August Wrap Up

I opened my GoodReads account today, preparing myself to feel guilty. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised! This month I've managed to complete seven books, plus there are two books that weren't included on my June/July wrap up, even though I finished them at the end of July.

Sweep in Peace (Book 2 of the Innkeeper Chronicles) by Ilona Andrews

3/5 Stars on GoodReads

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

This is a sequel story, and was reasonably good. It didn't blow me away, and in parts just felt like a filler until the next story. However, how these books is written is v cool. Ilona Andrew's releases this series chapter by chapter on their website, so technically, if you kept on top of things, you could read along at the same time. The genre is half fantasy, half sci-fi.

Marked in Flesh (The Others book 4) by Anne Bishop

3/5 Stars on GoodReads

'For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...'

There are many parts of this book series I find it really hard to wrap my head around. The 'Others' characters just seem really simple at times, and the main character can be a bit wishy-washy. I know the point is that the world is  extremely different from our world, but it seemed a bit too much at times. I will keep reading the series, but it's not one of my favourites.

The Guest Cat by Tikashe Hiraide

4/5 Stars on GoodReads

'The Guest Cat, by the acclaimed poet Takashi Hiraide, is a subtly moving and exceptionally beautiful novel about the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living. A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen.'

Such an interesting read! I loved the writing style, and obviously, I'm a big fan of cats!

The Bride (The Boss book 3) by Abigail Barnette

4/5 Stars on GoodReads

The Stranger (The Boss book 0.5) by Abigail Barnette

4/5 Stars on GoodReads

And I Darken by Kiersten White

5/5 Stars on GoodReads

What if Vlad the Impaler was a girl?

'No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.'

This book was so interesting to read. A great plot, interesting characters with great development, and a historical basis as well! Loved it.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harrari

5/5 Stars on GoodReads

'100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?'

A very interesting non-fiction book about the evolution and development of the human race.

The Ex (The Boss book 4) by Abigail Barnette

4/5 Stars

The Baby (The Boss book 5) by Abigail Barnette

4/5 Stars on GoodReads

AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

GoodReads Update: 63/100 read

2016 Reading Challenge:

A book and it's prequel - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (January) Assassin's Blade tbr soon!

A Book Written by a Celebrity - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Graphic Novel - River's of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch (January)

A Book Set in Europe - My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick (February)

A Book Set in the Summer - Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (February)

A Book Based on a Fairytale - The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire (February)
A Political Memoir - I am Malala (I think this counts!) by Malala Yousafzai (March)
A Book With a Blue Cover - Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (March)
A Book Set on an Island - Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning (March)
A Book Published in 2016 - Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (March)
An Autobiography - How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (April)
A Book Under 150 pages - Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell (April)
A Book Finished in the Day - Into the Woods by Kim Harrison (April)
A Book With an Unfamiliar Culture - Ms Marvel by G Willow Wilson (April)
A Book You Haven't Read Since High School - The Crysalids by John Wyndham (April)
A YA Best seller - The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (April)
A Science-Fiction Novel - Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (May)
A Dystopian Novel - The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy (May)
A Book Written by a Comedian - Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran (June)
A Book of Poetry - The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace (June)
A Book Set in your Home State - A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwabb (June)
A Romance Set in the Future - Saga Volume 1 (June)
A Book that's guaranteed to bring yoy joy - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (July)
A New York Times Best Seller - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (July)
A Murder Mystery - The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones (July)
A Book translated to English - The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (August)

2015 challenge continuation...

A Book I was Supposed to Read in School (I read all the books I was supposed to when I was a student in school - I've now read this as a teacher) - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Book Based on a True Story - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (March)

A Book that made me cry - The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (May)

February Wrap Up!

Yes, it's well in to March at this point, but (as always) better late than never.

Rosemary and Rue (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

3.5/5 Stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

I completely forgot, until I began reading this again, that I had attempted to read this once before. I remember, and agreed, that it was a very slow start. In fact, whilst the book improves once you get past half way, it's also true that the series really only gathers pace a few books in. This wasn't the most exciting first book in an Urban Fantasy series, hence the 3.5 stars, but I'm glad I persevered, as February ended up being a month of Toby Daye...

A Local Habitation (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

4/5 stars

The series was still slow at this point, although the pace and plot were still good. I just couldn't really immerse myself properly; I liked the characters and from other reviews knew that it would get better, so I was happy to give this book a better rating than number 1.

An Artificial Night (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

4.5/5 stars (5 stars on GoodReads)

This is where I felt the series began to properly pick up steam. I felt much more immersed, other characters played a larger part and Toby herself was beginning to feel more familiar,

I do also have to say, now that I'm reminding myself, I really like these covers. They don't have that 'tacky' appearance that some UF books have, with half naked people everywhere. They're interesting to look at whilst leaving everything vague enough, so that your personal image of the character isn't altered (or, if you're like me and never really picture their faces properly, the random blur isn't replaced by a weirdly lifelike book model).

Late Eclipses (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

One Salt Sea (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

Ashes of Honor (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

Chimes at Midnight (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 Stars

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

3.75/5 stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL COVER. A lovely little book to read. Not 100% obsessed with the plot or the characters, but I enjoyed it. This may have been a book I read once then gave away, but the cover looks too damn good on my bookshelf. That's where the extra 0.25 of a star came from, as well!

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, or 2000 years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge by John O'Farrell

4/5 Stars

A lot of reading in this book, but most parts are delivered with a sarcastic humour that made me snort a LOT when reading it. Typically, once it got to 'recent' history (and for some reason my brain thinks late 17th century is a part of this) I started to get less interested in carrying on, but worth the read as I learnt a few random facts!

My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

3.5/5 stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

A book bought for my sister years ago, as she is/was obsessed with Russia, and didn't read enough (in our opinion :P) I don't think she ever picked it up. I enjoyed it! Not a book I'd read again, but a nice twist on Eastern European folklore.

The Winter Long (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

A Red-Rose Chain (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 

(DID NOT FINISH)

I'm a big John Green fan, but that's always been because of vlogbrothers, rather than his books. TFIOS made me sob, and convinced me to try more of his books, but I've never quite got his writing style. It's never managed to keep me engaged. This was the same. Well written, but not the genre I normally read, and not a style that intrigued me. I tried, John, sorry. I still have a couple more of your books to have a look at, but I think you'll always be a Youtuber before an author in my mind.

2016 Reading Challenge:

A YA Bestseller - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (January)

A Book Written by a Celebrity - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Graphic Novel - River's of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch (January)
A Book Set in Europe - My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Desgwick (February)
A Book Set in the Summer - Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (February)
A Book Based on a Fairytale - The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire (February)

2015 challenge continuation...

A Book I was Supposed to Read in School (I read all the books I was supposed to when I was a student in school - I've now read this as a teacher) - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

Books from 2015 that I didn't read:

• A classic Romance
• A book that became a movie
• A Pullitzer prize winner
• A book based on a true story
• Antonyms
• Published in the year I was born
• A book that made me cry
• Originally in a different language
• A book that was once a play
• A banned book

Book Shelf Tour

This weekend I have been home to visit my family. I found time to make a quick (low quality) video showing you all the books that I have at my mums house. Well, the ones that have been kept out of the loft since we moved 3 years ago!

Click on the video and have a watch. Subscribe to my channel on youtube, if you like! I'd definitely appreciate it!

Sorry for a lack of Life and Death Liveblog updates - those will come soon. I am half way through Chapter Five!