Best Book Couples

Hey guys, today I wanted to talk a bit about book couples and my favourites. I love when you can really root for a couple in a book and the following are no exception. Here goes...

1) Hadley & Oliver

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

This book was a really sweet and cute read where I didn't mind the insta-love that it was laced with. Hadley and Oliver were both great characters individually but the impromptu meet-cute on the plane was great to read about and made me love them even more. It becomes a will-they, won't-they type of tale and I was behind it every step of the way. Definitely a couple I believed in and adored!

2) Mr & Mrs Owens

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Although not necessarily expected for this list, Mr and Mrs Owens have always stuck with me even months after reading this book. The two of them adopt Bod when he moves into the graveyard as they are both ghosts. They have one regret which is that they never had children so Bod fits in perfectly and they make a great, albeit dysfunctional family unit. Something about the two of them made me want to add them to my favourite couples list.

3) Betsy Taylor & Eric Sinclair

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

This is one of my favourite series that takes on a completely different type of vampires. Betsy Taylor 'dies' one day and somehow wakes up as a vampire. She then finds out she is the new Queen of the Vampires and meets Eric Taylor who is trying to become her King. It's delicious, sexy and absolutely hilarious. A great read and something completely different but the sass between the two makes for a fantastic couple alert!

4) Cormoran Strike & Robin Ellacott

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

I don't think anyone could read the Cormoran Strike series and not fall in love with the idea of the two main characters together. Although not technically an official couple, I like to think of them as one. I despise Robin's partner Matthew so much and sometimes I feel like I'd rather anyone be with her except him. However, Cormoran and Robin have so much respect for each other and they have such a wonderful relationship that I had to include them on this list.

5) Aza Holmes & Davis Pickett

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

This book is absolutely not predominately about the relationship but I enjoyed it a lot anyway. This is a book about mental health and OCD so don't go into it thinking it's a romance novel. However, the relationship in this worked perfectly for me. I loved how it explored how mental health can affect your relationships but in Davis, I saw a man who was willing and capable of working with Aza to help her. Davis wasn't completely fleshed out in my opinion but in his relationship with Aza, I thought John Green did a fantastic job.

So there you are, that is my top 5 book couples. Who are some of yours?

Until next time, happy reading.

Best Book Club Picks

Hey guys, today I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my favourite books that I think would work well for a book club setting. Not every book works well in that sort of situation but I think you need a book that has some great talking points and lots of fun. So here are my suggestions...

1) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I personally did not like this book at all but I think sometimes a book with polarising views can be a great book club pick as it gives you more to discuss. Also, a classic in general is always a good option as most people will have some understanding of the story or some parts of it and reading it will feel like an achievement too.

2) A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Again, this is a classic of sorts but it's also a slightly easier read as it's a young adult/children's classic. This could depend upon the people in your book club but sometimes you don't want heavy hitting difficult reads every month so this could be an option for something different. This has also been made into a movie so it could be an added bonus to watch the film before the book club as well.

3) A Meditation on Murder by Robert Thorogood

This is a completely different type of read and it's good to have a varied list throughout the months so as to keep everybody interested. Again, this book has a TV adaptation so could be a good one to watch the series of afterwards. A fun quick read but it will also keep people guessing so another great one to discuss.

4) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Obviously this book is not for the faint-hearted as it's 1400+ pages long. This would be a great classic to read over the summer break for the more advanced book club reader. Maybe something to venture into if your book club has a few months off.

5) The Secrets of Happiness by Lucy Diamond

This is more of a women's fiction contemporary read and there are some amazing themes of friendship, family and love throughout. It could work really well for a book club where you have shorter meetings (maybe on a lunch break at work for example). It's a quick study but a really fun and uplifting one.

That is my suggestions for book club picks, I hope you enjoyed this post. 

Until next time, happy reading!!

