticity Project, by Clare Pooley 

The Authenticity Project was the type of book that goes snail pace at the start, then all at once, the bottom drops, and you realise that you care about these characters after all. The Authenticity Project is purely a notebook, forcing six people to stop pretending, and to tell the truth. To write down their tuth and see what happens. I doubt this would happen in real life, but it's so endearing to see what one little notebook will do for six people, just because they took a chance to write down their true thoughts and feelings. Such a simple consept, but it was a pleasure to see all these characters grow to realise what they can do, if they were to just take a chance. 

4. Instant Karma, by Marissa Meyer 

I picked this from my box of anticipated releases that I wanted to read last month, and I never got around to it. Naturally it was rolled over to this month. Honestly, this was a solid four stars. I was very happy with what Marissa Meyer (who you might know from her Lunar Chronicles series, Renegades trilogy etc- so, her sci-fi/fantasy) produced, in a contemporary romance novel. Basically, Instant Karma follows Prudence, who after an accident on a night out with her friends, wakes up with the power to grant instant karma to those that are lazy, or caught in a bad deed. Everyone except, Quint, her slacker, disaster lab partner. After they get a bad grade on an assignment, Pru is determined to get a better grade- so she signs up to volunteer at the Sea-life Centre- that Quint's mum happens to run. But as the summer goes on, Pru begins to find out that Quint might not be the slacker that she always thought he was. 

Although this book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. It was a nice change, to see Marissa Meyer try a different genre to the one we all know she can do well in. I look forward to see what she can produce in the future. 

5. Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give #0), by Angie Thomas 

This brought a whole other level to The Hate U Give. I'm genuinely sat here, wondering if I should re-read THUG for the upteenth time, just to see what more I can get from it, having now read Concrete Rose. It was both surreal and wonderful to get to read from Maverick's POV, because 1) he was so young! 2) He was still a child, literally when all this happened. It was strange to see him as a gangly teenager who'd just had this world turned upside down, against the role model he is for Starr in THUG. No doubt I'll be reading both this and the second book sometime soon, because I thoroughly enjoyed this. (Out of all the books I've read this month, this one has stuck with me the most.)  

6. Roam, by C.H. Armstrong

I plucked this from my "Want to read" shelf from Goodreads, because it had been on there for so long, enough was enough. Time to read or get rid. 

Honestly, it was decent. Another solid four stars. I didn't dislike any of the characters (except the ones I was meant to hate), I wasn't bored either. And now I can say I've actually read something about homelessness. If there are any books about people living on the streets that anyone has enjoyed, let me know down below, because I'd love to read more about this topic. 

I liked the characters and the premise, but what I liked most was that the less than glamorous parts weren't glossed over. It's no easy feat to be homeless and still be at school, having to keep up appearances, even when every fibre in your being is telling you to come clean- but you can't because of your loyalty to your family. That's just one of the things that Abby has to deal with in this, not to mention trying to survive sickness in a car in October, depression, epilepsy and anger, to name a few. This book surprised me. A decent novel. 

7. Seasons of War (Skuldduggery Pleasant #13), by Derek Landy

The last book on this wrap up was meant to be Dead or Alive, the most recently released Skulduggery Pleasant book, which was released at the start of April. But to tell the truth, I couldn't remember much from this, about what kind of state the world was in after the events of this book- couldn't remember much of anything- so I decided to give myself a bit of a refresher with a re-read. I can't disclose much about the plot- with it being the 13th book and all- but this felt like Skulduggery Pleasant was going back to it's roots- a specific task with a team of unique skills- setting off to kill a bad guy. Along with the usual classic Derek Landy humour and kick-ass fight scenes. Can't get better than this. 

I'm now officially refreshed and starting Dead or Alive after I post this. 

Okay! That's my April Wrap Up (2021)! I hope you enjoyed it. 

