Tag: books

My YALC 2019 Haul – Part 1

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Another year, another amazing time at YALC. If you’re not part of the bookish community in the UK you might not have heard about the Young Adult Literature Convention. Let me tell you it is a treat! A big hall full of panels, authors, publishers, freebies, giveaways and Jason Mamoa sightings. The event is part of London Film and Comic Con and probably my favourite weekend of the year.

This year I decided my posts we going to be all about the books, partly because I came home with 25 new additions (hey! they do great deals) and partly because I was a terrible blogger and took hardly any pictures at all. Not only did I come home with a stack of books but I also met the amazing V.E Scwab (she signed for over 400 people, I was number 362), finally met the lovely Lucy Powrie who wrote The Paper and Hearts Society and Laura Bates a badass feminist who wrote Everyday Sexism, Girl Up and Mysogynation.

It was an absolute dream but let’s get down to what you’re really here for – the books.

I hit up the Barrington Stoke stand and picked up these books. You’ll be hearing a lot more from me about Barrington Stoke – they produce books for young adults with Dyslexia that are actually for young adults.

I picked up The Disconnected by Keren David which is about winning a large sum of money if you can stay disconnected from your phone – perfect for a social media obsessed person! Next up I picked up The Last Days of Archie Maxwell by Annabel Pitcher, which is family centred and gritty from what I’ve been told. And I was also gifted a copy of Firebird by Elizabeth Wein which is set in Russia during WW2. All of these are shorter reads and I’m looking forward to getting through them

Let’s just put it out there, I’ve never read an Adam Silvera book. So of course I bought 3 – What If It’s Us with Becky Albertalli, They Both Die At The End and History Is All You Left Me. I’ve heard really good and emotional things about all of these books so hoping I love them all! I am ready to cry a lot.

I’d not heard of Can Everyone Please Calm Down: A Guide To 21st Century Sexuality before this weekend but it looks like an interesting read. I’m always keen to read more books about sexuality and learn. Next up is The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes a story about a group of women who go after men who hurt women. I’ve wanted to get my hands on this for a little while so it’ll be interesting.

I also picked up another book by Moxie author Jennifer Mathieu – The Truth About Alice. This is a novel about rumours and thinking about what we really know about what we hear? I’m really looking forward to this one.

I also picked up Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan after buying Moonrise at YALC last year and absolutely loving it – the blurb says it has the power to make me ‘laugh and cry’, I’m here for that. Next up is The Stolen Ones, set after WW2 with a mystery element – is Inge who she really thinks she is? And I also picked up You Got This by Bryony Gordon, I love Bryony’s other books (The Wrong Knickers and Mad Girl are the two I’ve read) and this is all about positivity.

And that’s not all! Make sure to come back tomorrow to see the second half of my YALC book haul!

Book Review – Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

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What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

Are you ready for one of your favourite books of the year? You might have seen this book all over social media and rightfully so. I heard about this earlier in the year and so I pre-ordered it and then it went to sold out on the day of release, my local bookshop was also meant to have it on order (I covered my bases) and it had run into issues with the publisher. I waited 2 agonising weeks before I finally got it in my hands. It was SO worth it.

Our protagonist is Alex, the first son of the United States after his mother becomes president he meets all kinds of people along with his sister June and their best friend Nora. One of those is Prince Henry of Wales and the two instantly hate each other. So when they both cause a scandal at a royal wedding it’s time for damage control, but no one intends for it to become more.

To me, and a lot of other people on the internet, this book is perfection and as it’s a debut I can’t believe how well written it is. I fell in love with Alex and Henry equally as an enemies to friends to lovers situation unfolds. They really came alive to me as did the other characters. I adored all of the other characters too June and Nora were amazing and the book has so much representation I could write a whole post on just that.

It’s also told in a mix of Alex’s perspective and emails between the two which I absolutely loved and adds to the humor and romance of the two. These are two guys trying to work out their feelings and falling in love. They make mistakes, they try and navigate whether they can make it work with such public lives – all in all they just feel like real people.

