Ancitipated Releases (January- March 2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And we're just gonna pretend that January isn't nearly over already and just read on. 

I'll just pretend I'm writing this in December. 

I have a few books on this list, and I'm excited to share them all. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

January

1. Friday I'm in Love, by Camryn Garrett 

Release date: 10/01/2023

Mahalia Harris wants many things. She wants a sweet sixteen party like her friend Naomi. She wants a cute girl like Siobhan to like her, in the way that Mahalia does. She wants the snide comments from the ladies at her church to stop. Mahalia wants many things. 

But when a sweet sixteen party for Mahalia Harris becomes impossible, inspiration strikes. What if she has a coming out party? A chance to celebrate her queerness on her own terms. 

Saving every possible penny from afterschool job, awkwardly flirting with Siobhan- all in preparation could all go pearshaped when she finds herself six feet under with unpaid bills, unfinished school work, and enough drama to make her English teacher blush, will her coming out party be over before it's even begun?

I read Off the Record in September last year and absolutely loved it. This sounds like an entirely different pace. It's more fun contemporary, an absolute perfect book for spring. I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel about it. 

2. Good for a Girl, by Lauren Fleshman 

Release date: 10/01/2023

Honestly, even though I have no idea who Lauren Fleshman is (being from the UK) when I heard about this book, I knew it needed to be added to my list of anticipated releases. (I'll do some research before picking this up.) 

I've already downloaded this onto my audible account, and this will be perfect for the next time I need to get some ironing/ polishing done. 

Fleshman's autobiography offers a unique perspective, both as a professional athlete and as a coach, of a women, in a man's sport. She sees the way the system fails young women, as well as empowering them. Girls drop out at an alarming rate during and after puberty, and collegiate athletes routinely fall victim to devastating injuries and eating disorders, their mental health in ruines. 

More and more I've heard of women runners that I've admired, admitting online, about overcoming eating disorders, mental health problems, and I want to hear what Fleshman has to say. 

This sounds like a raw and honest book about running, and one that I have to read. 

3. All the Dangerous Things, by Stacy Willingham 

Release date: 10/01/2023

An adult thriller. Sort of different for me, but I'm going to take a chance on it. 
From the point of view of a mother, who lost her two-year-old son a year ago, while herself and her husband were sleeping in the next room. Aside from the occasional nap and blackout, Isabelle hasn't slept all year. With no other leads from the police, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster. But when he starts to dig a lot into her past, she starts to doubt her own memories of the disappearance. However, she is determined to find out the events that led to her child going missing... wherever it might lead. 

I love the synopsis for this. The unreliable narrator, the true-crime podcaster, the urgency to find out what happened to her son. I just love everything about this, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. 

February

1. Heartstopper. Vol 5 (Heartstopper #5), by Alice Oseman 

Release date: 02/02/2023

I'm not ready for this series to end. I've devoured each and every volume, and I am in no way emotionally ready to say goodbye to these characters. 

Of course I will be re-reading every volume before I open up the fifth volume, to give it a proper send off. 

And even then I don't think I'll be ready. 

2. Chaos Theory, by Nic Stone 

Release date: 28/02/2023

A detached girl called Shelbi, transferred to Windward Academy as a senior, who figures she won't be here for very long so why bother making friends, and Andy Criddle, the son of a politician with an alcohol problem share a moment of connection. As that moment of connection becomes more, the more the past threatens to pull them apart. 

Chaos Theory is a story about living with grief, prioritizing mental health and finding love amidst chaos. 

I have never read a book by Nic Stone, but this one sure sounds like a good one to start with. 

3. A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0), by Samantha Shannon 

Release date: 28/02/2023

I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to re-read The Priory of the Orange Tree because the prequel was due to be released soon. (Obviously I'll be reading this before that.) 

I honestly don't know much about this. Priory was such a large book, and I read it so long ago, it's like I'll be going back into this series with fresh eyes, and no idea of what connections I'll see between the characters that we meet in this prequel, and it's successor. 

I've only read the one book by Samantha Shannon so far, but even though I wouldn't call her an auto-buy author just yet, I know I'm going to be blown away by the quality of this book. 

Extremely excited to get my hands on a copy of this beast. 

March

1. Different for Boys, by Patrick Ness

Release date: 14/03/2023

Just from reading the synopsis, I know this book will be a punch to the gut. It follows Anthony 'Ant' as he navigates life as a queer boy, with the many questions he has about sex, friendship and masculinity. From the review and synopsis, this is meant to be an honest and intimate novel about a boy figuring out the outside world, himself, and his place in the world. 