By the way, I know I've been away a while, but I hope I redeemed myself with this. I want to thank everyone of you for sticking with me, whether you've been here from the start, or just joined in following me, and the crazy workings of my brain. 

I will be back soon with my TBR for the month of May. 

See you all soon.

I love you guys. 

-Abi xxxxxx

This bookmark.

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I have this bookmark. 

I'm pretty sure that it's a list of books that you need to read before you die. 

The "Book Bucket List" bookmark. 

This post is a kind of dicussion post. It will include the books on said bookmark, and I will also list some of my book bucket list. 

These books may appear totally and completely random, but I think this'll be interesting to talk about. To switch recommendations, and see people's opinions. 

Without further ado, let's begin. 

Bookmark Books

-The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

-The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood 

-Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck 

-Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen 

-Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

-Hamlet, by William Shakespeare 

-1984, by George Orwell 

-The Diary of A Young Girl, by Anne Frank 

-The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger 

-Lord of the Flies, by William Golding 

-Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier 

-Life of Pi, by Yann Martel 

-Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley 

-Birdsong, by Stephen Fawkes 

-Catch -22, by Joseph Heller

-The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame 

-Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift 

-Harry Potter Collection, by J K Rowling 

-Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe 

-The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway 

-The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis 

-A Passage to India, by E.M. Forster

-The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkein 

-A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking 

-Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll 

I've read a couple of these (the HP collection obvs, The Diary of A Young Girl, Of Mice and Men, and 1984) but there are still a fair few from this list that I would like to get to on this list. 

But one thing I wanted to talk about regarding this bookmark is the idea that this is the one list that everyone has to follow, almost religously. The fact is, this list isn't going to be the list for everyone. It isn't for me. There are books on here that I don't have a shred of interest in. I'll never even consider picking some of these up. Other than myself, every person has a book bucket list, and they'll all be different based on what their reading taste is. 

I guess what my point is, there is no wrong bucket list. Read what you want to read. There is no right or wrong. You can read the least noticed books in the planet, or the most hyped. Nobody but yourself should dictate what kind of books you want to read. 

(With the exception of Fifty Shades when you're twelve, for example.) 

But, and I know this probably won't happen, but it would be fantastic if other people, not just myself, were to have a think, and to comment what their book bucket lists are, in the comments below. Because then we can show that although we have different tastes, none of it's wrong. 

This isn't the full list by any means, but here's my version of my book bucket list:

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

I can't seem to find the right cover for this novel, so I'll just stick with this one. There are dozens of novels that have been created because of this one. So many adapted films, but the same time-less characters that will never be forgotten. I love fairytales, especially dark ones, and Alice has always been the ultimate dark fairytale for me. 

2. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen 

Although I was surprised what kind of language Sense and Sensibility had, Pride and Prejudice has always been the book that put Jane Austen on the map as one of the greatest writers of all time. There are people I know that have read this book over and over and over again, and I want to know what the appeal is. This is the love story to end all love stories, and I will be honoured to say that I have delved into the lives of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. 

3. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickins 

Having seen a tv adaptation of this when I was in secondary school, I'm intrigued as for what kind of book could have inspired a tv show as good as that one. Also, I've never read a Charles Dickins' novel, as hard as it is to admit. So, I figured that Great Expectations is a good place to start. It tells the story of a young boy, who has little to nothing, but is given a chance to become a gentleman in London. 

4. Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo 

The longest book on this list without a doubt. I've never read a book this long and I'm so excited by it. Also, musical theatre is a huge love of mine, and the fact that one of the most classic musicals of all times is printed in book form, I just have to read it. I'm also really interested to read about all of the characters in the way they were originally created, so there's that as well. 

5. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee 

I know, I know! Arguably one of the most well-known novels of all time, and I've never had to read it at school! But I certainly plan to change that in the next few years. After I read the book, I might even go to see the play, which is produced on stage most years, in my local area. I'm very intrigued to delve more into Alabama in the 1920s, and I know I won't be disappointed. 

6. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding 

Another classic that I never had to read at school. I only know what the synopsis describes on Goodreads, which is fairly vague. What I do know is that I am very much looking forward to reading about young boys learning to survive in the unknown, especially considering when the book is set. Lord of the Flies certainly won't be the last book on this list that I choose to pick up. 

Okay! So that is all I have for you today! I hope you have a wonderful evening, and don't be shy- leave a comment down below! I want to know some of the books on your book bucket list! 

I'll see you all very soon-

byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

 

 

 

Books 11-20 of 2021

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I've read some more books! (Big shocker there haha.) 

So today, I will be talking about them! 

Enjoy! 

11. Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5), by Sarah J Maas 

After the explosive ending to QoS, I was so excited to jump into this. Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit of a let down. It was mostly due to the change in pacing, but the ending definitely pulled up my rating. I really didn't want to DNF this series, particularly after how much I had enjoyed the series up to this point, but I feel like this could have been shorter. (Also, one of my favourite characters was basically non-existent in this, so that was another reason.) Still a decent read though. 

12. Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6), by Sarah J Maas

A book totally about Chaol! After the end of QoS, I was so worried about him (sorry Dorian shippers, but I prefered Chaol). But the fact that this started as a novella and ended as a book as big as this, I knew I shouldn't have been worried. Although this was a definite change of pacing to the other books (not unlike EoS),  but unlike book 5, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's actually up there on my top three for the entire series. If it wasn't the penultimate book in this series, I'd probably re-read this over and over because I enjoyed it that much. 

13. Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7), by Sarah J Maas 

I don't need to say how large this book is. If you haven't read it, most people have at least seen a physical copy. But, although KoA is the largest book I've read so far this year, I genuinely think that every chapter was relevant, and nothing felt rushed. KoA was bitter-sweet for me, as I imagine it was for most people that have made it to the end. I just didn't want to say goodbye to these wonderful characters. Phenomenal ending to an epic series. I have no doubt that I'll be re-reading the entire series again in the future. 

14. The FlatShare, by Beth O' Leary 

A wonderful, funny and short story about two people sharing a flat, who actually have never met. I loved the way they grew closer with notes, but that there were other things going on as well, so that it didn't feel like it overwhelming anything else. If I could read it for the first time again, I totally would, because The FlatShare was the perfect combination of funny and heartwarming vibes, and some of the tougher themes. I can't wait to read more of Beth O' Leary's books. 

15. The Switch, by Beth O' Leary 

A switch between a grandmother and grandaughter that switch places. Again, wonderful balance between serious and heart-warming scenes. A little shorter than The FlatShare, but just as fantastic. Highly recommend for if you're looking for a fast, engaging read for the weekend, a trip to a faraway destination, or even a 24 hour readathon. If you like fiction novels, you're sure to like this novel by Beth O' Leary. 

16. My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Difficult book, so be wary going into this. On the surface level, this is a book about Vanessa, at two different points in her life. One time period is Vanessa at age fifteen, when she starts a secret love affair with her English teacher: Jacob Strane. The second time period is when she is in her thirtees, when said teacher has been accused of sexually abusing another student. Some of the scenes are certainly tough to get through so I will once again warn anyone that is considering picking this book up to please, do the research on some of the trigger warnings that are included in this book. 

I do have a review linked into the title, so you can see more of what my in-depth thoughts are regarding this, if you wish. But honestly, I'm still not sure about what to rate this novel, even a month after finishing this. 

17. The Falling in Love Montage, by Ciara Smyth 

The Falling in Love Montage is an LGBT summer romance that is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. All Saoirsa wants is something temporary, before she heads off to Uni. Enter Ruby, who is the Romcom expert. The rules: only lasts for the summer, just romcom montage. After all, this romance is only temporary. 

I always knew I was going to enjoy this, because I'm always up for a watching of my favourite romcoms- I just didn't realise there were so many! I definitely need to start watching some of the films mentioned in this book- soon. Anway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I can't wait to read more of Ciara Smyth's works in the future. 

18. We Are Okay, by Nina LaCour 

I actually remember thinking about this the other day. We Are Okay is a short book, but it packs a hell of an impact. It follows a girl called Marin who, after her grandfather suddenly passed away. She took the clothes off her back, her wallet and a photo of her mother, and ran. Four months later, her friend Mabel is coming to visit, and she knows she can't hide anymore. This is a book about coming to terms with grief and the truth, even after denying and shallowing it down for a very long time. It's a difficult book, but it's also incredibly freeing. I recommend this, if you're in the mood for a good cry. 

19. Girl A, by Abigail Dean 

With the fantastic things I was hearing about this book, I figured I'd end up loving it as much as everyone else. Unfortunately I found the story to be a little dull, I couldn't see the hidden meanings behind the words like everybody else seemed to, and apart from the relationships between a couple of the characters, I was genuinely considering DNF'ing this thoroughout. However, because of how short it was, no more than the 320 something kind of page count, I carried on, hoping it would pick up. The pacing never really did, but I enjoyed the character development after one particular reveal, which is why I carried on reading. Girl A currently sits on my unhaul pile, because I definitely will not be picking it up again. 

20. Romanov, by Nadine Brandes

I do have a review linked into the title if you want to know more about what I thought about Romanov, but in short, I was hugely surprised and impressed by this. I was hesitant going into it, knowing some people thought it slow and hard to read. But, even though it might be slower than some fantasy books I've read in the past (the genre is considered historical fantasy), I've in no mind agree that it was hard to read. I rarely read a book where a family has so much love for another, and that was the driving force in the book, the fact that you're rooting for something good to the Romanov family, that have been dealt bad luck at seemingly every turn. 

Okay! Those are all the books I have to discuss with you all today! I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to comment what you like, down below! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

April TBR (2021)

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my April TBR (2021)! 

If you wanted to know why I'm posting this so soon after my March Wrap Up, it's because I don't like to leave too much time after the start of the month before posting this. 

If you didn't want to know, now you do! 

Here's what I plan to read this month anyway, enjoy! 

1. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson #4), by Rick Riordan 

2. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5), by Rick Riordan 

When I finished what was on my March TBR with a week left to go, I decided to continue on with my next series: the Percy Jackson series. I read the first three books within the first week (I don't know whether it was because I'd read them all before, so I was more familar with them than I thought, or actual enjoyment- I'm thinking both honestly) but I only have the last two books and I can't wait to see how this phenomal story wrapps up. I can't share too much about this series because I am currently on the fourth book, but the series follows Percy Jackson, from the time that he finds out that he's actually a demi- god, half God, half human. This series leads him on a number of exciting adventures throughout the series, searching for items that can save himself, and the world he knows and loves. (I wish I could go more in depth but I can't. Just, read the series if you haven't.) 

3. The Authenticity Project, by Claire Pooley 

I noticed this in my local Sainsburys a couple a weeks ago and although I didn't get it, my amazing boyfriend gifted it to me because of a voucher he had. 
The Authenticity Project starts off with a notebook being left at a cafe- it ends with six strangers writing down their truths. They all have one thing in common- their lives aren't always what they make them out to be. This notebook is there chance for them to write the truth. Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels- so he begins The Authenticity Project- a small green notebook containing the truth about his life. Little did he expect for Monica to track him down with it- and also be inspired to write an entry for herself too. What they don't realise is that these small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely. 

This is such a nifty, simple little concept, that I can't wait to sink my teeth into this. The font is large, the story is short, so it should take me long at all to read this. I'm certainly intrigued as for what kind of lives the characters have that pick up the notebook and I'm excited to give this a try. 