Review: Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden

Memoirs Of A Geisha

by Arthur Golden
Published by Vintage Books USA: September 1997
Paperback: 503 pages
Goodreads
Amazon
Star Rating: 4/5










Synopsis:

A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable.

My review:

In reading this synopsis, I have actually only just realised that this was a debut novel and for that I am even more amazed by it. This is a beautiful book and I am so glad that I read it. Having seen the movie a long time ago, I remember I enjoyed it but honestly didn't recall that much about it. I found a copy and got to reading.

Before going in to this book, you should know that it is a beefy reading experience. It's a long book and a tough read but for me, totally enjoyable! This follows Sayuri Nitta, who was one of the most famous geisha in Kyoto. It is told in an interview style talking about how she got to where she is and the things she witnessed and did along the way. She is such a wonderful character full of so much depth and charisma and I loved hearing her story.

When her and her sister were much younger, Sayuri is sold by her father to the geisha house where she has to learn to be a geisha. She soon learns all the different rituals and beauty secrets that the geisha have to take part in (resting their necks on wooden blocks when they sleep for example) and the social etiquette required to make them successful.

It is tough but the side characters make this book what it is. Even though many of them are unlikeable, I still felt deeply for them and connected to their stories so much. My favourite character was probably Pumpkin (I know, strange name) but I felt so strongly for her as she is trying her best but being manipulate by Mameha (who is so frustrating but I can't help but admire her despite that fact).

The reason I gave this book a four star rather than the full five was because of the fascination of the main character with the man named as the Chairman. The sexual/relationship part of this book wasn't the problem and I found it interesting to read about especially as I had a very prejudicial thought about geisha women as being very connected to prostitution which is not the case at all. However, Sayuri's obsession with the Chairman doesn't make sense at all to me when there is no reciprocation or enjoyment for her.

There is also a LOT of slow paced elements in this book and honestly I don't think it needed to be over 500 pages long.

NOTE: I didn't know this at the time of reading/rating but having looked into it some more, Arthur Golden has come under some fire for the historical/geisha inaccuracies in this book. In fact, I believe a geisha has herself written a book in response to Memoirs of a Geisha so although an enjoyable book, don't necessarily go into it looking for an accurate representation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to rewatch the film sometime soon.

Until next time, happy reading! 

Review: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

The Night Watch

by Sarah Waters

Published by Riverhead Books: February 2nd 2006

Paperback: 528 pages

Goodreads

Amazon

Star Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch is the work of a truly brilliant and compelling storyteller. 

This is the story of four Londoners - three women and a young man with a past, drawn with absolute truth and intimacy. Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the street with a restless hunger, searching. Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret. Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover. Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war. Their lives, and their secrets connect in sometimes startling ways. War leads to strange alliances...

Tender, tragic and beautifully poignant, set against the backdrop of feats of heroism both epic and ordinary, here is a novel of relationships that offers up subtle surprises and twists. The Night Watch is thrilling. A towering achievement.

My review:

I buddy read this with Charlie Brook, Kie Reads and Sarah from YourTrueShelf and had a wonderful reading experience. I think it was made all the better because this was a phenomenal book and I truly loved the writing.

As you may know, I adore World War II historical fiction novels and this one was completely different to any other I have read before. Sarah Waters managed to create atmosphere and feeling of 1940s London perfectly while also having a really diverse and interesting cast.

The characters of The Night Watch are the best part and in fact this is very heavily a character-based story. Each one of our main four is linked in some way to the others and you slowly start to realise how and why they know each other.

I think Helen was my favourite but they all have incredible merit. I don't want to go into too much detail about any of them because the fun and joy of the reading this book is meeting the characters and really getting to know them. I will tell you this bunch of people are very diverse; they are all taboo in the eyes of the time period this book is set. The main characters include: lesbian representation; a gay man in prison for his sexual orientation; a woman in love with a married man; and many more besides.

This book packs a real emotional punch and not only do you get to know the characters really well but the development of them is a wonderful thing to behold. Even better because the true achievement of this book is the narrative. This book takes place backwards; so it's set into three sections... the first being 1947, 1944 and finally 1941. The timeline is reversed so you almost read the ending before you find out the backstory. I personally loved the way it was done and I found myself enthralled but wanting to know more all the time. It was an exciting way of reading and done in a truly accomplished way.

Overall this was my first Sarah Waters book but it definitely will not be my last. I am beyond positive about the whole experience and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slower paced character-driven stories which centre around this time period.

Until next time, happy reading! 

Current NetGalley Reads

Hey guys, I have recently been sent quite a few arcs on NetGalley so I thought I would share them with you. I'm excited to get to them and very honoured that publishers have accepted my requests. 

1) Race To Justice by Larry Sells & Margie Porter

This is a true crime book sent to me by WildBlue Press and you all know that's completely up my street. Race To Justice has already been released (21st May 2019) but I am still really glad to have been sent this book to review. 

It follows the disappearance and subsequent murder of Cynthia Albrecht, an executive chef of the Penske-Marlboro racing team. Her estranged husband was suspected but there was no evidence to charge him until a new prosecutor was elected. Can they find her murderer and successfully charge him?

2) One By One by D. W. Gillespie

Flame Tree Press published this horror novel and I am so ready to read it! It's been a while since I've read a good horror book so here's hoping this is the one! This one is due to be published on the 29th September 2019 and I can't wait!

Alice Easton and her family have just moved into a new house, a fixer-upper which they are very excited to explore. Alice finds a child's drawing under the wallpaper of a family just like hers. Members of her family start disappearing and black crosses mark the victim on the wall. She has to figure out what is going on before she is next.

3) Suspect by Nicholas Rhea

Suspect is a book that was originally published in 1995 but has been re-released by Agora Books. It is a mystery/thriller police procedural book that I am intrigued by. 

Detective Inspector Mark Pemberton is still haunted by the one case that he couldn't solve. He is determined to solve it before his retirement but when an aging detective, Hadley, is added to his team, things don't work out as anticipated. Hadley has just come back from sick leave after killing a man, Pemberton is suspicious and embarks on an investigation into Hadley himself.

4) All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums

This book is due to be published by Crooked Lane Books on the 10th December 2019. This book is more of a mystery novel that is said to be great for fans of Jodi Picoult and Frederik Bachman. I personally love Picoult so I am looking forward to seeing what I think of this.

Six-year-old Aoife doesn't understand why her brother Theo was murdered and her mother is in the hospital instead of back at home. With her imaginary friend Teddy, she is determined to find out what happened to Theo so she can be with her mother again. 

5) One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

This book was published on June 1st 2019 by Thomas & Mercer. It's another thriller, can you sense a theme? 

NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling believed that Alex Traynor murdered his friend Cori when she fell to her death under suspicious circumstances. Cori's death was ruled a suicide but now Alex's fiancee has gone missing. Sheryn believes that Alex must have something to do with it but the more she delves, the more dangerous it gets.

6) The Women of Dauphine by Deb Jannerson

This book is something a little different for me, it's a sci-fi fantasy novel published on 10th June 2019 by Ninestar Press, LLC. It is also an LGBTQIA book and I am very much looking forward to reading it. There are trigger warnings for child abuse and suicide and this book involved religious conversion therapy so may be a difficult read.

Cassie's family moves into an old house in New Orleans and the only upside for Cassie is Gem, her new best friend. The difference is that Gem has been confined to the house since the 1960's when she was murdered so she can never leave Cassie. Their relationship grows but Cassie must keep it from her religious community which is a difficult situation and leads to lots of trauma. 

7) She's So Cold: Murder, Accusations and the System that Devastated a Family by Donald E. McInnis

This is a non-fiction, true crime book published on the 9th June 2019 by J & E Publications. I enjoy true-crime and this one sounds incredibly heart-breaking, yet intriguing.

Stephanie Crowe was 12 years old when she was found brutally murdered in 1998 in her bedroom. The police manipulated three teenage boys into falsely confessing to her murder. This book runs through the case and how it has affected a number of people. It also proposes a look at some new legislation that would help to prevent this from happening in the future.

8) A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick

This is a YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy book due to be published on 9th December 2019 which is incredibly long (over 1,000 pages) and deals with vampires.

I believe this is the first in a trilogy and it's an incredible epic of a vampire story that delves into a new world. It has mixed reviews right now but I'm open to seeing how I find it!

That is the books I currently have been sent from NetGalley and the publishers. I am very thankful for this honour and I hope to read them and review them as soon as possible! 

Until next time, happy reading!

Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

Published by Philomel Books: March 22nd 2011

Paperback: 344 pages

Goodreads

Amazon
Star Rating: 3/5 

Synopsis:

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruellest of conditions. 

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously -- and at great risk -- documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

My Review:

This was my first Ruta Sepetys novel and I am fairly certain it won't be my last! 

This story is about a huge tragedy in history that I am ashamed to say I knew nothing about before I read this book. If nothing else, this book is a fantastic educational tool, but it is so much more. Not knowing the particulars of this story originally made it even more heartbreaking. Around the time of World War 2, 1941 to be precise, Baltic people were deported to Siberia and made to work/live in horrendous conditions. Some of them died, some killed themselves but this story is about the strength and love between them all in the fight to survive.

Lina, as a character, was brilliantly depicted and I felt everything she did and said throughout. I loved her relationships with the people around her and her despair and love for her absent father was a beautiful storyline. Lina's father was arrested and taken to a prison away from the rest of the family and so in a bid to connect with him, Lina draws everything she sees or encounters. She hopes that her father will find the drawings but she is also terrified that they will be found by the Soviet officers. It's a difficult line to walk and ultimately, she has to deal with the consequences.

This book is definitely much more character-centred than plot- based and it's very different to any other World War 2 book I have ever read. There wasn't a huge plot but it left space in the book to explore the relationships and the feelings surrounding what was happening. I wanted to reach inside the book and help them all out and it was an incredibly humbling experience reading about such tragedy.

The only reason I gave this book 3 stars rather than any higher was because it was told from Lina's perspective. While this was emotional and harrowing reading from such a young perspective about such adult things, it was also crippling in terms of relating to the book. I found I was on the outside of the story because it was such a young narration style. I almost wish this book had been told from multiple perspectives so that some of it was from Lina but maybe her mother or father had narrative as well, to make it more rounded and also a more 'enjoyable' read.

Overall, three stars is a decent rating and I did very much enjoy this book. I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in learning about a part of history they may not have previous knowledge of. 

Until next time, happy reading!

Top 5 Reads of 2019... So Far!

Hey guys, today I wanted to share the books that are currently on my End of the Year longlist for best book. I've had a great reading year so far and here are some of my favourites in no particular order.

1) Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

I loved this book because of it's controversial and taboo subject. This book focuses on a brother/sister relationship that becomes more than that, in short, it's about incest. However, this book does not push the idea of incest in a positive way and it certainly doesn't make light of it. The two main characters are being forced to act as pseudo-parents to their three younger siblings and they fall in love. It's a beautiful, sad and emotional story and it broke my heart. Overall, it's definitely in contention for one of the top books for me this year.

2) Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress by Marissa Meyer is the third book in the Lunar Chronicles and so far my favourite of the three. This series is a set of loose fairytale retellings based around Cinder being a Cyborg and lots of other things. This story follows the two pairs from the previous two books, Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder and Kai but it now introduces Cress and Captain Thorne. I think Cress is so far my favourite character of the whole series so her book was probably destined to be the best for me. I cannot wait to read Winter soon and finally finish the series!

3) Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval by Stephanie Garber was chosen for me on my BookTube channel as the book of the month that everyone wanted to read. I can honestly say I have never been happier! I adored this debut novel because it was completely unexpected. I had heard this compared to The Night Circus a lot and I was worried about the correlation. I think the only real similarity is there's a picture of a circus tent on the front! This book has wonderful characters and believable settings and I got stuck right into the fun. Wonderful book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

4) Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Another book I was surprised by was Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. This is not typically a book that I would reach for instinctively. However, it was a pleasant surprise and this book has stuck with me since I read it. This follows three sisters who are princesses and in order for one of them to be crowned queen, she has to kill both of her sisters. Every character in this book serves a purpose and makes me care about them. It's fantastic and again another series I am looking forward to continuing!

5) Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Wonder is a beautiful story about a 10 year old boy names August Pullman who has a severe facial deformity. He has never been to a regular public school and in this book he starts one and it follows his journey of acceptance and dealing with people around him. It's such a wholesome story and one that will stay with me for years to come. Beautiful!

There you have it guys, that was my current favourite books of 2019 but it may all change! 

Until next time, happy reading!

50 Bookish Questions Tag (Part FIVE)

Hey guys, welcome back to the final day of Welcome Week on my new blog. I am wrapping up this introductory tag today so hopefully you've learned something more about me.

41) What is your favourite duology?

It has to be the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. I adore the Grisha universe and I obviously enjoyed it, because I actually completed the series! Shock horror I know.

42) What is your favourite trilogy?

 

There isn't honestly that many trilogies that I have completed; I usually read the first one or two books and then neglect to keep going. However, I have completed the Anna and the French Kiss series by Stephanie Perkins and I really enjoyed it. Also the covers are gorgeous!

43) What book did you buy because of its cover?

The Muse by Jessie Burton, although I'd heard of it before and in fact owned The Miniaturist by the same author, was a book that was a cover buy at the time of purchase. I've seen a dark blue cover a lot but the one I found in a charity shop was yellow and I love the look of it.

44) What is a book that you love, but has a terrible cover?

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo, I personally find the cover to be too cartoonish for the seriousness of the subject matter beneath. Not a terrible cover per se but one that I don't think matches the interior.

45) Do you own a poetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?

I don't own any poetry anymore but as a kid I loved Michael Rosen's poems especially Chocolate Cake. I can remember reading that over and over again imagining I was eating chocolate cake.

46) Do you own any colouring books based off other books?

My family bought me this official Harry Potter colouring book for Christmas two years ago and I love it so much to look at that I haven't coloured it yet. I don't want to ruin it!!

47) Do you own any historical fiction?

 I do own some and I really enjoy historical fiction a lot as a genre. The first one that springs to mind is The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. I'm excited to buddy read this next week with Emily from Novelle Novels. I can't wait!

48) What book made you angry?

According To Yes by Dawn French made me angry for two reasons; the first because I hated the main character's lack or morals and respect for herself and the people around her; and secondly, I loved Dawn French's three other books but this one was not good.

49) What book has inspired you?

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green inspired me to think about illness as a separate identity to the person who has it. This includes the cancer that is mentioned in this book but also things like my own mental illnesses. I think it was a really helpful book in that capacity.

50) What book got you into reading?

It has to be the Harry Potter series, I'm surprised I haven't used this answer for previous questions! I will love and have always loved Harry Potter and it has a special place in my heart. It's the first books I remember looking forward to release days and talking to all my friends about.

That is the end of Welcome Week on this blog. I hope you have got to know me a bit more now and are ready for regular scheduling starting Sunday! Until next time, happy reading!

50 Bookish Questions Tag (Part FOUR)

Hey guys, welcome back to Day Four of my Welcome To My Blog week! Today I am going to be doing questions 31-40 of the 50 Bookish Questions tag and I hope you like it!

31) What was the cheapest book you bought?

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell (which I read in May) was only 50p. It was one of the £1 World Book Day books that you can get with the tokens from schools but they still had some left in my local Morrisons so they had reduced them to 50p and as Rainbow is one of my favourites, I had to scoop it up!

32) What was the most expensive book you bought?

I very rarely buy books full price, usually I get them cheaply on Amazon or in charity shops but Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land was in a Chocolate and a Book subscription box that I bought so although it obviously wasn't the whole cost of the box, it would have been more cumulatively than I've spent on other books.

33) What was a book you read after the movie/TV series?

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was a book that I read as a child because I had seen the movie on TV and loved it. Normally I try to read the book first but having not had much experience at the time of reading big books, I had watched the TV but was inspired to read it as well.

34) What is the newest book you have bought?

I recently bought Cat and Mouse by James Patterson and it's currently on it's way to me. It's the fourth book in the Alex Cross series which I adore and I wanted to continue on with it.

35) What three books are you most looking forward to reading?

April from Getting Hygge with it on BookTube is running a read-a-long in June of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. She's doing it as a feminist retelling to show her opposition to the new abortion laws that have been passed in the US. I am completely behind her in this stance and am looking forward to reading it with her.

Slave Girl by Sarah Forsyth is a book that I was given by my wonderful coworker Ali and she enjoyed this book a lot. I love when my reading spreads out to my friends outside of BookTube so I am excited to read this so I can chat to her about it.

Finally, I love non-fiction and I feel like recently I've been neglecting it so I want to read Stiff by Mary Roach asap to quench my non-fiction thirst!

36) What is a book you love that has a terrible trope? (Love triangle, etc)

I love 11/22/63 by Stephen King even though it does have the star-crossed lovers trope!

37) Have you read a book in a different language? What was it?

During my French A-levels, I read The Little Prince (or Le Petit Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. We had to have an English copy and a French copy and compare the two. It was a wonderful read and I still enjoy it to this day.

38) What is a book that you've read that was set in a time period before you were born?

I'm going to cheat a bit and say the Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger because there is so much timeline jumping in it, it's before and after I was born.

39) What book offended you?

Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky has to be my answer for this. I know a lot and I mean A LOT of people love this book but I found it offensive how it used sexual abuse and trauma as a plot device. I didn't appreciate how it was done and I found it to be distasteful.

40) What is the weirdest book you have read?

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler was completely out of my comfort zone and strange and yet somehow, I still enjoyed it! It's a book about circuses and travelling shows and books and so many other things. So good though!

So that is the fourth instalment done and we only have one more of this series to come. Check back tomorrow to see the finale, I promise it will be worth it!

Until next time, happy reading!

50 Bookish Questions Tag (Part THREE)

Hey guys, happy Wednesday and we are now halfway through this tag series. Here is part THREE and it's about to get juicy!

21) Have you ever read a book series because you were pressured?

I started the A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket because all my friends at primary school were reading it but it worked out really well in the end because I loved it. I still haven't finished the series but I did enjoy both the movie and favourably the TV adaptation with Neil Patrick Harris. It worked out well in the end!

22) What famous author have you not read any books by?

Image from The New Yorker

I haven't read anything by Haruki Murakami and I would very much like to! I've heard some pretty spectacular things about his writing and how he infuses Japanese culture into them. I cannot wait to get to some but as of yet, I haven't read any of his books.

23) Who is your favourite author of all time?

I have so many favourites but three off the top of my head are Stephanie Perkins, Laini Taylor and Anne Cassidy.

24) How many bookshelves do you own?

I have a big one in my living room and two smaller ones in my bedroom plus three stacks of books on top of my chest of drawers. I need more space for books *whispers* or I could just stop buying them but which do we think is more likely really?

25) How many books do you own?

I have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to every single book that I own and as of the date of writing this I have 343 books, including about 40 Kindle copies.

26) What is your favourite non-fiction book?

I love non-fiction so this is a difficult question for me but one I read recently that has really stayed with me is Dear Ijeawele or a Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's a wonderful short collection talking about ways in which we can bring up our children to be feminist without too much effort. I would recommend to anyone as it is a short read and really insightful.

27) What is your favourite children's/middle-grade book?

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is a fantastic read and really makes me think. I know it blurs the lines a bit between YA and Middle-Grade but Auggie, the main character, is 10 so I class it as middle grade and a fantastic one at that.

28) What is your next book on your TBR?

I love James Patterson and Cat & Mouse is the next book in the Alex Cross series. I have read the first three and my hope is to have read book four soon! I have ordered it so hoping it will arrive asap.

29) What book are you currently reading?

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel follows a teenager named Maisie who suffers extreme electrical burns after lightning strikes a tree and the power lines cause a fire. She has to come to terms with having someone else's face on hers after having a full face transplant. It's a fascinating read so far and I'm reading it for the #mentalhealthathon.

30) What book are you planning on buying next?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is an urgent buy for me. It's not my usual book but it is a classic that I would love to read. I am buddy reading it in August with Charlie and Emily. So it would help really if I owned it first.

So there you are guys, that is questions 21-30. Hope you enjoyed it and come back tomorrow for the next 10. Until next time, happy reading!

50 Bookish Questions Tag (Part TWO)

Hey guys, happy Tuesday! Welcome to my intro week on this blog. Today, as promised, we are doing the second instalment to the 50 Bookish Questions tag. Enjoy!

11) What horror book made you really scared?

Normally I don't get scared at books because the reading negates the fear for me, I get terrified at movies but books not so much. However a book that did freak me out quite a bit was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It got to me a few ways. Firstly the creepy elements played on my mind for ages and secondly, I cried A LOT! Overall, it's not a horror book but it scared me in some ways.

12) What book do you passionately hate?

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons is a book of disgusting morals, intense sexism and trigger warnings for rape and domestic abuse. This books makes me angry in so many ways and I'm surprised I finished it honestly. It's also a huge book which meant I spent even more of my time reading absolute tripe!

13) What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?

As I mentioned in Part ONE, I very rarely finish series so it's probably Harry Potter because I actually read all seven books. Other than that, I've started lots of big series but I'm probably not finished yet!

14) What book gives you happy memories?

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is not only a book that I read a lot as a child but I also recently buddy read it with Charlie and Lorraine and had such a wonderful time. I've really learnt that I love buddy reads this year and Little Women was a particularly great one to look back on.

15) What book made you cry?

I, again, don't cry much at books because the reading element but for some reason, this book brought a bit of a tear to my eye! It's a difficult one to talk about without people getting upset because I know just how controversial this book is. I understand the comments but for some reason something about this one touched a nerve.

16) What book made you laugh?

The Railway Children by E. Nesbitt was funny in places when I heard the three siblings talking together. It really managed to capture how sibling relationships work that I found myself laughing aloud a few times throughout.

17) What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo follows a trans woman named Amanda starting a new school where nobody knows her past. She starts to fall in love with Guy and it is perfection. Such a wonderful story with a wonderful array of characters, not least of all Amanda herself!

18) Have you read a book with a male protagonist? What is it?

Yes, lots of them.The one that springs to mind is Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, another brilliant book series by him. Brandon can do no wrong in my eyes it seems and the main character in Steelheart shows a steely determination to avenge the death of his father that resonated with me so much.

19) Have you read a book set on another planet? What is it?

Carve The Mark by Veronica Roth is set in space, I guess but definitely not on this planet. I personally loved this book and I can't wait to read the second one soon!

20) Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?

If I'm honest, I'm going to say The Witchlands series by Susan Dennard. I read Truthwitch and actually really enjoyed it but I've not heard great things about the rest of the series and I wouldn't want to spoil my thoughts on the first one.

There you have it guys, another instalment. Come back again tomorrow for Part THREE!

Until next time, happy reading!