July Wrap Up (2024)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm coming at you today with my July Wrap Up (2024)! 

This month kind of went tit's up with my reading, but that's just where I'm at with reading at the moment. 

But enough with that, let's get on to the books. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

~July Wrap Up ~

I read a total of two books this month. Not the best in terms of number and page count, but I'm trying not to feel bad. We all have good months and bad months after all. 

1. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak 

I don't know what it is nowadays, but every re-read that I've been meaning to get to for, I'm talking a couple of years now, have just taken ages to read, whenever I start one. Most of them have been historical fiction, and maybe it's just a bit too similar to all of the Lucinda Riley books I've read recently, maybe that's what's making me read them at snail pace. 

Obviously I enjoyed reading this. I will always love reading about Leisel's arc, and how she inspires the people around her not to give up hope, no matter how dire the consequences may seem. Not to mention, the rapid fear that consume even the readers, as the world they know starts to crumble around them. 

I don't think I will ever stop re-reading this book completely. It'll be a couple of years until I think about re-reading this, and maybe a couple more until I actually pick it up again. But I will always be thinking about this ground-breaking, mind-shattering, powerful novel, by Markus Zusak.  

2. The Butterfly Room, by Lucinda Riley 

I don't know what it was about this book but I flew through it. Read the whole thing by audiobook and finished it in about three days. I didn't find anything that happened to be too far-fetched, I didn't think any of the characters boring. 

As all of Lucinda Riley's books are, The Butterfly Room is family centred, spanning between three generations. What I loved about it though, was that no generations took a backseat while another character became the main focus. They were all very much in the mix, all of the time. 

Another part that I liked, was the way the story moved on from this butterfly room, it didn't feel like the story was made around this butterfly room, but it was constantly relevant in the story. 

I loved the characters I was supposed to love, and hated certain characters with a passion, and once again, just when I thought everything was going to work out, Lucinda Riley's mischievious brain snatches it all away once more. 

Definitely my favourite Lucinda Riley standalone and one I won't be forgetting for a while. 

And now...

Since I've only read two books this month, I thought I'd mention something else I've been doing this month. 

If you follow my Twitter, you'll know that I frequently write lists of jobs I want to finish in the next few days. Well, this laat list I posted, I included the first episode of a recently released book to tv adaptation. That's what I wanted to talk about. 

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend. I haven't read the series yet, and honestly I didn't intend to. But this popped up on my facebook feed and just kept showing up. 

So of course I gave it a go. 

Loved it. Of course I did. It was in the back of my head all day and long into the night. 

I went into it with no expectations, and I was blown away. 

It doesn't feel like anything out of the ordinary. School girl, investigating a crime that was seemingly solved five years ago. But my God, is it compelling. And engaging. 

There are some triggers. Drugs, murder of course, pressure, to name a few, so I would recommend reading up on those before starting this, but it was just something I got stuck into right away. 

Highly, highly recommend this, especially if you like murder thrillers. 

Okay, that's all I had to say. 

Okay! That's my July Wrap Up (2024)! It's currently 23:38 as I write this, but I can officially say I've finally finished a wrap up in the month I plan to finish this, for once! 

I hope you enjoyed reading it, as always, you can comment down below what books you finished this month too! 

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

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Holiday Book Haul

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And today I'm posting something I haven't posted about in ages- I have a book haul! 

YAY! 

I'm way too excited to say anything else, so I'm gonna jump in here and now. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Most of these are second, which is why I have so many- mostly from my holiday to Lake District at the start of the month- but I think you'll agree with me that they're quite varied! 

1. A Mind Full of Murder (Skulduggery Pleasant #16), by Derek Landy 

Okay, so this one is new- an anniversary present, and a book I've been desperate to own since it's release. I will of course be getting to this one in the next couple of months, since you all know I can never resist a Derek Landy novel for too long once I have my hands on it. 

A Mind Full of Murder is the sixteenth Skulduggery Pleasant novel, the first book in Phase three. Phase one consisted of nine novels, phase two had six, and now A Mind Full of Murder is the first of a trilogy. I will never get tired of reading about Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain and their exciting adventutes, and hopefully you guys are starting to love them just as much. 

2. All the Broken Pieces (The Boy in Striped Pyjamas #2), by John Boyne

I've always been skeptical about sequels to well-known books being released a number of years after the first book, and this one was no different. But even knowing how long after it was written, I knew I had to give this a chance. For one, I couldn't pass up the chance to read from one of the best writers that ever lived, in my opinion, and secondly, I love these types of books: seeing how an event has unfolded, and impacted the remaining characters, even years later. Honestly, I never even knew this book existed. 