I've read a few Patrick Ness books over the years, and honestly, I've never been able to fully connect with the story, much like some of Neil Gaiman's works. I'm hoping this'll be the one. 

Okay! Those are my Anticipated Releases for the next three months! If you have any anticipated releases that you want to share, feel free to do so in the comments! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

What I Plan to Read in 2023

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And today I will be writing about what I plan to read in 2023. 

(Without having to worry about my Goodreads Reading Challenge.)

    I have a couple of specific series' in mind, but I'll get to those in a minute. 

Without further ado, enjoy guys.  

~Read some huge fantasy series~

This is the year to start some of the fantasy series that I haven't had the chance to start until now. Maybe I'll go with a few trilogies to ease my way back in. 

Some of the few that I want to get to are: 

1. The Poppy War, by R. F. Kuang 

The Poppy War has been on my Want to Read shelf since 2018, when I first heard about the series. The covers are gorgeous, the stories are cutthroat (from what I hear) and I am ready for them. What I know of The Poppy War is that it follows Rin, a student at Academics, as a student, for the first half and then when she graduates, a soldier at war. It holds themes for addiction, war and violence, and there's a huge magic system too. It sounds phenomenal, and it'll likely be the first fantasy series I pick up this year. 

2. The Green Bone Saga, by Fonda Lee 

What I know about this series is, it's a battle of power. There are politics, greedy behavior, struggle and voilence as gangs/ companies fight for the right for jade (gives the owners, with the right training, superhuman abilities). It's sleasy and ruthless and I really want to devour the words within these books. 

3. The Daevabad Trilogy, by S.A. Chakraborty 

Everytime I walk into a Waterstones, or other bookshop, the cover of City of Brass is always staring me straight in the face. I really don't think there'll be much resistance in buying this series, especially when I want to pick them up so much. 

We follow Nahri, a conwoman who deals in tea leaves and fortune telling, all the while knowing that none of it is real, just a way to get money from the locals- until she summons a darkly mysterious djinn warrior during one of her cons. Only then does she start to consider that maybe, just maybe, magic does exist. Taking her first steps into this mystical world, she sees it for what it really is: a world seeking true power, a world that is deadly and consequential. After all, there's meaning behind the saying, be careful what you wish for. 

~Re-read some gems~

I've listed the novels I want to re-read by genre, because a lot of these are from the same genre, and they're all seriously in the need for a re-read, to be quite honest. 

Historical Fictions

1. The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave 

2. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

3. The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak 

4. The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Steadman

I read each of these between 2-4 years ago and I've always meant to go back to them, but always been swamped with new series and genres that I wanted to explore. This selection all have very harsh themes, but they've all stirred up a hugh amount of emotion when I've been reading them, and there are very few books that have been able to do that for me. The prospect of re-reading these amazing books make me so excited, I genuinely can't wait. 

Contemporaries

5. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas 

6. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell 

7. Theatrical, by Maggie Harcourt

8. Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

9. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

Again, solid favourites of mine that I haven't read in a few years, that I'm eager to pick up. These have a slightly lighter tone (for the most part) than the historical fictions and I'm thinking I'll pick up most of these in the spring, (or February if they're romances).

Other

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

I read this back in January 2020, and although that feels like yesterday, the prequel has come out recently, and it just makes sense to read this after the prequel, because genuinely, it was just that good. 

There are so many amazing characters in this book, and storylines that I can't wait to read about again. There are dragons, battling, fighting, and some gentle characters that wouldn't even think to do any of those things. There's never a boring moment in this novel and I'm extremely excited to return to this world once more. 

Okay! And that is my list (that I hope to accomplish) for the year! 

As always, feel free to comment what your reading plans are for the year, it'll be nice to hear them! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

January TBR (2023)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back- in 2023! A part of me has almost de-sensitised from the fact that it's a new year, or maybe I just don't care because not much is planned yet, but here we are, on the flip side! 

But before I jump in with another monthly TBR, I want to mention something. I've set myself a pretty low Goodreads reading challenge this year- 12 books in total. (And to be honest, half of those will be graphic novels.) But that's because I don't want to have to worry about finishing a number of books and not enjoying them- just chugging along with the reading count. 

(Also, this will be the year that I take on all those ambitious fantasy series', because last year was pretty disasterous.)

