November 2021 Wrap Up

 Well, 2021 is almost over! I know I say this every month but it really is crazy how fast this year is flying in. November was another busy month that caused me to put blogging to the bottom of my priority list. Despite being on holiday from work for some of the month, thing in my personal life took a challenging turn and my priorities had to change a lot. This is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future, however I am hoping to get more organised with blogging and bookstagram in the New Year which should help.

Back to November though, I read a total of 5 books, three of which were non-fiction for Nonfiction November. They covered pretty much the whole rating scale, one being a stand out favourite that will most likely make my favourites of the year list.

Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker -

This was my first read for nonfiction November, a true crime novel detailing the case of the online escorts who became victims of the long island serial killer. This is a case I had never heard anything about so thought it would be a good first true crime nonfiction read as I would be super interested in learning about something totally new. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this book. It focused much more on the lives of the girls than the mystery itself, which is an interesting idea and makes a point of humanising people who may have been seen as simply victims previously. However, I don't feel it was done particularly well. The way it was written is incredibly jarring and confusing as the reader is introduced to so many different people in a very short period of time, all of whom have quite similar stories, and then continuously flips between each girl's story. I found it very hard to keep track of who was who. This book also focuses so much on the issues in these girls' lives and the family drama. I found this really took away from the fact this was a real crime that is still yet to be solved and made it into some kind of soap opera. Overall, this was a disappointing read and after reading a 400+ page book about this mystery I still don't know anything about it.

Rating: 2/5

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren -

After discovering Christina Lauren last year and really enjoying a lot of their work, this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It follows a single mother who, on a total whim, signs up to a new app that promises to find your soulmate based on DNA. When her results come back as an unprecedented 98% match with the app's founder, the pair agree to fake date in order to gain publicity for the app ahead of it's official launch. I really like the premise of this as it sounds like a much more light-hearted and romantic version of The One by John Marrs, which I read and enjoyed but definitely had a different vibe. I also love a fake dating trope, especially when it is also enemies to lovers as this is, and I typically like single parent romance. This really should have ticked all my boxes, but ended up being a bit of a disappointment. I was bored for a lot of it and considered DNFing as it has such a slow start. I struggled to find the desire to keep reading but found my enjoyment of the relationship developing helped me get through it. While there were aspects I enjoyed, such as the relationship and our heroine's daughter, they just weren't enough for me to love it. I expected more from this author duo but this one just wasn't for me.

Rating: 3/5

The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M Graff -

This was my absolute stand out of the month. Another nonfiction November read, this is an account of all of the events of September 11th told by the people who experienced it first hand. This is probably the most comprehensive account of that day, and the days following, that you could ask for. It has accounts from those inside the Towers at the time of the attacks and family members of those who died both in the Towers and on planes, those inside the Pentagon and family member of those who lost their lives in that attack, family members of the passengers on Flight 93, air traffic controllers and those working in the airports, first responders involved in all three attacks, government officials and those who worked with them, and so many more that I can't list without being here forever. It was incredibly informative but also emotive and intense. It was such a powerful read and as someone who is too young to remember that day in anymore than very faint memories, it gave an idea of just how horrific that day was for those all over the world. 

Rating: 5/5

Fighting For Your Life by Lysa Walder -

My third and final nonfiction read of the month was, of course, some form of medical memoir. This is a memoir of a London paramedic, in which Lysa Walder shares just some of the most memorable jobs she has had within her role. I have read a lot of books like this so I am pretty critical but I didn't particularly enjoy this book. This was very much an account of the most shocking calls the author has been to and seemed to be much more about the shock factor than human emotion. I started to wonder at one point if any of the stories were going to involve the patient actually living in the end. While this may be more exciting to read about for some, as someone with experience in this area this definitely gives a very inaccurate view of the job. Though much of the role of a paramedic does involve really shocking calls with life threatening emergencies, so much of the job is about being caring and compassionate individuals, which was not something that came across at all in this book. In fact, some of the language used made the author seem not very caring or compassionate at all at points. Overall, this did have it's interesting parts but did not showcase the role of a paramedic well in my opinion.

Rating: 3/5

The Christmas Blanket by Kandi Steiner -

I was planning to save my Christmas reads until December but I just couldn't wait that long. This is a short novella following a woman who gets stuck in a blizzard on her way home for the first time in four years to see her family for Christmas. However, when she is rescued by her ex-husband things get awkward as the two are stuck in his cabin together through the storm. I absolutely loved this novella. It was such a sweet second-chance romance, with the chemistry between the main characters being apparent from the beginning. It was a very cozy, festive read and my only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. I could have read a full length novel of these characters. 

Rating: 4.5/5

A Groom With A View by Sophie Ranald - 

My last read of the month was one that I have owned in my ebook library for far too many years but never got around to picking up. It follow a woman who has been in a long term relationship for years with no plans to get married until one drunken night the pair end up engaged. While she has very little interest in the wedding plans, her husband-to-be becomes wrapped up in planning the perfect, extravagant wedding, with the help of his mother, who does not think she is good enough for his son. I knew nothing about this going into it so didn't realise that this is really not my kind of book. It's definitely more Women's Fiction than romance, which isn't usually my thing, and I hate the meddling mother-in-law that makes the life of her son's significant other absolute hell. Despite not being my kind of book, this was fine and I enjoyed it enough, until something happened at the end that I wasn't a fan of. I probably should have DNFed this when I realised it wasn't my cup of tea.

Rating: 2.5/5

Those are all of the books I read in November. A bit of a mixed bag, both in terms of genre and enjoyment, but a couple of really great reads in there. I am so excited to get to all of the Christmas romance in December, so definitely leave me some good recommendations.

What was the best book you read in November?

Sophie :)

November 2020 Wrap Up

I really can't wrap my head around the fact it is December and we are nearly at the end of this very strange year. It still feels like May to me! However, it is in fact already time to wrap up my November reading. I had a more successful month of reading in November with 7 books read. 

One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne* -

This was an eARC that I received from Netgalley and turned out to be quite disappointing. It follows a girl who decides to host one last family Christmas in the manor house she grew up in before it is sold, but of course chaos ensues. I really like the idea of this, but it was just too much for me. Something went wrong every ten seconds and every time it was very overdramatic, making it annoying rather than funny. Like seriously, how many things can go on fire over the course of a few days?! There was also a second chance romance storyline, which was nice but very much overshadowed by all of the drama. Toned down slightly, this could have been a really fun, heartwarming Christmas story about the importance of family and giving love a second chance. Instead, it was juvenile and too over the top with some really annoying characters. 

Rating: 2/5

Flow by Kennedy Ryan -

After falling in love with Kennedy Ryan's Hoops series, I decided to check out some of her other works so picked up the prequel novella in the Grip series. The Grip series follows an up and coming rap star and his romance with his best friend's little sister. Flow, the prequel, tells the story of their first meeting and how their relationship first started. I enjoyed this novella but it didn't blow me away. I enjoyed getting to know these great characters and seeing their relationship develop. However, it just fell a bit flat for me and I didn't love the way it ended. I am definitely interested in continuing with this series, though, and seeing how things progress.

Rating: 3/5

The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes by Suzanne Collins -

I finally got around to picking up one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I was putting it off a bit, as I had heard mixed reviews, but decided it was time to try it out for myself. I loved The Hunger Games series, so I was very excited to find out we would be getting another book in this world. However, like most people, President Snow was not the character I was interested in knowing more about. I surprisingly ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed everything to do with the Games, which was always my favourite aspects of the original books, and found it so interesting to see it from the other side. I did find Snow's back story more intriguing than I anticipated and, while I was never able to feel sorry for him or think of him as anything other than the evil he became, I could still appreciate his story and everything that led to the character we got to know in the original trilogy. I found the romance a bit strange and the ending very odd, but other than that it was an enjoyable read.

Rating: 4/5

The Shelf by Helly Acton -

I got this from my library on a total whim, purely because the premise was intriguing. It follows a woman who believes she is going on holiday and about to get her big proposal, but instead finds herself dumped live on TV and the new star of a reality TV show in which women compete to become 'The Keeper'. This was everything I could have hoped for from that premise. It was so much fun and completely hooked my interest the entire time. It had it's laugh-out-loud funny moments and it's heart-wrenching, hard to read moments. The real highlight for me, though, was just how impactful such a fun, seemingly light-hearted book can be. This book, through the setting of a reality TV show designed to turn these amazing women into complete doormats, has such an empowering message and really tackles the misogynistic ideals that many still hold. It is described in the Goodreads blurb as being 'funny, feminist and all-too-relatable' and I would say that sums it up perfectly. 

Rating: 4/5

Know My Name by Chanel Miller -

After several attempts to read this before my hold expired, I finally managed to finish this book! This is a memoir from a woman who may be more well known to you as Emily Doe. Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted on the Stanford campus and, after her the man who assaulted her was sentenced to just six months in jail, became known worldwide (as Emily Doe) when her victim impact statement went viral. This memoir is her reclaiming her identity, and is one of the most powerful books I have read. She shares the story of that night and all throughout the trial that followed, sharing how not only her life, but the lives of her family and those closest to her were impacted. This was hard to read but so worth reading. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Chanel Miller herself, and it just emphasised to me how incredibly brave she is. This was such a brave book, especially considering the abuse she has received over the years, much of which she mentioned in the book, and can still be seen within the reviews of the book on Goodreads. There are so many things about this book that will stay with me, I still can't really form coherent thoughts. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, although do keep in mind that there is a lot of in detail talk of sexual assault within it that may be very triggering to some.

Rating: 5/5

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss* -

All I am in the mood for at the moment is a bit of Christmas romance, and this gave me just that. This follows Kate, who's best friend signs her up for Twelve Date Of Christmas, and even run by the biggest dating app promising 12 fun dates in the run up to Christmas. This was a lot of fun. Kate is such a genuinely loveable character and her small town life with her two best friends was just so heart-warming. I just loved reading about her everyday life, never mind all of the fun and eventful dates. The dates, however, were a lot of fun to read about as well. As you would expect, they couldn't all go to plan, so they made for a very entertaining read. The romance was very predictable and I knew who she would end up with from the beginning, but it was a really sweet relationship. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the characters, but it wasn't anything super special.

Rating: 3/5

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks -

This a book I have owned for years and just never got around to reading it. I loved the movie so always wanted to give the book a try. This follows a soldier who meets, and falls in love with, a girl while on leave over the summer but distance and life in general complicates things for them. I actually enjoyed this more than I was expecting to. I obviously knew the story already but still enjoyed experiencing it all over again. This is not a fun, light-hearted romance. It is sad and shows just how messy and complicated life can be. I really loved the relationship between John and Savannah and seeing it develop into something really beautiful, even if it was very much instalove. I also loved John's relationship with his father. His father is thought to have Aspergers and though the topic of Autism and Aspergers wasn't always handled brilliantly, some of the language used made me very uncomfortable at times, it was probably written as best as can be expected from a book published in 2006. For the most part, it wasn't handled too badly, and the father-son relationship dynamic and how that changed throughout the book was, for me, one of the most impactful aspects of the story. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying reading this and I'm glad I finally managed to pick it up.

Rating: 4/5

That is everything I read in November. I am really enjoying reading again and I can't wait to make my way through all of the Christmas books in December. At the moment, I am on track to read about 70 books this year, which is the most I have ever read in a year, but I'm really hoping to make December my best reading month this year. 

What was the best book you read in November?

Sophie :)

*provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Five Books I Want To Read By The End Of The Year

There are only six and a half weeks left of 2020, which is absolutely mad, and despite having read over 60 books so far this year, there are still books that I've been meaning to pick up but still have not gotten around to. My reading plans for the final two months of the year are pretty ambitious, so why not pile on the pressure and remind myself of five books I really do want to get to by the end of the year. I'm not holding my breath that it will happen but the intention is there.

 

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare -

We were all expecting to see this book, right? This has been my highest priority book for the last few years and yet here we are again. I'm going to try and get to it by the end of the year but I'm doubtful at this point.

2. Know My Name by Chanel Miller -

I have started this one twice but it keeps getting returned to the library before I get very far in. This is the memoir of Chanel Miller, who's sexual assault case saw worldwide outrage when her attacker was sentenced to just six months in prison. What I have read of this was incredibly brave and impactful, I definitely hope to be able to finish it by the end of the year.

3. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston -

This is a YA contemporary that takes place over Christmas and I was disappointed to run out of time to read it last year. It follows a girl who's boyfriend breaks up with her and her family take it upon themselves to set her up on 10 blind dates over the holiday season. This sounds like so much fun, I hope I can get to it this year.

4. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary -

This was one of the most popular books of 2019 and I had really hoped to get to it earlier this year. It follows Tiffy and Leon who share a flat, and a bed, but have never met as one works during the day and the other works at night. I'm interested to see how this plays out so hopefully I can fit it in somewhere soon.

5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley -

I was planning to read this last month but with everything going on in my personal life I just didn't manage to. This is a thriller, set on an island off the coast of Ireland, in which members of a wedding party start being killed. I've heard so many amazing things about this one! I might be out of my thriller mood by now but maybe I can fit this in before I get into full Christmas mode.

Those are five books I would really like to get around to reading before the end of the year. I know it probably won't happen, I'm pretty incapable of actually reading the books I put in these lists, but I might get to a couple.

What book on this list do you recommend 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 | November 2018

I keep having the best intentions of getting back to blogging more regularly but life just keeps getting in the way. I am definitely struggling to manage the stress of my final year of university combined with the craziness that comes with the Christmas season. However, I am hoping that things will start to calm down at least a little bit in the next couple of weeks and I can feel a bit less like I'm drowning in to-do lists. Despite how crazy busy things have been, I still managed to read 5 books in November. I'm quite happy with that number, given the circumstances, but sadly most of the books I read were pretty average.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich -

This was one of my most anticipated books of this year as I really love the musical the book tells the story of. I expected great things, but was ultimately disappointed. This book follows a boy with severe anxiety who ends up tangled in a lot of lies following the suicide of one of his classmates. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like this story translated very well to this format. As much as I love the show, the story itself without the music and the other entertainment factors added from the performance, the story fell flat. I found it quite boring and it ended up taking me a while to get through. I did have my expectations set too high but this turned out to be a pretty average read for me.

Rating: 3/5 | Review To Come

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han -

This was a reread as I wanted to refresh my memory of this story before continuing on with the series. This series follows a girl who spends every summer at a beach house with family friends including two brothers, one of whom she has has a crush on for as long as she can remember. I didn't love this book the first time around and my feelings were the same the second time around. I found the relationship drama was just to much and other aspects of the story, which should have had more focus, were pushed to the side.

Rating: 3/5 | Review

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han -

This is the second book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series and I felt pretty much the same about this book as the first. There was far too much unnecessary relationship drama that took away from some of the more important story lines. The characters really annoyed me throughout this book, Belly especially. To be honest, I don't really remember a whole lot about the plot so it clearly wasn't a very memorable story. It was another average read, I got through it quickly but I doubt I will ever pick it up again.

Rating: 3/5

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -

This was another reread and one that I didn't have any intentions of rereading until suddenly I was. This is the only book in the series I had only read once and when I saw the audiobook available through my library I decided now was the time to pick it up again. I wouldn't be reading the way I am now if it hadn't been for this series so it will always have a special place in my heart. I had a really great time rereading this and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around.

Rating: 4/5

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han -

The third and final book in the Summer I Turned Pretty series. If I hadn't been determined to finish this series I would most likely have given up on this one. These characters infuriated me so much with all of their incredibly stupid decisions and I wanted to throw my book out the window at times. I knew exactly how it was all going to play out, it was predictable and just not really an enjoyable read. Conrad was about the only thing I liked in this book to be honest.

Rating: 2/5

While I am happy with the number of books I managed to read during a very busy month, I am a bit disappointed that I didn't really love most of them. Here's hoping December is a better month in terms of quality.

Did you read any new favourite books in November?

Sophie :)

Haul | November 2015

This year, for the first time ever, I decided to take advantage of some of the Black Friday deals. Though I wasn't brave enough to go out to the shops, I did a fair bit of online shopping and managed to pick up some really good deals on books. I have been relatively good with my book buying in the past few months so I think these purchases are a well deserved little treat.

Legend trilogy by Marie Lu -

I have heard so many great things about this series, both online and from friends, so when I saw the amazing deal on The Book People, I decided to pick it up to give it a go. I managed to get the set of three books for just £4, which is just over £1 a book! I don't even know that this series is about but I am excited to just dive right into it blind, though I may not get to it until the new year.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan -

I managed to bag myself another 'box set' deal in the form of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. This was on sale for just £10 (originally almost £35) at The Works, and is still available at this price here if you're interested. I read this first book in this series this time last year but never got around to picking up the rest of the series. I really enjoyed the first book, especially the Greek Mythology aspect,  so I am excited to continue with the series.

Those are the books I bought in the month of November, and I must say £14 for 8 books seems like a pretty good deal to me. What book did you buy in November that you are most looking forward to?

Sophie :)

Wrap Up | November 2015

It has been a bit of a theme recently that my wrap ups contain an embarrassingly small number of read books and my November wrap up is no different. I have been really struggling with reading slumps recently but I am really hoping to read a decent amount in December, although considering how much I am working I may have no time.

My Life In November...

- I had a great night at a quiz night with some of my closest friends.

- I got a new car!! It was an early birthday present and I am in love.

- I started, and almost finished, my Christmas shopping.

- I took advantage of Black Friday (from the comfort of my sofa) for the fist time.

- I put up my Christmas tree and started to get very festive.

- I watched A LOT of Christmas movies!

Watched In November...

- A Bride For Christmas (rewatch) - 4/5

- Crazy For Christmas - 4/5

- Window Wonderland (rewatch) - 4.5/5

- Naughty Or Nice - 4/5

- Greys Anatomy Season 7 (rewatch) - 5/5

- Christmas Under Wraps - 4/5

- Christmas Oranges - 3.5/5

- Elf (rewatch) - 4/5

Read In November...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling -

So I may have only read one book in the month of November but it was an 800 page book so I guess that's some kind of achievement. I am attempting to power my way through the last few books in the Harry Potter series in the hope of finishing it before the new year. I am really enjoying it so far, even more now that I am reading the books I have not watched the movie adaptations for, as the story is new and exciting. For some reason, though, as much as I am loving these books, something is stopping me from giving them 5 stars and I don't know what it is. 4.5/5

Blogged In November...

- I shared my October Wrap Up and Haul.

That was my month of November. What did you read in November? Have you watched any Christmas films yet?

Sophie :)

November 2014 | TBR

November is going to be just as crazy, if not more, as October was so despite the fact I am setting a TBR, there is a very large chance that I will not read many of these books. Unfortunately, uni is taking up all of my time and I am left with very little time to read. However, I do like to set myself a challenge so let's see how many of these I do manage.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn -

This was in my TBR for October and even though I started it in October, I am yet to finish it. I am about two thirds of the way through and really liking it so I will hopefully finish it really soon. It is about a girl whose family was murdered when she was very young and, possibly due to her testimony, her brother was sent to prison for the murders. However, she is contacted by a group of people who believe her brother is innocent so she must try to find out what actually happened. 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins -

I am really hoping to reread this before the movie is released in the UK on the 20th of November. I am not sure how likely that is considering I have an essay to write next week but I really hope I manage to as I don't remember much since it has been so long since I first read it.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling -

I had hoped to read this back in August but never got around to it. I really want to have read at least the first three books in the series this year so I am hoping I will get around to it this month. It really is shameful that I have not read this series yet.

Dancing In My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison -

I have been rereading the first few books in this series before finishing the series and managed to read the first three in the series last month. This is the fourth book and I am not sure whether or not I have read it so it may or may not be another reread. These are super quick, easy reads so hopefully I will at least get this read this month.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales - 

This is one I picked out of my TBR jar for this month. I decided to give my TBR jar some use as I haven't used it in a little while and this is one of the books that I probably wouldn't have picked up if I hadn't pulled it out. I know very little about this book as it was the title which made me buy it. I know that it is about a girl who is or wants to be a DJ but I can't tell you much more.

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief -

This is another book from the TBR jar but this is one that I have been wanting to read for a while now. I was never very interested in these books when they were first published but now that I have studied Latin and Classical Studies for 6 years and have an interested in Greek and Roman mythology, these books sound really interesting to me. I am really hoping I will get around to reading this some time this month.

Those are the books I plan to read in the month of November. Have you read any of them? What are you planning to read this month?

Sophie :)