October 2021 Wrap Up

 How in the world are we at the end of October already? I genuinely cannot comprehend that 2021 is nearly over! We are getting to my favourite time of year, which is obviously great, but it has come around far to fast. 

After a very slumpy past few months, I have finally started to get back into reading in the month of October. I read a total of 7 books in October, including quite a few that have been on my radar for years now. I have been trying to prioritise the books I already own, either physically or as an ebook, and managed to get 3 books off of my ebook TBR and 2 off of my physical TBR, so I'm very happy about that. I also got a surprise 5 star read this month for the first time since July! This was definitely a much better reading month, so let's get into the books.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley -

This is a book that has been on countless TBR lists over the past year and I finally got around to reading it in October for my 'reading three popular thrillers' post. It takes place on a secluded Irish island during a wedding and we follow the wedding party both in the lead up to the wedding, and on the wedding night when someone turns up dead. I shared more of my thoughts in that three thrillers post, but I ended up really enjoying this book. The setting was so creepy and atmospheric, the characters were a really mixed bunch that were all interesting to read about and for the most part had unique voices. I think the flipping between the past timeline in the lead up to the wedding and the present timeline of the wedding night worked well for this story as it kept the suspense building and the reader hooked. The thing that worked the best for me with this book, however, was the various points of view. This story was told from multiple different perspectives and that made for a really fast paced read, but also helped the reader find out more about the characters and made you question who you could trust. The ending was full of twists that kept me hooked and despite managing to guess who was responsible I still thought the reveal and how everything wrapped up was very well done. I would definitely pick up more from Lucy Foley in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Pucked by Helena Hunting -

From a nice surprise to a bit of a disappointment, this one did not live up to the hype for me. It is a book I have heard such great things about over the years so finally decided to pick it up when I was in the mood for a sports romance. It follows Violet who has sworn off hockey players having seen the player behaviour of her professional hockey player stepbrother. However, when she meets his new teammate Alex and the two have a connection, she starts to question that decision. I love sports romances, no matter the sport I am here for it. This one, though, was not for me. It was an instalove romance, which I don't always hate but I couldn't see much of a connection between these characters in the beginning, and it had no plot. This book was entirely sexy times and discussions about each others genital area, things I can enjoy in moderation when there's some plot mixed in but that wasn't the case with this book. Don't get me wrong, the steamy scenes were great and very well written, but it was just a bit much. I also found Violet to be an incredibly annoying heroine and thought her reaction surrounding the conflict in the story was completely over the top. I definitely had some issues with this book but I didn't hate it, it was just fine. I'm still undecided about whether I want to continue with this series.

Rating: 3/5

Final Girls by Riley Sager -

This is another book I have had on my shelves for a while and finally picked up for the reading popular thrillers post. This follows Quincy who is known to the media as a 'final girl' after she was the sole survivor of a massacre. When one of only two other 'final girls' is found dead, the remaining two are brought together. However, things are not what they seem. This is another book that has been pretty hyped since it's release and didn't totally live up to my expectations. Again, I share more of my thoughts in that reading popular thrillers post. This was hard for me to get into as I found the first half to be really slow. I struggled to care about these characters much to begin with and just wasn't interested in the story much at all. However, when things started to pick up in the second half I did start to enjoy it a bit more. It did get quite intense, this is definitely a darker read and not for the faint hearted. While a lot did happen towards the end, I didn't find much of it particularly shocking and had guessed a lot of the twists quite early on so they didn't make as much of an impact on me. I did really enjoy Riley Sager's writing, though, so would read more from him in the future.

Rating: 3/5

Rush by Kandi Steiner -

After a pretty intense read, I decided to pick this up on a complete whim as it seemed like the perfect lighter read. This is the first book in a NA series following a group of college students as they navigate both Greek life and life in general. This was a lot of fun and exactly what I needed as a bit of a palette cleanser. It is told almost in the form of a TV show in episodes. This first book is comprised of six episodes and we follow seven different characters and all of the drama that they are involved in. It is very dramatic and it reminded me a lot of shows like Gossip Girl, which I love. It's nothing that will blow your mind but it is a lot of fun and a super quick read. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.

