Mel's July, August & September 2017 Book Haul

I haven't bought many books at all in the past three months. I have bills coming out my ears right now, so extra cash for books is scarce.

This Savage Song & Our Dark Duet by VE Schwab - I've wanted to read this series for ages, so when the eBook of This Savage Song was really cheap, I bought it. Then I happened to find Our Dark Duet at one of the book stores I go to for a reasonable price. 

The Waking Land by Callie Bates - I really liked the cover of this book when I first saw it, but when I read the synopsis, I knew I had to buy it!

Wreck by Fleur Ferris - Fleur is an insta-buy author for me, so of course I had to have it! I've read this already and it's now my favourite book by that author.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White - I already have the first book in this series, so I bought this to continue the series when I eventually get to reading it.

Falling Kingdoms, Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes - I have wanted to continue this series for the longest time, but the prices have constantly been ridiculously high. The price dropped briefly, so I pounced on them (with Jen's help, because for some reason, they were even cheaper for her, despite the fact that we were both looking on Book Depository).

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - I have never seen a Leigh Bardugo book in a store near me, so when I saw this in one of the shops I occasionally buy from, I grabbed it. I don't yet own any of the other books in the Grisha series, so it'll probably be a while before I get to this one.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James - This book appealed to me because it takes place in space, and I love me some space! I quite like Lauren's writing style, but so far the previous two books have been a hit or miss (loved The Next Together, wasn't too impressed by The Last Beginning), so I'm hoping this doesn't disappoint.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - I had never heard of this book before I saw it on the shelf, but this book has a lot of Asian culture, particularly Malaysian and Chinese, which I'm greatly intrigued by, so I got this one to see what it's like. It has a supernatural twist, so I'm hoping it turns out to be a good book.

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles - I had heard a few "This book is really good!"s, but hadn't paid it any mind. When I found the last copy in the store, I picked it up and read the synopsis, I decided to give it a chance. I've started reading it and so far so good!

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas - This is one of my most anticipated books of the year, so this was definitely an insta-buy!

Collide by Melissa West - I've had the first two books in the Taking series, but could never a) find a matching copy of Collide or b) get it at a decent price. Well the price dropped to a reasonable price for a paperback, but it is a slightly smaller format that the previous two books. I can live with that, I just want to continue the series!

Fireblood by Elly Blake - I could have sworn Frostblood was just released this year? Maybe it was just late getting to the stores near me *shrug*. Either way, I've yet to start this series, but it sounds interesting, so I wanted to get Fireblood while the format matched the first book.

Thief's Cunning by Sarah Ahiers - I bought Assassin's Heart late last year, so I wanted to get this one to continue the series, and for a new release book, I could only see one copy in the store and didn't want to miss out!

Adultolescence by Gabbie Hanna - I've never watched The Gabbie Show on YouTube, but I recently saw a review for this and decided to see what it was like for myself. I've started this one and so far the poetry (I use that term loosely) has been hit or mediocre in the most part. I don't usually read poetry, so I'm not really in the position to judge, but I thought this would be a read-it-in-one-sitting kind of book, which I really need to catch up on my Goodreads Challenge. Some of the content so far has made me laugh and some of it is relatable, but quite a large portion has been an ode to "Geez, my life sucks!", which slows the pace of the book quite significantly. The drawings in the book are quite quirky, and knowing that the author drew them adds to the overall aesthetic of the book. A lot of effort has been put into it, which I can appreciate.

Doctor Who Dot-to-Dot - Because why the hell not? And it was $5!

August 2016 TBR

We have decided that we really like doing the challenges every month so we’ve compiled a whole list to choose from and these are the ones for August!

1. Read a middle grade book

2. Finish a series

3. Read a standalone

4. Read a favourite children’s book

5. Read a book by an author who writes under more than one name

Jen’s TBR

Challenge #1 - The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. This book is perfect for this challenge since I read and loved The Lost Hero back in May but I just haven’t been able to get to the next book yet. I really want to continue with this series and I need to before I completely forget everything that happened in the first book!

Challenge #2 - Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. The Shatter Me series has actually been one of my most disappointing reads of the year. It is still such a hyped up series and I really wanted to like it but I just found myself hating it more and more as the series went on. I still have some hope that the third book may redeem the series somewhat. I doubt it, but either way, I just want this series over and done with.

