Thursday 26 July 2018

BookTubeAThon TBR 2018

The BooktubeAThon is a week long readathon that happens every year, this year is runs from July 30th until August 5th.  Although I've participated in this readathon for the past few years I've never actually made a post about what I plan to read (I usually just update my twitter about my progress) but this year I've decided to throw myself right into the readathon.  


My TBR for the Booktubeathon:


Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
I've heard amazing things about this series so I'm excited to read it.


A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
I read Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard last year and really liked it and since then I've had A Quiet Kind of Thunder on my TBR but still haven't read it yet.


The Darkest Minds & Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
I've been wanting to read this series for the longest time.  I have actually read the first book but it was a few years ago and I want to reread it before moving on and reading the rest of the series.  If I somehow (not likely) get through all of my TBR during the Booktubeathon I plan on going onto In The Afterlight.


Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood
One of my reading goals this year was to read more UKYA so when I heard about Floored which is a book written by various UKYA authors I thought it would be an interesting read.


A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
I only heard about this book recently but it sounds like something I'd love so I'm excited to read it.

Those are all the books I plan to read, I really don't think I'll get to them all but I hope I read at least half of them.  There are reading challenges for the booktubeathon but not many of the books I've chosen match to them so I'll probably not do them.  I really enjoy joining in with the Twitter sprints and that's where I mainly update on my progress (you can find me at: x_Kyla_01).  Are you participating in the Booktubeathon? What are some of the books you'll be reading?

Monday 23 July 2018

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Adult, Historical fiction, Contemporary
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? 
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

My Rating: 5/5 STARS

My Review:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo starts off with a journalist named Monique being asked to do an interview with a famous award winning actress called Evelyn Hugo.  Evelyn Hugo asks Monique to do a tell-all biography of her life.  In the book you find out everything that went on in her life; her rise to fame, her famous accolades, the loves of her life and the secrets she has kept hidden.

This book...I really don't know where to start with it.  It was so much more than what I was expecting.  This book is definitely my favourite book of the year (so far) and probably one of my all time favourites.  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of those books that really makes your heart wrench so much that you can't get the book out of your head.

Because the story is written like a biography of Evelyn Hugo, you get to see how her whole life played out.  You get to see every part of her life which is, I think, what causes the most emotional impact whilst reading because the character becomes such a real person.  Evelyn Hugo is definitely one of a kind.  I loved reading her story.  She can come across as a hard character to like, she can be manipulative and unkind with her words but when I was reading this book all these things became all the more reasons to love her character.  She is manipulative but you can really see why she did what she what she had to do and I loved how much she was willing to sacrifice to protect who she loved.  

Evelyn's love life was very fascinating to read.  One of the most heart wrenching parts of the book was reading about Evelyn and her true love and everything they went through, their love story was so beautiful.

While I loved reading Evelyn's life I also liked the parts of the story told in the present day.  We get to see the interactions between the older Evelyn and the journalist Monique who is doing her biography.  Those parts were also emotional because you get to read about Evelyn reflecting on her life and to see what she did and did not regret in her life.  Those chapters really had a bittersweet quality to them.  There is also the mystery of why Evelyn chose Monique to write her biography, which was an interesting aspect to the story.

Overall I thought this book was amazing.  It was wonderfully written and it had some great quotes in it.  The story of Evelyn Hugo's life is definitely unforgettable.  I'm so glad I read this book. 

Tuesday 17 July 2018

Top Ten Tuesday- Favourite Novellas/ Short Stories

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This Week's topic is: Favourite novellas/short stories.


The Assassins Blade by Sarah J Maas
I read the novellas of the Throne of Glass world before the first book was published and these are probably my favourite novellas.  I was so surprised at how rich and interesting the world was when I read them, they completely drew me into the story and world of Throne of Glass and made me want to read more. 


The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo
I love the stories in this collection.  Each story felt so imaginative.


Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare -
 I loved these short stories because we get to see a lot more of the characters from all of Cassandra Clare's series.  I love how complex and well developed each character is.


Unstrung (Unwind 1.5) by Neal Shusterman
This was a great short story set in the Unwind world.


Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs
I enjoyed some of the stories in this collection, they were both fascinating and strange to read.

I don't have many listed for this week's topic but a lot of them are bind ups/collections.  What are some of your favourite short stories or novellas?

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Top Ten Tuesday - Best Books I've Read in 2018 (So Far)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is: Best Books I've Read in 2018 (So Far).  


Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Obsidio (The Illuminae Files book 3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff


Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles book 1) by Helen Scheuerer
The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven


I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  


I feel that 2018 has been a great reading year for me, so far.  I have loved all these books so much that I can't stop talking about how much I loved them.  What are the best books you've read this year so far?

Friday 6 July 2018

Book Review: I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Book: I Was Born for This
Author: Alice Oseman
Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBT+

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world. 
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare. 
Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

My Rating: 5/5 STARS

My Review:
I Was Born for This is about Angel who is a fan of a boy band called The Ark and Jimmy who is the leader of The Ark.  It's about the tumultuous times of both these characters who lead very opposite lives.

Before reading this book I was never interested in reading about a boy band, in fact whenever a blurb mentioned a boy band I almost always decided not to pick up the book.  So the main reason I went against my previous views and picked up this book was because I had read and enjoyed Radio Silence by Alice Oseman and I really wanted to pick up another of her books.

And I'm so glad I did, I Was Born for This was amazing.  I loved it so much and I think that was because I found it so relatable.  I love kpop and to read about a character being as obsessed with a group like I am was so exciting for me to read.

I liked how the author wrote this book.  You get both the points of view of Angel and Jimmy.  You get Angel's side of the story which is about her having so much love and dedication for this band and despite people thinking it's just a shallow obsession you really get to see how much The Ark mean to her on a deep personal level.  Then you get Jimmy's pov which is about the cost of fame and the anxiety and paranoia that comes with it.  I loved these characters, the author writes them so well and in such a way that makes them feel so real.  I also loved the other characters in the book especially Lister.  I loved reading about him and seeing his interactions with Jimmy, I wish I could read more about them.  I liked Juliet and how her and Angel's friendship started with them being online friends.

Overall I loved I Was Born for This, it's a great story about fandom and passion that is full of diverse characters.  It is so well written and I would really recommend reading it especially if you have been/are a fan of something.     

Tuesday 3 July 2018

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2018

The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag is a tag where you look back on the books you've read so far this year.  It's a tag that's been going around booktube for a few years, you can find the original video here.

Questions:
1) Best book you’ve read so far in 2018 - I've read so many great books this year but my favourite of my favourites would be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.


2) Best sequel you've read so far in 2018 - I haven't read many sequels this year but I loved Obsidio (The Illuminae Files book 3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.


3) New release you haven't read yet, but want to - Legendary (Caraval book 2) by Stephanie Garber

4) Most anticipated release for the second half of the year - I already did a post talking about my most anticipated releases for the last half of the year, you can find that here.
5) Biggest disappointment - A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOTAR novella) by Sarah J Maas


6) Biggest surprise - Heart of Mist by Helen Scheuerer

7) Favourite new author (Debut or new to you) - I really loved the writing in The Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle so I'm looking forward to reading more books by her.

8) Newest fictional crush - I don't really have a new fictional crush but I do have a lot of new favourite characters.

9) Newest favourite character - Evelyn Hugo (from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), Izzy O'Neill (from The Exact Opposite of Okay) and Angel, Jimmy and Lister (from I Was Born for This)


10) Book that made you cry - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
11) Book that made you happy - I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

12) Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year. - I haven't really watched many films this year. 

13) Favourite review you've written this year. - Probably The Exact Opposite of Okay or Heart of Mist review.

14) Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) - I love the cover of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so probably that one.

15) What books do you need to read by the end of the year? - I really want to reread The Darkest Minds then continue with the rest of the series.


I really enjoyed doing the tag.  It's fun to look back on all the books you've read this year and see what they mean to you.  What would be some of your answers for these questions?

Sunday 1 July 2018

June 2018 Wrap Up

What I read in June:


I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman - 5/5 STARS
This book was amazing and I loved the characters so much.  I really liked reading about both sides of a fandom, one of the fan and one of the person that they're a fan of.  I found this book to be so relatable.  I'll be doing a full review of it soon. 

The Gods Lie by Kaori Ozaki - 2/5 STARS
I picked this book up on a whim and didn't know much about it but I ended up not really enjoying it.  I didn't really care about any of the characters or the overall storyline.

Blood Fury (Black Dagger Legacy book 3) by J.R. Ward - 4/5 STARS
I really enjoyed this book, I'm glad we got to finally read about who Saxton ends up with and I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Ruhn.  I liked reading more about Novo's history but I'm not really sure how I feel about Peyton.


We Are Young by Cat Clarke - 3/5 STARS
This book deals with some heavy issues but it didn't have much of an emotional impact on me and I didn't like any of the characters especially the main character. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5/5 STARS
This is one of my favourite books of this year and probably of all time.  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo emotionally wrecked me (I'm not joking).  This book has constantly been on my mind since I finished it.  It's such a beautiful heart wrenching book.  I can't actually put into words how much I loved it. I would really recommend reading this, no matter what genre you prefer, just read it.

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe book 1) by Neal Shusterman - 4/5 STARS
I really liked this world and story.  It's such a good read and a really interesting concept.  Neal Shusterman does so well at crafting these new worlds that are so believable and scary.  I do still prefer Unwind because I feel that series is a lot more chilling and therefore more memorable but I did like and enjoy reading Scythe.


Here are some of my bookstagram pictures for June.  You can find me at: xo_reader_kyla


June was a really good reading month for me, two of the books ended up being my favourites.  Also in June I finished the anime I started in May which was Violet Evergarden.  This anime really surprised me, each episode was emotional and I really liked the overall story.  I also watched the first season of Free! in June which I also loved, now I know why everyone loves this anime.  I'm currently watching the second season.  

What did you read or watch in June?