Another month has passed and it’s been a crazy one. I got back on the reading train properly after having a long bout of meh reads and lack of motivation to read new things. This month I reached the 40 mark in my reading year for 2017 and it’s only February. I also successfully made pancakes (why yes, I am finishing this post off on the last day of the month rather than planning ahead) and did it all on my lonesome with no judgement from anyone. My friends had some good news this month so we had things to celebrate as well (always nice) and basically it was a good month, although the end of the month has crept up on me this time. Let’s take a look back at all the bookish and blogging related ways it’s been good, shall we?
Can’t Stop Listening
Fire Escape – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
21 Days – Scott Helman
February Reads
One Snowy Night // Our Own Private Universe // Love The One You’re With // Miranda and Caliban // Highland Spitfire // The Burning Page
February Posts
Miranda And Caliban // A Heart Breaking Book Which Gave These Characters A Personality They Deserved
February Links
Nick And Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist | New Adult Books (You May Not Know About) That Are Worth The Read // How To Get Me To Read A Book (And How Not To Get Me To Read A Book)
The Book Voyagers | Swoons Issue #1 (a self made romance magazine featuring romance characters, it’s a work of art, check it out)
Lost In My Library | In Which I Consider My Ideal Post Length // Five Reasons Libraries Are The Best
Boats Against The Current | What Makes You Care About A Character? // How To Make Time To Read
Sparkling Letters | My Stance as A Diverse Book Blogger & Introducing New Feature : The Diversity Corner // Do Reading Plans and Rules Work For You? // Why We Need More Positive Girls Portrayal in Books
Book Riot | 100 Must Read Sports Romances (Because this is a favourite genre of mine and for anyone interested to peruse)
Paper Fury | 10 Reasons Books Are Like Human Children
Metaphors and Moonlight | Disabilities Being Magically Cured In Books
The Fictional Reader | Tropes I’m Tired Of (we all have a few of these and I enjoyed this)
Book Haven | Does Time Dilute The Impact of A Book?
It Starts at Midnight | Discussions From The Trash (for those times you’re despairing at not having finished a post from your drafts) // Big Books Are Scary
Cornerfolds | Should Fanfiction Count Ever Towards Reading Goals? // Why Reading Is Basically The Same As Cardio (I am not going to dispute this claim)
Lifehacker | Learn to 'Quit Books', and Other Tips to Finally Make a Dent in Your Reading List (making me feel justified in DNF-ing)
Bibliodaze | 6 Video Games For The Bookish
The Book Satchel | Six Reasons Why a Book is Better than a Date on Valentine’s Day
Something Delicate | Binge read series or read it book by book?
A Kernel of Nonsense | Are ARCs Worth It?
Feed Your Fiction Addiction | Am I the Only One Without an OTP? (because I feel the same)
Pretty Books | Friendship Breakups
How has your month been? Any fantastic reads? A post you kept thinking about? Or maybe life has been busy, tell me all below.
Published: 13th July 2014
Source: Borrowed
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Rating:
As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behaviour doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.
Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove that he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are considered monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test.
He only hopes humans are more trustworthy than dragons...
I had heard about this book for a long time. I saw reviews from both Kaja and Danya a while ago now and I knew I wanted to read it but I off doing it for now apparent reason. When I learnt the book was available to request as part of the Amazon Prime lending library I knew I was going to be reading it and I’m glad I did. I loved this book.
I had my doubts going into this. I have been burned with recommendations for books (I’m looking at you Labyrinth Lost, why couldn’t the character growth have begun before the 50% mark?) and so I was nervous this would be another flop for me. Add into the fact I was really confused at the beginning of the book and I wasn't certain. Once I got through the first chapter or two I was hooked, though. I didn't want to stop reading, I even ended up sacrificing sleep to make it to the end.
I think what makes this book great is the main character, Julius. Sure, he is uncertain and makes stupid decisions as he listens to others far too much, but he has a conscience and a good head on his shoulders and you like him despite his families insanity. It's not often you get a genuinely nice guy in books, and having him be a nice guy when he's a dragon and part of a family who is actively encouraging him to be more conniving and cruel, well that’s not something you get too often. I loved that he was a nice guy despite all the things that should have made him an asshole. Create some tension as his mother has manipulated it so that he is likely to be eaten by her if he doesn't prove he is capable of being a dragon and you're ready for a great read.
The book has so many twists and turns and it really keeps you on your toes. It was just really totally awesome. And then you have all these really fab characters and you basically have the best and most addictive read. I mean, Marci, the human mage who is helping him do a job for his brother Ian, is so cool. She may have had a few issues of her own that came up through the book, she was just so nice and her interaction with Julius was great. She was his first honest to god friend who wasn’t out to manipulate him! I also loved Julius’s family. Sure, they were dragons, but they were really cool dragons who were slightly crazy. Bob was definitely my favourite with his slightly weird behaviour, and what was up with the pigeon? I get why he’ll be Julius’s favourite brother.
The book just worked for me, basically. It was funny, action-packed and filled with great and memorable characters. I am fully signed up to read the rest of the series (yes, another one, you got a problem with that?). If you want to read an original and humorous take on dragons with a series which is building to have a really interesting plot arc then this is the book for you. Seriously, give it a chance and see if you like it. You won’t regret it.
Have you read a book which actually met the hype for it lately? And what’s the best dragon book you’ve read, you can never have too many, right?
I will begin with a simple gif.
Why yes, it is my birthday today. I have turned 26 and some might say I’ve reached my late 20s. Those people are stupid and I don’t like them. Anyway, it’s my birthday on the day of posting and so happy birthday to me I suppose. I’ll be busy doing very little, reading I guess, whilst I wait for some deliveries to get here. I do have a cake and presents, though, and that’s always good.
Anyway, this week hasn’t been all about my birthday (sadly) I’ve actually been quite relaxed. I mean, work has been quite slow and I’ve actually had time to relax and actually joke around with people in the office for once, which has been nice. We still don’t have a definite moving date but we’re all talking about the office move (obviously). It’s nice to actually enjoy myself at work and not be worrying about other things. I mean, we’ve had warning signs that we’ll be taking on more work from an office which is closing, but even that can’t bring me down. More work is good, it means they can’t get rid of us (see how I think positive). I think my positivity is helped by the fact my work birthday was Friday (you know, the day you get given gifts and you bring in cakes to celebrate your birthday if you’re not going to be in) and so I got to eat caterpillar cake and have presents. I now have a very snazzy looking pen holder on my desk so I’m not continually digging around for a pen (a frequent problem).
Also, I went to a pub quiz this week with a friend. We most definitely did not win but it was fun to try. Although, we were sat there drinking our pints and looking at each other in despair. General knowledge is not my thing, it was fun to try at least. It was a laugh to see my friend. Our weekly outings have gotten same-y so doing something different is always good.
What I’ve Been Reading
It’s been a strange reading week this week. I mean, The Pursuit was a bit of a letdown but still enjoyable. And then Someone To Love was good, a solid romance which I may not have loved but I enjoyed as well. I stalled a bit on A Promise of Fire mostly because I was so busy and I wanted to delay the inevitable of finishing it because I’ll not be able to get a hold of the next book for a while. I then was really surprised by One Wild Night expecting another good but not mind-blowing romance and ending up really enjoying it for reasons. And then I began a flop of a book in the form of Starry Night. What I am learning is I must stop judging a book by its cover, Starry Night drew me in with that absolutely lovely artistic cover and then the inside just plain bored me. Luckily, I bought myself a couple of books I knew I wanted to read and I am enjoying the beginning of the Alpha & Omega series so yay.
New To Me
Now, my new books are a bit different. I decided to finally buy Undecided because I’ve seen lots of good things said about it. I know the next books has less good things said about it, but I can just read the first book, it’s fine. I also decided I would read the Mercy Thompson world books rather than just her own series so I bought the novella which begins the Alpha & Omega series and Cry Wold, we’ll see how it goes. It’ll be an expensive book buying pursuit but since it’s my birthday, why not?
What have you been up to this week? Anyone got any tips on how to win a pub quiz? And, as always, talk books with me.
Published: 9th February 2017
Source: Netgalley
Genre: LGBTQ, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating:
Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory.
And it’s mostly about sex.
No, it isn’t that kind of theory. Aki already knows she’s bisexual–-even if, until now, it’s mostly been in the hypothetical sense.
Aki’s theory is that she’s only got one shot at living an interesting life–-and that means she’s got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It’s time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.
So when Aki and her friend Lori set off on a trip to a small Mexican town for the summer, and Aki meets Christa–-slightly-older, far-more-experienced–-it seems her theory is prime for the testing.
But something tells her its not going to be that easy…
Okay, I want to begin by saying that I completely get why people like Robin Talley. This book was a great LGBTQ novel and I really enjoyed a lot of the elements of it. I just couldn’t get into it, I felt a disconnection as this was obviously intended for a younger audience than me. The struggles of Aki and Christa were unrelatable to me because they were young and struggling to accept who they are and figure out how to fit into themselves and their own identity. I think this would be a great book for teens who are in that stage of life, but I couldn’t get into that. I wanted to make that clear before you read my review. I will cover the positives but then may address some of the negatives.
Now, one of the things which are done well in this book are the characters. They feel genuine and I loved that fact. I really enjoyed that Ali wasn't shy but instead hesitant in social situations and one who observes before taking part. She was quite an introspective character thinking about the consequences of her actions. She was the perfect character to follow as it’s easy to like her. Sure, she lies to a girl she likes because she is young and stupid and she falls out with a friend because of reasons and she is a bit too obsessed in her new relationship to the detriment of other things, but who doesn’t get like that in their first relationship?
I also liked the fact this book made it ok not to know where you’re going in life or who you are in yourself. It addressed the fact that sexuality can be quite fluid and what it meant to be bisexual. I feel like bisexuality is barely ever addressed in books. It was interesting to see Aki deal with her sexuality when she hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone. It was interesting to see her discover who she is and grow with Christa discovering who she is. I loved the journey of self-discovery which went on. Not just with Aki, but with Christa as well as she learnt to be okay with who she is and allow others to know her.
Also, I really enjoyed the fact that this was set at a church retreat where the children were looking at platforms on things like gay marriage, war, healthcare, foreign aid and lots of other things. I feel like religion is frequently used as a negative thing. Frequently it is portrayed as something which is against people’s differences and doesn’t allow change so to have them debating gay marriage and supporting it was amazing! I may not be religious myself but I like seeing positive representation in fiction.
In the end, I didn’t connect with the book due to the age of the characters and their struggles, but I think it was a great book with good representation which addresses good issues. I want to be able to recommend it to teens and say this is a great book to read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.
Have you read a book which you know is good but you didn’t enjoy lately? And what’s your favourite Robin Talley book?
Published: 20th March 2017
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:
Highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Act Like It Lucy Parker returns readers to the London stage with laugh-out-loud wit and plenty of drama.
The play's the fling.
It's not actress Lily Lamprey's fault that she's all curves and has the kind of voice that can fog up a camera lens. She wants to prove where her real talents lie—and that's not on a casting couch, thank you. When she hears esteemed director Luc Savage is renovating a legendary West End theater for a lofty new production, she knows it could be her chance—if only Luc wasn't so dictatorial, so bad-tempered and so incredibly sexy.
Luc Savage has respect, integrity and experience. He also has it bad for Lily. He'd be willing to dismiss it as a midlife crisis, but this exasperating, irresistible woman is actually a very talented actress. Unfortunately, their romance is not only raising questions about Lily's suddenly rising career, it's threatening Luc's professional reputation. The course of true love never did run smooth. But if they're not careful, it could bring down the curtain on both their careers…
Now, last year I read and reread Lucy Parker’s first book, Act Like It. I told everyone how much I loved it and I became a little bit obsessed with getting a hold of Pretty Face. Once I got approved on Netgalley to read it I became utterly terrified it wouldn’t my admittedly high expectations. I even put off reading for a few weeks just in case. I came up with excuses in my head but it was full on fear of disappointment. For anyone else who read and loved Lucy Parker’s first book and are scared of disappointment, have no fear, this book more than meets expectations. I loved every page of it and will be rereading often until Parker’s next book is out.
I was hooked by this book when I was no more than 2% of the way in and Luc was making snap judgements and making snide comments about Lily and Lily was fuming after his comments were overheard by someone she knows. From there, I was in love.
I was concerned when I first began reading that this would be a repeat of Act Like It with new characters. They disliked each other before they even met and I was fully expecting another hate to love affair, which would be nice, but also done and boring. I was so wrong I deserve a slap in the face for even doubting Parker's genius. It is not a hate to love, simply a case of two characters being completely off base about one another. Luc thought Lily was some small time actress who had no brain in her head and was doing a poor Marilyn impression when acting. Lily thought Luc was a judgmental asshole who didn't even give her a chance to audition before passing judgement. Both were miles off base and I loved it.
Sure, from that you may be expecting hate to love too, but they get past their misconceptions of one another swiftly and end up finding out about their attraction quite swiftly which begins with a very steamy kiss. I loved the fact that the obstacle for their relationship was a very significant one. It was simply a workplace romance, maybe not recommended but not frowned upon, he was the director and was in a very obvious position of power, it is frowned upon and can lead to many a rumour about how a small-time TV actress managed to get on the stage in a lead role. Watching the pair circle around one another denying their attraction when it was obvious for all to see was absolutely fantastic. I was there laughing away and loving every second of it. I especially loved their time in Oxford when they first met Jocasta (the voice coach who is there to make Lily sound less like a Marilyn impressionist).
