January Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's (finally) the end of January! I know I'm not the only one to see this month come to an end. But, the end of one month brings the start of another!
And yet, I need to see the month wrapped up until I can move on to the next. Honestly, the monthly wrap ups are one of my favourite posts to write because I get to be reminded of all that I accomplished in the duration of the month!
Enjoy! Here's what I did!


-BOOKS-
I read a total of 5 books in the month of January, and each and every one has been a stand-out for different reasons. Here's what I read:

1. The Librarian of Auschwitz, by Antonio Iturbe

I read a few chapters of this before I lost my copy a few months back. After finding it, I decided I should at least try to finish it. The Librarian of Auschwitz is based on Dita Kraus' real life experience of Auschwitz from the time that she was 14 years old. She was the librarian, moving and concealing the books for years, constantly aware that a hand on her shoulder could be the death of her. This is definitely something worth reading if you want a real and raw perspective of what it's like in Auschwitz because it feels like I lived every minute of Dita's experience even though it's a book that's under 500 pages.

2. Daisy Jones & the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I honestly didn't plan to pick up this one this month, but something just drew me to the audiobook I had recently downloaded. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this, even though the rest of the world was. But it was something about hearing voices of the characters that made them seem that much like the people they were playing. This is a real life account from all the different band members, and other people close to them. It's also the only one in existence. But whether it was the way the story unfolded, the way it was written, or the way the band rose to the top only to come crumbling down, I don't know. But I highly recommend this if you haven't read it yet!

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

This was such a complex read (but it was amazing.) If I hadn't tried really hard to read a certain amount each day, I feel like I wouldn't have got half as much of an impact as I did. There were so many wonderful elements engrained in this story, it would take forever for me to talk about everything that I loved about this book. I know it's intimidating, but when else will you be able to say that you read an 800 page, Urban Fantasy standalone? Rarely! So if you're on the fence about whether to attempt this novel, I urge you to at least try it, it doesn't matter how long it takes, it will be worth it!

4. 13 Minutes, by Sarah Pinborough

This book is DARK. When I say DARK I mean, do not read this unless you are over the age of 16 because you would not believe the poop that goes down within the pages of this novel. It says in the corner of the cover that it's not suitable for younger readers. That is definitely right. 13 Minutes starts with Natasha being found the morning she nearly drowned. The question on everyone's lips is how did she end up in the lake? What happened the night before? And the story just unfolds from there.  I finished this book just under a week ago and even writing this wrap up now, all the things that take place in this book are coming back to me and it's CRAZY. A really addictive read.

5. Heartstopper Volume Three (Heartstopper #3), by Alice Oseman

Just got a smug grin on my face right now. This isn't out until 6th February but when I saw it in my local Waterstones on Wednesday I just couldn't resist. I read it in one sitting, and it was just as cute and amazing as I was expecting it to be! My two favourite lovebirds fly off to Paris in this one, (hence the map) and I'm now pretty certain that Alice Oseman can turn any event into a cute-fest! I'm feeling a little flat knowing that I'm now going to have to wait until next year for volume four, but I hope that the rest of the world loves the volume as much as I have next week! (Honestly my heart and my EMOTIONS were took on a journey during this graphic novel.)

-TV SHOWS & FILMS WATCHED-

Films

1. The Lion King (good start to the year)

2. Inside Out

3. Jumangi: Welcome to the Jungle

4. Jumangi: The Next Level (Cinema)

5. The Perks of Being A Wallflower (one of my favourite films of all time)

6. Into the Woods

7. IT: Chapter 2

8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Been dying to watch this film recently, and just in time for P.S. I Still Love You, which is out on Netflix on 12th February.)

9. Midnight Sun

10. Wonder

TV shows

1. A Series Of Unfortunate Events (Seasons 2/3- Finished)

2. Bad Education (Seasons 2/3 - Finished)

3. The Next Step (Seasons 1-3)

4. Sex Education (1/2- Currently working through Season 2)

5. Miranda (Season 1/2)

6. Spinning Out (Season 1- Finished)

7. Dragonball Z (that's right-we're watching it again)

Right! That's my January Wrap Up! I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to let me know what you read in January, I'm always looking for cool recommendations!

