August Wrap Up (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my Wrap Up for the month!

I hope you enjoy it. 

I read a total of four books in the month, but honestly, I don't care, because I finally finished the Skulduggery Pleasant series! (And they were pretty hefty books too!) 

1. Seasons of War (Skulduggery Pleasant #13), by Derek Landy 

In a nutshell: A gang of heros go on a private mission to another dimension to kill a bad guy (Mevolent- dead in their reality, very much alive in the other one and planning to shunt over to their reality and take over). Chaos ensues, one of my absolute favours of part 2 (I'll be referring to the second part of the Skulduggery Pleasant series as part 2). This was one of my favourites to date, and I think it still is, even after reading it through a couple times because, there's a clear goal, some epic fighting and characters and there's a clear start and end, like some of the typical earlier books in the series. 

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

This one sat differently with me. After absolutely loving Seasons of War I was hesitant as for what direction this was going to go. Of course I loved it, as I do all of Derek Landy's books, but it wasn't a stand out. My opinion of part 2 was that they just kept getting better and better, and although this was awesome, I wasn't totally blown away. 

Nevertheless, I liked the fact that the darkly brothers had a lot more book time. They had become a lot more noticeable in Seasons of War, but in DOA was when I really became invested in them, like I wanted to keep reading about them, Omen especially. Solid book in the lead up to the final. 

3. Until the End (Skulduggery Pleasant #15), by Derek Landy 

And finally, book 15! The book I had been waiting for for over a decade, and it was finally in my hands. And honestly, it was just as amazing as I hoped it was going to be. Obviously I'm not going to spoil it, but the chapters were explosive and fast paced, (though there was still plenty of great humour and heart-to-hearts, (I literally laughed out loud at some points). 

Genuinely, as relieved as I am to finally be at an end of this series (not spoiling anything), it's been an amazing ride. I'm so happy that I decided to do a full read-through of this series (even if reading it on and off has taken four months). 

I'll miss you Valkyrie, Skulduggery, Tanith, Omen, Auger, China, Ghastly, Temper, Never, Militsa, Xena and all of Valkyrie's family. Love you guys. 

4. Life is Strange Vol 3: Strings (Life is Strange Comics #3), by Emma Vieceli 

Just when I think that I know where this series is going, it throws me through a loop. As always, very loyal to the videogame, I didn't for a second believe that this was the same Max from the game. Chloe and Rachel were very believable too, and honestly, I think this one was my favourite so far. Very much looking forward to receiving the fourth volume for my birthday in a couple of weeks. 

    Okay! Those are the books I read this month! 

I'm glad I got through as many as I did (they had large page counts, okay)? 

And I'm excited to read another pile in September! 

Right! That's all I have for you guys, as always, comment what you read/ got up to this month and we'll talk in the comments! 

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

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

Book Buying Habits Tag

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with the Book Buying Habits Tag, a tag from a few years ago that I have yet to do. 

So I thought I'd give it a try. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Oh! It was created by booktuber Megan Olivier. 

~Book Buying Habits Tag~

~Where do you buy your books?~

I'll usually buy my books in Waterstones, or Amazon, or if I'm after a grpahic novel I'll go Forbidden Planet in Leicester. 

But I'm going to be doing a day of scouting out independant bookstores in London when I go next month. 

~Do you ever pre-order books and if so, do you do this instore or online?~

If I'm going to preorder, I'll do it through Waterstones. Though it's rare for me to preorder my books because I know that if I'm in the mood to read it, I'll go out and get it when I can next. 

~On average, how many books do you buy a month?~

I don't really have an average. I actually only started buying books again this month because I was nearing the end of a re-read of a long series. Sometimes I go a couple of months without purchasing a book. 

~Do you use your local library?~

When I was young, and couldn't afford to buy books, the library was my second home. It was where I did my homework all the way up to the end of secondary school, it was like a comfort. 