Challenge #3 - The Cabin by Natasha Preston. This is a YA mystery thriller that sounded very appealing to me and I was just approved to read an ARC of this on NetGalley so this challenge worked out well!

Challenge #4 - Matilda by Roald Dahl. I have watched the movie too many times to count and it still remains one of my favourites. Amazingly enough, I have only read the book once and it was many years ago.  I’ve also actually never owned a copy of this book until last month. Since then I’ve been really wanting to read the book and watch the movie again.

Challenge #5 - The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is a YA contemporary that I have wanted to read since it was released but as with most of my books, I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I am making it a priority to read it this month so this challenge is perfect! She also writes her new adult books under the name J. Lynn. I have read Frigid and Scorched by her and absolutely loved them so I can’t wait to get to this one!

And now for the other books that I would love to read this month:

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - I’m currently on track to be caught up with the series so that I’ll be ready for Empire of Storms when it comes out very soon! I read The Assassin’s Blade novellas in July and absolutely loved them, probably even more than Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight! I’ve heard that this series just keeps getting better and better, which makes me excited!

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 14 & Vol. 15 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa and Kinami Watabe - this is a manga series that I stumbled across in July and quickly became obsessed with. VERY annoyingly these final two volumes of the series were checked out from my library right before I could get to them. I am waiting impatiently to get my hands on these so that I can finish up this series.

Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya, Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley - Since discovering Library Wars, I have really gotten into manga. Mel has been recommending this series to me for years so this is the one I’m going with next. If this turns out anything like Library Wars, I may end up marathoning the series. 

Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata - I just randomly decided that I wanted to sit down and read this and I was immediately hooked. I have already finished reading Volume 1 and I will definitely be binge reading this series when possible because I just can't get enough of it.  

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Wow. It’s finally happening. I’m going to be reading a Jane Austen novel. readbyzoe has just created the Austentatious Book Club on Goodreads where we will be reading one Jane Austen novel a month. I’ve never read anything by Austen before and yet I own several of her novels. This group seems to be just the push I needed to actually pick one up! It feels very daunting but exciting at the same time! 

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - A new Colleen Hoover release! One of my most anticipated releases for 2016 and I managed to get a copy from the library so it's going on my TBR! Her last release, November 9, was a bit of a miss for me, but I've loved all the other books I've read by Colleen, so I'm really hoping that I'll love this one as well. 

Mel's TBR
Challenge #1 - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - I really need to continue reading the Percy Jackson series! I have the Heroes of Olympus sitting there waiting to be read too, not to mention the first Magnus Chase book. I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to that universe!
Challenge #2 - Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - I have yet to listen to the audiobook version of this, and since I recently listened to the first two books, it makes sense to continue!
Challenge #3 - The Messenger by Markus Zusak - I've had this on my shelf for a while now, and since Zusak's other book The Book Thief is one of my favourites, I thought I'd see what this one is about.
Challenge #4 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - As much as I wanted to choose something other than Harry Potter for this challenge, I got tired of wracking my brain for other books I enjoyed when I was a kid. And I was already reading it, so why the hell not?
Challenge #5 - The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - This is none other than JK Rowling! This book is one of the books that is on my TBR challenge for the year too, so I'll be hitting two birds with one stone.

I will also be continuing a few books that are already on my Currently Reading list:

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Treason of Isengard by JRR Tolkien

As ambitious as this list already is, I do want to try to get around to a few other books this month to catch up on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I'm currently 17 books behind, but since I'm taking a semester off from uni, I should have plenty of time for some catch-up reading!

And I Darken by Kiersten White - I sampled a few chapters of this book and I had to force myself to stop reading! I didn't intend to read more than a chapter, but I was instantly hooked!

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - I also sampled a bit of this book and it also sounds like it's going to be a really interesting story.

Snow White with the Red Hair by Sorata Akizuki - I fell in love with this manga/anime seires a month or two ago and it's quickly become one of my favourite things to ever come out of Japan! It's got a classic fairy tale vibe about it and has just the right amount of drama, romance, comedy and fantasy to really balance it out perfectly. I recommend this series if you're new to manga and anime. I don't know yet how much of this I'll get around to reading, because I may read just one volume, or I might marathon it!

