June and July wrap up, August TBR

In June I hoped  to read:

• Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan FAIL
• Ruined by Amy Tintera FAIL
• Flawed by Cecilia Ahern READ - Give me a cheer!
• Everland by Wendy Spinale FAIL
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir FAIL

Oops. Sometimes you can be really ambitious with what you want to read, but in this case I actually read 14 books over the two months, so that wasn't why I couldn't get through the books on my TBR list. I suppose I just wasn't feeling in the mood for them? A lot was going on during these months, and I think I just need more 'oomph' or commitment than I had.

But what did I manage to read? Well...

Flawed by Cecilia Ahern
(4 stars on GoodReads)
"In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything."
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected. I've read some of CA's books before, and whilst they weren't bad, I didn't love them. This book caught me up and left me wanting more.

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake 1) by Laurell K Hamilton

(4 stars on GoodReads)

"Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead."

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake 2) by Laurell K Hamilton

 (4 stars on GoodReads)

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake 3) by Laurell K Hamilton

(4 stars on GoodReads)

I enjoyed these three books, but after reading them I decided to stop. I have done some research on this series, and it seems to be the general consensus that they get ridiculous from about this point onwards. As I wasn't feeling hugely addicted, I thought this was a good place to stop.

Reread: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
(always 5 stars)
"What would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Fuzz" - Diana Gabaldon
I love this series so much! Seriously, read them already!

Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran
(4.5 stars, 5 on GoodReads)
‘I’ve lived through ten iOS upgrades on my Mac – and that’s just something I use to muck about on Twitter. Surely capitalism is due an upgrade or two?’
Oh Caitlin! I loved this book - it made me laugh in some parts, and was very serious in others. Definitely read Moranthology alongside this.

The Last Star by Rick Yancey
 (3.5 stars, 4 stars on GoodReads)
"They’re down here, they’re up there, they’re nowhere. They want the Earth, they want us to have it. They came to wipe us out, they came to save us."
I've got to say, this book was a bit of a let down. It is the final piece of the 5th Wave trilogy - I loved book 1 but 2 and 3 just didn't live up.

The princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
(5 stars on GoodReads)
"a poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you."
I loved this, and it's a book of poetry. I never read poetry!

A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwabb
(4 stars on GoodReads)
"Kell is one of the last Antari: hopping from Grey London — dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George — to Red London — where life and magic are revered — to White London — ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne — and back, but never Black London, because travelling to Black London is forbidden."
I really enjoyed this first book (in a series or trilogy? I'm not sure yet) - I love books that are set in London, plus those that have supernatural elements, so it was perfect.

Saga Volume 1
(4 stars on GoodReads)
"Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war."
I'm not a graphic novel/ comic expert, and have read hardly any, but I really enjoyed this. Can't get my head around some of the lifeforms though!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
(5 stars on GoodReads)
"Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first."
This is a type of 'spin-off' series from Leigh's Grisha Trilogy. I loved the world of the Grisha series, but not the stories or characters themselves. This book was perfect; set in the same universe, but new characters and a new plotline. 

The Boss by Abigail Barnette (AKA Jennifer Armintrout)
 (4 stars on GoodReads)
Jennifer Armintrout's answer to (and attempt to improve) the Fifty Shades of Grey disaster.

The Girlfriend by Abigail Barnette (AKA Jennifer Armintrout)
(4 Stars on GoodReads)
I really enjoyed these 'new' / 'alternative' versions of Fifty Shades of Grey. From my understanding AB/ JA set out to prove that books along the same lines as FSoG didn't have to be so horrendous, and she succeeded.

Curse of Tenth Grave (Charley Davidson 10) by Darynda Jones
(5 Stars on GoodReads)
"As a Part-time PI and fulltime grim reaper, Charley Davidson has asked a lot of questions throughout her life: Why can I see dead people? Who is the hot supernatural entity following me? How do I get gum out of my sister’s hair before she wakes up? "
I love Charley, what more can I say? I love saracastic, hyperactive, funny protags who have hot supernatural boyfriends and dramatic, interesting plot lines.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
(5 Stars on GoodReads)

"As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

(please see my dedicated post for my opinion on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)

Here's my haul for both the months...

1 ARC from YALC, 4 books from Subscription boxes, 4 gifts, plus 9 I bought myself

August TBR Pile


To make sure I don't get stuck feeling under pressure to read my TBR books from last month, I've decided I'll take them all off August's TBR. This would be different if I'd been half way through, or on a roll reading them, but as it is, I don't.

My August TBR books are...

• The Court of Mist and Fury (I'm finally feeling inspired to read this!)
• The Jungle Book (we read some of this with our classes at school last term but it was too intense and hard work to finish)
• The Sin Eaters Daughter
• My Lady Jane
• This Savage Song (I now have two copies, both from subscription boxes
• The Magicians (I've started this so need to finish)
• A Gathering of Shadows (started this at YALC, need to finish!)
• Some kindle reads - I'm going away and will definitely be packing my Kindle!

GoodReads Update: 54/100 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)

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!

Humble Apologies...books read from April till the end of August!

Okay, so apparently I was busier than I thought over the holidays...and I really neglected this blog! The final term of my first year of teaching sped by, and I read a lot, some how. There are 50 books on this list, and, it doesn't include the rereads. Eek.

I suppose the first thing to do is to catch up with all the books I have read since March 30th! Now, I am not convinced that the month's recorded for these books is completely accurate. GoodReads seems to be a little confused. I have books I know I read in August down as being read in June. There are books from a series recorded in completely the wrong order (see the Outlander series!), and there are some books on this list I may actually have read a few months before. I will try to weed out any errors when I find them, but you may have to wait a while for this post to be more accurate! Until then, this list is a guide!

