Goodreads: My June/July Reading List

Goodreads: My June/July Reading List

Friday, 1 June 2018

Read post

It’s been a while since I did a post talking all about the books I’ve hauled recently and there’s good reason behind this. I’ve been on a self-imposed book ban and for the most part I’ve stuck to it- one of the benefits of being a book blogger are the dozens of books I receive on a monthly basis from publishing houses. It means that generally, I don’t have to buy books unless they’re ones I really, really want and for the most part I can get by reading the books I get in the post. Richard and I are flying over to Paris tomorrow morning and I’m super excited about this: however, pretty much all of the books on my to-read pile currently are hardbacked and the last thing I want to be doing on a weekend break is lugging around a heavy hardback in my backpack. 

I put in a teensy amazon order last night – and it actually WAS teensy, for once- and picked out a few books that have been on my radar for a while now. I tended towards Young Adult fiction this time despite the massive amounts of contemporary fiction in my basket at the time. I thought I’d share the two books that I chose, along with a few of the books I’ve been sent by publishers recently. 

The book I’m currently reading isWhistle in the Dark by Emma Healy. Having read (and of course, loved) Elizabeth is Missingby Emma, I was over the moon to receive a copy of the book for review from the publishers. I was quick to get stuck into the book (although I did finish off my most recent read The Tatooist of Auschwitzbeforehand) and about 120 pages in I’m enjoying it – I am waiting for something big to happen at the moment but I’m sure that that will come soon enough. The story follows Jen, a mother whose 17 year old daughter vanishes seemingly without a trace until suddenly she is found- but nothing goes back to how it used to be. Lana can’t – or won’t- remember what has happened to her and is reluctant to discuss where she went for those hellish days of Jen’s life. However, her daughter is different now and she can’t quite put her finger on why or how this is the case. It’s fair to say that I am very intrigued to read on and find out all the answers. 

Another book I received in the post for review is Kismet by Luke Tredget. I’m not too sure that this one is my cup of tea – based around dating apps, Kismet is a love story, seemingly, and focuses on the inperfections in people and consequently their obsession in finding the perfect match. First of all, I am completely in favour of dating apps. As a person whose work life has completely overshadowed ANY possible chance of going out and meeting people, I understand the convenience of being able to meet and connect with people from home. As a nearly 25-year-old socially inept woman, the prospect of going out and striking up conversation with a potential suiter would absolutely terrify me. I am quite intrigued by this book and am planning on reading this book as soon as I’ve finished up with Whistle in the Dark. 

As most of my readers are probably aware by now, I am a teacher and consequently I spend a lot of my time reading Middle School age books, prior to sharing them with the children in my class. I recently received a copy of The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd and I cannot wait to share it with the kids at work. I’ve been reading a chapter at a time whenever I have a chance so I’m already a fair way through the story without even knowing it, and it is absolutely hilarious and exactly the kind of story that my class are going to adore. The cover is absolutely beautiful as well – from the looks of things, I’ll definitely be adding the sequel which comes out later this year to my wishlist as well! 

The final book from my proof pile for this month’s to do list – not that I’m being at ALL ambitious here- is probably the one I’m most excited about and the only psychological thriller I’ve included! My love for thrillers knows no bounds and I would happily read nothing but thrillers if I had to, so going this long having not read one is definitely unlike me. I’m excited to be a part of the blog tour for How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt and the book sounds exactly my cup of tea. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this book on the blog on the 30^thJune so be sure to check back then for a full review if you’re interested in this one! 

Onto books that I’ve actually purchased now. My Year 4 English class are using Grandpa Chatterji by Shamila Gavin as their class reader this half term so naturally I bought my own copy to read prior to planning. I was a little bit apprehensive about using this book within my lessons as it’s quite old fashioned – I’m pretty sure we might even have read it when I was at school – but having flicked through it I’m reassured that it’s of good quality and I’m excited to see what work the children in my class will produce using it. My Year 3 English class are focusing on Greek Mythology this half term so I’m going to be reading lots and lots of Greek Myths and stories based on them in the coming weeks as well! 

My final books in this little haul are The List by Siobhan Vivian and 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough. Both of these books have been on my radar, and consequently in my Amazon basket, for a good while now. They both fall into the Young Adult category what was just what I was looking for for my trip to Paris – quick and easy reads that don’t require all that much thought and that I’ll fly through. I’m on track with my Goodreads challenge as it stands but I’m conscious that there’s always time to fall way, way behind! 

What are you reading at the moment? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let me know in the comments! 

Goodreads: What I Read in January 2018

Goodreads: What I Read in January 2018

Sunday, 11 February 2018

Read post

It’s been an entire month since my last blog post and I’m very disappointed myself of slipping out of the habit of consistent blogging. I’ve been incredibly busy with work and haven’t had a minute to myself to sit down and divulge my thoughts and feelings, let alone sit down and write hundreds of words worth of book reviews and travel guides! This next week is half-term and I’m planning on giving myself lots of time to catch up on my blogging, alongside planning my lessons for next term, of course!

Despite this lack of time to write, I did make an effort to try and read (although granted a few of the books I mention here are books I’ve read with the children in my class at work) as much as I possibly could. Here are some of the books I read in the month of January, along with a few of my thoughts on them!

The Remains of the Day by Kazou Ishiguro has been on my To Be Read pile for a few years now. I went home to stay with my parents for a few days over the Christmas holidays, as I do every year, and whilst I was up there I finished the book I was reading. I hadn’t accounted for this happening, so I grabbed any old book off the shelves in my childhood bedroom and got stuck in. The Remains of the Day was the book I happened upon and I am incredibly happy that I did so. I’ve previously read Never Let Me Go by Kazou, and I absolutely loved that, so I had high hopes for another of his books. I enjoyed this one, granted not as much as I enjoyed Never Let Me Go. I found that the story was a little bit difficult to get stuck into, because of the language, but I will admit it is just as much the masterpiece as every claims it to be. The story was heart-breaking in the sense that our protagonist, a loyal and faithful butler, put every aspect of his being into being the best that he could possibly be in his role. In doing so, he allows himself to lose the sense of his own being and in his final days realises that his entire livelihood has left him feeling obsolete. A heavy read, but one that I will likely go back to in the coming years.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel is a book that a few of my friends have read and loved, so I was keen to read it myself. My little brother bought me a copy of this for Christmas and with my expectations incredibly high, I got stuck straight into it as soon as I could. After a very slow start, and a frantic message to the girls in my group chat who had recommended it to me to see just WHEN I was going to get as hooked as they promised. I needn’t have worried, of course, because the book was absolutely fantastic and I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t put it down. The story follows Lane through two different periods of her life and the circumstances that surrounded the mysterious Roanoke. After the death of her mother, 15 year old Lane goes to live with her grandparents and her cousin Allegra. A summer later, she leaves Roanoke and never looks back, unable to deal with the events that go on there. Flash forward in time and Lane is forced to return upon learning of her cousin Allegra’s disappearance. Nothing has changed in Roanoke and Lane has to relive everything about the place that made her leave in the first place. An absolutely spectacular read that left me gasping by the end!

We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen was a fun read of a book that I bought for shared reading in my class. I’m yet to read it to them but I’m going to use the book to support a PSHE lesson on sharing. It’s a very cutesy book about two turtles who find a hat and have to make a decision on which of the two of them will get to wear it.  

My class reader for January was Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape by Dermot O’Leary. I wasn’t aware that Dermot had even written a book before I came across a copy of it (signed, no less) in Waterstones in the New Year. After a quick look at reviews, a read of the blurb and a glance at the language level, I decided that it was definitely a book that the class would love. It took about ten pages for the entire class to be completely enthralled by it, each of them sat on the edge of their seats and asking if we could ‘not do spellings today’ and read the book instead! (No to not doing spellings, but they were much quicker at getting their coats on at the end of the day so they could listen to the story in Drop time!)

Another book we read as a class in January was Unfortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman. As a huge fan of Gaiman myself, exploring his books for younger readers was high on my agenda and I was keen to get stuck in. Luckily, the kids were just as keen and loved this book almost as much as they loved Toto. They loved the ‘craziness’ of the story and were really eager to discuss whether or not they thought that Dad was telling the truth about his adventures to get their breakfast milk. A definite hit with both me and the kids.

I have plenty of books to get stuck into over the coming weeks, including a few book tours that I’m a part of.

What have you read recently that I need to get my hands on? Let me know in the comments!

Goodreads: My top 10 books of 2017

Goodreads: My top 10 books of 2017

Saturday, 23 December 2017

Read post

I honestly cannot believe that we are at this point of the year already! Wrapping up my books of the year is always my favourite thing to do, and this year has been a bit of a cracker for books. Having started my new job in September, the amount of books read this year started to trail off towards the end of the year but I still managed (as of the 23^rd December) to read 47 books this year. Narrowing the list town to a ‘best of’ was tricky, but I’m really happy with the ones I’ve chosen for my Top 10! These books are by no means ranked from best to worst, just a collection of books that I would recommend to anyone looking for a decent read. 

One of the first books I read this year was a translation from the German, The Trap (Die Falle) by Malanie Raabe. It was a book that had been recommended to me by a work colleague and I felt very lucky to have read it. The story follows a German author who witnessed the escape of her sister’s murderer, seeing the perpetrator’s face as a result. When she sees the man presenting on the news, she finds herself eager to arrange an interview with him to finally avenge her sister’s death. 

The Reader on the 6.27 follows a Frenchman, Guylain Vignolles, who catches the same train to work every day. Every day, he reads aloud to his fellow commuters. When he finds a pendrive, full to the brim with romantic musings, he makes it his task to find their writer.  A joyful, happy story full of beautiful language. 

Arguably my favourite read of 2017, and definitely the one that evoked the most emotion-wise, was When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Written autobiographically in the last days of his life, the story follows Paul, a surgeon, as he suffers from lung cancer. There are no words to describe the book other than devastating and if you do anything in 2018, I would recommend getting a copy of this book. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been a popular choice for a lot of people and I really enjoyed reading the book. It is particularly relevant nowadays, with all the trouble worldwide involving police brutality and maltreatment towards people of colour. It was a poignant read and one that I’d happily read over and over. Angie Thomas’ debut has impressed beyond words, to the extent that filming has already commenced for the film adaptation. 

If you know me at all, you’ll know that I love a good old fashioned contemporary romance as much (possibly more) than the next person and Miss You by Kate Eberlen satisfied all of my sop cravings. It reminded me a little of One Day, following two characters around as they ‘missed’ one another, over and over, until one day, they don’t. It’s beautifully romantic and was quite rightly included on the Richard and Judy booklist for Summer 2017. A must read. Another beautiful contemporary that I read in 2017 was The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. 

When I was sunning it up in Barcelona, the only book on my reading list was How to Stop Time by Matt Haig and it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t include it on this list. There’s something about Matt’s writing style that pulls me in from the word go and How to Stop Time did exactly the same that. It follows a man who has lived through centuries worth of adventures and experiences, aging at a minute scale. The story is heart warming and exciting and one for readers of all genres. 

A bit of a strange inclusion on the list is Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay. Not my usual type of book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was probably one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. It’s a really easy read and perfect for the YA lover. 

Another book I read whilst traveling was the much acclaimed We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. I think this book is a bit like marmite- either you love it or you hate it- and I definitely loved it. It was creepy and mysterious and kept me guessing right until the very end. A fantastic read that really ought to get more recognition.

One of my more recent (and loved) reads is of course, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. The mystery kept me guessing right until the very end and I was really disappointed in myself for not having read it before! 

Which books have you read this year? What do I need to be adding to my TBR pile for 2018? Let me know!  

Goodreads: October/November Reading List

Goodreads: October/November Reading List

Sunday, 15 October 2017

Read post

Having settled into my new job, it’s high time I got stuck back into my reading list and got my end of year reading goal back on track. I have a week off for half-term coming up this month of October, so I’m counting that as opportunity to read to my heart’s content. On payday, I made a little book order using the Amazon 3 for £10 offer and picked up some books that I’m really excited to read.

At the moment, I’m reading The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. There has been a lot of hype around this one, and 80 pages in, I can definitely see why. The writing style is flawlessly beautiful and I’ve really connected with all the complex and intriguing characters. It’s nice to read a book that reads as fluidly as this one and I haven’t found myself getting bored or switching off whilst I’ve been reading.

A book which has been on my radar for a while now is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I have heard many things about this one, and obviously it was recently made into a motion picture movie. As is the case with any book to movie adaptation, I, like many Book Bloggers or BookTubers, like to read the book before seeing the film, so buying this one was a bit of a no-brainer really. The story follows Madeline, a young girl who suffers from allergies so severe she cannot leave her house. A new family moves into the empty house next door to hers and Maddy finds herself drawn to the family’s teenage son, Olly. I’m very excited to see what all the fuss is about regarding this book.

Another book that I’ve seen all over Bookstagram is One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and I must admit that this one is probably the book that I’m most looking forward to reading. The synopsis reminds me a little of the story behind The Breakfast Club, and since The Breakfast Club is one of my favourite films, I am really excited to start reading this book. Hopefully it holds up to the high esteem I’ve placed it in, but quite frankly, I can’t see why it wouldn’t.

Finally, my last choice was a bit of a spontaneous one:  The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena. Again, I’ve seen this one floating around, with reviews coming up all over the place on Twitter and Instagram, but honestly, I don’t really know all that much about it. I liked the look of the cover, and we all know my feelings toward psychological thrillers, so it went in the basket for this month’s reading challenge. I’m still well ahead of my Goodreads challenge, in spite of my lack of reading prowess since my new job started, so I’m optimistic to hit my goal of reading 50 books in 2017.

What are you reading at the moment? Let me know!