Rating: 3/5

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler -

This is the first book in a series of companion novels set in a small town in Alaska and it has been on my radar ever since I fell in love with The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I know that I love an Alaska setting, I know that I love a small town grump, this sounded like exactly my kind of book. It didn't quite live up to the very high bar set by The Simple Wild, but it was a fun read. It follows Graham, the grumpy diner owner in this small town who hates tourists, and Zoey, a big city girl who is on her dream trip. The pair meet and have an instant connection. This was very much instalove and was another instance in which I just couldn't see why they were so obsessed with each other so quickly. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much had it not been set in Alaska as the plot wasn't anything special. It was made clear that Zoey was 'not like other girls', which is something that annoys me in book, especially as all that really seemed different about her was the fact she wasn't rich. Overall, this was a fun read made a bit better by the Alaska setting but didn't blow me away. I will probably continue on with this series at some point.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh -

This was the third book I read for the reading popular thrillers post and was the biggest surprise of them all. It is a legal thriller following the high profile murder trial in which an actor is being accused of murdering his wife and head of security. The book is told from two perspectives, one the lawyer who has become involved in the case and the other the serial killer who has made his way on to the jury. This was unlike anything I have ever read before and I loved every second of it. It was intense and graphic at times, we are seeing into the very twisted mind of a serial killer who is not afraid to do what he needs to do to get his way. I found the trial from the perspective of the lawyer really interesting and enjoyed following his investigation. This was full of twists, none of which I saw coming, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was such a cleverly written, well crafted book that I couldn't put down. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Rating: 5/5

Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz -

I have recently started another Audible free trial, after cancelling my membership years ago, so wanted to try out some of the Audible originals that come with the membership. This is a short non-fiction audiobook, that felt more like a podcast, detailing the Theranos scandal from Tyler Shultz perspective a the whistleblower in the case. I had never heard anything about this so it was interesting to learn something new. It felt very informal and more like a chat, which threw me off a bit as I was not expecting more of a podcast vibe. It was interesting enough but as someone who knew nothing about this situation going into it, I found some points hard to follow and could have done with a bit more explanation. 

Rating: 3/5

Those are the seven books I read in October. My reading was a bit mixed this month, with a few different genres thrown in there. I think I was starting to get a little burnt out on romance and that was causing me to be slumpy. I found that when I was breaking up my reading with different genres I could enjoy what I was reading a bit more.

I'm really excited for my reading in November, so hopefully that means I can read all of the books! 

What was the best book you read in October?

Sophie :)

Yet Another eBook Haul

I've been at it again with the ebook buying! I have bought hardly any physical books in 2020, but have been making up for it in ebooks. I didn't get quite as carried away this time around, only 19 books in the last two months. These were all either free or on sale through ibooks and Kindle.

1. A Favour For A Favour by Helena Hunting - The second book in a sports romance series following a hockey team. I already have the first book in the series on my Kindle so I'm ready for a series binge.

2. A Secret For A Secret by Helena Hunting - The third book in the same series.

3. It Was Always You by Brenna Aubrey - A Christmas brother's best friend romance novella.

4. Christmas On Main Street by Leanna Morgan - A Christmas romance, I think featuring some kind of secret Santa.

5. Rescuing You by Sarah Taylor - A steamy romance novella between a firefighter and a teacher.

6. Burn For Me by J.H. Croix - A second chance romance, also involving a firefighter.

7. Burn So Bad by J.H. Croix - In the same series, this is a hate to love romance with a firefighter.

8. Merry Me by Amanda Siegrist - Another holiday romance, with what sounds like a bit of a grumpy hero.

9. Christmas Trio by Shanid Boyes - A MMF steamy Christmas novella.

10. Dirty by Paula Cox - A dark, romantic suspense novella.

11. The Wreckage Of Us by Brittainy C Cherry - A NA romance between a girl with a rough home life and a musician, by an author I have heard so many great things about.