All the Broken Places takes place over seventy years after the events of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, and follows Greta, Bruno's older sister, as she shows us what happened to her family post-war, how she no longer talks about what it was like, even decades later. 

Then, a family suddenly moves into the apartment below her, and in spite of herself, she becomes close with them, and especially a young boy named Henry. One night, she witnesses a violent argument between Henry's mother and domineering father, and when conflicted as for whether she can help save the boy, she must comfront the past, and only then might they both get out alive. 

3. Necropolis (The Power of Five #4), by Anthony Horowitz

I read Necropolis way back in middle school over a decade ago and loved it. Never mind that it was the fourth book in the series, I read it over and over. Of course I eventually finished them all in order, but Necropolis is, and always will be, my favourite of the series. 

The reason I purchased another copy is this: I read and re-read it so much the book was coming apart in my hands. 

I know I probably won't re-read this again, and if I do it'll be a very long time before I do, but I felt I needed a working copy at least. 

If you didn't know, Necropolis is the fourth book in The Power of Five series, by Anthony Horowitz. It tells the story of five children, with extroadinary powers, coming together to defeat the Old Ones- like they did a thousand years ago. But this time, the Old Ones are ready- and determined to keep the heroes apart. Necropolis follows Scarlett- the last of the five- to Hong Kong, where Matt and the rest of the children are determined to get to Scarlett before she disappears forever. 

Very creepy, very action packed, you get to see the best of Anthony Horowitz' imagination, (much bettet than the Alex Rider in my opinion, but I might be in the minority in that) in this penultimate novel. Glad to finally have a replacement copy. 

4. Inkheart (Inkworld #1), by Cornelia Funke

I'll be very surprised if you haven't heard of this: I believe Inkheart is one of those books that changed the book community. Like The Book Thief or Twilight. Inkheart tells the story of Meggie and her father, who one night, is listening to her dad read Inkheart, when the villainous Capricorn leaps from the page and into the real world. Now, Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. Only Meggie has the power to rewrite the story that has changed her life-forever. 

I read this book forever-ago, and like most of the world, never picked up the sequel, Inkspell. As soon as I saw this in a charity shop in Glossop, the decision was made. I can't wait to jump back into this world. 

5. The Shadows in the Street, by Susan Hill 

Okay...

So it looks like this is book five of an eleven book series. 

Yeah, there's no way I'm commiting to the full series. 

Just this one. 

Susan Hill has always been an author on my radar. You know, ever since Daniel Radcliffe starred in the film adaption of The Woman in Black (yeah, I was the kid that watched anything he was in at the time, for obvious reasons). But I always try to pick up the not so famous works of an author, before the big seller, hence why I bought this. 

And in truth, it does sound okay. Standard bloody series of murders, all strangled, all prostitutes. That's the only link really. But with a page count of 380-odd, surely it must be decent enough to read. Right? 

I hope I enjoy this. I'd hate for my introduction to Susan Hill's story-telling to be negative. 

And of course...

6. The Woman in Black , by Susan Hill 

One of the horror classics in my opinion. I'm hoping to knock this out in a spooky readathon some time in October. If not it'll definitely be on my TBR. I don't know much about this book, and honestly, I don't think I need to. I know it's about a man called Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, that's called to Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Dablow. But then, shrouded in the mist and fog of the village, he glimpses a woman, dressed all in black. A sense of unease begins to take hold, especially at the villager's reluctance to talk about this mysterious lady... 

I'm expecting extreme creepiness from this book. Coraline graphic novel creepiness. I know this book won't disappoint. 

7. The Porpoise, by Mark Haddon 

The Porpoise tells the story of a woman, who is alone and isolated from the world by her wealthy father. She believes their lives together is normal, but as time passes, she begins to realise that something about their lifestyle is very very wrong. 

With nothing else to turn to, she turns to her books- her only escape. Her favourite tales are the ones of the angry gods, and heroic mortals, one of whom will come to her rescue- eventually. 

Soon, she will forget where the book ends, and she begins. 

What drew me to this book was how different it felt to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night time- but I guess that's the point. Extremely interested in the premise, and even more excited to pick it up and finally read it. Out of all of these, this is one of the book that's constantly in the back of my head. 

8. Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo 

Does anybody have a book that's maybe, been on your radar for a while, maybe a year or more, but never seem to have bought it? This was that such book for me (or one of them at least). But then Lygendary (instagram- female retro gamer- if you're into that, look her up) just happens to put this book on her story. Then, boom! It's in my hands, it's mine now. 

