Special edition unhaul

Hey, everyone! It’s been a while since I posted an unhaul but recently I have been working my way through some of my special editions (namely Illumicrate but I also have a few from other companies), and I’ve either not enjoyed them or just decided I no longer want to own a physical copy or this specific edition so I’m unhauling them. Let’s get into it!

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross: I read this and I enjoyed it, but not enough for me to want to keep this edition and also buy the sequel. I thought it was too long and I found parts of it boring. I’m not sure if I will read the sequel. I originally wanted to because I liked the ending and wanted to see what happened next but I’m not sure now. If I found the sequel in a charity shop or it was cheap to buy on Kindle, I might consider reading it. I don’t think I’ll actively go out and buy it though.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean: This was on my January wrap-up. I enjoyed it but it did leave me feeling disappointed and I’m not sure whether that was due to the hype surrounding it or because I was expecting something more unique. Overall, it felt very rushed and I think it would have worked better as a series rather than a standalone. I love this edition, especially the stencilled edges but I’m never going to reread it and I’d rather it go to someone who will appreciate it more than me.

Favourite Books of 2022!

Hey, everyone! It’s a little late but I’m sharing my favourite books of 2022 today and I’m so excited to share these amazing books with you. I discovered a lot of these through book tours or being sent an ARC and I’m so grateful to the authors and publishers for gifting me these copies as I’ve discovered some fantastic authors because of it! Here’s my picks for 2022:

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson: Easily the best thriller I’ve read this year. There’s so many thrillers now that are very similar but this is on a whole new level. A country singer on the run from her dark past? Actual songs written into the story and then a real album to go with it? Give it to me! I loved the plot, the characters and the music they create together. AnnieLee, Ethan and Ruthanna breathe so much life into this story and develop so much by the end of the story. I also really enjoyed the insight into the music industry and the sobering reality that it’s not as glamarous as it appears. It’s a very compelling and thought-provoking story.

Book series I’m giving up on

Hey guys! Today I’m going to be sharing with you some book series that I have decided not to finish. I recently went through my shelves and I noticed quite a lot of series that I don’t want to continue with mainly because I’ve lost interest in them or I just didn’t enjoy the first book. So let’s get into it!

Ninth House (Alex Stern) by Leigh Bardugo: I originally said that I was going to continue with this series; however, I’ve completely lost interest in it now. I read it in 2020 and the second book isn’t out until 2023. I can’t remember what happened so I’d have to read the first book again and I honestly don’t want to. I didn’t particularly enjoy it as all the worldbuilding was crammed into the first half of the story, which made it really boring and difficult to get through. I didn’t like Alex either and I’m just not interested in reading more about her.

Roar by Cora Carmack: I read this in 2018 and I really enjoyed it and wanted to continue with this series. However, there’s been no information about the third book or when it will be published and it’s another one that I’ve unfortunately lost interest in now. With so many series being published each year, I’m not going to wait three or four years for one to be finished. I’d rather just give up on it and move on to something else. It’s a shame because I did really enjoy this one but since I don’t know if or when the third book will be published, it’s time to move on.

Review of 2021!

Hey guys! Happy New Year! Today I’ll be looking at my reading year for 2021 and seeing how I did with my goals. I hope you enjoy!

So my reading goal was 80 books and I managed to surpass it by one. It’s not as many books as the past couple of years, but considering how challenging it has been with lockdowns and all the restrictions, I’m pleased that I managed to hit my goal of 80.

Favourite Books of 2021!

Hey guys! Today I’m sharing with you my favourite books of 2021. I honestly thought I wouldn’t have that many to share as I didn’t rate that many books five stars in the first half of the year. However, I discovered so many incredible books in the latter half of 2021 and I am so excited to share them with you. So let’s get into it!

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan: This was my first five star read and my first book by Phoebe Morgan too! I plan on reading more of her books because this was such a rollercoaster. It follows four friends who go on a luxury retreat to South Africa when they reunite for a birthday celebration. Alice, Grace and Hannah agree to meet their friend Felicity there, but once they arrive there’s no sign of Felicity or the party that was promised and they are alone in the wild. I was very impressed with how quickly Morgan managed to create such a menacing setting and it left me constantly on edge because I always had the sense that something bad was going to happen. There was never a dull moment as the book flipped between the past and present as it told the story of how these “Wild Girls” went from being the best of friends to complete strangers. This is a book you’ll start reading and end up devouring in one sitting. It’s a very well-crafted story that oozes tension right from the start and has a killer twist at the end.

