April 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

I feel like I actually read a decent amount in April for the amount of time that I had available for reading. Unfortunately, I ended up acquiring a bunch of new eBooks either through the library or purchasing them and I mostly read those instead, so I didn’t actually make a dent in my TBR at all.

Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay → 3/5

Beautiful (#1) by Ella Bordeaux → 4.5/5

Beautiful Forever (#2) by Ella Bordeaux → 4/5

Bakuman Volume 3 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata → 4/5

Bakuman Volume 4 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata → 5/5

Saga, Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples → 4/5

A Court of Thorns and Roses (#1) by Sarah J. Maas → 4.5/5

Geek Girl (#1) by Holly Smale → 4.5/5

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling → 4/5

Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington → 3/5

Mel
I feel like I could have read some more this month, but at least I read a few from my TBR.

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse  4/5
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon  5/5
Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Volume 10 by Natsuki Takaya  5/5
Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Volume 11 by Natsuki Takaya  5/5 

 

November 2016 Wrap Up

Jen

I tried, but I didn’t get quite as much reading done in November as I wanted to. I did make some good progress on the series that I have been working on finishing before the end of the year, but I also deviated from my TBR towards the end of the month because I was just wasn’t in the mood for what I had planned on reading.

Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables #5) by L.M. Montgomery - 3.5/5

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia #5) by C.S. Lewis - 4/5

The Making of Outlander: The Official Guide to Seasons 1 & 2 by Tara Bennett - 5/5

The Martian by Andy Weir (Audiobook narrated by R.C. Bray) - 5/5

The Magic of Oz (Oz #13) by L. Frank Baum - 3/5

Glinda of Oz (Oz #14) by L. Frank Baum - 3/5

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine’s #3) by Ransom Riggs - 3/5

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - 4/5

Shine: The Making of the Australian Netball Diamonds by Jenny Sinclair & Megan Maurice - 5/5

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way, Shaun Simon & Becky Cloonan - 3/5

Summer Days & Summer Nights (Twelve Summer Romances) Edited by Stephanie Perkins - 3/5

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - 4.5/5

Destroying Avalon by Kate McCaffrey - 4/5

In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey - 4/5

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston - 3.5/5

The Hunger Games (#1) by Suzanne Collins (Audiobook narrated by Carolyn McCormick) - 5/5

Catching Fire (#2) by Suzanne Collins (Audiobook narrated by Carolyn McCormick) - 5/5

Mel

I managed to read a few books in November! And most of these were read when I was supposed to be writing! Lol.

Alex + Ada Volume 1 by Jonathan Luna  5/5
Alex + Ada Volume 2 by Jonathan Luna  5/5
Alex + Ada Volume 3 by Jonathan Luna  5/5
Clockwork Angel Manga by Cassandra Clare  5/5
Clockwork Prince Manga by Cassandra Clare  5/5
Clockwork Princess Manga by Cassandra Clare  5/5
Doctor Who: The Hounds of Artemis by James Goss  4/5 
Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion by Jason Arnopp  3/5

November 2016 TBR

Jen

I am super excited for the books that I have chosen to read this month! November seems to be a great month for new book releases and there are a bunch that I am excited for!

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

I still have yet to read the Lunar Chronicles series by this author but this book has been so hyped up in the book community and is one that I have been highly anticipating! I absolutely love fairytale retellings and I haven’t read one in a good long while!  

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

After reading and loving Everything, Everything last year, I immediately wanted to get my hands on her new book.

Girl Online Going Solo (Girl Online #3) by Zoe Sugg

The Girl Online series doesn’t always get the greatest reviews but I read the first two books earlier this year and really enjoyed them. At the time I thought it was only going to be a duology, but now that there is going to be a third book I definitely want to continue the series. Although, the title of the book doesn’t exactly fill me with hope for the main characters and their romance…

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham

I would love to branch out into reading memoirs and more non-fiction. The problem is that there aren’t too many people whom I am interested enough in to want to read a book about them. However, Lauren Graham is one of those people! Gilmore Girls will always remain one of my favourite TV shows and I love Lauren Graham as an actress so I was ecstatic when I found out about this book (and about the Gilmore Girls revival that is airing later this month)! The book isn’t being released until the very end of November though, so it will most likely become a December read.

Summer Days & Summer Nights (Twelve Summer Romances) Edited by Stephanie Perkins

This one isn’t a new release but it is one that I’ve been wanting to read and have been saving to read until it gets to the right season. November isn’t quite Summer yet here in Australia (especially with the cool Spring weather we’ve been experiencing lately), but I don’t want to wait until December to read this, so the last month of Spring is close enough for me!

The Making of Outlander: The Official Guide to Seasons 1 & 2 by Tara Bennett

I started reading this in October but put it down to read other books. I definitely want to finish this in November and become obsessed with the Outlander series all over again!

---

The remaining part of my TBR may as well be my ‘end of the year TBR’ since they’ll be all the series that I want to finish by the end of the year. And what I don’t get to in November I will roll over into December.

The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan - This one is a companion to the Heroes of Olympus series and it is tiny so it’ll take me no time at all to finish.

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine’s #3) by Ransom Riggs  

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - This is the book that is referred to within the Miss Peregrine’s series and it is a collection of short stories so it shouldn’t take too long to read.

Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables #5) by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of Ingleside (#6) by L.M. Montgomery

Rainbow Valley (#7) by L.M. Montgomery

Rilla of Ingleside (#8) by L.M. Montgomery

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia #5) by C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair (#6) by C.S. Lewis

The Last Battle (#7) by C.S. Lewis

The Magic of Oz (Oz #13) by L. Frank Baum

Glinda of Oz (Oz #14) by L. Frank Baum

The Royal Book of Oz (Oz #15) by L. Frank Baum

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5) by J.K. Rowling - I’m actually mad at myself because I still haven’t finished my re-read of this series! I have had this book in particular on my TBR for the past few months now and I still haven’t gotten to it because I keep reading new unread books instead!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K. Rowling 

Mel
My TBR is on hold for the month! I will read if I can, but I'm very busy because I'm participating in NaNoWriMo!

Jen's July Book Haul

Most of the books in this haul are pretty much impulse buys from Big W.  Some of them I've heard great things about, while others I have heard nothing about but sounded very intriguing so I bought them anyway.

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
This is the first book in a YA magical fantasy series that I've heard a lot about recently so I grabbed it up when I saw this on the shelves. 

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
I absolutely love fairy tale retellings so I decided to pick this one up even though I hadn't heard anything about it.

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
I originally wasn't going to pick this one up but after hearing a few of my favourite booktubers talk about this book I changed my mind. 

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
I was interested in this book before it was released, and despite the mostly negative reviews and poor rating on Goodreads, I still really want to read it and decide for myself. I had no idea that there was going to be a different cover for the paperback edition and while I do really like this cover, I still love the hardcover edition as well.

Convergence by Stan Lee
This was a random find at Big W one day. I'd never heard of it before, but if it's going to feature the Chinese Zodiac, then I want to read it!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library & Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein
I also stumbled across these two books but I was sold on the synopsis. Fun adventures and problem solving taking place in a library? Definitely intrigued by that. 

The Witch's Kiss by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
A YA fantasy that I've heard nothing about, but it's about witches so that's pretty much all I needed to know. 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman
This is the sequel to Legacy of Kings which I bought when it first came out. When I saw the sequel in the matching size and edition I knew I had to grab it right away. And I have to say, I love this cover more than the first book!

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
This book is part of The Cousin's War series. I have been slowly collecting these in hardcover whenever I spot them in the bargain section of my local QBD store. Now I only need the fourth book and then I'll have the entire series!

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
I read this last year and absolutely loved it. I saw it for a cheap price one day and decided just to get it. I am extremely annoyed with that huge round blob (that isn't even a removable sticker) advertising her next book though. So unnecessary and it messes up an otherwise beautiful cover.

The Sky is Everywhere & I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
I have wanted to read these two books since I first heard about them a couple of years ago. But I could never find them in the hardcover edition that I wanted for a decent price. These paperback editions aren't as pretty as the hardcovers, but I do like the simplicity of the covers and the fact that they match! When I saw them cheap in Big W I just went ahead and bought them. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I recently read A Little Princess and absolutely loved it. I have wanted to read The Secret Garden as well so when I came across this beautiful illustrated edition I knew that I had to own it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & Matilda by Roald Dahl
These two are my absolute favourite Roald Dahl books. I never actually owned a copy of Matilda before so when I saw it on the shelf I picked it up right away. My copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is all old and beat up because I owned it since my childhood so I went ahead and bought a brand new copy in the edition that matches Matilda.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
It's Harry Potter. Enough said. I have already read this one, and while it did have it's problems, I was still super happy to finally get something new from the Wizarding World. 

October 2015 Wrap Up

Jen

This seemed to be a very Game of Thrones obsessed month for me as I finally managed to get caught up on all the books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series! I also watched all five seasons of the Game of Thrones TV show and read a whole bunch of the companion books! I also managed to read a few other books that I had been really wanting to read for a while now so October was a pretty good reading month for me.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon → 5/5 
Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker → 5/5 
Harry Potter: The Character Vault by Jody Revenson → 5/5 
A Dance with Dragons Part 2: After the Feast by George R.R. Martin → 4/5 
Game of Thrones: A Pop-Up Guide to Westeros by Matthew Christian Reinhart → 4/5

The Lands of Ice and Fire: Maps from King's Landing to Across the Narrow Sea by George R.R. Martin and Jonathon Roberts → 4.5/5

The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister by George R.R. Martin → 3/5

Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones by Bryan Cogman → 5/5

Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones II: Seasons 3 & 4 by C.A. Taylor → 5/5

Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire edited by James Lowder → 4/5

Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyar → 4/5

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson → 3.5/5

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin → 4/5

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin → 4/5

Elixir by Hilary Duff → 3.5/5

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder → 4/5

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines → 4/5 


Mel

This month I've been crazy busy! I've been working on 3 essays at once, so I got very little read! While I did read a bit more of Queen of Shadows and was itching to start a few books from my Sep/Oct haul, I had to resist and I only finished one book.

This Book Loves You by Pewdiepie → 4/5
I feel like I should talk a little about this book. Pewdiepie is a YouTube personality who is known well amongst the gaming community. This book is filled with random, demotivational style quotes and I loved the sarcasm! It's definitely not a book for everyone, but I enjoyed it and every page is a work of art.

October 2015 TBR

Jen

A Dance with Dragons Part 2: After the Feast by George R.R. Martin 

(I started this in September after finishing Part 1 and I am so excited to finish this book and finally be all caught up with this series.)

Elixir by Hilary Duff 

(I started this book in September but I put it down to read other books and just never got back to it so I really want to finish it in October.)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon 

(This was actually one of the September picks for the Readalongs with April group on Goodreads, but I couldn’t get my hands on a copy until now so I will be reading it this month instead.)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

(This is one of the October picks for Readalongs with April and I am so excited because I have been wanting to start this series for some time now. It’s actually been on some of my past monthly TBR lists but I just didn’t get to it.)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 

(This is the October pick for the Read-a-Long with Priceiswong Goodreads group and yet another book that I’ve been really wanting to read.)

Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker 

(This is the third book in the Ten Tiny Breaths series. The second book wasn't great but I do want to continue on so I will be reading the this book.)

Between the Lines & Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer 

(It has been one of my goals this year to read all of my unread Jodi Picoult books and these are the last two on the list. Hopefully I can get to both of these this month and it will feel like such an accomplishment when I finish them!)

Harry Potter: The Character Vault by Jody Revenson 

(I pre-ordered this one and it just arrived in the mail. So excited to read this!)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay 

(I also pre-ordered this one and I cannot wait to finally get my hands on this book! I don’t think I will be reading it fully as I completed a re-read of the entire series earlier this year, but I will definitely be devouring all the beautiful illustrations.) 

Mel
I might go with whatever I feel like this month, instead of trying to read the books on my currently reading list on Goodreads. But I'm definitely in the mood for:

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - I would love to finish the audiobooks (I'm almost done with Order of the Phoenix) before my copy of the illustrated edition of Philosopher's Stone arrives. I can't wait to see all of the gorgeous illustrations! I'm waiting to see if I'm in the mood to read the whole thing though. I just might!
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas. I am 1/3 the way through so far (impressive since September was a reading slump) but I will be speeding up progress through the book by skipping or skimming the witchclan chapters. I don't like those characters and I get bored reading them. If it becomes necessary to read them fully, I'll set aside some time specifically to focus on those chapters.
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan. I am up to the third book in the series and I have the Heroes of Olympus series on laybuy (I picked up over $100 worth of books, hence the laybuy) and I'm really looking forward to catching up both series before moving onto Riordan's new book.
 The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson. I finally bought this book! So I can't wait to continue the series.
Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier. I finally bought this one too! Yay!!
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I've been seeing people review this series on Booktube lately, so now I'm in the mood to start it.