Haul | July 2017

So I bought a few books in July. Don't worry, I didn't go crazy, but there is now pretty much no way I'm getting my TBR down to under 100 books by the end of this year. I have been doing quite well with cutting down my book buying and haven't bought very many physical books this year. However, in July I bought a few, more than I have any other month so far this year, so I thought I would share them in a separate post this month.

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord - I already couldn't wait to pick up this book because the UK cover is so beautiful, but then everyone started raving about it and I couldn't help myself. I don't know when I'll get around to it but for now it looks beautiful on my shelves.

Wilde Like Me by Louise Pentland - I was lucky enough to go to a Q&A and signing for this book and got to meet Louise who I have watched on Youtube for about five years now and love. Hearing her talk about her book made me so excited to give it a go.

One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin - I've had this one on my Goodreads TBR for a little while now so when I saw it for £1 I picked it up. The whole 100 proposals has me sold but I'm sure there will be a cute romance in there somewhere.

PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern - This is one I've already read so I don't feel quite so bad for buying this one. I listened to this on audio so didn't have a physical copy and as Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors I want to own all of her books, and the fact it was only £1 makes it completely acceptable.

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern - Another one that I managed to find for just £1! Like I said, Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors and this is one of hers I haven't read yet. 

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins - This is my most anticipated book of the year and I managed to bag myself an eARC from netgalley. I can't even explain my excitement for this book, I have to read it now!

I haven't gone too crazy with my book buying but I need to try and keep it to a minimum for the rest of the year. Which of my purchases do I need to prioritise?

Sophie :)

Top Ten | Popular Books I Haven't Read Yet

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of people, particularly booktubers, talking about popular books they have yet to read. Having only really been back into reading for a few years, there are a lot of popular books, mainly older ones, that I just haven't gotten around to yet. A lot of these are books I need to motivation to pick up so if you love them, please tell me!

1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
This is one of the first books I ever added to my Goodreads TBR back in 2013 but I still haven't picked it up. With the popularity of the Netflix adaptation, I am definitely wanting to pick this one up. I did receive a copy from Netgalley recently so hopefully I can get around to it some time this year and then finally see if the show is worth the hype it's getting.

2. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
This is another one that has been on my Goodreads TBR for years, and even on my bookshelves for years. My excuse for this one is I wanted to read the Summer I Turned Pretty series first, but considering how long I've had those books on my shelves as well, it really isn't much of an excuse. With the movie adaptation coming soon, this is another one I need to get to.

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I tried to read this one, I really did. I picked this up around the time the first movie came out and just couldn't get into it. I know I need to give it another go as this series is the absolutely favourite of one of my friends and she may kill me if I don't at least try one more time. I'm not sure if these books are for me but I will try once more.

4. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
I almost never read classics so I could fill this list with all the popular classics I haven't read. This one seems to be one of the most popular and most talked about classics in the blogging/booktube community, though, and not one I have read. I do own this and plan to read it very soon but I never have the motivation to pick it up.

5. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Sophie Kinsella has loads of really popular books but I have only read one of hers, Confessions Of A Shopaholic, which I didn't really enjoy. I do want to try out one of her standalone novels and this seems to be a favourite of a lot of people.

6. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is another one that I picked up but just didn't click with. I wasn't feeling the writing style so I put it down to try again another time. I want to read this one this year as it counts for one of my Around The Year In 52 Books challenges but I'm not sure this will be for me. So many people love it, I just need to try again.

7. Illuminae by Aimee Kauffman and Jay Kristoff
This is a more recent release but I feel like one of the only people left on the planet who hasn't read it. Everyone has been raving about it since even before it was published and the buzz just hasn't died down. I'm so intrigued by this book, I know I'll at least add it to my ever growing bookshelves soon.

8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
After the phenomenon that was Twilight, everyone and their mother wanted to see what Stephenie Meyer would do next. I know there were a lot of mixed feelings about The Host but everyone gave it a go just because of the author. I was one of those people, I was so excited and bought the book as soon as I could. However, I was so intimidated by the size that I never read it and still haven't to this day. I've been told I should but I'm not sure about this one.

9. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Another older popular YA series but this one I'm not sure I'll ever read. This was very popular when I was still into reading, back in the Twilight days, but I never picked it up before reading became 'uncool' again. I think I may have outgrown this series but I may decide to pick it up at some point.

10. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
This is a popular series that I actually had no intention of ever picking up. However, I then read Leigh Bardugo's story in Summer Days & Summer Nights just last month and fell in love with her writing. I was not expecting to like her story at all but it completely took me by surprise and now I want to read her novels. This one could be getting read quite soon.

There are more popular books I haven't read than I thought there were, I need to catch up with the popular ones I missed out on over the years. Are there any popular books you think everyone definitely needs to read? Which of the books mentioned do I need to read soon?

Sophie :)

Author Spotlight | Morgan Matson

I thought it might be interesting to do something new today and talk about an author I love in an Author Spotlight post. This has been something I wanted to do for a while but I am so busy trying out new authors that there are very few whose work I have read completely. I'm not entirely sure the best way to do this but I thought I would give a brief synopsis of her published works, give you my thoughts on them, including my favourite to least favourite, and maybe recommend the best order to read them.

Morgan Matson currently has four published works - Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour, Second Chance Summer, Since You've Been Gone and The Unexpected Everything - with another six novels under the pen name Katie Finn, which I won't be discussing this time but maybe in future when I've actually read them. She also has one upcoming book, due for publication in June 2018, called Save The Date. She writes YA contemporary romance novels, all set during Summer and dealing with some more serious topics amongst the summer fun.

Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour is Morgan Matson's first book under that name and follows two teenagers as they roadtrip across America. Amy has recently lost her father in a car accident and her family is now moving across the country. Due to the circumstances surrounding her father's death, Amy is not comfortable driving and so her mother enlists the help of family friend Rodger to drive Amy to her new home.
This is a very fun summer roadtrip story but also deals with grief and moving on after losing someone so close to you. As has become quite common in Morgan Matson's books, there are playlists, scrapbook entries and various other cool little additions to the story, which I loved. This is the one of her books that I remember the least about, perhaps as it was the first I read or it may just be the least memorable to me. I really enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. For me, the story fell a bit flat and I didn't connect well with the characters. I would recommend if you like...roadtrips, music, cute bookish boys, books dealing with grief.

Second Chance Summer is Morgan Matson's second book. This book is definitely her most emotional so far. It follows a girl whose family is returning to their lake house for one final summer together as her father is dying. As well as her family situation, returning to the lake house is further complicated by her former best friend and first boyfriend.
This book completely destroyed me so come prepared to sob your heart out when reading this. It was a beautifully written, heart-warming story about facing the loss of a loved one and making up for wasted time. However, there is also a lot of summer adventures and beach fun so it's not all terribly sad. This book contains some really great characters and one of the most adorable romances. Taylor, the main character, was so easy to relate to and I connected with her straight away. I would recommend if you like...books that will rip your heart out and stomp on it repeatedly, small towns, beach fun, a strong family focus.

Since You've Been Gone is the book that seems to have brought Morgan Matson the popularity she has today. This follows a girl whose best friend leaves unexpectedly at the beginning of summer and leaves her a list of tasks to complete. With the aim of pushing her out of her comfort zone and becoming her own person, the tasks range from 'apple picking at night' to 'kiss a stranger' and take Emily on a true summer adventure.
This is by far her most fun book. We have no death in this one, at least that I can remember, just a whole lot of fun. I love lists so the to-do list was a great addition to the story and some of the tasks were great. This is the kind of book that makes you want to get out and enjoy your summer, make the most of the time you have and live your life to the fullest. It also features my favourite of Morgan Matson's characters. Emily. the main character, is such a relatable character and I absolutely loved seeing her grow as she ticked off the tasks on her list. There was also, of course, an adorable romance and more of the signature playlists included. I would recommend if you like...bucket lists, summer fun, a focus on friendship, adorable romance.

The Unexpected Everything is Morgan Matson's most recent release. This follows a girl whose summer plans have been ruined following a scandal involving her politician father. No longer accepted to her internship, Andie finds herself walking dogs and sharing a house with her father who hasn't been around in years.
This is another very fun book but again has some more serious aspects, as Andie is still dealing with the loss of her mother. It also deals with the difficult relationship she has with her father, which was one of my favourite things in the book. I really loved the dog-walking as well, it was great fun and obviously introduced Andie to the adorable love interest. As Clark is a writer, excerpts of his books are included throughout the book, which I wasn't really a fan of to be honest. The rest of the book definitely made up for those small parts, though, so I would just skim over them. There was also a great emphasis on friendship, as is often the case in her books, which I really enjoyed. I would recommend if you like...dogs, father-daughter relationships, books dealing with grief, epic scavenger hunts, tight friendship groups.

There we have all four of Morgan Matson's published works. You can probably guess from my thoughts on each book how I would rank them but I'll do it anyway. From favourite to least favourite, and with the ratings I gave, we have:

1. Since You've Been Gone - ★★★★
2. Second Chance Summer - ★★★★
3. The Unexpected Everything - ★★★★
4. Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour - ★★★½

In terms of what order to read these books in, there is only one answer. If you want to get the most out of her books, read them in publication order. As all of them are predominantly set in the same town, there are a lot of cameo appearances and crossovers between the books. It's really fun to pick up on those little moments as your read through the books and an added bonus when your favourite character pops up.

I hope this has been helpful for those looking to pick up one of Morgan Matson's books but not sure where to start or what would be for them. Her books are definitely great to read in the summer and often stay with you long after you've reached the final page.

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | July 2017

I refuse to accept the fact I am already wrapping up July! How can we only have 5 months left of 2017? This year is just flying in but I am still finding enough time to read a fair few books. I'm pretty impressed with my reading in July as I started back on placement and expected to have a similar experience to the last time. However, unlike in March, the last time I was on placement, in which I only read one book, I managed to read 7 in July, the same number I read in both May and June. I think I've done quite well and hopefully I'll keep it up.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver -

I was never all that interesting in reading this book but with it being made into a movie, I decided to give it a go on audiobook. This is about a girl who is forced to relive the day she dies multiple times and I have heard some pretty mixed things about it so my expectations weren't high. I thought it was an okay book. It was interesting enough, the plot was fine but the characters were very unlikeable and didn't really redeem themselves enough. I definitely think it could have been shorter and maybe that would have made it a bit less repetitive.

Rating: 3/5 | Review To Come | ATY Challenge: #13 Recommended by a favourite author

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame -

Since finding out that Estelle Maskame is a fellow Scot I have been dying to read some of her work. This is the her first book and the first in a series following a girl who goes to live with her father and his new family for the summer. I enjoyed this much more than I was expecting. As the author is so young I expected the book to be quite immature but was pleasantly surprised to find there were only some small moments that I found immature. This was a very fun, enjoyable first book in the series and definitely made me want to pick up the next book.

Rating: 3.5/5 | Review To Come | ATY Challenge: #49 From someone else's bookshelf

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares -

The movie adaptation of these books was one of my favourite movies when I was younger so for nostalgia I decided to give the books a go. I picked up the first book on audiobook, which follows four best friends as they spend their first summer apart but share a pair of jeans to keep each other close. I loved this book just as much as the movie. It was great to see these characters again and go on their summer adventures with them. It was a really quick read and I can definitely see myself reading a book from this series each summer. 

Rating: 4/5 | Review To Come | ATY Challenge: #19 A New York Times bestseller

Grey's Anatomy by Chris Van Dusen -

I don't even know why I decided to pick this one up. I love the TV show and while binge watching it for the first time a couple of years ago I discovered that this book existed,  featuring two stories based on the TV Show, one from the perspective of a nurse and one from Joe the Bartender. I just decided I was in the mood for it this month and read it all in a day. It was fun to go back to the early seasons of the show and remind myself of some of the main story lines. It was also great to see some of the many characters Shonda Rhimes has killed off over the years back in the mix. I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of the show and need something to keep you going until the next season starts.

Rating: 3/5 

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples -

I have heard so many great things about this graphic novel series that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. In all honesty, I've read the first volume and I'm still not sure what this series is about. I liked this graphic novel but I'm not sure the story is for me. It was enjoyable and I was definitely interested but I preferred the art to the story, probably just because it was very sci-fi, which isn't really my thing anyway.

Rating: 3.5 | ATY Challenge: #36 Hugo award winner or nominee

All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder -

The less said about this book the better. I am always intrigued by books about the last day before an asteroid destroys the planet but I never end up enjoying them. This book follows two homeless teens on their last day before an asteroid is to hit and destroy part of the United States (but apparently everywhere else is safe). I really did not like this book. I hated the characters, they were both very unlikeable and even though they went round helping others and proving they were good people, I couldn't stand them. The plot itself was just boring and the ending was a complete cop-out.

Rating: 1.5/5 | Review To Come

Summer Days & Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins -

This is the summer anthology that followed the holiday anthology Stephanie Perkins edited in 2014 and features 12 summer love stories. I was actually a little bit disappointed with this anthology. There were some really great stories in it but also quite a few that I really wasn't a fan of. I definitely preferred My True Love Gave To Me but I did enjoy a lot of this book and there were some stand out stories. I will discuss each story individually in my review and give you more of my in depth thoughts.

Rating: 3/5 | Review To Come | ATY Challenge: #51 A Collection

That is everything I read in July. I read a few things that were a bit different and I wouldn't normally read, which is good as it got me out of my comfort zone a bit. Apparently, though, I also fell a bit behind on my reviews and haven't posted reviews for any of my July books yet, expect them all very soon. I would love some recommendations for Graphic Novels, preferably ones that are a bit less sci-fi or high fantasy. Any suggestions would be great.

Was July a good reading month for you? What was the best thing you read?

Sophie :)

Mini Review | Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #2
Published On: April 10, 2008
Published By: Penguin
Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 327
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★½

Amazon | Goodreads

A massive vampire attack has put St Vladimir's Academy on high alert. With the deadly creatures closing in, this year's trip to the wintery peaks of Idaho has just become mandatory. 
But Rose Hathaway can't escape her (guy) troubles. Her relationship with gorgeous tutor Dmitri can never be and her closest friend has just confessed his huge crush on her ... 
The Glittering Winter Landscape May Seem Like The Perfect Hideaway - But Rose, And Her Heart, Are In More Danger Than She Ever Imagined.

Better than book one.
I enjoyed the first book in the Vampire Academy series but I think I liked this one just a little bit more. It was a fun, quick read and 'I really enjoyed revisiting the characters I grew to really like in the first book.

Interesting plot.
I thought the main plot of this instalment was very interesting and enjoyable. I found the attacks to be particularly interesting, especially seeing how they happened and how the characters chose to respond. It was quite different to the first book in that we got to see more of the vampire world outwith the school and were given more of an insight into the Strigoi.

Rose and Dimitri. Rose and Dimitri. Rose and Dimitri!!
Basically I needed more Rose and Dimitri. Can you tell I'm a fan? For me there wasn't nearly enough of their sexual tension and forbidden connection. Rose had too many other love interests in this book that she just didn't have time for Dimitri and that frustrated me a little.

Rose and Lissa!
Again, there wasn't enough Rose and Lissa for me either. I really loved their friendship in the first book but they both seemed to be too busy with other people, once again Rose's many love interests, to be spending time together. Their friendship is really adorable so I definitely hope to see more of it in the next book.

Great character introductions.
Speaking of Rose's many love interests, I really loved the introduction of Adrian. He seems a little bit shady but I thought he was hilarious and he did make me swoon just a little. I definitely want to see more of him in the future. I also really liked the introduction of Rose's mother. Rose's issues surrounding her mother made for an interesting addition to the story and I thought they explained a lot of things about her character.

Really great setting.
As much as I absolutely love the boarding school setting, I really loved the ski lodge setting in this book. Not only did I find it quite nostalgic of my own past skiing trips, I thought it made a great backdrop for everything that went on. It did remind me a little bit of a One Tree Hill episode at times, which made for an interesting reading experience. Though I really enjoyed it, I missed having the school as the main setting and am hoping to return to the school setting in the next book.

Overall, I think this series is improving with each book but it is still not up there with my favourite series. It's a fun series and I can fly through the books but there's something missing from me. There were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this book but definitely things I hope are different in the next book. I am interested in seeing how this series improves so I know I want to pick up the next book soon.

Top Ten | Favourite Covers

With Top Ten Tuesday taking a break until mid-August, I decided to take a loot back at some of the early topics and make some top ten lists inspired by them. One of the earliest topics was 'Top Ten Favourite Covers'. I know this is one I could have an endless list for and it was tough to narrow it down but I thought it would be fun to share some of the covers I love.

I'm quite easy to please when it comes to covers, if it looks pretty I'll like it. Colours and typography are the main things I look at, you might be able to tell from this list.

  

1. Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door & Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

  

2. The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
3. What Light by Jay Asher
4. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

 

5. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
6. Windfall by Jennifer E Smith

  

7. Dare To Fall by Estelle Maskame
8. Unravel by Calia Read
9. Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour

  

10. Matched, Crossed and Reached by Ally Condie

What are your favourite covers? What do you like and dislike on covers?

Sophie :)

Mini Review | Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Published On: May 6, 2014
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 449
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★

Amazon | Goodreads

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger? Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what?

The perfect summer read.
As is the case with all of Morgan Matson's books, this has everything you need in a summer read. It has friendship, romance, adventure and plenty of fun that just made me want to get out and enjoy my summer.

Lists are my thing.
I'm definitely a list person and I really love when lists are used within a book. This was a great summer bucket list with some really cool tasks on it. I enjoyed the way this list was used within this book as not only did it allow for some really fun adventures, it also provided for a whole lot of character development.

Emily is my favourite.
Of all of Morgan Matson's characters, Emily is by far my favourite. She was very genuine and also reminded me a lot of myself so I could relate to her quite a bit. It was nice to see her character grow and develop throughout the book into an even more likeable character.

Sloane is not my favourite.
I can't say I'm a fan of Sloane, her character just annoyed me and I was quite glad she wasn't feature too much. I understand that the whole idea of this list is for Emily to become her own person without Sloane, but to me it seemed that any time she had tried to be her own person with Sloane around she was shot down. To me, she was a very overbearing friend. She did redeem herself a bit by the end of the book but she's still not a favourite character of mine.

New friends are the best friends.
I really loved the developing friendships throughout the book, in fact that was probably one of my favourite aspects. These friendships illustrated the fact that sometime the best friends are people you don't expect to become friends with in the first place, that you can have unexpected things in common with a person and that can bring you together. And also Frank, he was pretty great.

Love playlists.
I had loved the playlists in Amy & Rodger's Epic Detour so I was glad to see some more playlists making an appearance in this book. I think the make a really nice, fun addition to the story as well as providing another layer to the characters since the music you listen to says a lot about a person.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it is the perfect book to read during the summer. It did a great job of getting me in the mood for summer, while also being a cute summer romance with a great emphasis on friendship. I would probably say this is my favourite of Morgan Matson's books so I would definitely recommend it if you are a fan of her other books.