I adored Act Like It because I loved Richard Troy and how he was this asshole actor who was utterly charming to those he loved (basically, Lainie). I loved Pretty Face because I adored Lily. I mean, Luc was fantastic and I loved every scene he was in and the fact that he was falling for a younger woman when he had ripped into his older brother for a similar situation and the fact he really didn't want to be in the situation he was. But Lily was the character who took my heart. I loved her struggle to accept that she could be in a relationship with Luc despite all the bad press it would generate. And I loved how she struggled to accept people were permanent in her life when her parents had continually let her down. She was the woman who got my heart and kept me reading this time.
I have to say, it isn't often a romance gets all of my emotions going but this one did. I was laughing and swooning, I was angry and ready to punch folks in the face and I was in actual tears. I felt all of the emotions and loved every second of it. I could not say enough positive things about it if I tried. I could gush about this book all night and I've only just finished the damn thing. I recommend it all fans of Lucy Parker, her second book doesn't disappoint and if this is a sign of books to come from her then I hope we have a long and productive career as a writer from her because I will be buying everything she writes ever and telling all of my friends to do the same.
Have you read a book lately which ticked all your reading boxes? And how soon is too soon to declare an author one of your favourites?
I’m sure you all want an update on how I’m feeling. My cold is mostly gone and I feel pretty rested up (or I would if my dog didn’t insist on coming to wake me up at half past seven because he wants to roll around and be a pest). I now just have a lingering cough. Enough about my cold, though, that’s boring.
What else have I done this week? It’s actually been quite a boring week for me. I’ve not gone out much, I did nothing on Valentine’s day. I basically became a recluse with my cold this week. I didn’t even get that much reading done because I got sucked into watching crap on TV I wouldn’t usually. I mean, I’ve become a dedicated watcher of Eastenders (for those not in the UK this a soap on TV 4 days a week all year round and is both terrible and great… many people in the UK have the soap they watch religiously, it’s a thing). I’d be embarrassed I watch soaps… but I kind of love them, it’s half an hour of mindless TV and I miss the Sunday afternoon omnibus, where has that gone?
Apart from my TV watching, though, I’ve done nothing. I went to the pub Wednesday but that was a none event so you don’t care about that. I think I just couldn’t be bothered to do more, even reading was a bit slower this week.
What I’ve Been Reading
Well, I’d say this has been a week of re-reads. I know there are only 2 re-reads on here but considering I had one last week as well, that’s a lot of such a short space of time. I carried on my YA reading in the form of I’ll Meet You There and it was just as good second time around. I love when that happens. I then went with the romance theme and Read Home At Last, it’s the last in the Sanctuary Island books and Marcus and Quinn’s story and I really enjoyed it. They were just perfect together. I was a bit disappointed by Done Dirt Cheap but I think that’s because I went in with my own expectations which is never a good idea. I will write a full review soon so you can see all my thoughts. Moon Called was my other reread and I am now wondering is I should read just the Mercy Thompson books or the expanded world with the Alpha Omega series. Suggestions? I read Deceptions in a day and was in love with the characters even if the plot wasn’t as strong. I immediately began Betrayals because how could I not? I am very much waiting for the conclusion on this one.
New To Me
I think I’ve been quite good this week. I mean, yes, Caraval is on my post as new (again) but that is because I had to buy a copy for myself, especially as I saw it for £5 at Tesco (supermarkets, the place I buy most books at the moment). I did have a bit of a book buy thing on Amazon… but I have £20.00 of gift card left so I feel no remorse about that. It probably won’t last much longer, though, but oh well.
I am pleased I’ve only gotten myself two books for review this week (go me, cutting down the numbers of my ARCs… or breaking even). I got a surprise approval for Roar considering all I did was wish for it on Netgalley (seriously, who knew that worked?). I’m intrigued by Cormack’s first foray into YA and so I knew I’d be reading at some point. As for Good Girls Don’t Kiss and Tell, I have been a big fan of Codi Cary’s for a while so when her newsletter mentioned reviewing her newest book I was there straight away. I cannot recommend her Rock Canyon series enough, it just works for me on every level and I feel a good old reread of the whole series as it has been a while.
How has your week been? Anyone done anything nice for Valentine’s Day or did you forget about it like I did? And any good book recommendations you feel you need to force upon me (I will complain but I always like new books really).
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