12. The Christmas Invitation by Trisha Ashley - A Christmas novel about a woman who spends Christmas in a small town and bumps into a man from her past.

13. The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware - Finally going to try out some Ruth Ware! This is a thriller involving a woman who gets a job as a nanny in a Highland home and then ends up in prison.

14. The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - Another Ruth Ware thriller, this time set on a cruise ship where a woman witnesses someone being thrown overboard.

15. Can You Hear Me? by Jake Jones - A little bit of non-fiction. This is a memoir from a paramedic in the UK.

16. One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot - Another Christmas story! This one follows two best friends who go to New York for Christmas.

17. All About Us by Tom Ellen - And another Christmas novel, following a man who goes back in time to the moment he chose his current relationship over 'the one that got away' and must decide if he would do things differently.

18. This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens - A New Year's romance following two complete opposites who share a moment on NYE and find themselves bumping into each other throughout the year.

19. Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas - A NA romance I knew nothing about but everyone seems to love it. It looks to be following two childhood pen-pals who meet in real life.

Another 19 books that I don't have a clue when I'll ever get to! Hopefully I can read a few of the holiday books in the coming months, but we'll see.

Which of these should I make a priority?

Sophie :)

October 2020 Wrap Up

October was not the one and I'm glad it's over. Let's just say my reading in October was about as successful as my blogging, I failed miserably at both. I got some bad news at the beginning of the month and my mental health went pretty downhill, so I didn't really do anything other than work and watch TV for the majority of the month. Thankfully I am now in a much better place and back into reading, which has been great for lifting my mood. I did manage to read 3 books in October, including the last book in a series I have been reading forever! 

No Exit by Taylor Adams -

I had great plans to read a load of popular thrillers throughout October but this was the only one I ended up getting to. Everyone was raving about this last year and I was so intrigued by the premise. It follows a woman who gets caught in a blizzard on the way home to her dying mother and has to stop in a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with four strangers, where she discovers a girl little girl locked in a cage in a van. It has been a while since I read a thriller quite so creepy and atmospheric, this has me on edge. The remote rest stop setting was already creepy enough but adding in a blizzard made it such a claustrophobic setting, it was thrilling before anything even happened. This was full of suspense and a whole lot of twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. None of the twists totally blew me away but they just kept coming. It's hard to say much without giving anything away but I would definitely recommend this to thriller fans. This one managed to scare me.

Rating: 4/5

Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo -

I don't think I could get more of a complete opposite genre if I tried. From creepy thriller to fun Christmas romance. This is a fake engagement romance between an aspiring clothing designer and the son of department store chain who is in town to coordinate the opening of a new store. I'll be honest, I usually avoid books written by 'celebrities' but this one wasn't terrible. I wasn't blown away but it was a fun Christmas romance that I flew through. The characters were fine but forgettable, as was much of the plot. The romance was sweet, it developed nicely and, despite the fact there is a proposal upon first meeting, it isn't too instant. Both characters have somewhat interesting side plots as well. Our heroine is struggling to come to terms with the long term effects of an accident in her teens, while the hero's father is seriously ill. There was a lot going on but nothing was all that memorable. I listened to the audiobook of this, which was narrated by Georgia herself, and I didn't love it. It was quite clear that she didn't have a lot of experience with audiobooks, as it was simply read with no differentiation of what character was talking or any sort of emotion, which made it difficult to follow.

Rating: 3/5

Undivided by Neal Shusterman -

FINALLY!! After probably about ten years, I have finally finished the Unwind series! It was my goal for 2020 to finish this series, so I am so glad I have finally done it. I really wish I had read this whole series when I first started it years ago, as I'm sure I would have absolutely loved this final book back then. Unfortunately, upon rereading and continuing with the books in this series this year I found that it's just not my kind of thing anymore. I have still enjoyed this series, but just not as much as I first did. I thought this was a good ending to the series, still full of action and drama but it did a great job of wrapping up the story.

Rating: 3/5

Those are all three of the books I read in October. Now that I am back in the reading mood a bit more, I'm hopeful that November will be a better reading month. I can't wait to get in to all the Christmas romances, so if you have any recommendations please let me know in the comments.

