August Mini Reviews

In August I managed to write a grand total of zero reviews for books which I read through out the month, so instead of just not talking about the books, I've decided to compile lots of little reviews into one post labelled 'mini reviews.' I hope you enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

My rating: ★★★★★

Hearing about this new Harry Potter play had me feeling a mixture of excitement and dread, having new Harry Potter content was something I never really expected to have. But I was worried that having it in a play form would lack depth and just feel like fan fiction. This book was definitely a completely different reading experience and it really surprised me with the direction that it took. But to be honest, I still haven't really made up my mind about this new installment, however I will say that I really enjoyed reading it. It brought back a whole load of Harry Potter emotions and it was definitely enjoyable to read. Yet part of me refuses to accept it as the '8th Harry Potter book' because the Deathly Hallows gave such perfect closure. To put it simply, I don't really know where I stand with this book, but the fact that I really enjoyed reading it leads me to give it 5 stars.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
My rating: ★★★★★
I'd been meaning to get to this contemporary romance for years, but it was never released properly in the UK. But back in December I was so excited when I saw it in the book store (I bought it immediately) then saved it for the summer because it seemed like the perfect beach read. I absolutely adored Fitzpatrick's writing style and story telling, for a contemporary book it was quite long but there was never a dull moment. Although the main character was a little bit frustrating, I loved how this book went deeper than just being a romance and really explored family values. I will definitely be picking up more by this author when I need my next fix of contemporary romance. 

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: ★★★✩✩

Being a massive fan of Bracken's The Darkest Minds trilogy, I bought this book to see if it would live up to her previous books. I had also seen rave reviews and the premise was really interesting to me. Time travel is always a really interesting subject to explore in books and I also adore History... But sadly I was a little bit disappointed. This book completely dragged for me and by the end I was so glad that it was over. I felt like the plot was so well thought out, but I didn't have any emotional connection to the characters so the book just ended up dragging. I flew through the first 100 pages and the book held real promise, but it took me the whole of August to finish the rest of the book and I felt that it was way too long for what it was. Like I mentioned though, I really thought that the plot was extremely well thought out- but I don't think I'll be picking up the next book.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them!

Wrapping Up August

The fact that August is over is a little bit scary; to me July only felt like yesterday. Soon the summer will be over and (for me at least) it will be back to school, beginning my last year before going off to university. So I am currently digging out my school folders and wishing it was still August. I had a great month of chilling out and making the most of these last few summer days...

Books
-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling- ★★★★★
-My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick- ★★★★★
-Passenger by Alexandra Bracken- ★★★✩✩
I spent the majority of the month reading Passenger which was a book which really dragged for me, I had high expectations so I was a little disappointed. But in between reading it I picked up The Cursed Child (of course) as well as My Life Next Door which I absolutely loved.  

Music
The songs I had on repeat this month-

• The Temper Trap- Fader
• Suga- Agust D
• Dodie Clark- 6/10
• Exo- Lotto
• The Vaccines- 20/20
• Lorde- Tennis Court (Flume Remix)
• Jungle- Busy Earnin'

Film/ TV

August was definitely the month that I fell in love with the film Dirty Dancing, so much so that I watched it twice in one day a few weeks ago. I am definitely one of those people who watches films on repeat (I can't tell you how many times I've watched Clueless), I wish my life was a rendition of Dirty Dancing.

I also went to the cinema to watch Suicide Squad. I am personally not a fan of DC, but was really intrigued by the premise of this latest film... The film fell flat for me and I feel that it wasn't very well made, but I enjoyed the characters of Harley Quinn and The Joker (yet without those two characters, I don't think the film would have had a leg to stand on).

I have two new TV obsessions this month which have taken over my life. The first is Community, I watch at least three episodes a day and I just can't get over how good it is. This show is so cleverly made and I can see it being a long term obsession. 

My other obsession is for the TV show Stranger Things (like everyone else on the planet), I finished it earlier in the month, but I still cannot stop thinking about it and I need season 2. I'm thinking of writing a whole post dedicated to this show because its truly amazing, (The best show I have ever watched?)

September for me is definitely going to be a quiet one, as of right now I have no plans, except school and work. I am hoping to make a few exciting plans for 2017 and to try some new things this coming month, making the most of the quiet time. 

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

'Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe.
 Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.'

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
My rating- ★★★★★
Genre- Fantasy, romance, LGBT, young adult
Non spoiler review

I read this book a month ago and am only just writing this review... Whoops. The fact of the matter is, I couldn't not write a review for this book because I absolutely adored it.
For those who don't know, Carry On is a spin off of Rainbow's other book, Fangirl. Cath's character from Fangirl is obsessed with the book series 'Simon Snow' (which is like the Harry Potter of her world) and she writes fan fiction about it. Rainbow Rowell described Carry On as being her own personal interpretation of the world of Simon Snow.
I have to admit, upon hearing about this book I was pretty sure I wasn't going to pick it up. When reading Fangirl, I wasn't that interested in the Simon Snow aspect of the book and saw it as being just another version of the Harry Potter story. So when Carry On was announced, I wasn't initially going to read it. The truth is, I was wrong and should have trusted Rainbow Rowell. As the hype grew and everyone started loving it, I decided to just give it a shot and I'm so glad that I did.
Being British, I would like to first of all thank Rainbow for the truly incredible British-isms. There were so many references in this book to British culture which I wasn't expecting from an American author and I loved it. For someone so used to reading American books (so much so that the other day I spelt 'Mum', 'Mom') it was definitely a pleasant surprise. 
Rainbow Rowell is full of pleasant surprises through out this whole book, she creates a world which is reminiscent of Harry Potter, but at no point is it a rip off. This may have been my worst fear going into the book, but Rainbow creates her own, unique story which had me turning the pages constantly. Simon Snow wasn't a cookie cutter character, I found him so realistic because he had genuine struggles. 

'You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.'

Rainbow always seems to create voices for unheard people. In Carry On, she presents two gay main characters, something which I believe is so lacking in popular young adult fiction, it is so great to see diversity in any form. We definitely need more LGBT books in the YA section of the bookstore.
Another reason why I am now part of the Rainbow Rowell fan club is that she is a crazy talented writer. Whilst many authors stick to the one genre, Rainbow has managed to create amazing books in both the contemporary and fantasy genres (also producing young adult and adult books). I love how she challenges herself as a writer and think that its super cool that she can create such intricate fantasy worlds whilst also writing a killer contemporary.
One of my favourite parts of Carry On was the unique and fun magic system. To cast a spell in this world, the wizards use famous sayings and song lyrics which I found to be so clever and creating each spell must have taken Rainbow ages! 

'It's like being a fairy named Mary,' he goes on. 'Or a vampire named Gampire,' I say. 'Gampire isn't even a proper name, Snow. You're terrible at this game.'

I feel like if I had one word to describe this book, it would be 'charming.' You can't help but fall in love with the world that Rainbow creates, the characters are funny and the overall tone of the book was light and fun, but also had its serious moments which made it feel real. The story is extremely compelling, there are mysteries weaved into the plot and so many different twists which I really didn't see coming.
For once, I enjoyed that the book was told from many different character perspectives because each person had a different interpretation of events. My personal favourite character to read from was Baz, I loved his wit which was constantly lightening situations in the novel. 
I would love to see Rainbow release some kind of a follow up to this book because there are a *few* unresolved issues which I would be very interested in reading about (please, Rainbow..) Yet the ending of the book was pretty perfect, I loved the closure at the end, I felt such a familiarity with the characters by the end of the book- like I had read about them for an entire series (Like with Harry Potter). 
If you couldn't already tell, I would highly recommend this book. Let me know if you have read Carry On! If not, I would suggest checking it out for sure, especially if you are looking to read something a little bit different. 

Book Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

'Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?'

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
My rating- ★★★✩✩
Genre- Contemporary, romance, self-discovery
Non-spoiler review

Summer calls for a good contemporary. I love sitting in the sun and reading a book that I can relate to and a book that has true emotion in it. For me, a good contemporary is one that has me turning the pages without even realising that I'm doing it. That was how I felt reading The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler, I absolutely adored the emotion and heart that went into it. Since then, I have read nearly every book by her and the latest one I picked up was Fixing Delilah.
Unfortunately, I did not love Fixing Delilah as much as I had hoped; I didn't feel as connected to the story in comparison to other Ockler books which I've read in the past. However that is not to say that I 'disliked' this book, because I did enjoy Delilah's story, I just felt a little more detached. Perhaps its just that my expectations were raised too high due to my absolute love for The Book of Broken Hearts.
Fixing Delilah centres around family and this aspect of the book is hugely important to Delilah's story. Often in the young adult genre (or just in my personal reading experience) family is not a central theme and can sometimes be missed out completely, so I really appreciated the way that Ockler dealt with this. Every member of Delilah's family had their own issues and they were never glossed over- mental illness is seen through out the novel and it made the book feel realistic because in the real world, things aren't 100% perfect all the time. I love this about Ockler as an author, every book I've read by her has discussed serious topics which, ultimately, need addressing. 
One thing I did love in this book, and every Ockler novel, is the writing. From the very first page of Fixing Delilah, I fell straight back into her beautiful writing which always manages to captivate me. 

"Sometimes I wonder if my whole life will pass by this way: me waiting in the shadows, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone else to make it happen."

I'm kind of a sucker for romance in books and I'm totally not ashamed of that fact. But the romance in Fixing Delilah wasn't outstanding for me, it was a little underwhelming because Patrick felt pretty unrealistic. He was exactly what I would call the 'typical teenage boy' character; by this I mean that he didn't have any flaws at all and personally I just can't connect with that because it doesn't feel true, I feel like I've read his character a million times before. I didn't hate the guy but sometimes it felt like Delilah only wanted to be with him because he was there and he was cute. 
Completely opposite to this, however, was how I felt about Delilah. I loved Delilah's story arc because it felt so genuine, her story doesn't wrap up in a neat little bow at the end of the book, which made it all feel more truthful. Delilah is such a great depiction of a teenage girl, her thoughts and feelings were easy to connect to through out the story.

"In your entire life, you can probably count your true friends on one hand. Maybe even on one finger. Those are the friends you need to cherish, and I wouldn't trade one of them for a hundred of the other kind."

Yet, there was something about this novel which left me feeling slightly disconnected. The book didn't have any major flaws and I definitely didn't hate it, I simply wasn't emotionally invested. 
I recommend this book to contemporary lovers and to people looking for a quick and easy read. However, if you are someone who wants to try out a Sarah Ockler book for the first time, I would point you in the direction of The Book of Broken Hearts, which I absolutely adored. If you've read Fixing Delilah, let me know what you thought of it! I'm a tiny bit disappointed that I didn't love it, but I still love Sarah Ockler as an author. Thanks so much for reading this review, 
-Darcy

Booktubeathon Wrap Up!

The Booktubeathon is over (sad face), meaning that its the time to wrap up the reading which I did this week. So I'll give you a heads up and say that I did not read a crazy amount of books this week. School, work and a back injury kind of got in the way a little, but considering the circumstances I'm pretty happy with what I read. I would also like to say a massive thank you to Ariel Bissett for making this whole thing happen and having it run smoothly for yet another year, she is the bomb. 
I'm wishing that I could pretend I read seven books like so many others did but I did only read 2 full books during this readathon and then 100 pages of another book, but I'm fine with this because its more than I would have read had it not been the Booktubeathon...

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★★
A book with yellow on the cover
Carry On completely blew away my expectations for it. When it was first announced, I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading it because I'm so used to Rainbow as a contemporary author. But this book was amazing, I am so glad I chose to read it for the Booktubeathon, it was so fun and easy to read even though it was quite big. Definitely a 5 star book overall, review to come.  

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins ★★★✩✩
A book you discovered through Booktube
Picking up Hex Hall, I wanted something quick and fun, and it definitely delivered. It wasn't a writing master-piece and didn't exactly blow me away, but it was fast paced and kept me turning the pages (perfect for a readathon) so I'm giving it 3 stars. Though I kind of wish I had read it when I was younger to enjoy it a little more.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Read a book by one of your favourite authors
This is the book which I didn't finish, but crammed in 100 pages of right at the end of the readathon. So far I am really enjoying it and will be carrying it on over the next couple of days. Alexandra Bracken always completely immerses me in her writing and I can't wait to get back to reading it. But sadly I cannot say that I completed this challenge.

I am so sad that this week of reading is over, I have loved taking part in the challenges and discovering new members of the online reading community. Roll on Booktubeathon 2017! Thanks so much for reading (as always) and I will see you very soon,
-Darcy

Booktubeathon TBR!

Its that time of year again! Booktubeathon begins at midnight tonight and I cannot wait to get reading. If you have no idea as to what I'm referring to, then check out the Booktubeathon Youtube channel where you can find out all about it. The basic idea is that thousands of readers join together to read as much as they possibly can in one week whilst completing challenges on all kinds of platforms. Every year I have the best time participating in this readathon and I can't wait for a week full of reading, creating content and socialising with other people who love to read. This year I've been a tad too ambitious and therefore my pile of books is extremely unrealistic (I am never going to finish them all...) but you can bet that I'm gonna try. 

Challenge #1
Read a book with yellow on the cover
For this challenge I have chosen Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I've been waiting 6 months to read this book and I'm super excited about it. So many people have said that its just like reading Harry Potter, which I am totally down for.

Challenge #2
Read a book only after sunset
I decided that this challenge called for a gothic book and I cannot wait to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley under cover of darkness. I've wanted to read this book for so long and this will be a challenge but I'm ready to finally get to this classic.

Challenge #3
Read a book you discovered through booktube
For this I chose Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, this is a short and fun book which I'm hoping I can read quickly (in the spirit of the Booktubeathon) This is one that is constantly recommended on Booktube so I'm hoping to like it as much as others have in the past.


Challenge #4
Read a book by one of your favourite authors
Having loved her trilogy The Darkest Minds, I decided to pick Alexandra Bracken's Passenger for this challenge. Realistically, I probably won't finish this book during Booktubeathon due to its size, but whats the Booktubeathon without a little challenge?

Challenge #5
Read a book that is older than you
Technically I could just use Frankenstein for this challenge, but I wanted to make my TBR pile more difficult to complete and so I've chosen Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This classic has always interested me (maybe its due to that one Friends episode where Joey reads it) and it seems to be a must read, so I'm ready to dive in.

Challenge #6
Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
This is another long book which will prove a challenge, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory has been one I've wanted to get to for so long. I love history and am currently studying Tudor England for my A Level so it will definitely be interesting to see how accurate it all is! I am also desperate to watch the film adaptation which has a fantastic cast.

Challenge #7
Read seven books
I doubt I will read 7 books due to lack of time, but I would really like to get to Firesong  by William Nicholson. The first book in this trilogy, The Wind Singer was my favourite book as a child (I've read it a million times) but I've never read the third book. Even if I don't get to it this week I will definitely be giving it a read this summer. 

I am totally ready for this week of reading, I'm all set up for snacks and I have a feeling that this is going to be a great Booktubeathon. Will you be participating this year? If so, let me know! Thank you so much for reading this post and I will see you very soon!
-Darcy

Wrapping Up June!

June was a weird one for me, having finished a month of extremely intense revision for my AS exams back in May, I suddenly found myself having free time, leading to a strange feeling of disorientation. Going from having every second filled with stuff to do, to doing basically nothing was a little jarring to say the least. But the free time meant that I could do more reading, spend more time with my friends and achieve nothing in a day without feeling too guilty. Overall June was a good one. So today (having been absent for way too long- sorry!) I am going to wrap up my month!

Books

-The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson- ★★★★✩

-Hopeless by Colleen Hoover- ★★★★✩

-Red Rising by Pierce Brown- ★★★★✩

Although three books in one month is pitiful to most readers, it was definitely a step up for me in consideration to my previous couple of months. Exams meant that I had little to no time to read, so getting back into reading has been lovely. The three books I read were all solid reads which I would recommend, Red Rising was definitely an unexpected surprise for me; along with the fun of The Unexpected Everything and the addictive Hopeless, I definitely had a good reading month in June.

Music

Queen and Adam Lambert, photo
credit to my best friend Annabel

The month of June is always exciting for me living on the Isle of Wight, as we get one of the biggest music festivals in the country right on our doorstep every year. That being the Isle of Wight festival, which has hosted some incredible acts over the years. This year I decided that I just HAD to go, which I do not regret one bit. I had a blast with my best friends whilst seeing amazing acts, my highlights were Everything Everything, Faithless, Twin Atlantic, Stereophonics, The Who, Busted, Feeder and the absolutely incredible Queen and Adam Lambert. I'm still not over how good that weekend was.

The songs that I had on repeat this month-

-Everything Everything- No Reptiles

-Two Door Cinema Club- Are We Ready? 

-EXO- Monster

-LUNA- Free Somebody

-The Who- Baba O'Riley

Film/ TV

This month I watched a couple of films in my media class which I really enjoyed. One of which was Joy (starring Jennifer Lawrence) which I absolutely adored, the other being Kingsman: The Secret Service which was hilarious and a very well made film. I recommend them both, even though they are two very different movies. 

As for TV, I have loved binge watching Gossip Girl again (I only have one episode of the entire show left which I am frantically putting off), as well as loving the Korean drama Descendants of the Sun which was  basically all I did for two days of June... Not sorry.

So that basically wraps up my June, it was a fun month (even if the weather in Britain was a severe let down)... July brings the end of the school year and some hardcore revising for my driving theory test (yay) and I'm super excited for the Booktubeathon (TBR to come). Thanks so much for reading this post and I'll be back soon for another one, 

-Darcy