I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all in February!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxx

All My Favourite Fairytale Retellings!

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And today I will be listing some of my favourite fairytale retellings! (Basically all of the retellings that I've read to date.) But then, every fairytale that I've read, I've enjoyed one heck of a lot!

Enjoy!

1. The Surface Breaks, by Louise O' Neill

This is known as a feminist version of The Little Mermaid, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! Based more on Anderson's original story, as opposed to the Disney Classic film, it's a lot darker than you would expect going into the story, so just be aware of that when you pick this up. You read from the POV of Gaia, one of the seven mermaid princesses, and the only one who longs to break the surface. A year after she saves a young man from drowning, unable to take it any longer, she trades her legs and voice and swims towards the surface, in the hope that she finds love, happiness, and all in all, her mother, who was lost at sea when Gaia was young.  I haven't even picked at the surface for how good this book is, when there is so much more below the surface (ha...) so do yourself a favour and pick it up, especially if you're in the mood for a Little Mermaid retelling that's dark and twisted.

2. Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1), by Jackson Pearce

I read this long before I started this blog and it still remains one of my go to reads when I'm in the mood for a re-read with both decent plot and characters. The POV jumps from Rosie & Scarlett, two sisters that run around their town, killing Fenris (werewolves) and protecting the town. There's romance, violence, sisterly love and a ritual, and even though I usually don't read many books that have a ritual in them, because I'm not a huge fan of that trope, this book is so easy to fly through and so easy to get invested in, that I honestly don't mind. I also love the cover (even though I'm still annoyed that they decided to change the cover design half way through the series!)

3. Sweetly (Fairytale Retellings #2), by Jackson Pearce

Sweetly constantly switches places with Sisters Red for my favourite book of the series. When the first book in the series was an adaption of Little Red Riding Hoods (they wear red capes when they're out hunting), the fairytale for Sweetly is more easy to guess. It's based off of Hansel & Gretel, and it makes me hungry for all the chocolates, every time I read it. Because one of the characters owns a chocolatier. Anyway, what I love the most about this book is that it never loses the premise of Hansel & Gretel, it's just a bit darker, with more violence and intrigue. I really should re-read this series again.

4. Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings #3), by Jackson Pearce

Although I prefer The Surface Breaks (they're both Little Mermaid retellings), this was the first one that I had ever read. I haven't read this in a while and it's definitely the one I remember the least, but it's kind of a race against time between two characters. Lo, who wants to take the boy she once saved, so she can have her soul back; and Celia who, according to her anyway, has the worst power out of her sisters (she can see the past.) Both girls, when they form a friendship, also have no idea they're competing for Jude (they boy's) affections. All I remember was that this shit was INTENSE.

5. Cold Spell (Fairytale Retellings #4), by Jackson Pearce

Even though the synopsis on Goodreads makes this sound like a manufactured book about the classic fairytale Snow Queen, this was a book that surprised me with every chapter. I know that when I read this, I was a bit nervous as for what I was going to think, being that my thoughts on Fathomless weren't very encouraging. But this is basically a hide and seek tale, with Ginny pursuing Kai, her love for forever, after he mysteriously vanishes, after following a mysterious yet beautiful white woman. With the help of the last Reynolds brother (the Reynolds brothers are a recurring theme in this series- and you don't see me complaining, because they're all awesome) you get to read this beautiful and descriptive story as the Fairytale Retellings series comes to an end.

6. The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry

I feel like I've talked about this in practically every other post I've done since I've read this book. I love this book so much because of the main character, Red. She has one goal throughout the course the book, and that is to find her grandmother. I also love the protagonist because she was what the book needed, which wasn't necessarily what I thought I wanted to read about. I love her character, because not only is she tough, but she's got a gammy leg, which makes her real and relatable. She symbolises that even if your not perfect, you can still survive, so long as you stay strong and don't lose focus.