And that's all I have to say. 

I hope you enjoy my TBR. 

1. Just Saying: My Life in Words, by Malorie Blackman 

Kicking the year off with the book that I was anticipating purchasing the second I heard about it. Malorie Blackman wrote the Noughts and Crosses series (amongst others), which has been my absolute favourite series since I was thirteen years old and I was absolutely thrilled when I found out about her autobiography. I'm currently 100 pages away from finishing this and I am absolutely loving it. Her autobiography gives you an insight into what it was like for her growing up, finding her way in the world, despite being suppressed and ignored as a black female. It's so inspiring. 

2. All the Life is Strange Graphic Novels, by Emma Vieceli 

Includes: 

1. Dust 

2. Waves

3. Strings

4. Partners in Crime: Tracks 

5. Coming Home

6. Settling Dust

I've ordered the fifth and sixth volumes, and I'm ready. I've been spreading these volumes over the past six months, and I'm taking the Saga method and re-reading the volumes I've already finished and marathoning it all- start to finish. 

The Life is Strange graphic novel series takes place one year after the events of the game, following Max and Chloe making their return to Arcadia Bay for a reunion. Long story short, weird things start happening to Max and she finds herself thrust to an alternate reality. Her ultimate goal is to get back to Chloe and the rest of her friends. 

3. Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde with other tales and fables, by Robert L. Stevenson

When I saw this in a Grimsby market stall, I knew I just had to have it. (I thought it was the full novel.) Of course I'm not that annoyed that it turned out to be Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde and other short stories, but I wish it could have been the full novel. 

It'll still be nice to read through it, because it's been so long since I've had anything to do with this novel- it was a discussion novel for my GCSE English class and I loved it. I love the fact that it's a Wordsworth Collector's Edition too. 

4. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin 

Yep, it's on here again. I will read this book in January, let the writing gods condemn me if I don't. (Or at least start it.) I wanted to finish this in time to vote for it for the Goodreads Awards (it won by the way). This book has been blurbed by some amazing authors like John Green, and Erin Morgenstern, it's loved by the nation. There's no way I'm not going to love this book. 

I thought I knew what this book was about, two people being poached to stardom by creating a videogame when they meet in a hospital. But there are so many different versions of this story, that I can find either on my own copy or online, that I don't even want to try and explain it. 

I'll just go with- I don't know much about it, so I'm just gonna read it and find out for myself. 

5. Where Am I Now?, by Mara Wilson 

And it's back onto the monthly TBR. I might read this straight after the Malorie Blackman autobiography, just to have it read because it is ridiculous how many times I've tacked this on the end of my TBR's. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. 

I want to read this book so much. I want to hear the recording. I want the firsthand account of what Mara Wilson's childhood was like, being whisked into celebrity status at the age of nine. I want to read about her and Danny DeVito and whether they're still friendly today. I want to know all of this, and it's all in the contents of this book. This is the book I want to read most badly this month. I will find the time for it. 

Okay! Those are the books I plan to read in the month of January. Quite a selection for this month but I'm excited to get to all of these. 

Right, I hope you have a wonderful day, and feel free to comment whatever it is you guys will be reading this month. 

See you soon. 

Abi xxxxx

2022 Wrap Up

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And this is my 2022 Wrap Up. 
I hope you enjoy it. 

~Books Read in December~

Honestly, there weren't many that I finished this month, mainly because I wasn't trying to read as much as I could- due to having already completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge in November- and I'm actually glad for it. I actually only read 2 books this month and I've made my peace with that- it just means I have lots to read going into this month! (And I'm still excited for them all!) 

1. Nothing More To Tell, by Karen M. McManus 

The latest in Karen M. McManus' ever growing list of novels. As usual, excellent writing style, very easy to fall into, and I think this might be my favourite of the lot so far. I think it was because I was genuinely on tenterhooks, excited to find out what happened next. If I have one critique of her stories that I've read is that there's always so much packed in within the story, that I find I'm not able to care about the characters much, which means I'm not that motivated to find out what happens to them. That wasn't the case with this one though. I loved one of the protagonists of the book, Brynn, because she felt a lot like myself. Curious, intellectual, at least a little bit stubborn, and willing to sacrifice a lot to get to the truth. Karen M. McManus just keeps getting better guys. 