January 2016 Wrap Up

Jen

I’m pretty happy with how my reading went in January. Despite all the distractions that I had going on, I still managed to read all the books on my TBR and fit in a few other quick reads as well. There were some fantastic reads that are new favourites of mine (as well as some old favourites!) but also some that didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum → 5/5

The Marvellous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum → 3/5

Soundless by Richelle Mead → 5/5

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling → 5/5

Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling → 5/5

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn → 3.5/5

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon → 5/5

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery → 4.5/5

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr → 3.5/5

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (audiobook) → 4/5

Mind Games by Kiersten White → 4/5

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White → 4/5

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly → 4.5/5

Room by Emma Donoghue → 5/5 

Mel
I started out the month quite well, but petered out a bit because I was trying to read The Raven Boys and it wasn't going well. Sadly, I am marking it as DNF. The first DNF for me for years. I am disappointed too, since I've seen so many people rave about the series. I don't know if it's the slow pace or the writing style, but it is a hideously slow book to start and I was more than 150 pages in before I gave it up. I hate marking books as DNF and I try to give it a fair chance if I can, but being a third into a book and still not enjoying it... well, that speaks for itself. Instead, I turned to a favourite comic/graphic novel series that I haven't read for years and I have picked myself right out of my slump. I've already finished two books for February!!

Trick by Natalia Jaster → 5/5
Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman → 5/5
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way:
#1 Whatever Gets You Through The Night → 5/5
#2 Ghost Stations → 5/5
#3 Blind → 5/5
#4 Run! → 5/5
#5 Waking The Destroya → 5/5
#6 BOOM! → 5/5

 

Jen's December 2015 Book Haul

Yet again I bought a lot of books. There were too many to stack up like I usually do so I decided to do something a little bit different this time and break up the books into genres. 

Dystopian/Sci-Fi 

The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel 
Perfect Lies by Kiersten White 
Inside Out & Outside In by Maria V. Snyder 
Not a Drop to Drink & In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis 
The Giver Quartet (The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger & Son) by Lois Lowry

Fantasy 

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan 
The Girl of Fire and Thorns Stories, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, The Crown of Embers & The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson 
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge 
The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare 

Historical Fiction & Contemporary 

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory 
Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman 
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 
Chasing River & Surviving Ice by K.A. Tucker 
Just One Day, Just One Year & Just One Night by Gayle Forman

Jen's November 2015 Book Haul

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn - This is a short story that I've already read and loved.
Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass - The novella collection to The Selection series which I've been really wanting to start but am still waiting for the last book in the series to be released.
Mind Games by Kiersten White - The first book in a fantasy/sci-fi dystopian duology that I've been really wanting to read.
Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins - The companion novel to the Sweet Evil trilogy that I own and am hoping to get around to reading soon.
Burying Water by K.A. Tucker - The first book in her new series. I read and really liked her Ten Tiny Breaths series so I automatically started buying this series.
The Big Bang Theory: The Official Trivia Quiz Book by Adam Faberman - This book is great and makes me want to rewatch the TV show again because apparently I don't know the episodes as well as I thought I did!
This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith - I have been wanting this book for months ever since I read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and loved it.
Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken - The Darkest Minds trilogy has been on my TBR for so long and now that I finally have the collection of novellas I can start reading the series.
Grave Mercy & Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers - Books 1 and 2 in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. I've owned the third book in the series for months but haven't been able to find the first two at a decent price until now.
Soundless by Richelle Mead - This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015 and I can't wait to start reading it!
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - This was another of my 2015 most anticipated releases. It is the first book in a series and I normally hate to start a series when I don't have the rest of the books to read immediately after. But this book has been so hyped up for months that I couldn't wait and just had to read it as soon as I got it. And it didn't disappoint. I loved it and it definitely lived up to all the hype. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 

This was the most prized book I received this month! Mel was amazing and got me this for my birthday when she went to Sarah's signing event in Melbourne. 

I already own all the books in the series so far but in paperback and the UK covers. This is the stunning US hardcover edition, and it's signed!