June Releases and TBR 2016

Releases- (Dates courtesy of Goodreads)

7th The Marked Girl- Lindsey Klingele
14th Change Places With Me- Lois Metzger
21st Never Ever- Sara Saedi
28th Run- Kody Keplinger

(Goodreads pages are linked)


TBR
I've got a very busy few months coming up but, still, I hope that I can read a decent amount. These are a couple of books that I'm hoping to get to.

Half Wild- Sally Green BOOK TALK

Oh, my freaking God, this book was good! It was a great sequel and did not suffer at all from 'the sequel's not as good' problem- if anything, I probably liked it more.
This fantasy is a fantastically written world full of witches, politics and action. If any of that sounds interesting, it's definitely one for you to pick on up.
Half Wild is the second book in the Half Bad trilogy so if you haven't read the first book I'd suggest leaving until you do... I've also written a Half Bad BOOK TALK which I'll link here if you want to have a look before reading this one.



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I don't even know where to start with this book. I liked it even more than the first and cannot wait to finish off the series.
New faces were introduced in this book and, for the most part, I generally liked them.

May Wrap Up 2016

I think I did pretty well with reading this month and, surprisingly, I didn't re-read any! I'm a big fan of re-reading books and usually re-read one or two a month. But, honestly, at the moment, there are so many books I need to read, I can't keep up. I also read a great range of genres which was really interesting.

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
****
I finally got round to reading this book! If you haven't heard of this novel- have you been living under a rock?- it's a historical fiction story that follows a girl called Liesel and her experiences during World War Two. The story is narrated by Death which I found intriguing from the start and... I loved Death! His voice was very quirky and witty and he told the story beautifully. If you want to read my more in-depth thoughts check out my BOOK TALK here.






The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank
****
I enjoyed this so much! I could relate to Anne in so many ways and she was nothing like I'd thought she would be. I thought she would be a quiet and shy, polite and obedient girl but boy, was she anything but! Anne was funny, sassy, stubborn and a joy to read. It still baffles me that she actually existed and it makes me really happy that she wrote down her thoughts. They are so deep and meaningful for a girl her age- a true inspiration!

Empire of Storms Cover Reveal

So, here we are. Four books in, soon to be five. We've had the title and have been anxiously awaiting the cover reveal. Well, guys, we have made it! The cover has been dropped and, boy, is it a good one! The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas has been a rising high fantasy series within YA and we're getting near the end! And, yet, we still have so far to go!
The fifth book, Empire of Storms is set to come out in September and I am counting down the days.
Book cover reveal in three...two...one...

May Book Haul 2016

Compared to other months, I haven't got many books this month but I still think that this month has been successful. What has lacked in quantity, makes up for in quality. I've bought some really good books- novels that I've been anticipating for a while. Let's get started.


Passenger- Alexandra Bracken
There has been so much- so much!- hype for this book. I've always wanted to read an Alex Bracken book because she seems like an amazing author. Her Darkest Minds trilogy has been so successful and this is her newest series about time travellers!!! I can't wait to read it! Plus, it has a stunning cover!
 

Half Bad- Sally Green BOOK TALK

****
I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. I was in a fantasy mood and this book fitted the bill perfectly. I'm not usually a massive fan of witches but this book exceeded my expectations.
This story follows Nathan Byrn, a Half Code witch- son of a White Witch and Black Witch. His mother is dead and his father is one of the most well-known Black Witches, famous for being a notorious murderer.
Nathan is constantly looked on as suspicious and has to escape from council clutches in order to have a Giving ceremony and turn into a fully fledged witch.
He has to do this or die.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, I would suggest reading. This is the first book in a trilogy so you'll have a nice amount of material to read.

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This book was so good and I thought it was a nice change to read about Witches as I don't read about them much. Green has created such an interesting world of Witches and the politics of their world is so intricate and absorbing.
I liked how her thoughts and opinions on racial discrimination were blended through this book. The equality and discrimination issues in their world reflect our own and I thought that this was an insightful aspect to include within a fantasy novel.

When We Collided- Emery Lord BOOK TALK

****
This book was very unique, in my opinion, and strayed far from conventional 'love stories'. I found this refreshing and enjoyed the story overall. This book deals with very untouched subjects and I think it's important that books like these exist because it gives us an insight on how people live with these situations.
This story follows a boy called Jonah who has just lost his father. Him and his family are dealing with the after-effects of this tragedy. Enter Vivi. Vivi is an out-going and eccentric girl who is in love with life. When she catapults into Jonah's life things seem to be on the up for him and his family. But everyone goes through their own problems and sometimes it's deeper than initial appearances.
This story is definitely refreshing and I would most certainly recommend reading it.

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When first into this story I was pleasantly surprised at the originality of the characters. I instantly warmed to them in different ways.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before NEWS

To All The Boys I've Loved Before is one of my favourite contemporary series and we've just had the news that we're getting another book in the series!!!

What was once a happy duology is now growing into a trilogy! I'm so excited and can't wait to read another book following these amazing characters. If, by chance, you haven't read this stunning series, I suggest you get onto the bandwagon before the third and final book.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before follows Lara Jean, who writes a letter every time she 'loves' someone just so that she get over them. She writes and addresses these letters but never sends them. But one day, they're sent out and all hell breaks loose.

This series is so adorable and cute and I highly recommend you read it. 

The title for Book 3 is going to be. . . (drum roll). . .

Bookish Pet Peeves (Part 2)



It's rant time! I decided it would be fun to do yet another Bookish Pet Peeves post because there are so many things I can have a good rant about. Plus, I'm sure a lot of agree with me! 

Stickers on Books

When bookstores put stickers on books... *inward fuming*.
Not only does it take forever to get off, it ruins the book by leaving sticky marks and left over pieces of sticker. It's a nightmare to get off!
Some, to be fair, are easy to get off. In one swipe, they're off and out your lives forever.
But there's always that one sticker that refuses to budge. It's stubborn in its place and will not move for the wide world. (Okay... I understand I'm exaggerating but, honestly, that's how it feels).
It's a very time-consuming and tedious process to try and get the stickers off without harming the book.

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak BOOK TALK

****
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm not a massive fan of historical fiction but this book still managed to pull me in. I loved the writing style as it was so unique and flowed really nicely throughout the novel.
The Book Thief follows a young girl called Liesel Meminger through pivotal years in World War Two. It follows her journey as she settles into her new home and makes new relationships. The book centres around, mainly, Liesel, an accordionist, a Jewish fist-fighter and a lot of thievery.
Oh, and one last thing- the story is narrated by Death.
If you haven't already this beauty of a novel then I highly suggest you become acquainted with it. Quickly.
That's it for the non-spoiler section. Go read it and then you can come back!

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This book in all honesty surprised me. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction but this story captivated me. My favourite periods of time to read about is the Titanic story and World War Two. This story, falling in the latter group, was incredibly interesting.

Jennifer Lawrence Book Tag

1. Swearing off social media- A book you refuse to read?
Matched- Ally Condie
At one point, I was thinking about reading this trilogy but since then, I've heard so many bad reviews that I'm sort of put off reading it. It's not my top priority and I don't think I'll ever be getting to it.

2. The Oscar Trip- A book/series that hit a snag?
Hush, Hush series- Becca Fitzpatrick
When first reading this series, I loved it. But looking back now, I realise it's flaws. The series got worse throughout the series. Silence (the third book) was my least favourite and I really struggled to read that book. Sorry.

3. The viral TSwift photobomb at the Golden Globes- A book/series you didn't know would get so popular?
Throne of Glass- Sarah J Maas
This series has had a ton of hype recently and it's getting so popular! With two more books to come in the series, it's not too late to start. This series is an amazing high fantasy series that is beautifully written but, when first reading it, I had no idea that it would get so popular.

Harry Potter Spells Tag

1. Expecto Patronum- A childhood book connected to good memories
Hetty Feather- Jacqueline Wilson
I always loved Jacqueline Wilson as kid- she was my favourite author- and this, by far, was my favourite of her series. I don't know how many times I read it. A lot.

2. Expelliarmus- A book that took you by surprise
Wolf by Wolf- Ryan Graudin
I'd picked this up because I'd heard a few good reviews and the plot seemed intriguing but I was not expecting what came at me! This book was so much better than I was expecting and I was so pleasantly surprised! I would recommend it to everyone.

3. Prior Incantato- The last book you read
I have recently finished The Book Thief and very soon will be posting a BOOK TALK so stay tuned! (I gave it ****)

4. Alohamora- A book that introduced you to a genre you had not considered before
The Host- Stephanie Meyer
I'm not a massive fan of Sci-fi. I don't read it that much but I really enjoyed this book. I know it can also be classed as dystopian but it is sci-fi too! I think this book is very underrated and I think more people need to read it. Yes, it's big and can look a bit daunting at first but get through the first few chapters and you'll be off.

May Releases and TBR 2016

Releases:
A Court of Mist and Fury- Sarah J Maas- 3rd
The Crown- Kiera Cass- 3rd
Lost in Love- Susane Colasanti- 3rd
The Hidden Oracle- Rick Riordan 3rd
The Unexpected Everything- Morgan Matson- 5th
The Last Star- Rick Yancy- 24th

TBR:
The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
I've already started reading this book and will finish it in May. It's extremely good so far and stay tuned for a BOOK TALK coming soon.
The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank
Reading The Book Thief has really re-opened my desire to read this book. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time and The Book Thief has just pushed it to the fore-front of my mind. I'm hoping to get to it this month.