What was the best book you read in October?

Sophie :)

Six Books I Want To Read In October

I am terrible at sticking to a TBR. I used to post monthly TBRs and rarely ended up reading more than one of the books mentioned by the end of the month. I occasionally try and do seasonal TBR lists, but again never stick to them. So why do I appear to be sharing what looks suspiciously like an October TBR? Well, because one day I will actually be successful. I don't expect that day will be any time soon, but I'm going to share some of the books I'm hoping to get to in October anyway.

I tend to gravitate toward thrillers and fantasy or dystopian type books at this time of year, but I've been in the mood for a bit of everything recently. These are some of the books that sound the most interesting to me right now. Hopefully I will get to at least some of them in the coming month.

  

1. The Guest List by Lucy Foley - I've heard nothing but amazing things about this mystery/thriller and have been meaning to get to it for a few months now. It follows a wedding party and takes place on an island off the coast of Ireland, which sounds like the perfect creepy setting for this time of year.

2. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas - I'm really in the mood for a more forbidden, taboo type romance read at the moment and I've heard so many good things about this one. It's an age gap romance between a girl and her boyfriend's dad.

3. No Exit by Taylor Adams - This is another thriller that I have heard some amazing things about, and one that sounds super creepy. It takes place in a middle of nowhere rest stop during a blizzard and there's a girl locked in a cage in the back of a van.

4. Praying For Rain by BB Easton - Romance and the apocalypse, sounds like the perfect combination to me. Again, I've heard really great things about this and it seems like more of a darker romance, what with the world going to end and everything, so it could be good for this time of year.

5. A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson - I've been wanting to read this since it got a lot of hype at YALC when I was there a couple of years ago, but haven't picked it up yet. It's a YA thriller, that's been getting a lot of praise recently, about a girl doing a school project on a murder in her town and uncovers some secrets.

6. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Let's play 'how many times can I put this in a TBR before I actually read it?' I've started rereading The Mortal Instruments again so maybe I'll eventually get to this book, but then again maybe I won't. 

Those are the six books I am most interested in reading in the next month. I am a mood reader so I may no longer be in the mood for any of these books in a few days time, but who knows. I'm hopeful I can at least get to a few of these as they are all books I have been wanting to get to for a while.

Which of these should I pick up first?

Sophie :)

October & November 2019 Wrap Up

So, apparently I wasn't quite as 'back' as I thought I would be. I'm definitely still trying to juggle work, life and blogging, but I'm getting there. I may not have my blogging life back to normal, but my reading life started to get back on track a little bit in October and November and I'm so happy about that. I'm definitely not back to reading as much as usual, and I really doubt I'll hit my Goodreads goal this year, but I'm glad I'm reading something. I read 3 books in October and 3 in November, so let's talk about them.

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven -

I have had this on my shelf for the longest time but it is so crazy hyped that it put me off reading it, but I finally picked it up. This follows a boy and girl who meet on the ledge of the school bell tower and then become connected through a school project. People seem to either love this book or hate it, but I seem to be somewhere in the middle. I found the characters to be pretty bland, as though Jennifer Niven tried so hard to make the characters quirky that it they became nothing more than quirks. I thought the story was interesting and enjoyed getting both perspectives, though I didn't feel the mental health rep was entirely accurate. I thought the ending was important and impactful, but the book as a whole didn't blow me away. I also got very strong Eleanor and Park vibes while reading this and I really didn't enjoy that book.

Rating: 3/5

The Wrong Side Of Kai by Estelle Maskame -

Estelle Maskame's DIMILY series is one of my all time favourite series', so this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. It follows a girl who has an explicit video of her made public and teams up with the new boy in school to get revenge. I was so disappointed that I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. I liked the idea of this, I love a revenge plot, but this seemed very rushed and quite predictable. As usual, Estelle Maskame created great characters, who I really enjoyed getting to know, and I really loved that Vanessa wasn't the typical 'good girl' who couldn't possibly ever have sex with anyone, she was a real teenage girl. I also thought there was a great message regarding slut shaming and sharing explicit content. Overall, I liked this but not as much as I had hoped to.

Rating: 3/5

How To Love by Katie Cotugno -

This clearly made an impact as I'm honestly struggling to remember much about this book. I remember it following a girl both before and after becoming a teenage mother; the developing relationship between her and her childhood family friend, and her dealing with him returning after disappearing for some time. I remember enjoying the alternating before and after perspectives, but I didn't love the characters. I thought the story was okay, it was interesting enough, but the characters took away slightly from my enjoyment of the story. This wasn't a bad book, it was just pretty forgettable.

Rating: 3/5

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern -

Finally something to break up the run of 3 star reads! This is the sequel to the debut novel of one of my favourite authors, Cecelia Ahern's PS I Love You. Despite being such a popular book, the PS I Love You isn't one of my favourite novels of hers. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. The sequel, however, was a different story. Postscript follows Holly seven years after her husband Gerry died and she is approached by a group inspired by Gerry's letters to help them create their own versions. I wasn't sure what to expect from this but I absolutely adored it. I loved revisiting Holly and her family and seeing how things have changed for them all in the years since the first book ended. Even more than that, I really enjoyed meeting new characters and experiencing their stories. This story was completely heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time, and approached death and grief in an entirely unique way. I thought Holly's struggles throughout the book were very real and something many in similar situations may be able to relate to. I really did absolutely adore this book.

Rating: 5/5

Layover by Amy Andelson & Emily Meyer -

This was my biggest disappointment of the past couple of months. It follows three step-siblings who decide, during a layover in LA on the way to a family vacation, to run away in response to finding out their parents are getting divorced. The two oldest step-siblings also have feelings for each other. This was one of the most ridiculous books I have read in a while. The characters are pretty much unbearable and the authors liked to make it very clear that Flynn, one of our main characters, was not like other girls. Despite the annoying characters, the plot, while completely ridiculous and not at all realistic, was pretty fun. There was even a trip to Disneyland, so that was fun to read. The romance between the step-siblings was kind of unnecessary and seemed like an afterthought that was just added for an extra little bit of drama. There was some anxiety rep, specifically anxiety in younger people, which I thought was good to include and, at least from my personal experience, was a fairly accurate representation. This was definitely a disappointing read.

Rating: 2/5

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston -

I'm so sad to say this was another slightly disappointing read. I did enjoy it, but nowhere near as much as I expected to given the hype surrounding it. This follows the son of the American president and a British Prince who hate each other but have to stage a friendship, which of course leads to romance. There was nothing I disliked about this book, it was a good story with good characters that I enjoyed reading, but it didn't blow me away. I really liked all of the characters, although I did find it hard to keep track of who was who, and really enjoyed the romance. I did wish there was more of a build up to the romance, it seemed to all happen very fast in the beginning of the book. I didn't find the American politics all that interesting, a lot of it went over my head, and did find there was a few incorrect British stereotypes thrown in, but neither ruined my enjoyment. I think the reason I didn't love this book was just the fact that I got bored for middle of the book. I felt it was longer than it needed to be, and while I enjoyed the beginning and really loved the end, the middle section was just a bit dull. There were also so many really great messages throughout the book. Overall, I did enjoy this book but it was way overhyped and fell flat for me.

Rating: 3/5

It wasn't the best reading month in terms of quality, everything was pretty average other than my one 5 star, but I'm just glad to be reading anything. 

Have you been reading anything great recently?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | October 2018

The second half of this year is crazy and I can't keep up! Blogging has taken a major back seat while I attempt to stay on top of everything else going on in my life but I am determined to try and do better. Despite posting basically nothing on the blog, I have managed a bit of reading in the past month. I haven't read as much as I would have liked having only read three books, which is the least I have read in a month this year. However, October is historically my worst reading month, I have only managed one book in October for the past few years.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han -

I started this series in August and instantly knew I just had to finish it straight away. I have really enjoyed this series as a whole and loved this final book. I thought it was a really great ending to a really loveable series. I have loved all the characters throughout and, while they do things and make decisions that annoy me, I loved seeing how their stories wrap up. The relationship between Lara Jean and her sisters is easily my favourite aspect of this series and it played just as important a role in the final book, I could read about their relationship forever. I'm sad to have finished this series but I'm so glad I read it and can't wait to no doubt reread it in the near future.
Rating: 4/5

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera -
I read books by both of these authors for the first time this year and knew I wanted to read more, so when I found out they were bringing out a collaborative work I had to pick it up. This book follows two teenage boys living in New York who happen to meet in a post office while one is sending a box of things back to his ex-boyfriend, but fail to get each others details. I absolutely loved the whole searching for each other plot, I thought it was fun and exciting and I just wish it had lasted a little longer. Unfortunately, I didn't love the rest of the book quite as much. I liked the relationship to begin with but found myself getting irritated by Arthur 90% of the time. I did enjoy the story but I didn't love the characters and it seemed to go on a little too long. I wanted to love this but I think I liked the idea more than the book itself.
Rating: 3.5/5 | Review To Come

Easy Prey by Catherine Lo -
Oh I have such mixed feelings about this book! This is about three students who had access to naked pictures of a teacher prior to them being leaked on the internet, yet all three deny doing so. I really enjoyed the majority of this book. I liked the story and found the characters interesting, it was generally a good book. However, I worked out who had done it very early on and while I understand why things happened the way they did, I really did not agree with it. Part of me wants to rate this book really low on the basis of my feelings on how things evolved but, at the same time, I do think it was cleverly written and an overall enjoyable read.
Rating: 3/5 | Review To Come

A poor reading month in terms of numbers and a pretty average reading month in terms of quality. I'm hoping for one final big push now that were heading for the end of the year, hopefully I can read some new favourites in the next couple of months.

How was your reading month in October? Did you find any new favourites?

Sophie :)

TBR | October 2017

I know we're already well into October now so I'm very late sharing my TBR but with the lead up to Halloween I thought I would share some of the seasonally appropriate books I plan to read in the next few weeks. I absolutely love reading thrillers around this time of year and have been stocking up on some throughout the year to pick up this month. I am super busy at the moment though so I may struggle with this list, I suppose this is not so much a TBR as 'books I think I might like to pick up this month'.

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook - This is her newest book being published in October, and after quite enjoying With Malice I can't wait to get to this one. I already have a copy of this through Netgalley so this is one I definitely need to get to this month. I really don't know what this is about but I know it involves a tarot card reader and a kidnapping.

You by Caroline Kepnes - I have been desperate to pick this up for the longest time but have never gotten around to it. This is my top priority for this month. All I know about this is it's about a guy who stalks a woman he meets in a bookstore and it is written in second person.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - This is the last of Gillian Flynn's currently published works that I have to read and is another one I have been desperate to read for a while now, definitely about top priority. This is about a journalist who returns to her home town to cover the murder of two young girls and if faced with her own past that she has to deal with.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - I have had this sitting on my shelves for so long and still haven't picked it up. I have heard such great things about Liane Moriarty's writing, particularly recently with the success of the adaptation of another of her novels, so I am excited to get to this one. This is about a woman who finds a letter written by her husband, for her to open after he has died, which reveals his darkest secret. However, he is still alive.

Those are the four that I definitely would like to pick up if I have the time. However, I do have some more on the list that I would like to pick up if I get to all of them (not likely). This is where I need some help. Which of these books do I absolutely need to pick up if I have some extra reading time this month? The list includes:

- Final Girls by Riley Sager

- Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

- Far From You by Tess Sharpe

- Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout

What are you planning on reading this month? Do you like to read thrillers around the Halloween season?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up & Haul | October 2015

Considering it is coming to the end of November and I haven't posted a single thing since my September wrap up at the beginning of October, I think you get the idea that the past few months have been completely crazy! I have been so busy that I have had hardly any time to post, and when I have had time all I have had the energy to do is sleep or watch TV. I have also still been in this ridiculous reading slump that has been going on since August so have read hardly anything in recent months. I am hoping things will improve soon but for now, here is what happened in October.

My Life In October...

- I got a job at the beginning of the month, which is largely why I'm so busy!

- I had so much uni work to do that it began to take over my life.

- I spent a weekend as a leader for a kids camp which was great fun.

- I got to go the the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow and see the GB team win silver!

- I went to see one of my favourite boybands, Union J, on their Audience With tour.

- I was lucky enough to meet some of the gymnasts competing at Worlds, including Dan Purvis and, one of my favourite gymnasts, Max Whitlock.

Watched In October...

- Final Destination 2 (rewatch) - 4/5

- Grey's Anatomy Season 4 (rewatch) - 5/5

- Big Hero 6 (rewatch) - 4/5

- Grey's Anatomy Season 6 (rewatch) - 5/5

Read In October...

Confessions Of A New York Taxi Driver by Eugene Salomon -

Just as Harry Potter got me out of my reading slump in September, this put me back into it. This wasn't a bad book, a lot of the stories of Eugene's experiences as a taxi driver in New York were very enjoyable and as I love everything about New York, I found much of it quite interesting. Unfortunately, it got a bit boring for me after a while as the stories all started to get a bit similar and it ended up taking me the whole month to finish. 2/5

Bought In October...

Life And Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer -

This series is the reason I am reading today so there is no way I could let the tenth anniversary of Twilight pass by and not buy a copy of the 'reimagined' version. I have heard such mixed things about the gender swap and just the general execution of this book but I am determined to give it a fair go. I tend to reread Twilight every year now so I may mix it up next year and read this instead. 

Breathe by Abbi Glines -

Having heard such good things about Abbi Glines, I decided to give her books a go and somewhere read that the Sea Breeze series, of which this is the first book, is a good place to start. To be completely honest, I have no idea what this is about but when I saw it on Amazon for a great price as I was browsing books to raise my total for free delivery, I went for it. I am excited to get to this one eventually.

Blogged In October...

- I shared my September Wrap Up and Haul.

I can't promise November will be any better than October was but let's hope December will be. What have you been reading recently?

Sophie :)

October 2014 | Wrap Up & Haul

October has been another crazy busy month so I've had very little time to read. Like I mentioned last month, things are only going to get busier.

My Life In October...

- I started watching Grey's Anatomy and it has taken over my life! We've managed to watch the first 5 seasons in one month.

- I managed one more weekend away with my mum before the crazy holiday season begins.

- I handed in my first essay of the semester and somehow managed to pass it.

- I spent more money than I should have on the best possible tickets for The Vamps tour next year with Union J supporting them. I am so excited!

- I went to the Big Reunion Boyband Tour and spent a lot of time fangirling over A1 and Gareth Gates, I'm a ten-year-old at heart.

Read In October...

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison -

I read this book a few years ago and loved it. I never got round to finishing the series so I decided to re-read the first few books and then finish the series. This series is written in the form of a diary of teenager Georgia Nicholson and follows her as she discovers the wonders of boys and deals with issues with friends. I loved this the first time through but now that I am a bit older I found it a little immature. 4/5

It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers! by Louise Rennison -

This is the second book in the Georgia Nicholson series and I had the same issues with this as I did with the first book. I loved it originally but found a lot it a little immature. 3/5

Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison -

This is the third book in the series and another re-read. Again I had some issues with the immaturity of the characters but they are such quick, easy reads that it wasn't too much of a problem. 3/5

Weird Things Customers Say In Bookshops by Jen Campbell -

I had heard so much about this book that I decided to buy it on the kindle store on a whim and read it in about half an hour. This book is filled with funny stories of things customers have said and done while in bookshops. It is a really quick, easy read and I enjoyed it. I didn't love it as much as everyone else seems to have though. 3/5

Bought In October...

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern -

I already read this book last month and reviewed it but when I saw the movie cover I just couldn't resist. I love Sam Claflin so I obviously needed his face on a book.

Stop in the Name of Pants & Are Those My Basoomas I See Before Me by Louise Rennison -

I bought the first six books in this series last month and so bought the 9th and 10th books in the series to complete my collection. I managed to get these on ebay for a really good price and they are in great condition.

What have you read or bought in October? Have you read any of the books I mentioned?

Sophie :)

September 2014 | Wrap Up & October TBR

This month has been a crazy busy month, meaning I have had almost no time to read. Unfortunately, it looks like that will not be changing any time soon.

My life in September...

- I started my third year of uni and hate it already!

- Managed to fit in two weekends away with my family. These were the only times I got any reading done!

- I voted on the future of my country in the Scottish Referendum then made myself ill by staying up all night watching the results.

- I finished watching House (possibly another reason for the lack of reading) and the last episode destroyed me!

- I finished watching Season 5 of The Vampire Diaries (I put off the last two episodes for months) and again the last episode completely destroyed me. I cried for like an hour afterwards!

- I rearranged my bedroom and proudly built my new Ikea bedside table all by myself! It's the little things that make me happy.

Read in September...

Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern - 

I absolutely loved this book! It is about two school friends, Alex and Rosie, who are separated when Alex and his family have to move from Dublin to Boston for his father's job. It follows them through their lives in the form of emails, letters, instant messages and newspaper articles. I really loved the characters and the unique format. Review to come. 5/5

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins -

As much as I loved this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as Anna and the French Kiss. Lola follows our main character Lola as she comes to terms with the fact her old next door neighbour, who she has some history with, has moved back in to the house next door. I liked Lola but I found her harder to relate to than Anna and made it a little harder to first get into the book. I did end up really enjoying it though. Review to come. 4/5

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins -

I loved this book! It is definitely my favourite in the series. Isla follows two characters who we first meet in Anna and the French Kiss, quiet girl Isla and best friend of Etienne St Clair Josh as they begin to realise that their mutual crush is, in fact, mutual. I loved Isla and Josh as a couple and, although I did find Isla a little annoying at times, I liked them both as individual characters as well. I cannot rate this book highly enough. Review to come. 5/5

Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson - 

This was my least favourite of the books I have read this month but it was good. It is about a woman who can only hold on to her memories until she falls asleep at night so cannot remember who she is when she wakes up in the morning, until she starts keeping a journal. I liked the idea of this book and it was done well but it wasn't as great as I expected it to be. I even managed to guess the ending which I had hoped not to. Review to come. 3/5

Currently Reading...

The Maze Runner by James Dashner -

I wanted to read this in time to watch the movie when it comes out next week in the UK. I'm only about 30 pages in at the moment but so far I am struggling to get into it. I know I need to give it more time but at the moment I am just really hoping it gets better soon.

To read in October...

Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse -

I like to read darker books in October with it being Halloween but I don't do well with really scary or creepy things so mystery/thriller type books are as far as I go. Before We Met is about a woman whose husband doesn't come home one night and in searching for him she comes across some secrets of his life before they met. The premise intrigues me and the cover is beautiful so I'm excited to read it.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn -

This is another mystery/thriller book to get me in the Halloween mood. I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn at the start of the year and didn't love it as much as, it seems, most people did. I thought I would give one of her other books a go and Dark Places intrigued me. It's about a woman whose brother was sent to prison when she was seven years old based on evidence that she had given but she is now starting to doubt what she heard so begins investigating who killed her family. I hope I like this better than Gone Girl.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead -

I have had this book on my shelf for years now but never got round to reading it. What better time to read about vampires than Halloween so I am going to try and get round to it in October. All I know is it is about a boarding school for vampires.

Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series books 1-3 by Louise Rennison -

I have already read Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging, It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers and Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas a few years ago but I plan to reread them before continuing on with the series. They are really quick reads so I should hopefully get through them.

I have such a busy month in October, especially with uni work, so I think I have been a bit too ambitious with my TBR but I never end up sticking to a TBR list anyway, I just like making lists.

What have you read in September? And what are you planning to read in October?

Sophie :)