Then when I started working, and they sold a bunch of books so they could expand/ rebuild the library, so now I rarely go in, especially in the last couple of years. I'd love to start going back, even though it's not the same as the one I grew up it. 

~If so, how many books can you/ do you borrow at a time?~

I used to take 8-9 books when I was a child, and because I started off small and they gradually grew in size, I could almost always finish all of them within the three week deadline. 

~What is your opinion on library books?~

As you can probably tell by the last couple of questions, I think library books are awesome. They can help you come to terms with difficult issues, they can be an escape, they can make you laugh, or cry. Library books were my outlet then I was younger, and my opinion on them hasn't changed. 

~How do you feel about charity shops/ second hand books?~

I always like venturing into second hand bookshops/ charity shops, you never know what you might find. I've found full series' in charity shops (Mortal Instruments series!) 

So, in my opinion, it's always worth a look. 

~Do you keep your read & TBR pile together/ on the same bookshelf or not?~

Depends. If it's the latest book in a series, then I'll keep it next to the rest of them- up until I pick it/ them up. Standalone? It'll go in a pile of all the other standalone TBR books. 

~Do you plan to read all the books you own?~

Always. But I frequently keep only a small number of unread books. Right now I have one ending to a series, and two sequels, and that makes up my TBR. 

Saying that, as a reader, if you do ever manage to finish all the books on your TBR, that won't be it for reading forever, there'll always be more books on your TBR, even if you don't own them. We'll always be trying to finish that unread pile. 

~What do you do with books that you feel you'll never read/ felt you didn't enjoy?~

When I feel like I've read a book for the last time, or I DNF'ed it, or didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, I'll either sell a few of them on Facebook (if I think I might be able to get a few pounds), or I'll donate them to a local charity for someone else to enjoy. 

~Have you ever donated books?~

Yes! I'm due to donate some more in the next couple of weeks! 

~Have you ever been on a book-buying ban?~

I've never really needed to, to be honest. I've always been pretty sensible with my book buying. (Aside from the odd splurge after a birthday or Christmas- and I'm not even sure if they count, as most of that will be from gifted vouchers.)

~Do you feel that you buy too many books?~

Nope, not at all. 

(P.S. Book buying is a different hobby to reading books. Although I love buying books, I doubt I buy enough to consider book buying a hobby of mine.)

If you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged! 

And comment where you've done it in the comments, so I can read them! 

Okay! That's the Book Buying Habits Tag! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

August TBR (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my August TBR (2022)! 

I haven't been doing these recently, because I know that all I'll be reading is one particular series. 

But I'm due to finish that sometime this month, so I'm able to start reading others books again (thank God, there are so many I need to catch up on)! 

Here's what I plan to read this month. 

I hope you enjoy it! 

1. Seasons of War (Skulduggery Pleasant #13), by Derek Landy 

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

3. Until the End (Skulduggery Pleasant #15), by Derek Landy 

I have to read an average of 62 pages a day to finish these before the end of the month. Obviously I'm going to finish them before that, else I wouldn't be writing this TBR. I'm having a wonderful time making my way through this series, and I'm trying not to think about how these are the last three books. (Thankfully I still have a lot to read at the moment.) But right now, I'm savouring every moment I have with these characters. 

4. The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club #1), by Richard Osman 

5. The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2), by Richard Osman 

I read The Thursday Murder Club a couple of years ago and fell in love. I just love the idea of eighty-something year olds investigating murders behind the scenes, and then surprising the cops because they've figured it out first. That, and the comedy that comes from having an eighty-something year old as a protagonist. I love it. Can't wait to continue on with the series, especially when the release of book three is just around the corner. 

6. ... I haven't decided yet. 

I've been so focused on reading Skulduggery Pleasant, that I haven't stopped to consider what I'd read after finishing it. I have a few books that I'm considering after SP and The Thursday Murder Club books, but nothing is set. 

My ideas are: 

1. Early Departures, by Justin A. Reynolds

This is my last standalone book on my "Want to Read" shelf on Goodreads, and I'm eager to get to it. 