It is worth noting that this is very much a New Adult novel meaning, yes, there are sex scenes and they are excellent. The author doesn’t shy away from the fact that two young people in love will have sex *shocker*. But it’s definitely done in a natural way, there’s no scandal about sex and it happens when it happens. It was quite refreshing to read about characters having a sex life not just ‘and then we went to the bedroom..’ because sex actually happens.

What makes this book so worthy of all the praise it is getting is that this is a genuine love story that many of us would love to see in the world. The sons of two of the most powerful families in the world falling in love? I’d love to see that and maybe one day we will see more LGBT representation in powerful positions. My heart melted for these characters and I loved getting to know their lives, their friends and you can bet I carried on thinking about this book long after I finished it.

Is there any other rating I could have given this book other than 5 stars? I’ve been recommending this book to everyone I think would enjoy it. It’s a truly wonderful novel and definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year.

My5 YALC 2019 Book Recommendations

My 5 YALC 2019 Book Recommendations

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YALC is fast becoming one of my favourite events of the year a whole convention of bookish people. My kind of people. Last year I had such a great time I had to split my post into 2, part 1 was about the day itself and part 2 was my huge haul. This year I’ll only be going on the Saturday but with 3 days of amazing authors I wish I was going for all 3, maybe next year I’ll treat myself.

Here are 5 books and authors that will be appearing this year who I highly recommend checking out.

Heartstopper Volume 1 & 2 – Alice Oseman (appearing Friday)

Alice Oseman is an incredible writer with three novels under her belt, one amazing graphic novel and her second graphic novel out in July she is killing it. Aslo after following her on social media for the past year she seems like a lovely person too.

Heartstopper is a sweet story of two guys falling for each other and is one of the most wonderful graphic novels I’ve ever read, review here. It has all the heart and feels you need and as I write I have volume 2 staring at me to devour once I’ve finished writing this (see, always thinking of you guys first). Also her novel, Radio Silence is one of my favourite YA novels.

The Paper & Hearts Society – Lucy Powrie (appearing Saturday)

The lovely Lucy Powrie announced her first novel and the promise was a novel about books and friendships. I was gifted a copy by the publisher to give a review after requesting it.

If you like to read about bookish love, friendships and tackling anxieties. You can read my full review here.

The Exact Opposite of Okay & A Girl Called Shameless – Laura Steven (appearing Friday)

Ok I might have slipped 2 in here but they are part of a series and I love them equally. Laura Steven is one of my favourite YA authors and these two novels are absolutely hilarious. Fun, feminist and fiesty I don’t think I could recommend this more.

You can read my review of the first book The Exact Opposite of Okay here.

One of Us Is Lying – Karen M McManus (appearing Saturday)

This was an excellent thriller that I read back in 2017, think The Breakfast Club with added murder. I absolutely loved it, I haven’t gotten to her latest release Two Can Keep A Secret.

If you’re looking for a good thriller I’d recommend picking this up before the next in the series comes out. My review is here.

The Year I Didn’t Eat – Samuel Pollen (appearing Sunday)

I was asked earlier in the year if I’d like to be sent a copy of Samuels debut novel about a young boy with an eating disorder. This is a really important book that I hope does well because it truly deserves to.

We’re really lacking in YA books with male protagonists who have eating disorders, I can only think of two I have ever read. You can read my full review here.

What are you looking excited forward to at YALC this year? Have you read any of the above? Let me know in the comments below!

Q&A With Melanie Blake, Author Of The Thunder Girls

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Melanie Blake is a pretty big deal – when you hear the term self-made woman she embodies it. As if being one of the UK’s leading music and entertainment managers wasn’t enough, Melanie has now turned author with the much anticipated novel. The Thunder Girls is here and it’s set to be the perfect summer read.

When I was asked to partner with Midas PR I jumped at the chance and a brilliant launch party I was able to get Melanie to answer a few questions.

Q: What was the main motivation for writing this novel? 

A: The characters had been in my consciousness for as long as I can remember and in a way their voices were so powerful, I had no choice but to tell their story. I do feel like The Thunder Girls are real and I guess I’m sort of like a medium they’ve shared their story through. Often when I would write, their voices were so strong I would find myself typing away almost in a trance and even when I read it back to edit, I was so engrossed- I knew I was onto a winner.

Q: Female friendship is at the centre of the novel, why do you think this isn’t something widely seen in novels? 

A: Publishers – lots of men are in power in publishing which is why you see so many male crime writers and not so many women writing about crime. What they fail to understand is that friendships are what make or break our lives so everyone who’s ever lived can identify with my book because we’ve all had those relationships, good and bad.

Q: Who were your writing inspirations? 

The women that influenced me to write in my early career where Jackie Collins, Lynda La Plante, Martina Cole, Judith Krantz, Jilly Cooper and Helen Fielding.

Q: Your characters are working class – what’s your advice for the modern working-class women? 

A: Never accept “no” for an answer. Never expect anyone to validate you. There’s an inherent stigma against working class, which is why you see so many successful working class and regional people often change their accents once they become successful. I never wanted to be part of ‘that club’. Being different is what makes us unique, despite what anyone tells you, never change. I spent my whole life being told “no” and when I stopped asking for approval, I started getting what I wanted. No-one is in charge of your own destiny but yourself. It doesn’t matter where you’re, from if you have a dream you must follow it.

Q: Do you consider this a feminist book? 

A: 100% – although on initial reading you don’t realise it is until you get halfway through. I’m not going to spoil the story but to say that it’s clear by the way it ends that these women know their own minds and bow to no man.

Q: And finally, what is one thing you want people to take away from reading this book? 

A: I want them to feel like they’ve been on an adventure, a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride that has moved them, made them laugh, made them cry, shocked them and warmed their hearts all at the same time, there’s a lot going on in this book.

A huge thank you to Melanie, Pan Macmillan, EDPR and Midas PR for this opportunity and my copy in exchange for this interview.

The Thunder Girls by Melanie Blake is out now, published by Pan Macmillan, priced £7.99 in paperback original. 

Book Review: The Hormone Diaries: The Bloody Truth About Our Periods – Hannah Witton

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If you haven’t noticed, I think Hannah Witton is a great YouTuber and also seems like a lovely person. I’ve watched her channel for a few years now and loved her first book, Doing It so when she announced a book tied to her series The Hormone Diaries, I was in.

The book is a great mix of informative and funny with some great notes from Hannah around the edges. While this is definitely aimed at an older audience (hooray!) I still learnt so much, and this is from someone who’s been having periods for about 12 years at this point. There was so much I didn’t know!

Covering letters from Hannah’s followers around the world they addressed to things you might not expect like, ‘Dear my period’, ‘Dear my pill’ and ‘Dear menstrual cup’ . While it is amusing it’s also great to see so many experiences of hormones, contraception and the like. I found myself laughing, sympathising and nodding along the whole way through this book.

What I didn’t expect to feel when reading was powerful. I wanted to get up and shout I AM A MENSTRATOR because, if you think about it, we’re pretty badass. And although, in my opinion, periods are shit, most contraception is a nightmare and the thought of giving birth makes my vagina scream in protest – our bodies are bloody marvelous.

This is probably the most inviting book I’ve read in a long time in regards to the gender spectrum. Hannah doesn’t just assume that everyone who has a period identifies as a woman. She has used inclusive language throughout which is definitely the way forward. While I’m a cis female I can understand how this can be a big thing for others. Go Hannah!

It’s worth pointing out that thanks to Hannah and her book I’m now part of a wonderful group on Facebook where we all talk about hormones and periods. It’s fantastic and I’m so glad so much conversation has come out of this book – and will continue to!

Is it any surprise that I gave this 5 stars. A great book and, once again, Hannah has pulled it out of the bag. I highly recommend this to anyone who gets a period or has to battle with estrogen on a regular basis.

What I Read June 2019

What I Read in June 2019

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Hello, hello, hello!

June turned out to be a fantastic month for new releases, out of the 8 books I got through, half of them were new and I loved all 4! So, let’s crack on with what I read in June.

First up, Saved as Draft by N.D. Chan this was send to me by the publisher via Netgalley and is a mix of poetry and prose on their own relationships. I gave this 3 stars, while there were parts I enjoyed it wasn’t that memorable for me.

Next was a book I knew I needed as soon as I read, Royals – now renamed Prince Charming, the first in the series earlier this year. All I will say is enemies to lovers with a bisexual protagonist. It’s really sweet and I read it in a matter of hours – 5 stars.

It’s been a really long time since I read Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and I used to read it every summer growing up, I was feeling a bit down so I thought going back to one of my favourite books of all time was a good idea. I fell back into the world and of course it’s a 5 star read. Duh!

I also picked up some new poetry in June, now I will admit this was a cover buy. It is such a beautiful cover, I couldn’t say no. This Is The Journey was great introduction to Alison Malee, I’ll be trying her other works to see how I get on, I gave this 3 stars.

I listened to Phoebe Robinsons second book Everything’s Trash But It’s Ok after loving her first last year. Phoebe is absolutely hilarious but also has some great points about burnout, body image and recent politics. I’d highly recommend the audiobook because Phoebe is hilarious, 4.5 stars.

Also this month (a great one for new releases) was the amazing Hannah Wittons latest book The Hormone Diaries – The Bloody Truth About Our Periods. This was an excellent look at hormones, periods and sex and once again Hannah has done a great job, 5 stars and a review coming soon!

My final two books I didn’t think would make it by the end of the month that drove me INSANE because they are two of my most anticipated reads. Red, White and Royal Blue is one of the best, sweetest and most wonderful books. It’s up there as one of my favourites. The fictional First Son of the United States falls in love with the Prince of Wales. If that doesn’t pull you in I don’t know what will.

And finally some of my faves, The Try Guys , released their first book The Hidden Power of F*cking Up which went right in as a New York Times Number 1! This book is all about trying, failing and everything in between. I love their Youtube channel and they have done so well in the first year of a new business, a tour, a book. They are on FIIIIIIIRE! 5 stars, it really made me think about what I was doing with myself and how important failing is.

A good month for reading I think! What did you read? Let me know in the comments below.

Book Review: Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Told through interviews with the band and those closest to them, the history of Daisy Jones & The Six is laid bare, although some accounts vary. Each band member takes us through the late 60s and early 70s telling a story of what those years meant to them and ultimately what destroyed them.

I’d heard people say they fell in love with this book but I didn’t know how much I would fall in love with this book. Within a single novel I knew that Taylor Jenkins Reid was going to be one of my favourite authors – I immediately downloaded a few of her books in audiobook format after finishing Daisy Jones.

The fact that Jenkins Reid has been able to write an entire book in interviews and not leave out anything or feel like the reader is missing out was incredible. I also felt like we could really get to know each individual character, understand them and their motives and it really rounded out the plot.

It may come as a surprise to some, but my favourite character was Camilla. She was absolutely incredible, a strong woman who knew her own heart and did what was best for her and her relationships. She was a voice of reason and I just loved her so, so much. To be fair this is a novel full of incredible women, so there’s a lot of love all around.

This novel lived in my head for weeks after reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, I made my own 70s playlist and wondered about what would have happened after. It is the sign of a truly great novel and great writer for that to happen. The band felt so real, personally, I’d love for the songs written in the book to be performed by recording artists for us to enjoy.

Is it any surprise that I gave this novel 5 stars? This was probably my favourite book of the year so far (in close competition with The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, another novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid). I truly felt like this was real, I wanted to go and listen to music by The Six, hear Daisy’s soul in her voice. Absolutely incredible and I’ve been trying to make everyone read it.

The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag 2019

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As of the morning of 1st June I had read a total of 47 books this year, according to Goodreads I’m 6 books ahead of schedule for my 100 book goal (although, really I’d like to get 120). I feel like that’s a good variety to post the Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag! I also did this tag last year and it was really fun. So let’s see what I’m loving this year.

Best Book Of The Year So Far

So far I think it’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! I know I’m so late to the party and I actually read Daisy Jones & The Six first but Evelyn is my favourite.

I listened to this on Audible and the narration was absolutely perfect, I was listening to it every waking moment and got through it super quickly and now I recommend it to everyone.

A New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

Red,White and Royal Blue is probably my most anticipated read of the summer. I’ve been watching everyone in the US raving over this book and I am so desperate for my copy! An LGBTQ romance with a royal element? Gimme, gimmie, gimmie!

Most Anticipated Release Of Autumn/Winter

I loved P.S I Love you and the fact that there is going to be a follow up made me so happy. So, of course I’ve ordered Postscript by Cecelia Ahern which comes out the day after my birthday. Seems like a good start to turning 25.

Biggest Disappointment Of The Year So Far

I hate this questions but it has to be The Mermaids Voice Returns In This One by Amanda Lovelace. I loved her previous 2 poetry collections in the series The Princess Saves Herself In This One and The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One and I love mermaids but this just seemed rushed to me unfortunately.

Biggest Surprise So Far

Your Heart Is The Sea was sent to me by the publisher and I’ve read Gill’s poetry before and it was okay but then this came in the post. This is the first collection I’ve felt a deep connection with, I felt like this was written for me. I related to every page and really hope to read more of this from Gill in the years to come.

New Favourite Author

Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’m obsessed with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books. I got through 2 full novels and a shorter story within a matter of weeks. The characters are so alive and lived within my head for a long time after I finished reading.

So, I’m slowly making my way through all of her books and I’ll be watching her social media for her next amazing book, although as Daisy Jones came out not so long ago I know it’ll be worth the wait!

Your Newest Favourite Character

There is no character that jumps out as my new favourite so far!

A Book That Made You Cry

The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton is about a man who spends decades in prison not only for a crime he didn’t commit, but could not have been involved in at all. His only crime was being poor and black and this was a tough read. A beautifully written book that broke my heart.

A Book That Made You Happy

Are you ready for one of the CUTEST books you’ve ever read? Heartstopper by Alice Oseman made my heart so happy it’s a really sweet graphic novel about friendship and love. So, so, sweet.

The Most Beautiful Book So Far

Out of books I’ve read it’s Five Feet Apart not only is this a beautifully written (and emotional) book, this cover is absolutely beautiful it’s such a delicate design too. Love, love, love it.

What have you loved so far this year? I’d love to hear your recommendations below!

Book Review: Voices Of Powerful Women by Zoe Sallis

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Voices of Powerful Women is a very unique book. A range of questions are asked to powerful women, some of them you will know, others you might not. For me, there were quite a few I didn’t know but I still got a lot out of their responses. Featuring politicians, environmentalists, humanitarians, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, actors, world leaders and Nobel Peace Prize winners there is a real variety.

When I requested this on Netgalley, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t really want to know too much. Reading the opinions of successful women? Of course, I would want to read it. While it took me a little to get into the format when I did I flew through it, although I did take some breaks to look up the women in more detail.

I will say there are some voices in the book that didn’t seem to add much, Yoko Ono being one of them. I felt her answers didn’t really add anything to a wider conversation, it was usually only a sentence or two. Whereas other women seemed to give really thoughtful and insightful.

This would make a great resource for anyone who is doing a little bit of soul searching. I know it made me really question the world around me as well as the answers I would have given to these questions if they were asked to me.

To give you an idea of the kinds of opinions and the women you will read from when reading this book, the following women contributed; Isabel Allende, Christiane Amanpour, Maya Angelou, Hanan Ashrawi, Joan Baez, Benazir Bhutto, Mary Kayitesi Blewitt, Emma Bonino, Shami Chakrabarti, Jung Chang, Kate Clinton, Marie Colvin, Marion Cotillard, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Carla Del Ponte, Judi Dench, Shirin Ebadi, Tracey Emin, Jane Fonda, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Dagmar Havlová, Swanee Hunt, Bianca Jagger, Nataša Kandić, Kathy Kelly, Martha Lane Fox, Dame Ann Leslie, Professor Wangari Maathai, Mairead Maguire, Mary McAleese, Soledad O’Brien, Sinéad O’Connor, Yoko Ono, Mariane Pearl, Kim Phuc, Paloma Picasso, Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, Paula Rego, Louise Ridley, Mary Robinson, Jody Williams.

Overall, I gave this 4 stars. This was a really intriguing read and when I finished I felt empowered by the words I had read as well as the women whose voices I was reading. A really excellent collection would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for my copy in exchange for a fair an honest review.

April & May 2019 Favourites

April & May 2019 Favourites!

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Ok, we’re playing catch up a little bit! I could say there wasn’t enough in April to be excited about but in all honesty I forgot. I thought I’d written it, then I was too late. You guys know how life gets. BUT we’re back with my April and May favourites. Let’s jump in

  • a-girl-called-shameless-laura-steven

Books

April was the month I discovered Taylor Jenkins Reid one of my new all time favourite authors! I read three of her books in less than 2 weeks. Daisy Jones and The Six was an incredible look at a band in the 1970s and it just felt so real, I’ll have a review on that soon. Following that I listened to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and was transported to old Hollywood – I would 100% recommend the audiobook.

I also read the next book in the Izzy O’Neill series by Laura Steven and I loved it so much! I laughed, got emotional and have been recommending it to everyone. I also got my order of White Rose on the day of release this is a novel about Sophie Scholl written in verse and was a interesting way of looking at The White Rose society.

And last, but not least, I was able to get an advance reader copy of Lucy Powrie’s The Paper and Hearts Society. It’s absolutely adorable and a book for book lovers. I was sent a copy of this for review and I can’t wait to share that with you this month!

Watching

I’ve been actually spending more time than usually watching TV and movies because two of my favourites have ended. It’s been emotional guys. One I haven’t watched yet was the end of the Big Bang Theory – one of my favourite shows as a teenager, I’ll get to it eventually.

Firstly we got to the final of the Avengers films as we know them, I was in a cinema at 8am on a Friday morning to watch and cried so hard I gave myself a headache. I loved it. That said, I think I’m going to need a bit of time before I watch it again because, boy, was that emotional.

Then the following Monday we had the end of Game of Thrones and, I thought it was ok – not exactly how I would have ended it but the series itself had some of the best cinematography I’ve ever seen. I definitely think we needed a longer season or another 2 seasons so it didn’t feel as rushed.

I also had a bit of a Netflix binge and finally watched Bodyguard, yes I’m well aware I’m a year late to the party. I really enjoyed it and am keeping my fingers crossed for a second season. Next on the list is Killing Eve before the second season is released in the UK in June.

Life

April

April was pretty quiet and I spent most of my time either working or at home BUT I did end up with some new glasses 🤓. I also found my wedding venue! It’s absolutely beautiful and more than I could have imagined. I’m absolutely in love with it!

Unfortunately, April was our last month full month with Wickett, as he passed away in May but I love this picture of him nibbling on some Broccoli. I also picked up these beautiful earrings from local designer Hannah Viner (her website is here). I’ve been wearing them constantly and they’re so sweet.

May

May on the other hand was pretty busy. My lovely Mum bought me a set for my business with branded goodies, I absolutely love it. Next up I FINALLY got my first Loungefly bag which I’ve wanted for ages and, of course, it has Ewoks on it including Wickett.

I also had my friend Sarah’s Hen Do in London, the Wellcome Book Prize ceremony and a meeting that deserved a Lola’s Cupcake. I got my hair coloured so hello red and we bought home two new hammies, Ghost and Nymeria.

What did you get up to in April and May? I’d love to hear below!