Most Intimidating Books on Jen's TBR

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is probably one of the most talked about and raved about books there is. The fact that absolutely everyone seems to love it so much is very intimidating to me. I really want to read it but I still avoid picking it up because I don’t want to be disappointed if it doesn’t live up to the hype or my expectations. But I have been wanting to watch the movie for years so I really need to read this book!

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have actually tried reading this series previously, definitely over 10 years ago now. Unfortunately, I just could not get into the first book at all. But I have purchased the series in the Seven Book Edition box set, with the hope that the smaller volumes would make this series seem a little less daunting.

However I did read The Hobbit for the first time in 2016 and I hated the writing style so much. The story itself wasn’t bad but the writing made that book absolute torture to get through. But I am determined that I will get around to reading this series one day! It will just take a lot of willpower and perseverance.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Classics are already intimidating to me because of the different language that is used and it takes a lot for me to get my head around it. This one is particularly intimidating to me because it is constantly talked about and it’s a lot of peoples favourite book ever. I have actually purchased multiple copies of this book, each one a different pretty edition with the intention of encouraging me to read it. So far, no luck. Although I've been getting the urge to read it again lately, so fingers crossed it will happen!

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

This one is intimidating to me because it isn’t the type of genre that I usually read. I can honestly say that the only reason I purchased this book was because it was written by J.K. Rowling. I knew that it couldn’t be any more different than my beloved Harry Potter series and that it doesn’t have the greatest ratings and reviews. But I bought it anyway because of who the author was. And I do intend on reading it at some point in the future.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (or just all Brandon Sanderson books in general)

These books are intimidating to me because they are quite chunky books, but more importantly because he has written so many books that I just don’t know where to even start. He is also a much loved author and the plots of his books sound amazing and just like the kind of fantasy that I would love, but the sheer number of books he has written just scares me. I have researched on multiple occasions about the reading order of Brandon Sanderson books and which one is best to start with, but I just end up being completely overwhelmed each time.

Review: Wreck by Fleur Ferris

Publication:  July 3rd 2017 by Random House Australia

Source: Purchased

Goodreads description: Tamara Bennett is going to be the first journalist to strictly report only good news. Finished with high school, Tamara is ready to say goodbye to her sleepy little town and part-time job at the local paper. O-weeks awaits, which means parties, cute boys and settling into student res with her best friend Relle. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when she arrives home to find her house ransacked and her life in danger. What is this mysterious note? And why does it mean so much to one of Australia's most powerful media moguls? Caught between a bitter rivalry and dangerous family secret, who can Tamara trust? Or should she trust herself?

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I loved this book so much! Fleur Ferris is an auto-buy author for me and Wreck was one of my most anticipated 2017 releases. My expectations were set pretty high and this book did not disappoint! I loved the action filled plot, the mystery and the suspense. The story had me from the first page and I hated any time I was forced to put the book down.

I'm Australian and I loved that this book was set in Australia, as it's something that I come across quite rarely. Actually knowing of some of the places in Sydney and Melbourne that were mentioned enhanced my reading experience and enjoyment of the book.

I found Tamara's character and situation to be very relatable, as I've experienced the exciting yet terrifying transition from finishing high school to starting university. She was also quite resilient and determined, which was admirable considering that her friends had been targeted and she was next.

I liked the mystery behind Zel and Knox and the fact that I was kept constantly second guessing about who the bad guy was. But I am happy that I worked it out before everything was revealed.

Overall this was a fantastic thriller suspense novel by a brilliant YA author. I gave it a 5/5 rating and highly recommend it.

December 2017 TBR

Jen

So it's the last TBR for the year and I still can't accept the fact that it's just impossible for me to read the number of books in a month the way that I used to be able to. I have (yet again) what is most likely an overly ambitious TBR but I’m going to be trying like crazy to get those series finished by the end of the year!  

Artemis by Andy Weir

Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon - started

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare (audiobook)

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition) Volumes 8 & 9 by Hiromu Arakawa & Akira Watanabe 

The Dragon King Chronicles by Ellen Oh

• Warrior (#2)
• King (#3)

Geek Girl by Holly Smale  

• All That Glitters (#4) - started
• Sunny Side Up (#4.5)
• Head Over Heels (#5)
• Forever Geek (#6)  

Mel 
If I intend on completing my Goodreads Challenge, I'll have quite the hectic reading month! My goal is 80 books and I'm currently at 55. This means I need to dive into some shorter books, or listen to a lot of audiobooks! Still 25 books by the end of December is probably not going to happen. Anyway, here's my overly ambitious TBR!

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition 1-4 by Natsuki Takaya - Just for starters. I may continue with all 12 yet!
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Audiobook, started.
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Audiobook
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling - I can't believe this is the only Harry Potter I've read this year, and it's taken me ages!
The Two Towers part 1 by JRR Tolkien - Started. This is reasonably short, and I'll fly through it if I just pick it up again!
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde - Started, more than half way. But this book has been a struggle! If I weren't so adament of not marking a book as DNF, I'd have done so already.
Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman - Started, about 33% done.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare - Audiobook. I want to at least start this by the end of the year, but need to finish Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy first.
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare - Audiobook. If I finish Lady Midnight, I'm going to dive right into this one because the narrator is one of my favourite actors from my Buffy fangirl days! (James Marsters)
Beyond the Wall by Tanya Landman - Started, almost half way.
Geek Girl #4 All That Glitters by Holly Smale - Started, one chapter in. I might get back into the series, so I'm leaving it open to finish the rest of the series too (same books as Jen's section).

November 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

November seemed to be a decent enough reading month for me. I finally, finally made some progress on those series that I've been trying to get through for months now. Even better, I also actually managed to finish one of the trilogies!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare (audiobook) → 4/5

Draekora (The Medoran Chronicles #3) by Lynette Noni → 4/5

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour → 3/5

The Battle for Wondla (The Search for Wondla #3) by Tony DiTerlizzi → 3/5

Picture Perfect (Geek Girl #3) by Holly Smale → 4.5/5

Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 Volume 7 by Hiromu Arakawa &  Akira Watanabe → 3/5

The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton → 3/5

The 26-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton → 4/5

The 39-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton → 3/5 

Mel 
This month wasn't a fantastic reading month for me, but I expected that due to NaNoWriMo. I did work my way through several books, but only managed to finish two.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl  3/5
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur  1/5