April: 10 books

 A Dangerous Inheritance: A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower  3/5 stars

 Faery Tales & Nightmares   4/5 Stars

 The King's Curse (The Cousins' War, #6)   3/5 Stars

 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch    5/5 Stars = favourite book of the month.

 The Girl with All the Gifts   4/5 Stars

 The Coldest Girl in Coldtown   4/5 Stars

 The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)   5/5 Stars

 Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, #7)    5/5 Stars

 Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)   5/5 Stars

 Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)   5/5 Stars

May: 16 books

I feel like I should make a comment here (after adding the thumbnails and ratings for the May books) that a rating for one style of book is not the same as rating another. The 5 Stars I give Kate Daniels books, for example, is not the same as the 5 Stars I'd give His Dark Materials (by Philip Pullman, an amazing trilogy and my favourite books ever). The rating suggests my enjoyment level, as well as the standard of writing. I love the Kate Daniels books, because I really enjoy them. Kate is a brilliant protagonist; she's funny, kick ass and smart. The plot is strong urban fantasy, and very enjoyable. I care about the characters. Ilona Andrews is a good UF writer. These books are not about to become classics. They are fun and easy reads. 

Another note - I give many books in a series the same rating. Not all books are as enjoyable; people obviously prefer events and quotes in one over another. However, when you read them in a big stream like I did (chain reading, as you will), and then you rate them 4 months later...they've all merged. Overall, the series is 5/5.

Finally, when it comes to the JR Ward books...why oh why did I carry on reading them if I only gave them 3 stars? Because I downloaded as a bundle, because they were weirdly addictive (even if pretty bad) and because I think I was craving that type of plot at the time...read into that what you will. I seem to have read a few books this month (remember, I am looking at this in hindsight) that were pretty poop but slightly erotic. Hormones? Perhaps. The weather? Maybe. I have no definite answers!

 Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)   5/5 Stars

 Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)   5/5 Stars

 Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)   5/5 Stars

 Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6)   5/5 Stars

 Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)    5/5 Stars

 Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels, #8)   5/5 Stars

 The Shadow Cabinet (Shades of London, #3)   4/5 Stars

 Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)    3/5 Stars...I don't know why I read so many help.

 Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #2)    3/5

 Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #3)    3/5 Stars

 Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #4)    3/5 Stars

 Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5)   3/5 Stars

 Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)   4/5 Stars

 Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno, #1)   3/5 Stars

 Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno, #2)   3/5 Stars

 Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson, #8)   5/5 Stars

June: 13 books

 Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy, #3)   5/5 Stars

 Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, #3)    5/5 Stars

 Mistwood (Mistwood, #1)   3/5 Stars (This is a classic example of different ratings for different books. Unlike the poop books in May, Mistwood was well written. I just couldn't make myself care too much. 3/5 is generally the highest I seem to rate a book if I wouldn't reread or continue onwards (if it's in a series).

 Masques (Sianim, #1 / Aralorn, #1)   4/5 Stars

 Wolfsbane (Sianim, #4 / Aralorn, #2)   4/5 Stars

 The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)   4/5 Stars

 Voyager (Outlander, #3)   4/5 Stars

 Drums of Autumn (Outlander, #4)   4/5 Stars

 The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5)   4/5 Stars

 A Breath of Snow and Ashes(Outlander, #6)   4/5 Stars

   4/5 stars (I dont know why it's posting weird, soz!)

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)   4/5 stars   Teeth: Vampire Tales  Talon (Talon, #1)   3/5 Stars. I gave this book 3 stars but might one day carry on.

July/ August, because they were all added en masse to GoodReads so I can't remember!: 11 books, even though it was the summer holidays. I may have missed some, and there were definitely some rereads I didn't include!

 Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)   5/5 Stars

 The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Trilogy, #1)   4/5 Stars

 World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)   5/5 Stars

 End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days, #3)   5/5 Stars

 Alpha (Alpha, #1)    3/5 Stars...my erotic novel of the month, it seems

 The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century   5/5 Stars = non fiction of the month!

 The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1)   4/5 Stars

 Shadowdance (Darkest London, #4)   4/5 Stars

 The Crossing: Conquering The Atlantic In The World's Toughest Rowing Race   4/5 (Non fiction has its own set of ratings again!)

 Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) 4/5 Stars

 Underground London: Travels Beneath the City Streets   3/5 Stars

 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)   4/5 Stars


Books I tried and failed

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1) 

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• An author with my initials - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas (10th February 2015)
• A book published this year - Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs (2nd March 2015)
• A book set in high school (well, they're all high school age and some parts mention their school - that counts right) - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (2nd March)
• A book with more than 500 pages - Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (10th March 2015)
• A book a friend recommended - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (12th March)
• A book by an author you've never read before - The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (17th March)
• A book with a one word title - Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon (30th March)
• A book with a number in the title - Eight Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones (31st May)
• A book with magic in it - The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews (May 2015)
• A funny book - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (15th August)
• A book of short stories - Teeth by various authors (June)
• A nonfiction book - The Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer (July 2015)
• A book from an author you love but haven't read yet - Masques by Patricia Briggs (June 2015)
• A book at the bottom of your to read list - Mistwood by Leah Cyprus (7th June 2015)
• A book based entirely on the front cover - The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg (August 2015)
• A memoir - The Crossing by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle (August 2015)
• A trilogy - Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee (August 2015)
• A book set in the future - The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey (April 2015)
• A mystery or thriller - Inferno by Dan Brown (August 2015)
• 
  

~to be added to as time passes~