4. Dead or Alive (Skulduggery Pleasant #14), by Derek Landy 

Not only is this on my anticipated releases post that I posted last month, it's probably the book I was most likely to pick up straight away. Every time I talk about this series I mention how long I've been following it (at least 10 years) so if that doesn't say how much I love it, I have no idea what else to say. If you don't know anything about this series, it's that there's a kick-ass, very sarcastic and funny skeleton, there's an amazing magic system, fantastic adventures, and a story that will grip you to no end. Skulduggery Pleasant is the perfect series to read if you're looking to transition from children's to YA so I'll just run with that. 
The only bad thing about this book is that there's only going to be one more release after this, which I'm very nervous about (and sad). 

5. Instant Karma, by Marissa Meyer 

This book also came from an anticipated releases post, though it was an earlier one than Dead or Alive one. The reason this is here is because I decided that although I was talking about how much I wanted to read all of these, I never seemed to be getting anywhere with them. So, I've written down all the books on two of the most recent posts (listing books from January- March and the October- December before that), then asked my boyfriend to select one at random. He chose Instant Karma- which should be arriving some time today. 

Instant Karma follows chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett, who is always quick to judge the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams that everyone get their comueppence comes true seemingly overnight when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the ability to grant instant karma to anyone around her. She certainly takes advantage of her new ability, and when she's assigned to work on a project with her slacker lab partner, Quint, annoyingly her plans always seem to fail. Quint is annoyingly cute and impressively noble, especially regarding his work at the rescue centre for sea animals. When Prue starts to work at the rescue centre for extra credit, she realises just how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed, love and hate... and fate. 

Most people know Marissa Meyer for her Lunar Chronicles series, which was wrapped up a few years ago. Although I love that series, I'm very excited to see how she handles writing a contemporary. I'm hoping this will be a quick, enjoyable read, but we'll see!

6. Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give #0), by Angie Thomas 

If you didn't know the story as for why I don't already have this/ haven't read this yet, I ordered this back when shops were open, and was persuaded to actually purchase this when it arrived. Obviously then the shops closed for several months, so I wasn't able to pick this up. But the shops will be opening soon this month so I can finally read this! 
If you didn't know, Concrete Rose is the prequel to The Hate U Give, the phenomenal Angie Thomas novel that kind of blew the world apart when it was released. This book actually follows her father, Maverick Carter, around the time when he's working on balancing all the aspects of his life: school, slinging dope, working too jobs to stay afloat while his Dad is in prison. Then he finds out he has a son, Seven, and everything changes, because now there's someone that relies on him for everything. Loyalty, revenge and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. So when Mav is offered the chance to go straight and try to start again, in a world, where nobody expects him to amount to anything, Mav will know the real meaning of what it is to be a man. 

I can't wait to find out more about what happened in this period in the THUG saga, it'll be interesting to see how it shaped the events in The Hate U Give. I'm fully expecting to want to re-read the second book after picking this up. 

7. Roam, by C.H. Armstrong

If you're thinking that this book just seemed to crop up randomly today, I wouldn't be surprised. This is one of the lesser known books on my want to read list on Goodreads, and even though it's been on there for a couple of years, I've never considered removing it. 

Roam is about a girl called Abby, and her family, who are living on the streets. After her Mum's disasterous mistake left them homeless, Abby and her family were forced to leave their home and journey elsewhere, for the chance for Abby to go to another school. Her stepdad promises to find them a place to live, but times can be tough and Abby is doing everything she can to keep her shameful secret from the kids at school, where it is painfully obvious who is rich and who is poor. As secrets are exposed, Abby is forced to trust in the people she has come to know as friends- will they be malicious, like her friends back home- or will they rise to the challenge to help Abby and her family find a normal life? 

This is such a simple concept, but if it's done right, I imagine it must be incredibly powerful. I've never read a book about someone homeless before, which is what drew me to this. 

Okay! That's my April TBR (2021)! I hope you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments if you've read any of these, or what you're planning on reading this month! 

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

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx