Haul | February & March 2016

I finally have another book haul to share! I decided that while I was being all slumpy I should put myself on a book buying ban to stop my already pretty big TBR pile from growing any more so, as the timing was convenient, I decided to give up buying books for lent. I don't usually do the whole lent thing but it did make it easier to stick to when I had a specific end date. That did mean, however, that when I was allowed to buy books again, I most definitely did so! I also bought one book before the ban started and a pre-order arrived in the middle so that stopped any buying urges.

Wonder by RJ Palacio - This was a complete on a whim purchase. I saw it in a charity shop and had heard some good things so decided to give it a go.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick - I can't resist a cute contemporary and this is always raved about so I had to pick it up.

The Start Of Me & You by Emery Lord - I really enjoyed Open Road Summer so I thought I would try some of her other stuff.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - Everyone has been raving about this recently and the concept sounds really interesting.

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider - I wanted to read this as soon as I found out about it early last year and I finally got my hands on it.

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern - The author of my all-time favourite book writes a YA novel, of course I'm getting that the second it's released!

The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern - I am aiming to read all of Cecelia Ahern's books so I'm just collecting them as I see them now.

The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare - I will read this and TMI this year! Or at least I'll make a start. But obviously I needed these first.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - Finally I have decided to read this series. I was on the fence for so long but I've decided I'm doing it.

Unsouled by Neal Shusterman - I started the Unwind series forever ago so I really need to finish it this year.

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass - I need the last book in the series right now but this will just have to do. 

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway - The cover is so pretty I just had to do it. Plus, its a contemporary (my fave) and it has great reviews.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman - As soon as I found out the main character was a blogger I knew I had to give it a go.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - This book has intrigued me for so long. I mean it's incest, but everyone raves about it! I want to know what the fuss is about.

Ebooks (not pictured)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - So. Much. Hype. 

Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - It was cheap and everyone seems to read it around Christmas so why not.

Did I Mention I Love You? by Estelle Maskame - I must have a thing about brother/sister love stories at the moment, should I be worried?

That is everything. Hopefully I won't be buying too many books for a while, I think I need to let my back account recover a little. What have you been buying recently?

Sophie :)

Top Ten Tuesday | Top Ten Favourite Booktubers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke And The Bookish. Lists galore, I can think of nothing better!

This week's theme is Top Ten Bookish People To Follow On Social Media. Now honestly, I really don't follow many bookish people on social media. I follow a few bookish people on Instagram and a couple on the Twitter I have for this blog but other than that I am seriously failing in that area. For that reason, I decided to go with my Top Ten Favourite Booktubers. It was the booktube community that got me into blogging and I do watch a lot of amazing people so I felt it was only right to share my favourites. These aren't really in any particular order, I love them all.

1. Ermahgerd Berks (Jamie & Jeff)
I know I said these weren't in any particular order but Jamie is definitely my favourite booktuber. Her videos are so much fun and I trust her recommendations because we do seem to feel the same about a lot of the same books. I also love when Jeff makes an appearances, these two are the most adorable couple!

2. Kassidy Voinche (Kassidy)
I really love Kassidy's videos, especially her reviews, as she seems so honest. I will always trust her opinion on a book so if she recommends something, I will check it out. Her reading is a lot more varied than mine so I often check out books she's mentioned that I never would have found otherwise. Also, her bookshelves are to die for!

3. Emmmabooks (Emma)
Emma is someone I have only discovered in the past year but adore her videos. I love her discussion type videos and the ones that are a bit different from the norm, like her recent video about tips for signings. She has such unique ideas and has a fun, bubbly personality that makes her videos great to watch.

4. Little Book Owl (Catriona)
This is another booktuber whose personality makes their videos so much fun for me. I really like Caz's personality so I find her videos great fun. She makes great recommendations, including some books from Australian authors that I may not have heard about elsewhere, and because her reading is quite varied I always find out about books that might be a bit out of my comfort zone.

5. Perpetual Page Turner (Jamie)
Okay so it's been a while since Jamie posted a video as it isn't her main platform but her blog is probably my ultimate favourite book blog so I had to include her! I adore her blog and always get excited when she occasionally posts a video. I think I just like how honest and genuine she seems, and she always makes me laugh both with her blog and videos.

6. Peruse Project (Regan)
This is a bit of a strange one. Regan and I have pretty different reading tastes, she is forever raving about fantasy and historical fiction while I rarely read fantasy and have yet to even pick up one historical fiction novel. Yet somehow, I adore watching her videos. I guess I just like seeing what's out there were I ever to delve into the genres she frequently talks about.

7. PriceIsWong (Jessica)
I haven't actually watched anything from Jessica in a while but she is definitely one of my top ten booktubers. I think I like her videos because although she does read and talk about the popular books of the moment, she also branches out and talks about books that aren't necessarily being talked about, whether that be older books or just less popular books. I love that this introduces me to more books! I also really trust her opinions.

8. ReadByZoe (Zoe)
Zoe is another person whose videos are just great fun! We have a similar taste in books, from what I can tell, so I love hearing her thoughts on books and will frequently bump a book up to the top of my TBR if she has loved it.

9. Padfootandprongs07 (Raeleen)
When the channel name is a Harry Potter reference, its a winner. I love Raeleen's channel because she reads such a variety of books that there is always something new to discover. I love seeing her recommendations and find she reviews books very well, even if it is just in a monthly wrap up.

10. The Book Hoarder (Dana)
This is another channel I have discovered fairly recently and love. I love Dana's personality and her vlogs that she does during readathons are hilarious, they're my favourite videos of hers. She also reads quite a variety of books, which is really great for discovering new books.

Those are my top ten favourite booktubers! Who are yours?

Sophie:)

Wrap Up | February & March 2016

For the first time since I started blogging that I have had to combine two months into one wrap up! I have had so much going on in the past few months, both good and bad, that I haven't had time or been feeling like doing much reading or blogging. So rather than post a half-assed February wrap up with hardly anything to wrap up, this happened instead.

My Life In February...

- I had my first university interview for my first choice uni, which actually went well.

- I received an offer for that first choice uni and I am so happy about that!

- My mum had to have major surgery so that has resulted in some big changes at home.

- I went to see my favourite Collabro boys on their Act Two Tour in Glasgow.

- I then travelled down to Manchester to see the Collabro boys again in Manchester.

My Life In March...

- I went to see Collabro yet again in Carlisle with some of the best people.

- I got to go and support some amazing gymnasts at the Glasgow World Cup.

- I went to see a production of the Dolly Parton musical 9 to 5, which was interesting.

- For the second time in a few years I got my hair cut short to donate to Little Princess Trust.

- My little puppy had to have an operation! Luckily it went really well and he is completely fine now.

- Lent ended in March and as I gave up buying books I was so happy to see the end!

- I got some lovely new bookcases that I now can't stop admiring.

Watched In February...

- Scandal Season 1 - 3/5

- School Of Rock (rewatch) - 5/5

- Death In Paradise Season 1 - 3.5/5

- Legally Blonde (rewatch) - 4/5

- Blended - 4/5

- 8:46 - 3/5

- The Devil Wears Prada (rewatch) - 2/5

- Inside Out - 4/5

- Sing It On Season 1 - 5/5

- Pitch Perfect (rewatch) - 5/5

- Pitch Perfect 2 (rewatch) - 4/5

- Scandal Season 2 - 4/5

- The Big Wedding - 2/5

Watched In March...

- Scandal Season 3 - 3.5/5

- In Her Shoes (rewatch) - 3.5/5

- Scandal Season 4 - 3.5/5

- Death In Paradise Season 2 - 4/5

- Man Up - 4/5

- The DUFF - 3.5/5

- Elementary Season 1 - 4/5

Read In February & March...

Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan - 

This was the only book I read in February and even though it was so tiny, it was definitely a good'un. This follows three teenagers during and in the months after the 9/11 attacks in New York. It explores how everyone reacted differently to the events and shows how the lives of the three main characters changed and became intertwined. I really enjoyed this book and if you would like to know more about my thoughts you can check out my full review here. 4/5

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling -

THREE MONTHS! That is how long it took me to read this book! Four months!! I started this at the beginning of December and didn't finish it until a week or so into March. It's not that I didn't enjoy this book, I really did, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I have the previous books. I struggled to stay interested as the plot was slower paced and it seemed to be more informative that action-packed like the previous books. I had also been spoiled for the horrible, sad thing that happens so I didn't find it particularly horrible or sad. 3.5/5

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger -

I had been wanting to read this for so long and then I got the movie for Christmas so the pressure increased. I decided after the Half-Blood Prince I needed something fun and easy so I picked this up. I was so surprised by how much I liked this book! I had heard mixed things but I thought it was a great, fun read. I loved both Bianca and Wes and the plot seemed so much more realistic to me than that of the typical YA contemporary love stories. It did take me a little while to get into, which lowered my rating, but I definitely enjoyed this book. 4/5

Confessions Of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella -

This was possibly the biggest disappointment of my reading in the past few years. Everyone raves about this series and how much they love Sophie Kinsella. Now, I don't doubt that Sophie Kinsella is a great writer but I absolutely hated this book. I couldn't stand the main character and as someone whose reading is very character-driven, this was a major issue for me. I just couldn't handle the stupidity of the decisions she made throughout the story. The only thing that improved matters slightly was the few parts that I found funny. 2/5

Blogged In February & March...

- I had a bit of fun with the Celebrity Book Tag.

- I shared my February TBR, most of which I read in March.

- I took part in Top Ten Tuesday's Top Ten OTPs topic.

- I reviewed Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan.

- I reviewed The Geography Of You And Me by Jennifer E Smith.

So that was my mega wrap up of February and March. How has your reading been going so far this year?

Sophie :)