October TBR (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm catching up on the posting game by drafting this straight after my wrap up. Look at me being all productive and stuff! 

Now, I know I usually conjour up a Spooky TBR for the month of October, to keep with the Halloween theme (getting as much pumpkin spice as I can this month, before Gingerbread waltzes in like it owns the place) but this month I'm prioritising my Goodreads Goal, because I'm sick of being behind. 

So this month I'll be re-reading yet more books, all from my childhood. All from just one author actually. 

I'm warning you now, there'll be four Jacqueline Wilson books on this TBR. 

That's your warning. 

I hope you enjoy my TBR. 

1. Candyfloss, by Jacqueline Wilson 

Candyfloss tells the story of Floss who, when her mum and new husband Steve are moving the family to Australia for a year, feels split. She loves her Dad, with his greasy spoon cafe, and his way of making her feel like the most special girl in the world. So when they reveal they're moving, Floss decides to stay with her Dad. He's not great at ironing, or making nutritious meals, but they muddle along well enough. But then disaster strikes and they end up homeless, will their new found fairground help them out? 

Now, this does have some very serious themes to it, but even when a bad situation arises, you sort of always feel like Flossie and her Dad will be okay. What I love the most is the balance between the seriousness and the humour in this book. Like you never feels like it gets too heavy or too harsh in the way the story is told. 

2. Clean Break, by Jacqueline Wilson 

Bloody harsh this is! Stepdad leaves Em and her family (her siblings Vita and Maxie are his blood children) for another woman on Christmas Day! Em knows that a good story can be enough to make life seem a little better, even though they're trying to muddle through a tough time. Meeting her favourite author, Jenna Williams, would be a dream come true. But could her greatest wish be granted? Will her Dad ever come home? 

This was never my absolute favourite Jacqueline Wilson book, but it holds it's own and I like some of the themes in it. As always, the subtle and gentle introduction of difficult topics, with the hearty humour is absolutely perfect, and I am very much looking forward to re-read this. 

3. The Diamond Girls, by Jacqueline Wilson 

I'm 36 pages into this book right now, and this was the book that I was thinking the most about, out of these three Jacqueline Wilson books. It's the one that made me want to re-read them. I think what I love about The Diamond Girls is how distinguished all the girls are. They're all really easy to like and the group dynamic is very well-written. 

The Diamond Girls starts when their heavily pregnant mother reveals that they'll be moving that week. They arrive, and things all start to go downhill. All the girls go off their own; Martine storming off, Jude fighting and Rochelle on the lookout for a boyfriend. Dixie is the daydreamer, the protagonist and even though she's the youngest, she's determined to pull the family together for the first diamond boy. 

 4. Sister's Red (Fairytale Retellings #1), by Jackson Pearce 

I felt the urge to re-read one of my absolute favourite halloweenish reads this morning and since I'm already re-reading a ton this month, I thought, what the heck? It's clearly what I want to pick up next, and I'm in the mood for it (also I was stuck on what to include on my TBR after the first three books). 

Sister's Red is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, about sisters Scarlett and Rosie, two fenris (werewolf) hunters. It's just the two of them, after their grnadmother was maliciously killed by a fenris. Scarlett is driven by the hunt, she lives and breathes it. But Rosie has always wondered, is there more to life than hunting?

I don't know what it is that drew me to this book when I first read it, but I know I always enjoy reading about the fighting, the characters, and the mystery with the Silas brothers and the fenris. Looking forward to going back to this. 

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

Sweetly is a Hansel and Gretel retelling, and growing up, it was a strong placeholder alongside Sister's Red. But growing up, I actually think it just edges up the first book in the way the whole story comes together. Aside from that, there's a Cholocatier in this book and reading scenes that take place there always makes me hungry for chocolate. 

Sweetly is different to the original book by Brothers Grimm, but similar enough that it doesn't seem like it stems from a different story. There's shooting and training, there's another Silas brother, and of course there are fenris in this version too. Mouth is already watering at the thought of that Chocolatier. 

6. Where Am I Now? By Mara Wilson 

And again, I tack this on at the end of another TBR. I will get to you, Mara Wilson autobiography! If it's the last thing I do (actually, I'm currently flying through these Jacqueline Wilson books, so the only reason I don't pick this up will be if I decide to read something else). This novel will only take me a few hours so there really isn't any excuse for me not to finish this this month. 