2. The First to Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

This took me so much longer to read than I thought it would. And if it was any other story, I know I would have at least considered giving up on this book. But honestly, I never once got tired of reading about Valentino and Orion, and their day-long relationship, even though I knew there would only ever be one ending. This book may look long, but it genuinely didn't feel like 550 pages. Every chapter felt like it was needed in this book, even the two page ones from random characters, didn't feel like it was unnecessary. Highly recommend this book guys. 

~Series Completed in 2022~

1. The "Trials of Apollo" series, by Rick Riordan 

I finally caught up on all the Rick Riordan series'! I know this was back at the start of the year, but even now I can remember the relief I felt when I finish them all. 

Though saying that, it was a pleasure to read through Rick Riordan's works, and learn more about Greek, Roman and Norse mythology (and although I will never read through all of them again, I will definitely be picking up a couple of them in the future. 

2. The "What If It's Us" duology, by Adam Silvera

Absolutely loved this duology. Think I loved their collaboratory works more so than their singular novels if I'm honest. Might have to re-read this duology if I'm feeling starved for romance in February, because the characters are just too cute. 

Pretty simple premise, LGBT romance, set in New York. Although I typically don't tend to go for books with that vague a storyline, I knew I would love these, without a shadow of a doubt. 

I love the story that these two amazing authors have built together, and I very much hope that this isn't the end of their collabs together. 

3. The "Girls of Paper and Fire" trilogy, by Natasha Ngan 

An explosive series about two paper girls (specially selected girls (amongst ten others) that are brought to the castle for the King's demonic pleasure- I shudder at the word) building alliances to overthrow the King. Set in a vast fantastical world, this series starts off small, with a simple premise, but builds into something so much more than these two characters. There are some upsetting scenes, and for victtims of abuse and sexual assualt, I would think twice about picking this up, but it is a truly amazing series, and one that I wish I could read with fresh eyes again. 

4. The "Izzy O' Neill" duology, by Laura Steven

Absolutely loved these. When photos are leaked of Izzy O' Neill doing the dirty with a politician's sun, she's subjected to every form of abuse you could think of. Izzy can try and laugh it off, and she never denies anything because well- they have the photos to prove it- but just keeping her head above water might just seem like the hardest thing she's had to do. 

Even though this series if several years old, these are books that discuss topics that are relevant today. Never before have I read something so raw and realistic- because what happens in this series, is very accurate to what would happen today. 

Totally inspiring and wonderful to read about. 

5. The "Skulduggery Pleasant" series, by Derek Landy 

Finally. 

The last damn book. 

Never mind that there was a sentence stating that SP would return. (Always suspected that it might be a prequel by the way.) 

I've finished the whole fucking series. 

All of it. In one full re-read (that took like three months but whatever.) 

I cannot begin to describe how much love I have for this series. Outstandingly obnoxious characters, so much banter, outrageous powers and tricks, deadly villains, and sky-high stakes. 

Perfection. 

6. The "Flight" duology, by Vanessa Harbour 

Stumbled upon this duology purely by accident. So happy I did. Set in 1945, at the end of WWII. Following Izzy and Jakob, as they harbour horses to safety. Likeable characters, heavy story (without being too heavy as they are middlegrades). If you want to read about a different side to the World War, but still want to be able to laugh and smile, then pick up this duology. Jakob and Izzy are exceptionally written and I can't wait to read more of Vanessa's work. 

~Series I Started and Caught Up On~

1. The "Saga" Graphic Novel series- Finished Vol. 10- Up to date. 

That's literally it. 

I started off really strong in the first half of the year, reading something like four series' in five months. And then I took a nosedip and read a bunch of standalones, which of course I don't regret (though I wish I'd read my usual 7 series). 

But I'm hoping that I'll be able to read a lot more series' in the upcoming year (it's why my Goodreads goal is so low- I want the chance to read all the huge fantasy series I've been meaning to get to). 

~What I Achieved in 2022~

1. I finished saving! (Just need the Solicitor fees now :'-( - so moving out in 2023)! 

2. Finally got some seconds off my 5K PB (one second off from sub 23 now- will I ever get it)? 

3. Finished Goodreads Reading Challenge- on to next year! 

~What I'm Looking Forward to in 2023~

1. Finally getting a mortgage and moving out. 

2. Running PB's- eyeing up the 10K this year. 

3. Reading all the big fantasy series! 

4. Posting more! I need to get my head in gear on that! 

5. Talking to you all! 

Okay! That is my 2022 Wrap Up! 

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope I gave this last year a good send off! 

Here's to good fortune in 2023! 

I hope you have a lovely evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx