January Favourites & Wrap Up 2019

I’m bringing back my well beloved (beloved to me, at least) monthly favourites! I used to loooove writing these every month, and they’re without a doubt my favourite posts to read. Why did I stop? I don’t actually know. But not to dwell on the past – we’re having a revival of the favourites posts! So what did January bring…?

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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon // Everything I Didn’t Know I Wanted

ARC of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Bloomsbury

Goodreads | Book Depository

Everyone stay calm! I’m only reviewing my most anticipated read of the year. Cool cool cool. Yep. That’s happening.

Set in a crumbling Queendom and world plagued with draconic threats, The Priory of the Orange Tree follows numerous perspectives in this epic fantasy world. Seriously folks – this book could be in league with the likes of Game of Thrones and The Name of the Wind. Get on it.

Continue reading The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon // Everything I Didn’t Know I Wanted

Long Time, Not Talk (In More Ways Than One)

Ok, so I admit it’s not been that long really. Just over a month, maybe? But to someone who hasn’t taken a break in all her three years of blogging, it’s feels…weird. And I don’t like it. 

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Self Confidence and the Internet

[Photo credit: Charlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging]

This is something I’ve been meaning to write for awhile. I’m talking months. Almost an entire year. But the ironic thing I found out was that writing about self confidence proves to be a hard thing when you’re up against….well, your self confidence. Or more accurately, lack of.

But here’s the thing.

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City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab |Perfectly placed but also… not

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, also known as V.E. Schwab

Goodreads | Book Depository •

Imagine being able to see ghosts when your parents are ghost hunters (of a fashion). Helpful, right? Well…not so much. Cassidy Blake sees ghosts everywhere she goes, and she certainly doesn’t need to visit the most haunted places in Edinburgh to prove that. But of course that’s exactly what happens.

Continue reading City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab |Perfectly placed but also… not

First Chapters – Deciding My Holiday TBR

Book spines - The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood, Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, And I Darken by Kiersten White and I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Way back in January, I was shocked to find myself part of a family-holiday-booking process, something I’ve never done before. And as of right now – the very day this blog post goes up, in fact – I will be on my first holiday abroad. Who’d have thought?

So of course my biggest dilemma for the past couple of months has been trying to decide which books to take with me.** I very rarely read the “typical” holiday reads – contemporaries, romances, crime novels etc – and so there wasn’t a particular mood to go for when plucking books off my shelves. So I decided to follow Hannah’s idea (A Cup of Wonderland), and decided my reads based on the first chapters. I vastly underestimated how long it would take me to read the first chapters of 10 books and started cheating a little by not reading the entire first chapter of some (I mean, some book chapters can be a solid 50 pages long! No thanks), but either way I eventually whittled it down to 6 books, which is hugely ambitious considering I’m a slow reader and will only be there 10 days. But better to be prepared, right?

Continue reading First Chapters – Deciding My Holiday TBR

(A little bit later than) Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

pile of books thrown down

This is what happens when you’re an indecisive human. You’re at first adamant you won’t be doing any mid year reading updates on your blog or booktube, but then suddenly, somehow, you end up doing two – one on each. I’ve been loving reading/watching everyone else’s updates, so I couldn’t resist really. I was tagged to do this one by Jess over at Read By Jess, and also the Mid Year Check In Tag by Jasmine over at Jasmine’s Reads, so I decided to spread them across the two platforms. Since the Freak Out tag is the longer one, it’s making its appearance on my blog! If you want to check out the other one too – some of the questions are similar but there are some different ones too! – you can click here. But, anyway, let’s have a lil mid year catch up!

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Fantasy & Myths | My favourite books of 2018 so far

High angle showing an assortment of my favourite books of 2018 so far - the covers hidden - and my travel journal for decoration

Apparently, I’ve become a harsher reviewer in 2018. I say this because now we’re in the 7th month of the year, and I haven’t rated any books 5 stars yet. None. Zero. Zilch. Why?? It’s true, I’m reluctant to give anything less than a newfound all-time fave 5 stars, but you’d figure that somewhere in the 35 books I’ve read so far this year, I’d have found one. It seems not.

Despite this, there are a few that have still stood out to me this year and have gotten close to those treasured 5 stars. I don’t think anyone will be surprised to see there’s a theme of fantasy and ancient history. But these four books are the ones currently in the running for my favourites of 2018…unless I miraculously discover a whole suitcase full of new favourites in the next 5 months between now and the end of the year. But here, (a little over) halfway through, we have my current highlights!

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June // Travels, cat thiefs and living in a YA contemporary

Photo of me stood in woodland against a wood barrier overlooking a river

June…has been a busy one. By my standards, at least. To this anxiety ridden introvert who used to need as much time alone as she did around people, this month has been intense. To be honest, my scheduling still is intense, but maybe I’m getting used to it now.

Continue reading June // Travels, cat thiefs and living in a YA contemporary

Where am I at? | A look on my 2018 goals so far

Photo of me smiling, looking off to the left

So we’re halfway through the year, eh? It took me way too long to realise this, though while it seems to have surprised most people, it sounds about right to me. So much has happened and changed since the beginning of the year that I couldn’t even predict, so the months seem like a full year to me already.

That being said, 6 months ago I unintentionally made myself some goals for this year. By now they’re usually long forgotten, brushed into the attic of my mind only to be tentatively brought out again next year with a guilt shrug of “I tried” when we all know I really, really didn’t. And as I said before when so much has already changed this year…well, I’m intrigued to see how things have gone. So let’s have a little look.

Continue reading Where am I at? | A look on my 2018 goals so far