From what I've read, this is an honest and emotional account of what it's like rising to fame accidentally, feeling out of place growing up in the public eye, and all the bad parts of the film industry. I've heard nothing but fantastic reviews about this book and I'll be so happy when I finally get to it. 

Okay! I hope to finish these and then some (but I just can't think of more to read at the moment) so I'm going to wrap it up here. 

As always, feel free to comment down below what you guys plan to read and we can talk about them! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

September Wrap Up (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm done with feeling like a failure when it comes to posting on here. I'm an unpologetically shitty writer when it comes to this and I'm just going to own it. 

Here's my wrap up for last month. I read a fair few books this month. 

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

I re-read this is preparation for The Man Who Died Twice and even though I only rated it three stars the first time around, I remember enjoying it, I remember it being a strong read, and truth be told, I had high hopes that re-reading it would give me enough inclination to rate it higher this time around. Unfortunately, I had exactly the same experience. This was a decent read, but it wasn't really any more than that. It took me like a week and a half to get through it, and I just wasn't motivated to pick it up. Yes, the premise is original, and it's entertaining, and going into it, I was excited to revisit this world. I more or less ended in a slump that I had to fight my way out of. 

2. Life is Strange Vol. 4: Partners in Time: Tracks (Life is Strange #4), by Emma Vieceli, Claudia Leonardi, Andrea Izzo 

My birthday present! Bloody awesome, my favourite one yet. Two seperate realities, each of them leaving me wanting more when I jumped to the other one. It's so easy for these number volumes to just feel like fillers, when you've gone so far from the start, and you're a few volumes from the end. This felt nothing like that. It felt like now we've established the plot, where the direction of the story's going, that these Emma and the illustrators just let rip upon us. I have no idea where this is going to end but I know what I'm hoping for. 

3. Off the Record, by Camryn Garrett 

I put this on one of my Anticipated Releases post a couple of years ago and it's one of the few that I've been meaning to order since. Stumbled across it in Waterstones Picadilly and the rest is history. Flew through it, absolutely loved it, as I kind of always knew I would. 

How do I start? This has such an important theme to it? Doesn't have enough weight to it to really put across what I want to say about this book. 

Review will definitely be coming soon. 

I don't even think I've fully grasped the severity of situations like this, even though I've read this. 

Just, read this guys. It'll change your world. 

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

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I did. Did unfortunately have the same problem as the first one, was forced to download the audiobook, so I could feel like I was actually making progress, but I found that I actually started enjoying this more because of that. 

Our adventurous eighty-year-olds are up against the clock on this one, so there's a chase to the finish: find the diamonds, as a favour to Elizabeth's old friend, before the killer! You actually see Elizabeth sweat a little, something I never thought I'd read about. 

I'm very much hoping that this series will continue to get better and better, rather than having it peak here. 

Who knows? I guess we'll see. 

5. Illegal, by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano 

Stumbled across this masterpiece in a literal comic book store for just a few quid. Simple but moving tale about a young boy, Ebo, trying to make the journey from Africa to Europe, to meet up with his brother and sister. Every time I think about it, I want to pick it up and re-read it again. 

What I loved most about this book was the hope. Ebo never gave up on the idea of that better life, in Europe, with his brother and sister, even when the situation was desperate. I hope to be like that when I grow up. Never giving up, never losing face of what's important. 

6. Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

I found this in Daunt books in London, when I was travelling round searching bookshops (certainly making my mark for this trip) when I saw this poking out of the children's secret. Ballet Shoes was one of my favourite classics to re-read when I was a child and it wasn't long before I'd read the first chapter and gotten sucked in. 

Saying that, I'm sure I wasn't the only child that read and loved this; it is considered timeless after all. 

I'm sure I'm not the only child that pictured themselves being best friends with these girls, or even being them, like they say at the end of the book "I wonder- if other girls had to be one of us, which of us they'd chose to be?" 

Okay! Those are all the books I read in the month of September! I'm surprised and extremely happy by how many I actually managed to finish, despite being in London. 