Books I Want to Give a Second Chance

Hey guys! Today I am going to be talking about books I want to give a second chance. I’ve picked out five that I started reading but never finished. So let’s get into it!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch:

I bought this when I was on holiday because I really liked the US cover and everyone was saying how great it is. Lots of people have said it’s a mind-bending thriller/sci-fi and it sounds really awesome but when I started reading it I was so bored. I actually picked it up recently and my bookmark is still in there from about two years ago! It has 340 pages and I only got up to page 34 before deciding to DNF it. So I definitely didn’t give this a proper chance and I should have at least read up to page 100 before making that decision. The story follows Jason who’s a pretty ordinary guy with a wife and son, but one night he is abducted and when he wakes up his life is not the one he knows. He begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind and if he dreamed his other life. I can’t really defend myself but I’m just going to say I found those first 34 pages incredibly boring, but I am ashamed I didn’t push through it until I got into the story properly. I will definitely be picking this up again!

My Booksleeve Collection!

Hey guys! I was going through my collection of booksleeves over the weekend and I realised I’ve never actually shared my full collection on my blog. Since I like looking at what collections other people have, I thought it’d be nice to share my own. I have a lot of booksleeves that I’ve either bought myself or received in a subscription box and I do actually use most of them, or I did before the pandemic. I don’t use them as much now since we can’t actually go anywhere but I will go back to using them once it’s safe to travel again. Also, I will list the artist and provide links where possible as some of these I don’t actually know who designed them, unfortunately.

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So first up I have my absolute favourite sleeves ever and these feature Kell and Lila from A Darker Shade of Magic. The first one came in Illumicrate’s collections box, which is probably my favourite box ever because every item was beautiful. The artwork for the booklseeve was by itslopez and look at how beautiful it is! The quote design was by Chatty Nora and they couldn’t have chosen a better quote. I love this sleeve so much! The second one was designed by Jo Painter and I love her artwork so much. You can’t see in the picture but there’s a button stitched on the other side and there’s a clasp at the top so you can easily fasten it. I love that because I swear the amount of times my books start sliding out! It’s very handy being able to button it up at the top. Both booksleeves are massive and you can fit a hardback or a couple paperbacks inside. Very handy if you’re travelling and want to take more than one book with you.

Top Five Favourite Bookish Items From Subscription Boxes

Hey guys! A while back, I wrote a post discussing five bookish items I wanted to see more of in subscription boxes like FairyLoot and Illumicrate and I thought maybe I should talk about my favourite items that have come in those boxes. These are items that I use nearly every day and that I’ve found to be the most useful. I hope you enjoy!

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Mugs

Out of all the items I’ve received from FairyLoot, I’ve probably used the Caraval mug the most because it’s such a nice size and I always use it whenever I have hot chocolate. I use it a lot over Christmas and winter, but I don’t use it as much when the weather’s warmer. This is definitely my favourite mug ever, though. I’ve also used Illumicrate’s Darkdawn mug a couple times, but not as much because it’s a lot bigger than the Caraval one. I think most people display Illumicrate’s mugs but I just use them honestly.

Books I Wish I Could Experience Again For the First Time

Hey guys! Today I’m going to talk about books that I’d love to experience again for the first time and I’m actually surprised I haven’t done this before on my blog. There’s so many books I’d love to read again for the first time, but these ones are really special and I have a different reason for each of them. So let’s get into it!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I read this in 2013 and it has remained one of my all-time favourite books. I’ve talked about it a lot on my blog, especially in book tags. Any opportunity to talk about this book, I’ll grab it with both hands. Literally, any time someone asks me to recommend a book or asks me what my favourite book is, this is always the first one I talk about. I was really hesitant to read it at first because it’s set in Nazi Germany during World War II and I thought that I wouldn’t enjoy it because I was reading young adult and fantasy books at the time but it’s such an emotional and powerful story. It’s so captivating and even though I read it so long ago, I still think of the story and the characters every now and again. I cried so much while I was reading it, especially at the end. It was incredibly sad story, but Death made for such an interesting narrator and it’s what makes this book stand out for me. Now that I’m a lot older, I’m curious to know what my experience would be if I were to read it now. There’s not many books that make me cry now honestly, so I’m wondering if I’d still cry a lot. I probably would, there was a lot of really emotional scenes.