Okay! That was my favourite Fairytale Retellings list! I hope you enjoyed the list, and feel free to share your recommendations, because I love reading these retellings!
I hope you all have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon!
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxx

2020 Anticipated Book Releases (January-March)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And today I'll be posting my Anticipated Book Releases (up to the end of March at least-because it would be a heck of a long list if it was just one for the entire year.)

January Releases

1. This Vicious Cure (This Mortal Coil #3), by Emily Suvada

Release date: 23/1/20

This is released in a matter of days and even though I (probably) won't get to it for a while, because of the amount of books I already plan to read, I can say that I've been anticipating this since I read book 2 last January. To add to that, usually these are released back in September, but the release date was pushed back to this January, which makes me want to read this all the more. The This Mortal Coil trilogy is a sci-fi series that has everything to do with DNA. Set in a world that is in ruins, Catarina must travel to the place where her father was taken and killed, in the hope of decrypting an unknown message that may save the world. A lot has happened since that and I'm looking forward to seeing how this will all wrap up in this final book.

February Releases

2. Heartstopper Vol 3 (Heartstopper #3), by Alice Oseman

Release date: 6/2/20

Last year I became obsessed with this LGBT graphic novel series and it's probably the one that I'm most anticipating out of everything that is on this list. These are so fun to read in one setting. So much so, that I've done it twice! These characters are just so cute and so wonderful that, when I'm reading these, my emotions all come through in a rush, without warning. It's so easy to love them, and to wish them the best even though you know it's probably not going to. Can't wait to see what happens in the third volume!

3. Of Curses and Kisses, by Sandhu Menon

Release date: 18/2/20

I literally only heard about this when I was doing the research for this post. I haven't heard anybody talking about it on Booktube, but that doesn't matter. Of Curses and Kisses is by the bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi and I am very excited for this novel, even though I never got to her previous series. Of Curses and Kisses is a sort of contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it sounds interesting to be honest. Looking forward to reading my first Sandhu Menon book.

March Releases

4. Only Mostly Devastated, by Sophie Gonzales

Release date: 3/3/20

All I needed to know about this was that it's a LGBT version of Grease the Musical. Having read the synopsis on Goodreads, I am down for this novel, and I'm hoping that I will love it as much as I love Heartstopper. Grease the Musical is probably one of my favourite, and I'm not the only one. I've been to see the show twice, and it's always on at some theatre of another near my town, year after year. Aside from that, one of the characters will have to make the decision as for whether to love who he wants to love, and risk losing all of his friends, or to stay in the closet. This book should be interesting.

5. The Kingdom of Back, by Marie Lu

Release date: 3/3/20

After loving Wildcard, back in December (which seems like so long ago, even though it was last month), I've been eager to get my hands on another Marie Lu novel. And what better novel to pick up, then one that's all about classical music? The Kingdom of Back is read from the POV of Nannerl, the older sister of Mozart, who's dreams of being a classical composer will end when she reaches a marriageable age. However, all that might change when a mysterious stranger approaches her with an offer. But his help will cost her everything. Is it worth it? One thing I will say is that I'm looking forward to seeing how Marie Lu's first historical fiction novel will turn out.

6. All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban

Release date: 17/3/20

This for sure sounds like a book that I have never read before. After reading the synopsis on Goodreads, my first thought was that it sounds like Saw II. A number of teenagers in a trapped house, with the choice: one of them must die, or all of them will. (There's a bomb in the room.) They all have shady secrets, that they will keep hidden by any cost. They're all also from totally different social groups as well so it's also like The Breakfast Club. This is meant to be for fans of Karen McManus' books (and One of Us Is Next is actually on my TBR for next month so go figure.)

Okay! I hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know if any of these books interest you as well, and we can talk about them! If not, then let me know what you guys are anticipating (I bet at least one of you are waiting for Chain of Gold).

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

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx