2018 Reading Wrap-Up

Hello everyone!

It's the last day of 2018 and wow is it a grey day! I was hoping for a sunny, wintry day where I could reflect on all my resolutions for next year, but no we have a cloudy, dull and dark day where it's not even that cold. *Sigh* The UK winter is a bit disappointing so far. I do love a crisp winter! 

It's the time of year for wrap-ups so today I wanted to do a review of my resolutions and goals for 2018. I always start the year with grand plans, then I inevitably fall short. Let's see how I did :-) 

2018 Reading Goals: 

1. Only achievable challenges ✓ I only did Mr. GingerSnap's challenge so this was easy! 

1. Read 5 big books ✓ Yes! I did so well at this challenge, I read waaaay more than 5 books.

1. Over 10 Penguin English Library titles ✗ Failed utterly at this, I think I read 6...

1. Finish Sherlock Holmes ✗ Again, totally failed this one. I read no Sherlock this year.

1. 5 books by new authors ✓ Yes! Smashed this one.

Mr. GingerSnap Challenge: 

My partner, Mr. GingerSnap loves to set me a good reading challenge and this year he set me 120 books to read! I actually managed to top this at 121 books so I feel very proud of myself. Especially as my Goodreads goal was only 60 books. 

Top 5 Books: 

Okay guys, these won't be in order because it was tough enough picking just 5, so bask in that moment and if you want a top 1 - Forget It!! 

• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare 
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden 
• Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell 
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber 
• The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar 

2019 Reading Goals:

1. Finish 5 book series I've already started 
2. Read more Brandon Sanderson 
3. Read 5 books over 700 pages 
4. Complete a 60 books Goodreads challenge 
5. Finally read Emma by Jane Austen 

Mr. GingerSnap Challenge:

Mr. GingerSnap is setting me a devilishly difficult challenge for next year. He has challenged me to clear my 35 book TBR with the only new books purchased being important new releases I want to blog about! Wish me luck guys, I'm going to need it :-) 

How did you get on with your reading goals this year? Got any good resolutions? Let me know your highlights in the comments below :-)

xoxo

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Credit to flower divider here! 

Worst Books Of 2018

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely relaxing Sunday surrounded by books, I certainly am. Everyone else is hungover and tired from a party last night and here I am blogging away fresh as a daisy :-) Perks of not drinking right! 

As we head towards the end of the year we all start to get very reflective and decide which books we loved and which ones we didn't enjoy so I thought I'd hop on that bandwagon today. 2018 has been a pretty good reading year for me so writing this post was really hard! I'm always such a soft touch and end up rating books quite high. Usually if it's a 5 star I loved it, 4 stars I enjoyed it, 3 it was okay, 2 I didn't like it and 1 I hated it! 

I didn't actually read any books I didn't like or hate this year as I tend to stick to books I know I'll most likely enjoy, so all my low books this year are 3 star reads :-) 

My least favourite five are:

• Shadowsong by S. Jae Jones - disappointingly average after a really good first book
• The Truth and Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr - a little waffly and far-fetched
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green - a bit too quirky for me! 
• Matilda by Mary Shelley - dark and disturbing, but not as good as anticipated 
• The Surface Breaks by Louise O'Neill - over-hyped so I expected better, so this one may be on me! 

I was really disappointed by these books as I really wanted to love them! I'm hoping next year the books I'm excited about will live up to the hype :-) 

What books were you disappointed by this year? Let me know in the comments below! 

xoxo

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Christmas Book Haul

Hello everyone! 

Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate and happy holidays! I hope you have all eaten lots of delicious food and are now in a food-coma debating whether one more mince pie will actually kill you. Whenever I reach that food coma stage I like to distract myself with a good book. This year, what with all the different family gatherings, I haven't been able to get stuck into my Christmas books yet! 

I'm sure I will be back in the reading swing soon, especially as I only have one last book to finish and then I will have reached my reading goal of 120 books. That's right y'all I'm on the final book :-) *Applause* *Bows* *Gets back to typing*. 

As you have all probably received lots of lovely books for Christmas and I am a nosy parker and like to know what books people have got, I thought I would create a post for the other people like me! So without further ado let's get into my Christmas book haul and let me tell you I am one lucky girl :-) 

The wonderful Mr. GingerSnap spoiled me with three books this year. He picked up The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams, which shockingly I have never read or watched. This is a funny, deep space chunky novel which I cannot wait to get into!

He stumbled on volume 1 of Archie Comics when searching for Neil Gaiman and as I am a huge Riverdale fan he couldn't resist picking it up. I have been known to read the odd graphic novel and will definitely enjoy this classic all american comic. It'll be so fun to compare Archie, Jughead, Veronica and Betty in their original form to their on-screen counterparts. 

The final book is one I almost picked up for myself and am now so glad I didn't! We spotted Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero whilst browsing the fantasy section of our local Waterstones and the blurb sounded so fun. It's an adult, semi-scary spoof of Scooby Doo, which for any 90's kid sounds like a dream come true. 

My lovely sister in law is one of my favourite people to talk books with and she has very similar tastes to me, so she got it spot-on with her gift. Many years ago I read The Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve as they were released and fell in love with the world he created. The hype around those books has been huge this year as Peter Jackson turned his hand to the first book and created an amazing movie. Seriously guys, read the books and then go see the movie, you will not be disappointed! She very kindly gifted me The Illustrated World Of Mortal Engines, which is a stunning companion book to the series. 

The final book I was gifted is Becoming by Michelle Obama, a book by an amazing woman. My mother in law saw this and knew I would love to read it. Michelle Obama has had an incredible career and always looks so elegant, both in manner and dress. I can't wait to learn more about her life. 

What books did you guys get for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Books I Want To Finish In 2018

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are all feeling suitably festive in the lead up to Christmas! Mr. Gingersnap and I have been frantically wrapping presents and getting food ready, we feel completely taken by surprise this year. Since when did Christmas get so sneaky? I swear it was August 2 weeks ago :-) 

I finished my Goodreads challenge a while ago, but Mr. Gingersnap set me a different challenge too. He set me 120 books to read this year! Brutal, I know. By some miracle I've read 118 books so far and am currently in the middle of two more. I'd love to prove him wrong and finish this challenge so wish me luck guys! 

Finishing two books in the next 7 days doesn't sound too bad, but you have to factor in family Christmas, work on Christmas Eve and after Boxing Day aaaannnd the fact that we still have 3 kittens growing up in our house. Lots of work and so little reading time *sigh*. 

The first book I have left to finish is Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. This is the sequel to Six Of Crows set in the GrishaVerse. I'm about three quarters of the way through this book and am reading it on audiobook so hopefully I can get some reading done while I'm preparing for Christmas! This book follows the dregs as they continue on their epic heist in Ketterdam. This book features magic, wit, dastardly deeds and heart-in-mouth action! 

The second book I'm still reading is A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir, the second book in the An Ember In The Ashes series. I am loving this book! I am just under halfway and cannot wait to binge read the rest one evening. Elias is one of my favourite male protagonists across all YA fantasy. This book also features magic :-P, starting to see a theme at all? This book follows Laia and Elias as they flee across the Empire racing the clock to free Laia's brother from the dangerous Martial prison, Kauf. 

I have a feeling Mr. Gingersnap is going to set me an even harder challenge next year, he was muttering about my ever growing TBR the other day. Lord help me if he sets me the challenge of reading it all before buying any more books! 

Who else has a few books left to finish their challenge? Let me know what your challenges were this year in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Anticipated Book Releases 2019

Hello everyone, 

I hope you are all well and feeling ready to welcome in the new year! In my opinion one of the most exciting things about a new year is the next round of new book releases. I have been keeping my beady eyes on my favourite author's websites and being a total nerd have compiled a list of my most anticipated released for 2019.

I have no photos of these books as they aren't out yet!

So have my weekend breakfast book instead :-) 

Now this is by no means exhaustive and these are all follow-ups to series I am already reading so take a peek and let me know if you think I have missed any out: 

1. The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden 
2. Finale by Stephanie Garber 
3. Beneath the Twisted Trees by Bradley Beaulieu 
4. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo 
5. Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine 
6. Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
7. Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare 
8. Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell

I think that's all of them! Whew I have quite a few exciting books to wait for. I am very excited about finishing off Caraval and Winter of the Witch as I have been reading these series for quite some time, but over-all Beneath the Twisted Trees and Queenslayer are my most anticipated releases! I love these high fantasy series. Both Beaulieu and de Castell have fantastic narrative styles that keep you turning the pages long after the lights should have been switched off. If you are a fan of intrigue, sorcery and complex character relations then you should definitely check out these two series. 

What are you guys excited to read next year? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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December 2018 Book Haul

Hello everyone! 

Time for another monthly book haul, yes I know it is just before Christmas, but I'll probably check in with another haul then. Unfortunately I have been unwell for most of this month so far and have been off work recuperating. This has meant that I have had a lot of reading time as with doctors ordering me on strict rest I haven't been allowed to do much else. Anyone who knows me will understand how frustrating this is as I am usually a very active person! However, I have been able to live vicariously through my favourite book protagonists! 

I have picked up quite a few books this month so far, which is a tad naughty, but hey ho it's the time of year for indulgence! 

The first book I picked up was Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman. This book is a short story taking place after the events of His Dark Materials and follows Lyra on an adventure through Oxford after a mysterious witch's familiar appears in her room. I love this world and have been catching up on the short stories in preparation for reading The Book of Dust next year. 

The next two books come as a pair, as I picked up the first and second books in The No1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I loved the TV series of these books when I was younger and always wanted to pick up these books. They are a wonderful series following Precious Ramotswe after she sets up her detective agency in Botswana. They are filled with intrigue, laughter and heart warming events. I love how easy to digest these books are and they have a real feel good vibe. 

This year I have fallen in love with Sebastien de Castell's writing style, having dived into Spellslinger after Mr. Gingersnap surprised me with it for my birthday. I have been working my way through his books and picked up the third in the series - Charmcaster. This author is one of the funniest writers I have read for a while and he genuinely makes me laugh out loud. This series follows Kellen, a sub-par spell-caster and his adventures with his squirrel cat companion. They are both sarcastic and deeply flawed characters, but it makes them feel so real! Pick up this series if you love the wild west, magic and rude jokes! 

Next I picked up A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir. I devoured An Ember In The Ashes last week and felt an overwhelming need to continue the series as soon as possible. As usual I am late to the party with these books, but at least I can binge the first 3 books without the agonising wait for the next instalments. These books follow Laia and Elias as they navigate the dangerous world of the Martial Empire and the down-trodden scholar race. This book has magic, brutality, political intrigue and jaw dropping plot twists. If you haven't read these yet, join me in my late reading! 

In honour of me going back to work this week I have downloaded my next audiobook Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. I always listen to audiobooks on my drive to and from work as I spend about 10-12 hours each week driving and I don't want to waste this precious reading time! Six Of Crows follows the dregs, a group of criminal misfits as they take on an impossible heist. Six Of Crows was a gripping new take on the GrishaVerse and I absolutely loved it, so I cannot wait to dive into the next one. These audiobooks have multiple narrators so each character has a unique voice, I especially enjoy this aspect of the books as it makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable.

The final book I picked up was Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. I have never heard of this book and know next to nothing about it. A bookseller in Waterstones recommended it to me as a new sci-fi series to read. She described it as "time travellers who make hilarious mistakes" and as "one for the Doctor Who lovers". That had me sold! 

Have you read any of these? What have you picked up this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

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Book Series I Finished In 2018

Hello everyone! 

How are you all? We are rapidly heading towards the end of the year with only 16 days left before we welcome in 2019. We all know what the end of the year means for us readers, all the wrap-ups! So today I will be wrapping up all the series I actually managed to finish this year. 

As many of you will know I am a big series reader, I much prefer them to stand-alone books. In some ways this is great as it means I get to really immerse myself in a new world, but on the flip side it means I am in the middle of a lot of different series and can get quite bogged down and distracted. I decided this year I would try to finish as many series as I could :-) I'll list them in chronological order and talk about my favourites at the end! 

1.  The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare - 5 Stars 
2. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare - 4.5 Stars 
3. Wintersong duology by S. Jae. Jones - 3.5 Stars 
4. The Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman - 5 Stars 
5. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan - 4 Stars 
6. Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - 4 Stars 
7. Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - 4.25 Stars 
8. The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix - 5 Stars

As you can see above I gave the series star ratings overall and hopefully most of you will agree with my ratings! I adored the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare and actually preferred them to the Mortal Instruments. Infernal Devices puts a whole new spin on the Shadowhunter world, placing our main characters in Victorian London. Clare manages to weave such a narrative spell, balancing plot twists, engaging story and heart-wrenching character relationships! I would recommend these to anyone who loves fantasy. 

I listened to the Illuminae Files on audiobook as I had heard they were good and man were they! There was a different narrator for each character and there were all sorts of sound effects, which made the case file format of the story so easy to digest and stay connected to. These books are a triumph of deep space adventure, featuring criminal organisations, deadly viruses, exploding planets and really witty characters. These books are for lovers of Doctor Who! 

It goes without saying that Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series would be a 5 star series. I have been loving these books for years and finally got around to reading the short story collections which accompany the main book series. The series follows a range of characters fighting evil spirits in an almost medieval magic setting. Garth Nix has a fantastic narrative style and can draw in old and young readers with these books. I really hope he continues to write stories set in this world! 

As a parting note, I just want to give a little nod to the adorable Percy Jackson! I really enjoyed diving (see what I did there!) into his world and am quite excited to be including more Rick Riordan series on my lists for 2019. 

What series have you guys wrapped up this year? Let me know your reading plans in the comments below :-)

xoxo

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