2. Off the Record, by Camryn Garrett/ As If On Cue, by Marisa Kanter

Both anticipated releases from last year. Both have stuck out from the others, that I can't seem to get out of the back of my head. 

3. Continue on with the Life is Strange graphic novel series, by Emma Vieceli. 

There are now four volumes that I need to read. 

I'll decide in due course as for what I want to read the most, I guess. 

Okay! That's my August TBR (2022)! I hope you enjoyed it, as always comment down below what you're going to be reading in the next month, and I'll see you all very soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

July Wrap Up (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I didn't post. For a whole month. 

Drawing a line over that, and moving on. 

Although I didn't post, I did get to some awesome books in July. 

One step at a time right? I'm honestly relieved I read more than three books. 

Here's what I read last month, I hope you enjoy it. 

1. Life is Strange: Waves, by Emma Vieceli

After the cliffhanger that I was left on after the first volume, I was eager to jump into the second. There was a time when I was reading this, that I wished I could continue with volumes 3-6 straight after 2, but alas, it's currently not possible. 

I won't disclose what happens in this volume because 1) you might not have read this series yet or 2) played the game, but events occur which could not possibly happen, and I was there for it. It's always difficult to continue a series after a film or videogame, but the second volume does as just a fantastic job as the first one does. It's familiar enough that there is a likeness to the games, but it goes in a different direction, as a new series should do (though it's not so inaccessible that it seems too different to the original videogame). 

I very much enjoyed this volume, and I have absolutely no predictions (which I'm really excited about). 

2. Gallant, by V.E. Schwab 

A bit of a let down if I'm being honest. I loved the premise, but the story just fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed the creepy feeling you got with the writing, but when very little is happening throughout the book, that feeling can only go so far. 

I'm a fan of V.E. Schwab's books. I wasn't one of the first to read her other books, like The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy, (but that doesn't mean I love it any less than those that have been fans since the beginning). I consider her an auto-buy author at this point, and I always wonder how she comes up with such out there premises, and manage to execute them so phenomenally. Which is why I was so lost when I finished this. 

I gave this 3 stars. I think I'll try and forget about this now, and go and re-read The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy. 

3. I Am Not Okay With This, by Charles Forsman 

Saw this in a Waterstones in Middlesborough and just had to get it. If you didn't know, this is the graphic novel that inspired the Netflix tv show with the same name and although I haven't watched the show yet, I was intrigued enough to get this when I spotted it. 

Really really liked this. You feel something when you're reading this. It's quite a sad graphic novel with some trigger warnings (mental health, depression, assualt, abuse, death of a parent, drug use) so be aware of that before trying this. 

Aside from that, Syd, the protagonist, has telekinesis powers, which just adds to the problems of an anxious teenager coming to terms with her sexuality. 

But still, quick, if sad read, and I will definitely be watching the tv show soon. 

4. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

A childhood favourite, but I haven't laid eyes on it in years. I saw this gorgeous cover in a bookshop that books and cake in Whitby and I knew I just needed to add it to my collection. Large font, a fast read, it was wonderful to get to return to Mary and all the goings on in The Secret Garden. 

5. Resurrection (Skulduggery Pleasant #10), by Derek Landy 

6. Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant #11), by Derek Landy 

I finally got back to this series! After putting it to one side to prevent the reading slump I was surely headed for, (for about a month I think), I'm ready to get back into this series, so I can get to the last book! The first time I read through these, I didn't really gel to them as much as I did the first part of the story, and I think it was because the pacing was a lot slower than what I was used to. But re-reading them now, I can see that actually they needed to be, because the other books wouldn't have been half as great anyway. I loved re-emerging back into the second part of this series and I can't wait to get to the rest of the series! 

Okay! Those are the books that I read in the month of July! I hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry, I've already comprised a list of books for my August TBR, so you know I'll be back soon! 

As always, comments below what you guys read in July! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx