January Wrap Up 2018

I didn't read as much as I was hoping to this month but I have lowered my yearly reading challenge because I anticipated I wouldn't have as much time (I'm focusing a lot on my writing and other things...). But, nevertheless, I did get through a few and very good reads, as well!

BOOKS
What's A Girl Gotta Do?- Holly Bourne 
* * * *
I got this book for Christmas and jumped straight into it because Holly Bourne is one of my favourite contemporary authors. This is the third book in the Spinster Club trilogy and it focused completely around Feminism which was so empowering to read. I'd definitely recommend this series.
What's A Girl Gotta Do? Book Talk

How Hard Can Love Be?- Holly Bourne
* * * * 
This is the second book in the Spinster Club series and I kinda knew how it'd finish because I read What's a Girl Gotta Do? first but it didn't effect my enjoyment at all. This book is maybe my favourite of the trilogy because it was such an easy and fun romance along with a lot of humour and serious issues too. Holly Bourne is such a talented author.
Book Talk to come soon!!!


The DUFF- Kody Keplinger (Re-read)
* * * * *
Because I was in a fun contemporary kick, I went straight to Kody Keplinger because her books are very similar to Holly Bourne's. The DUFF is my favourite of hers and I devoured it in a day because I love it so much.

A Midsummer's Nightmare- Kody Keplinger (Re-read)
* * * * *
This was only the second time I read this and I enjoyed it a lot more because I knew what was going to happen so I could take in all the details and really appreciate the story. One thing I love about Kody's books is that her characters are flawed and that makes them so much more realistic.
A Midsummer's Nightmare Book Talk 

Because You Love to Hate Me- Amerriie (Book of the Month)
* * *
January's Book of the Month was this anthology of short stories about villains written by various YA authors such as Victoria Schwab, Marissa Meyer, Adam Silvera and Nicola Yoon. I generally quite liked the anthology but there were a couple of stories that fell a little flat for me which, to be honest, is expected when you have such an array of authors. I think my favourite story was Art, Gwen and Lance because I thought I was just a fun twist on the Arthurian legend (though, Gwen was such a bitch!).

Skin Deep- Laura Jarratt (Re-read) 
* * *
I decided to read this again because I haven't read it in years and... it wasn't as good as I remembered which I hate to say! When I first read it, I gave the book a five star rating which was way too generous. It was still a good book- I enjoyed it- but... now that I'm older I can just pick out the flaws easier.


MOVIES (December and January)
I've decided to talk about the movies I watch as well because, lately, I've been in a real movie kick and I love talking about them just as much as books! By doing this, I've realised how unbelievably lazy I am by just sitting down and watching a tonne of films but... it's fiction so it will always take priority in my life. And looking back at these movies... I watch a real variety of genres.

These are movies I watched in both December and January because I wanted to talk about last month as well.... I don't just sit and watch movies all day, I swear.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
* * * *
I watched this with my parents and my brother, quite reluctantly I must say, because I just wasn't in the mood for it. I'd watched the first one and enjoyed it but this one was so good! I'm so interested to see how the final one wraps everything up and I got a lot more invested into this movie than I'd initially expected.

Guardians of the Galaxy
* * * * * 
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2
* * * * *
Continuing with the Marvel kick me and my brother are on, we watched both of the GoTG and, ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods, I love them! Groot and Rocket are my favourite characters but they're all as awesome as each other! The movie has a great plot, great action and amazing humour that propels the film to amazing heights. Would recommend to everyone!

Snow White and the Huntsman (Re-watch)
* * *
This was simply on TV so me and my mum decided to rewatch it because who doesn't love a bit of Kirsten Stewart and Chris Hemsworth (Bella and Thor, anyone?).

Spiderman: Homecoming
* * * *
I loved this movie. Me and my brother sat down and watched it and were giggling the whole way through. I can safely say that Tom Holland is the best portrayal of Spiderman ever and I liked how this movie took a few risks and defied a couple of superhero movie conventions- they sure payed off. Also... Tony Stark!

The Lovely Bones 
* *
I've wanted too watch this for so long. I read the book years ago and as soon as I heard it was a movie, I wanted to see how the story reflected on screen. It was a generally solid adaptation and the only issues I had with it were the same issues as I had with the book so... it's not really the movies fault. It was okay but was a bit bland for my taste and could've been made with much more effect and could've used a more satisfying ending.
The Lovely Bones Movie Talk

Mr and Mrs Smith (Re-watch) 
* * * * *
I was just in the mood to give this film another watch because it is amazing! It has to be one of my all-time favourite movies because it shows action comedy at it's best. Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this movie is all about kick-ass assassins and marriage therapy... what's not to love? Honestly, this film is so kick-ass and hilarious, I'd recommend it to anyone.

The Maze Runner (Re-watch)
* * *
Me and my mum sat down to re-watch the Maze Runner because the Death Cure comes out in cinemas this month! It was nice to refresh all the info so we can get maximum enjoyment out of the final instalment. Regarding the books, these movies aren't the most faithful but... they're still enjoyable and the Death Cure trailers are looking really promising.

Taken (Re-watch)
* * * *
As I was in a serious action fix, I went to another of my ultimate favourite that I hadn't watched in a while- the Taken trilogy. I absolutely love these movies and Liam Neeson is amazing as per usual. It's such a gripping movie and they get better and better as they go along.

The DUFF (Re-watch)
* * * *
Me and my mum were in the mood for a light and easy film so we sat down and watched the DUFF. I love this book and while the movie is completely different and utterly unfaithful to the book's story, I still enjoy it because... I'm really easy to please.

Taken 2 (Re-watch)
* * * *
I continued my way through the Taken trilogy and this one is maybe my favourite... I'm not sure. These movies are actually quite short but they're packed with so much fun stuff and they're always enjoyable to watch.

Taken 3 (Re-watch)
* * * * *
No, I'm pretty certain this one's my favourite. I love seeing the growth of all the characters in this final movie. There's so much character development from the first movie to this one and it's so satisfying to watch how much they've grown. Again, this is action packed and a great finale to the trilogy.

La La Land (Re-watch)
* * * *
I rewatched this with my brother and mum and loved it just as much as I did the first time- maybe even more this time around. I'm still slightly bitter about the ending because... damn it, I like happy endings and this one wasn't fairytale enough!! But, despite that, this movie is stunning and great to watch.


Deadpool
* * * *
Deadpool was much better than I thought it was going to be. I had my doubts on how much I'd enjoy it because, from what I'd seen, the movie seemed to be a bit crude and rude in terms of humour and I'm not really into extensive amounts of that. But, seriously, I need to stop underestimating Marvel movies!!! Because it was fantastic and I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to see the second one when it comes out.

The Scorch Trials (Re-watch) 
* * *
Due to the third movie coming out this month, me and my mum rewatched The Scorch Trials so everything was fresh in our minds.

Aliens
* * 
This wasn't a movie I chose to watch but had to for college. I study Media at college and we had to watch this horror movie in order to do an essay analysing the gender representations within the movie. And it was alright. I thought it'd be really scary but I had fun watching despite (despite the Gods-awful graphics).

Iron Man (Re-watch)
* * * * *
The last time I watched this was... November? So, it was definitely time for a re-watch. This time, me and my brother wrangled our parents into watching it and we may also have had a takeaway pizza along with it.... it was a good evening.
Iron Man Movie Talk


Hairspray (Live Musical)
I was lucky enough to be taken to a local theatre to see Hairspray with my mum this month! We both love going to see shows and Hairspray is one of our favourites. This was a great show and was a lot of fun to go see. They made it a lot funnier than the original which was interesting and made it that extra bit entertaining.

The Death Cure
The final instalment of the Maze Runner trilogy came out this month and I went with my mum and cousin to see it on the first day it came out in cinemas!! Overall, it was a pretty good movie. It's been a while since I've read the book but it was fairly faithful to the original story- at least, more than I was expecting it to be.
Full Movie Talk coming soon!

Me Before You (Re-watch)
Me and my mum sat down one evening and wanted to watch a nice movie so we moved straight to the tear-jerker movie. I've watched this movie so many times and it impresses me more and more every time.
Me Before You Movie Talk

And that's everything! Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe