October 2017 Wrap Up

Jen

I didn’t get to as many books as I wanted to (even though I knew it wasn’t going to happen) but it’s still an improvement on my last reading month!

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan → 3/5

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis → 3.5/5

Dark Heart Surrender by Lee Monroe → 4/5

The Takedown by Corrie Wang → 3.5/5

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins → 3.5/5

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black → 3/5

Mel
I had an amazing reading month! Mostly it was thanks to audiobooks, but whatever!

The Possible by Tara Altebrando  4/5
Stories of Ghosts, Witches and Demons edited by Freya Littledale  3/5
Doctor Who: The Eye of the Jungle by Darren Jones  3/5
Doctor Who: Blackout by Oli Smith  4/5
Doctor Who: The Art of Death by James Goss  5/5
Doctor Who: Darkstar Academy by Mark Morris  4/5
Doctor Who: Day of the Cockroach by Steve Lyons  4/5
Doctor Who: The Nu-Humans by Cavan Scott  4/5
Doctor Who: The Empty House by Simon Guerrier  4/5
Doctor Who: Sleepers in the Dust by Darren Jones  5/5
Doctor Who: Snake Bite by Scott Handcock  4/5
Garfield On Top of the World by Jim Davis  5/5
Doctor Who: The Time Machine (Destiny of the Doctor #11) by Matt Fitton  5/5
Username: Evie by Joe Sugg  5/5
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline  5/5

 

July 2017 TBR

Jen

I don’t know what came over me, but in June I just kept starting books without finishing them. I was really enjoying each new book that I started, but the problem was that there was always other books that I wanted to read as well. So my main focus for July will be to try and finish all the books that I am currently reading. The problem is still going to be that there are so many other books I want to read as well, and there’s just no knowing what my mood will dictate.

Currently reading

Through The Dark by Alexandra Bracken

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson & Robin Wasserman

An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld by Cassandra Clare & Illustrated by Cassandra Jean

The Search for Wondla (#1) by Tony DiTerlizzi

The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Dark Heart Forever (#1) by Lee Monroe

Series to continue/finish

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer

A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Draekora (The Medoran Chronicles #3) by Lynette Noni

Picture Perfect (Geek Girl #3) by Holly Smale

Other books I want to read

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Wreck by Fleur Ferris

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz

Everything Leads To You by Nina LaCour

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Mel
I still don't really know what I feel like reading, so this will be another month of winging it.

Currently reading
Beyond the Wall by Tanya Landman
The Possible by Tara Altebrando
The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
The Bone Collection by Kathy Reichs
All That Glitters by Holly Smale

Other books I want to pick up
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

July 2016 Wrap Up

Jen

I am very happy with what I managed to accomplish with my reading this month. I was successful in completing all the reading challenges that Mel and I set for the month, discovered a new obsession of mine, and actually read some of the books that I had been wanting to for a while. However, there were quite a few disappointing reads this month. I have linked my Goodreads page if you want to see more of my thoughts for any of the books.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Oz #7) by L. Frank Baum → 4/5

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando → 4/5

The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey → 3/5

The Last Star (The 5th Wave #3) by Rick Yancey → 1/5

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien → 3/5

Black by Fleur Ferris → 4.5/5

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (Audiobook narrated by Miriam Margoyles) → 5/5

The World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin → 2/5

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi → 2/5

Unite Me (Shatter Me #1.5 & #2.5 novellas) by Tahereh Mafi → 3/5

Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples → 5/5

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett → 5/5

Library Wars: Love & War, Volumes 1 - 13 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa & Kinami Watabe → all 5/5 with the occasional 4/5

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards → 4/5

The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1 - #0.5 novellas) by Sarah J. Maas → 5/5

And here’s my wrap up for our reading challenge:

Challenge #1: The Hobbit - I did manage to complete this as our buddy read book.

Challenge #2: A Little Princess - since I managed to squeeze this book in, I counted this as the classic instead of The Hobbit. I am so glad I read this as it turned out to be my favourite book of the month!

Challenge #3: The Worst Witch - I loved listening to this audiobook and I wish I could find all the other books in this series.