The power of instagram, everybody. 

Girl, Woman, Other is a collection of short stories. Mostly women, mostly black, telling the stories of their families, friendships, lovers and past experiences. I've heard phenomenal things, so I get the feeling that if I'm in the right mindset for it, it just might make my favourites list of 2024. I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one. 

9. Cogheart, by Peter Bunzl 

Cogheart. This series has been around a while, but I still fail to pick it up. I don't know what changed to make me want to finally purchase it, but I know something definitely did. 

Cogheart is the first in a four book series, and it follows Lily in her pursuit for the truth as for where her father has disappeared to, why silver-eyed men stalk her in the middle of the night, and what the heck they want from her? Enlisting the help of her friend Robert- the clockmaker's son, and Malkin- her mechanical fox, Lily is plunged into a murky and unfamiliar world. Too late to do anything, Lily realises that those she holds dear may well be the very ones to break her heart... 

I've never read anything by Peter Bunzl, so it'll be interesting to see how I gel with his story-telling and writing style, not to mention his characters. 

10. A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

Okay, confession time. I've been an idiot. When all the hype arrived for this, because there was a movie coming out, I dug my heels in and refused to read even a page of this. But after reading the premise, I've admitted defeat. This book truly sounds magnificent. I've come to this conclusion purely from reading the blurb and the review quotes. 

I've seen the words brave and compassionate tossed around a lot with this book, so I have a feeling I'm going to start ugly crying when I read this. 

Let me know in the comments what you thought, if you've read it. 

11. Near the Bone, by Christina Henry 

I had a stint of wanting to read nothing but Christina Henry back in 2019, and since then, I've sort of moved on to other types of books. I've looked at the odd Christina Henry book when I've been browsing the shelves, but nothing ever seeemed to jump out. Until I came across this... 

Near the Bone doesn't sound much like any fairytale I've come across, to be honest. It definitely sounds savage, dark and twisted, and that's all I need. There are some fantastic reviews online, and I can't wait to add to them, because I just know I'm going to love this. 

In a nutshell, Near the Bone is this:

1. Mattie and William live alone on a mountain. 

2. There's a creature roaming the woods. It makes sounds in the night, and has sharp clawd and teeth. 

3. Three strangers appear on the mountainside looking for the creature in the woods, which Melanie knows will anger William. 

I can't wait to pick this up. 

12. The White Queen, by Phillipa Gregory 

Okay, another book in a long series I know nothing about. But at least I now own a Philippa Gregory book. I can finally call myself a historical fiction fan now (only joking, I need a Hilary Mantel book for that haha). 

I actually got this at a car boot sale the sunday after my lake district holiday, but since it was only a day later, I figured it still counts. 

From what I've been told, Philippa Gregory's books about her tudor queens have action, politics, and less than admirable doings going on behind the scenes. That starts with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. I'm not entirely sure when I'll be getting to this, but you can bet, after all these Lucinda Riley books I've been picking up, I'm going to want something to fill the void once I finish them all. I think this just might fit the bill. 

Okay! Those are all the books I accumilated in or around the lake district! If you've picked up any books recently and are excited to share them, let me know in the comments below! 

I'm going to bed now, cos it's 00:26 in the UK right now, but I hope you have a wonderful evening/ day, wherever you are! 

See you soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

June Wrap Up & July TBR (2024)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my June Wrap Up & July TBR (which I know is super late, but when you've been on holiday and tired from 17,000 steps- daily- you tend to forget some things). 

But I'm back and I'm writing this, and I very much hope you enjoy it. 

~June Wrap Up~

I read a total of 4 books in June, which I am very happy about, especially since three of them were pretty large. So still averaging about a book a week. Good progress. 

1. The Midnight Rose, by Lucinda Riley 

As you'll know by now, if you've been following this blog for any time since the past year, Lucinda Riley's books span over multiple generations, and they're about how events in the past can impact future generations. They especially centre around families. The Midnight Rose is no different. 

However, for the first time, after reading the blurb, I found I wasn't super excited to pick it up, like most of her books. 

Because of this, I picked it up immediately, knowing I was going to have to get to this eventually, and that this feeling was just going to get worse if I didn't. 

And oddly, my feelings were correct. 

Now, before you jump in with a comment, I will say that, of course I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I don't regret reading it. Far from it. I just found myself enjoying particular parts a lot more, wanting to stay with certain characters a lot more, instead of jumping timelines and losing track. 

I felt some parts dragged, and others felt a tad far-fetched to be completely believeable. 

That said, I loved the writing, and once again, Lucinda Riley's story unfolded wonderfully. 

2. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell 

One of my new favourites! Katherine Rundell's most recent novel was vast, interesting and detailed, filled with lovable characters and epic chapters that made me not want to put the book down! I thought it was a series, but I actually don't think it is, unfortunately. 

(To be fair, the book ended perfectly anyway, so I'm happy with that.) 

I always enjoy Katherine Rundell's books whenever I pick them up, but I think this one was the best of the lot. It's won two book awards, but even if it hadn't, I'd still be telling you to go and pick it up if you haven't. 

3. The Italian Girl, by Lucinda Riley 

After reading about this (as well as some of the other Lucinda Riley books I'd been given), I knew straightaway that I'd enjoy this one. But as you'll know when reading through this post, I decided to read the book I was less interested in first. 

You can imagine my excitement when I got to this one, and loved it just as much as I thought I would. Being a choir kid, and musical theatre lover, this book was right up my alley, what with The Italian Girl being about performing, the opera, and of course all the love affairs going on being the scenes. 

Wonderful spin of a story, with fully-fleshed out characters, a story that pans generations, that I never want to put down. 

4. The Angel Tree, by Lucinda Riley 

Looking at Goodreads, there are severely mixed reviews, but as always, I'm rating it on the higher end of the spectrum. I wish some things had ended differently, but that's part of what I loved about this book- that people never seemed to get closure, or work things out- it was the frustration. 

It was, again, a story that panned over three generations within a family- that really, couldn't be more different. 

I gave it 4.5 stars. Riveting novel. 

~July TBR (2024)~

Like the last few months, I will be prioritising Lucinda Riley books, because of course, they're not mine, and I don't like to keep someone waiting for them to be returned. 

1. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak 

A favourite I've been wanting to read for the longest time- that I'm finally getting to! I'm just under halfway through at the moment, and I wish I was picking it up more, but I'm slowly making progress with it. 

The Book Thief is narrated by death, during the time of WWII, and follows a girl called Liesel as she tries to make sense of the world around her, as she's dropped at a german couples house- and falls in love with the power of words. I won't tell anymore about this book (to be fair, if you haven't read this book yet, I don't know what you're doing with your life), because you should read it for yourself. 

2. The Butterfly Room, by Lucinda Riley 

The Butterfly Room follows Posy Montague, owner of Admiral House, approaching seventy years of age, facing an important decision. Despite growing up in Admiral House, with memories of catching butterflies with her father, bringing up her children here, she can see her childhood home crumbling to pieces- she knows the time has come to sell it. With each day comes more decisions that need to be made, Posy feels more and more overwhelmed. Until one day, out of the blue, her past love-Freddie, shows up, as well as her son Nick, after ten years in Australia. Posy is hesitant to believe in Freddie's renewed affection with her, and unbeknown to Posy, Freddie- and Admiral have a devastating secret to reveal. 

3. The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman

Another re-read that I've been looking forward to for ages. It's one of those grey area situations that test your morals. I love reading books like this, being presented with decisions that force you to question what you would do. 

 The Light Between Oceans tells the story of Tom and Isabel, a married couple that look after the isle they live on, tending to the lighthouse- completely isolated and alone from the rest of the world. Tom and Isabel have suffered a lot in their life, with Tom returning home from Australia, after four years fighting on the Western Front, and then with Isabel suffering from several miscarriages. Then, purely by chance, a boat appears, with a dead man and a very alive-baby. 

What would you do? 

4. The Olive Tree, by Lucinda Riley 

Story aside, I love this cover. The tree and the landscape is enough to make me excited about picking it up. It's also based in Cyprus, a place I've always longed to visit. 

The Olive Tree is about Helen who, after being left 'Pandora' (a house) by her Godfather, travells back to Cyprus, where she hasn't been for twenty- four years- and fell in love for the first time. 

Yet as soon as she arrives in Cyprus, she knows that Pandora masks a web of lies and secrets that she has kept from her husband William, and her thirteen-year-old son Alex. Alex is torn between protecting his mum, and growing up- as well as finding out who his real father is. 

Then, as if by chance, Helena meets her childhood sweetheart- and this sets of a chain of events that will threaten to make her past memories and present collide. Both Helena and Alex know that life will never be the same, once Pandora's secrets have been revealed...

So that was my June Wrap Up & July TBR (2024)! I know it's a long one, and I know it's late, but at last it's done! I hope you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments what you're planning on reading this month, and we can talk about it! 

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

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx