Oldies but Goodies #1

I decided to do a new feature on this blog called 'Oldies but Goodies'.  It's just a post I'll be doing every so often (it might end up being a weekly thing) where I showcase a book or series that I read years ago. Not that books that have been out more than 4 years are old but I think sometimes we end up prioritising new releases instead of books that have been out a while.  So this feature is just to talk about some of the forgotten books that I feel are still relevant.  I know a lot of people have already done posts like this but I just thought it'd be fun to do as well (also I might end up changing the title).

Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

Blurb: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world-- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever...- Quoted from Goodreads

I read the Uglies series back in 2010, so it's been 7 years since I read these books but this series still really stands out in my head.  This series has great action scenes, an exciting plot with a lot of moral dilemmas for the characters and a world that really makes you think.

Have you read the Uglies series? What are some books you read years ago that you think people should read these days? 

May 2017 Wrap Up

In May I read four books.  Here is a list of the books I read and some of my thoughts on them.

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn book 2) by Brandon Sanderson - 4/5 STARS

I felt like I grew a lot more attached to the characters of this series in this book and I was really interested in each characters journey.

A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR book 3) by Sarah J Maas - 5/5 STARS

I loved this book and I can't wait to read more books set in this world.  The characters in this series are so fun to read about.

Paper Girls Vol 2 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang - 4/5 STARS

I really enjoy this comic book series.  I love the story of it and I find the plot to be really exciting.  And the artwork of the series is beautiful.

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn book 3) by Brandon Sanderson - 4/5 STARS

I really liked this book and how it concluded this trilogy.  I thought it was a really great ending to the trilogy.  

I had a great reading month in May.  I don't know if I want to continue with the Mistborn series since the next books are set in a different time and are about different characters but the blurb of the next book (4th in the series) does sound interesting, so if you've read the next books in the series how do you feel they compare to the original trilogy? 

I watched The 100 in May and I have to say this series is one of my all time favourite series'.  Each new episode is so exciting, the acting is great and there is a great balance of emotional scenes with action scenes (in my opinion).  Besides The 100 I haven't watched much else.  I have a long list of anime and kdramas to watch so I might get to watching them this month.

What books did you read in May?   

Top Ten Tuesday- Most Anticipated Books For The Second Half of 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is: Most Anticipated Books For The Second Half of 2017.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

Warcross by Marie Lu

Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners book 3) by Libba Bray

Archangel's Viper (Guild Hunter book 10) by Nalini Singh

Genuine Fraud by E.Lockhart

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass book 6) by Sarah J Maas

What are some of your most anticipated books for the rest of the year? 

April 2017 Wrap Up

In April I read two books and DNFed two books.  Here is a list of the books I read and some of my thoughts on them.

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files book 1) by Sylvain Neuvel - 2/5 STARS

This book sounded exciting and the first 20% of it was but after that I just felt that the plot grew a lot weirder and began to make less sense and I also didn't really like any of the characters.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - 4/5 STARS

I really liked this book.  I loved the storyline of it and liked how it felt so current with the main character being obsessed with an internet podcast.  The story really held my interest from start to finish which was great.

The books I DNFed were:

Remix by Non Pratt

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Lesley Walton

I didn't have the best reading month in April but I am more hopeful for May since A Court of Wings and Ruin and Lord of Shadows are being released and those are two of my most anticipated books.  

In April I watched the anime Erased and really loved it.  I also watched 13 Reasons Why which I thought was great.  I read the book years ago and I loved the book so much so I'm really glad I liked the tv series.  I was really surprised at the acting in the show and how it really brought the characters to life.  Some songs I've been obsessed with recently have been Selena Gomez' Only You which was on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack and I've also been listening to KARD'S song Rumor on repeat. 

What books did you read in April? Or what are some things you watched in April? 

Top Ten Tuesday- Book Covers That Represent the Book Well

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is 'Cover Theme Freebie', so I chose to do: Book Covers That Represent the Book Well.

So basically this is a list of six book covers that I think really reflects what the book is about.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour - 

This cover is so pretty but I also think it has a really cold and lonely feeling to it which it perfect for the book.  

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - 

I think this edition is really great at representing the book because each little picture on the cover is an actual scene that happens in the book. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - 

I think there is no explanation needed for this one as it shows the main characters really well. 

In The Company of Killers series by JA Redmerski - 

These covers may seem very simple but I think they really reflect the books well because they're very dark and edgy and I love the red on black colours of it.

We Were Liars by E Lockhart - 

Once I finished this book I realised just how perfect the cover is for it.  It shows characters having fun in the summer but it's also very blurry which I think is perfect for the story.

The Diviners by Libba Bray - 

I think this edition is great at representing the story.  How the character is dressed on the cover, the New York background and even the writing style of the title gets across when and where the story takes place.  And the dark misty edges and the tagline really gets across how creepy and mysterious the story is.

What book covers do you think are good at representing the story?   

Eight Standalone Books I Think More People Should Know About

I wanted to talk about some standalones that I feel should be more well known.  Some of the books on this list have very popular Goodreads ratings so they're not necessarily unknown books but this is just a list of books that I feel I haven't heard many people talk about so I decided to do a post and talk about why I like them.

  

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood - This was a book I read last year and I was very surprised by it, I thought the story and the direction the book went in was really interesting. 

Stolen by Lucy Christopher - This story is told in the format of a letter from the main character to her kidnapper and because of that it was a really intense read. 

Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard - I read this book at the start of this year and I really liked it.  It was such a refreshing read being a YA contemporary with no romance in it.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick - I really enjoyed this book and I liked how the story was written.  Marcus Sedgwick has a great way with storytelling in his books.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - I loved this book and I really want to reread it sometime.  I first heard about this book on Instagram and I'd never heard of it before then despite it having a lot of ratings on Goodreads.  I'd highly recommend reading this book because it's such a beautifully told story.

Solanin by Inio Asano - This is a manga about a young woman who has just left college and is trying to decide what she wants to do with her life.  I loved this book and found it to be really relatable.  This is another book I'd highly recommend reading.

What If by Rebecca Donovan - I've read a few of Rebecca Donovan's books and I've found her writing to have a lot of emotion in it.  I thought this story had a lot more depth to it than I first thought. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater - I read this book years ago and really loved it.  And I know a lot of people know of this book already because Maggie Steifvater is a popular author but I feel this is one of her least talked about works and it's also my favourite book by her.

So like I said before I know some of these books are very well known but I just feel that I haven't seen much about them around.  

Have you read any of these books? And what are some standalones you feel need more attention?

March 2017 Wrap Up

In March I read six books.  Here is a list of the books I read and some of my thoughts on them.

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga- 2/5 STARS

I disliked the characters in this book and I had a lot of problems with the overall story of it.

Vision in Silver (The Others book 3) by Anne Bishop- 4/5 STARS

I really enjoyed this book just like I did with the previous books in this series.

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera - 5/5 STARS

I loved this book so much.  It is definitely one of my favourite books of this year.  It's such an emotional heart wrenching story.  You can find my full review of it here.

Caraval (Caraval book 1) by Stephanie Garber - 4/5 STARS

I was surprised at how much I liked Caraval.  I did have a few problems with it but overall I found it to be a fun read.  You can find my full review of it here.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour - 4/5 STARS

I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm really interested in reading more books by Nina LaCour.

The Final Empire (Mistborn book 1) by Brandon Sanderson - 4/5 STARS

I really liked this book and I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

That's all the books I read in March. March was a lot better reading month for me because I enjoyed nearly all the books I read. I also watched a new Kdrama in March and I loved it.  It's called Missing Nine and it's about this group of people who end up on a deserted island after their plane crashes (Yes I know, it sounds similar to Lost and it is in a way, with the journey the characters go on and the bonds they make, but it's also completely different).  It's such an exciting series and I'd highly recommend watching it.   

What books did you read in March?