Challenge #4: Black - this was my book under 300 pages.

Challenge #5: Not only did I make progress in the Oz series, the Shatter Me series and the Throne of Glass series, I actually managed to FINISH The 5th Wave trilogy!

Challenge #6: This challenge to read a graphic novel or manga was what started me off on my new manga craze. I picked up the first volume of quite a few different series intending to try them all out, but it was the one series I found while randomly browsing through my library shelves that ended up being my surprise find of the month. I read Volume 1 of Library Wars, liked it enough to continue and somewhere along the way I was completely hooked and neglected everything else to binge read the series. I’m still annoyed that I couldn’t finish the last two volumes because someone checked those out of the library right before I wanted them. 

Mel
I managed to finish 5 books in July, which I'm really happy about. I'm still behind on my Goodreads challenge, but I should be able to catch up between now and the end of the year.

Bleach #3 Volumes 7, 8 & 9 by Tite Kubo  5/5
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare  5/5
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare  5/5
The Lord of the Rings Book 2 - The Ring Goes South by JRR Tolkien  5/5
Snow White with the Red Hair Volume 1 by Sorata Akizuki  5/5

Reading Challenge
Challenge #1: Incomplete. Buddy Read: The Hobbit - I didn't quite get around to finishing this, but I did make a start and will be finishing it in August.
Challenge #2: Complete. A classic - Whilst I did choose The Hobbit for this challenge, I can equally count The Ring Goes South by JRR Tolkien, which I originally intended to finish in June, but didn't manage.
Challenge #3: Complete. Audiobook: Clockwork Angel - I have read this book as a physical copy, but I recently purchased the audiobooks and had not listened to them yet, so I chose this and loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed the commentary, and it's probably one of the more enjoyable commentaries that I've come across.
Challenge #4: Complete. A book under 300 pages - I originally chose a Tolkien novel to fill this challenge too, but instead, I'll go with Snow White with the Red Hair Volume 1. This manga series is quickly becoming a favourite, after watching the first two seasons of the anime and I can't wait to continue the series!
Challenge #5: Complete. A sequel - Clockwork Prince - Again, not the book I originally set for the challenge, but I was on a roll and wanted to continue with the audiobooks!
Challenge #6: Complete. Manga/graphic novel - Bleach Volumes 7, 8 & 9 omnibus - I think i originally set the edition after this for the challenge, but I didn't get around to starting that one, so since I did finish this in July, it counts.

So, despite not finishing one of the challenges, this went a whole lot better than June's challenge, so I'm really happy with how this turned out!

Jen's Long Overdue June Book Haul

Wow. I can't believe how late this one is going up, but life happens. Better late than never.

Falling Kingdoms & Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
I already have these two in paperback but I own the rest of this series in hardcover so I bought the first two books in hardcover to match. I loved these books so much when I read them that I don't mind having two copies at all.

Morning Star by Pierce Brown
I hauled the first two books in the Red Rising trilogy recently so I needed the third book to complete the series.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
This book has been on my radar for such a long time but I never bought it because it was too pricey. So when I saw it cheap one day I couldn't pass it up!

The Leaving by Tata Altebrando
This is a YA mystery that I first heard about from Mel. It sounded so intriguing to me that I immediately wanted to grab a copy for myself. I have already read and reviewed this on Goodreads.

The Special Ones by Em Bailey
This is another YA mystery that I picked up on a whim one day because the synopsis intrigued me. I have also already read this one and reviewed it on Goodreads.

Black by Fleur Ferris
After reading Risk by this author last year, Black was one of my highly anticipated releases for 2016. I have already read this and it definitely did not disappoint!

The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling
I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover of this book but the synopsis sounded interesting as well so I decided to pick this one up.

Broken Sky by L.A. Weatherly
This was another random find and is the first book in a trilogy and the premise was enough to convince me to buy it.

Akarnae by Lynette Noni
This is the first book in the Medoran Chronicles series which I've heard some good things about lately. I love fantasy and magic so when I saw this at a cheap price I snatched it up.

Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff
This is another first book in a new series where the premise sounded great and I've heard some good things about it so I decided to pick it up.

Dream A Little Dream & Dream On by Kerstin Gier
I absolutely loved the Ruby Red trilogy by this author and I've been waiting for her new Silver trilogy to be completed. The third book won't be out in English for some time but when I saw the first two at a cheap price I had to get them.

Graceling, Fire & Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
I have heard a lot of great things about the Graceling Realm trilogy and I've wanted it for a while but I could never decide on which covers I wanted until now!

Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
I have been wanting to get more into middle grade fantasy lately and everything I've heard about Brandon Mull has been fantastic so I decided to start by picking up his Fablehaven series.

The Luxe, Rumours, Envy & Splendour by Anna Godbersen
This an older historical fiction series that I have heard a lot of people talk about and I have been wanting to try out some more historical fiction so I went ahead and bought these.

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I absolutely love the contemporary and mystery novels that I've read by this author but I've never read any of her paranormal books. There are just so many of those books and series that I thought a good place to start would be with this one. It is an adult spin off from her Lux series, but it is a stand alone and I'm told that I don't need to have read the Lux series to read this one.

Can You Keep a Secret, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I was in a contemporary mood one day and decided that I really wanted to read a Sophie Kinsella book. I do own most of her Confessions series, but I really wanted to read a standalone so I went ahead and grabbed these four as the descriptions sounded appealing to me.

Jessica Darling's It List & Jessica Darling's It List 2 by Megan McCafferty
The Jessica Darling series is one that I've heard quite a lot about recently and it's on my 'Want to Read' list. However I found out that there was a middle grade prequel series that takes place before the YA series. I decided that rather than reading in publication order, I wanted to read in chronological order instead, so I went ahead and picked up the first two books in the prequel series.

Mel's MASSIVE May & June Book Haul

I finally got around to photographing all of my books for the past two months. There's been a lot of poor weather lately and getting a day with decent lighting is difficult, but basically, I got tired of waiting for a clear day and just made do with what I had.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas - Sarah is an auto-buy for me. I love everything about her writing!

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes - I saw this and liked the sound of it. I have never read a book from the perspective of the Queen of Hearts, so it should be interesting!

Ruined by Amy Tintera - This book sounds really interesting and It's my favourite genre, so I'm looking forward to reading this.

Soldier by Julie Kagawa - I already have the first two books in this series, so I picked this up to complete the set.

Desolation by Derek Landy - I have Demon Road and I've already started it, but I'm loving it so much I had to get the sequel!

 

The Crown and Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass - I recently read the first 3 books in The Selection series, so these were an auto-buy so that I can complete the series.

The Lost Sapphire by Belinda Murrell - This is a teen mystery based in Melbourne, Aus. I bought it because I liked the sound of it. And that cover is gorgeous!

 

Cress and Stars Above by Marissa Meyer - I've almost completed buying the whole of the Lunar Chronicles! I only need Fairest now.

 

Doon and Destined For Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon - I bought these after wanting them for about a year now because I was approved to read the Forever Doon ARC.



 

 

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas - because I wanted them in hardcover! Sooo pretty!

Black by Fleur Ferris - Having loved Fleur's first book Risk, I was very excited for this book to be released! I have read this already, but the review will be coming later, after Jen has a chance to read it.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith - I waited to get this because the larger format released earlier didn't match the other Cormoran Strike novels I own.

Conjuror by John and Carole Barrowman - Okay, so I might have bought this because I recognised John Barrowman from Doctor Who and Torchwood, but the description of this book does sound interesting!

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout - I don't often buy YA contemporary, but I've heard a lot about this one. I've not yet read a book by Jennifer, so I think I'll wait to read this until after I've read her Dark Elements trilogy.

The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling - I saw this cover and had to see what this is about! Luckily, it sounds just like something I'd read!

Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff - I debated buying this, but after seeing a few people haul this and talk a little about it, I caved.

 

Bleach by Tite Kubo - I've been enjoying Bleach in the manga format, so when I saw my local store had restocked, I grabbed them while I could! Here are volumes 7-15.

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando - I was so intrigued by this book that I bought it on the spot. I have already read and reviewed this one, so check out my review on Goodreads.