Let me know in the comments what you guys read in September, and we can chat about them! 

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

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

September TBR (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with my September TBR (2022)! 

My progress might be a bit slower than usual, because I'm just coming back from reading really large books but hopefully I should be back and consistently reading more by the end of the month (at least that's what I'm hoping).

So, here's what I plan to read this month. I hope you enjoy it. 

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

I was hoping to get to this last month, and although I did manage to start it, that's as far as I got. But I'm slowly gaining speed as I work my way through this now, and I'm really enjoying the re-read. 

If you didn't know, the thursday murder club is Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron, and they are all eighty-year-olds that reside in a retirement village. Every thursday, they meet to discuss some unsolves murders from years ago. But when there's a murder right on in their backyard, the thursday murder club find themselves right in the midst of it. 

Very amusing, yet sad and shocking moments in this book, it's been great to be able to go back and re-read in preparation for the second and third book (which is due out later this month if I'm not mistaken). 

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

Don't know much about this book, and that's the way I want to keep it. I've read the blurb obviously, and that's enough to wet my appetite. From what I can tell, the murder club are working to help Elizabeth's friend, who made a mistake. But this time, they're working to find something before the killer does. So there's a deadline, a heist, and a mystery to solve. That's certainly intriguing enough for me. 

3. Life is Strange Vol 4: Partners in Time: Tracks (Life is Strange Comics #4), by Emma Vieceli 

The fourth volume! I'll really be speeding through this series after I finish this. 

Okay, I don't actually have this at the moment. It's a birthday present, but I'm hoping I'll be able to jump right into this upon receiving it. It's weird to think that at the start of July I was only reading the 2nd volume, and after this I'll only be two away from completing the entire series. 

(But there's already another series- from a videogame that I've got my eye on- I just need to finish the games first haha.) 

I love this cover by the way, such rich colours, 

And an awesome story to go with it! Can't wait to continue with this saga! 

4. The Miniaturist (The Miniaturist #1), by Jessie Burton

I read this several years ago, and I actually think I was close to getting rid of it, cos I figured that because it was a standalone, that I wouldn't be picking it up again. Boy was I wrong! One of my local independant bookstores had an advertisement outside their shop, so I went in and straightaway bought a copy (next book) with sprayed edges. (So obviously I have to re-read this, because I've forgotten the finer points.) 

Since I read this back in 2019, I actually haven't read many books set in this time-frame (1686), so it'll be nice to have a change in the book that I read. And of course, I'm looking forward to going back and re-learning everything I've forgotten. 

Basically, The Miniaturist tells the story of eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman, who arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of a welathy merchant, named Johannes Brandt. He presents her with an extroadinary gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. As Nella grows into her new life, she finds that this model home that has been gifted to her, seems to hold the residents fate- in her hands- but what does she plan to do with their lives- save or destroy them?

This is a mysterious, intriguing story, full of secrets and history, and although I'm not sure if it's totally accurate, it sure feels like it is. 

5. The House of Fortune (The Miniaturist #2), by Jessie Burton

I can barely remember how the first book ended, so I'm not going near the blurb, or the first page until The Miniaturist has at least been opened. I honestly don't know what possessed me to see this book, and purchase it straight away, because it definitely isn't the cover (even if it does have sprayed edges and a gorgeous cover exactly the same as the first book). I really do hope it's as good as the first one though. More to report when I've actually read it though. 

6. Where Am I Now?, by Mara Wilson 

I've had this stashed on my "Library" shelf of Audible for at least a couple months now, since I watched the film, and it's high time I listened to it. It was recorded by Mara Wilson, and there is nothing that I love more than listening to a person telling their own story to you. I always loved Matilda, both the book and film, because Matilda was a big reason of 1)why I became a reader in the first place, and 2) it was an awakening that it wasn't considered different to want to read. I always knew about Danny DeVito and what he did for Mara and his mother, but when I heard about this, I just knew that I'd need to read it soon. 

And that's why it's on here, so I can start my listen as soon as I've read my physical books (this should also line up nicely for ironing too)! 

And that is my September TBR (2022)! I hope you enjoyed it and as always, feel free to comment what you plan to read this month! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon with my anticipated releases for the last quarter of the year! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx