January Wrap Up | Actually, quite a lot happened this month…

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January. A new year. A new motivation. A motivation that, usually, doesn’t last all that long. But when it does, it feels wonderful.

The weather in England is still bitterly cold, if not more so than before Christmas. It is no longer fun anymore. But still, we manage. There’s worse things than a cold wind biting at our faces, after all. Worse things than numb fingers. And the comfort of a warm blanket and hot water bottle can soon rid those nuisances.

What better way to spend those cold evenings than reading?

Let’s see what January brought…

Continue reading January Wrap Up | Actually, quite a lot happened this month…

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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen | A long book with a lot of toing and froing, but a good read nonetheless

sense-and-sensibility

Yes I know there’s a typo in the title image. Yes it bothers me immensely. Yes we are just going to ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen. 

Sense and Sensibility. The last Jane Austen novel I needed to read to be able to proudly say “I’ve read Jane Austen’s entire works”…kind of. I still have a book of short stories by her. But you know. I read all her full novels so it counts.

I recently made a video of mini-reviews for Jane Austen, going through each of the books in order of least favourite to favourite. So if you’ve seen that, you might remember where this one came. But now, it’s time for the full review.

Let’s dive into Sense and Sensibility!

*Sorry the image looks weird. My phone camera doesn’t get along with clothbound books, apparently?*

sense-and-sensibility

Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic, Romance

Number of Pages:  448

Continue reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen | A long book with a lot of toing and froing, but a good read nonetheless

Rooting for the main character and her gentle personality in…Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

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So for the Austentatious book club, December’s book of the month was Mansfield Park. I was considering skipping this month’s book, as at the start of the month I was feeling a bit slumpish when thinking of classics, but I decided to push ahead and read it alongside the audiobook version I found on Youtube.

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Let’s talk about Mansfield Park!

mansfield-park

Title: Mansfield Park

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages: Approx 507 (with notes etc)

Continue reading Rooting for the main character and her gentle personality in…Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

December Wrap Up – The one where I fly through books quicker than usual

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December. The month of festivities. Christmas creeping closer, the streets bustling more as people hurriedly buy gifts for others. Everything is suddenly strung with lights and tinsel, lighting the world up for the final month of the year. There’s a happy atmosphere surrounding the air, gently concealing the stress levels Christmas can bring.

December brings along the Christmas break. A break from work, a break from college, a break to recover from the year. A break…to READ.

Okayy, that’s obviously not the universal reason for the Christmas/End of Year break but it sure as hell is MINE.

So let’s see what December brought!

There’s also a video version of this post if you’d like the see, combined with my January TBR! Click here to see! (though I forgot to mention one of the books – doh!)

Continue reading December Wrap Up – The one where I fly through books quicker than usual

Emma by Jane Austen | A really entertaining read, with some rather…interesting…characters

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Another one for the Austentatious Book Club!

I finished this just before the end of November, luckily. I don’t want to fall behind. Which is a very real struggle when I read classics so damn slowly. But I have my ways *insert mysterious eyebrow quirk*

Hint: Those ways are audiobooks. Shh don’t tell. 

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Let’s talk about Emma!

Sounds like we’re being mean, doesn’t it?

emma

Title: Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages:  474

Continue reading Emma by Jane Austen | A really entertaining read, with some rather…interesting…characters

November Wrap Up – The weird month where I feel like I’m not reading, then end up reading more than usual

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November. The month that begins with an onslaught of sporadic fireworks. The month where winter begins to settle in, grabbing the bones of us here in the UK, and lies with us for the long run. Fog and frost become a daily occurrence. We have only 6 hours or so of real daylight. Step outside and instantly your cheeks are flushed, fingers stiff, and you’ll be glad for extra layers of clothing.

But inside is a different matter. Inside is where I (and most bookworms) thrive on these freezing days. November was the month where my bedroom became my cocoon of warmth. At some point every day, you could find me wrapped in 5 layers of blankets, cuddling a hot water bottle and cat simultaneously while reading a book by fairy-light.

And so, November was a true bookworm month for me. Even if I didn’t read any more than usual, every comfort my heart longs for – blankets, hot water bottles, warm drinks while fog smothers the outside world – was available to me once again. Every moment of the day I wanted to get cosy and read. And now here we are – getting closer to Christmas, might I add.

So let’s see what November brought…

There’s also a video version of this post if you’d like to see, combined with my December TBR! Click here if you want to see!

PS. Do you like the new intro? Thought I’d try the scenic route rather than just throwing you all in. Let me know if you like!

*ahem* anyway

Continue reading November Wrap Up – The weird month where I feel like I’m not reading, then end up reading more than usual

Relating to the main character so much it’s almost scary in…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

northanger-abbey

So as part of the Austenatious Book Club, October’s book of the month was Northanger Abbey.

Again, I managed to finish this before the movie night where we watch the adaptation happened…though this time the movie night was at the end of the month so it wasn’t much of a problem.

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So let’s talk about Northanger Abbey!

northanger-abbey

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages:  235

Continue reading Relating to the main character so much it’s almost scary in…Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

October Wrap Up – The one where October doesn’t exist and I become a bear cub

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Okayy, but did October actually exist?

I’ve been thinking it September for the past month, and now suddenly we’re going into November…WHAT?! It’s nearly Christmas! (Yes, I’m THAT sort of person)

Weirdly enough, October just felt like it didn’t exist. I have a strange feeling that I didn’t read that much, even though this wrap up shows I very obviously did. October for me was just a vague noticing of the leaves changing colour and the temperature dropping rapidly. Lord knows what I did for the rest of it.

But here we are at my wrap up for the month, so let’s find out!

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There’s also a video version of this Wrap Up on my booktube channel, where I go into my thoughts on the books a little more. Click here to check it out!

Continue reading October Wrap Up – The one where October doesn’t exist and I become a bear cub

September Wrap Up – The one where college starts again and my schedule is suddenly a lot more full

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Taking a little break from the blogger tips mini-series, here’s my wrap up of the month!

Don’t worry though, the blogger tips will be back next Sunday. Shh, don’t tell anyone. 

For some strange reason, this entire month I kept thinking we were halfway through October. It’s almost a relief we’ve reached October, just so that I’ll finally be right 😆

Plus, IT’S AUTUMN! *throws orange leaves in the air* Sure, it means from now until June next year I’ll be permanently cold, but oh well. Everything is cosy and pretty.

As always, this is going to be a long post, so get cosy and enjoy!

september

Continue reading September Wrap Up – The one where college starts again and my schedule is suddenly a lot more full

A slow but enjoyable trundle through Anne Elliot’s life in…Persuasion by Jane Austen

persuasion

Another classic!

I don’t know why I said that as if it were surprising. I’m part of a Jane Austen book club. I’ll be reading a classic every month 😆

But yes! This was the September book for the Austentatious Book Club. I’m actually so thrilled I managed to finish this on Friday night, considering the movie night for the TV film adaptation was on Saturday – I didn’t want to be spoiled! But I did it! *throws confetti*

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So let’s talk about Persuasion!

persuasion

Title: Persuasion

Author: Jane Austen

Publisher: Wordsworth Classics

Series Status: Standalone

Genre: Classic

Number of Pages:  199

Continue reading A slow but enjoyable trundle through Anne Elliot’s life in…Persuasion by Jane Austen