Crush Your TBR

I have a TBR pile that never seems to get any smaller. So I decided to participate in the #crushyourtbr readathon this weekend.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

This was really good. I'd heard so much hype, and then so much talk saying it didn't live up to the hype, that I went in without high expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps pleasant is the wrong word. I cried. I couldn't put it down. It was a good reading experience.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I am glad I read it. It was a little painful though, like I was hesitantly reading for most of the book and only in the last third or so I really started wanting to finish it. I was tempted to stop reading, but wanted to know what would happen and couldn't bring myself to just read the ending. I'm glad I persevered but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. I guess it depends on what you want from a book. It made me think. And it made me work hard to like the main character.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

So fun. I really enjoyed the concept, the world was interesting and I especially liked trying to figure out the mystery element. It was a strong, well crafted story.

Family Life by Akil Sharma
So this is literary fiction, which I have a particular kind of love for. For me, if literary fiction is well written, it generally doesn't matter so much what it is about. As well as being well written, Family Life tells an interesting story of an Indian family's immigrant experience, with very specific difficulties. I really liked reading it.

I also finished listening to Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling and almost finished My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins.

I managed to finish the books I meant to read by Saturday and was going to read more but got caught up watching Arrow on Netflix.

October Wrap Up

Read in October

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend - Steven Herrick

I highly recommend this children's book for everyone. Steven Herrick is an incredible Australian storyteller. He writes novels in verse, and this one follows the events of a sixth grade class using various characters perspectives. It is a warm, adorable story that manages to be exciting and intriguing by simply depicting every day life.

Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi

This is the final book in the Juliette Chronicles, a dystopian triology that is beautifully written and has a fantastic female protagonist. Love it but the Australian cover really bothers me. Get the American one, it is incredible.

Bought in October

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Last Gleamings (8.8) 

September Wrap Up

 Book Haul:

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart, Feeling Sorry For Celia - Jaclyn Moriarty, Behold, Here's Poison - Georgette Heyer, The Listmaker - Robin Klein, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over The World - Anne Jamison, Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - Leslye Walton

Read this month:

A Blunt Instrument - Georgette Heyer, Behold, Here's Poison - Georgette Heyer, Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins, Sinner - Maggie Stiefvater

Belated August Wrap-Up

Read:

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell, Sleeping Dogs - Sonya Hartnett, Lonesome Howl - Steven Herrick, Middlemarch - George Elliot, Batgirl: Death of the Family, Saga v.1, 2 & 3 - Brian Vaughan & Fiona Staples.

Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice, Bloodlines, The Golden Lily, The Indigo Spell, The Fiery Heart and Silver Shadows - Richelle Mead

Haul:

My best friend is doing a clean out so I got these :)

No Wind of Blame - Georgette Heyer, Sinner - Maggie Stievater, Bloodlines, Fiery Heart and Silver Shadow - Richelle Mead and Batgirl: Death of the Family.

July Wrap-Up

July was my second month of holidays. I participated in the BookTube-A-Thon readathon, watched more football, had many strong feelings about how stupidly messed up the world is and planned to write lots of blogposts that got stuck in draft form. 

Links:

"Underage Sex and Consent" (tw)

"But what about the men?" - Is feminism sexist? (tw)
"As Israel's assault on Gaza intensifies, it is not anti-Semitic to say: not in my name" (tw)
The importance of Indigenous languages
Mockingjay: Part 1 teaser trailers one, two and three (can.not.wait!)

Book Haul:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell, Mind Games by Kiersten White, The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale, Reboot and Rebel by Amy Tintera and Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins

Read (10):

The books I read for BookTube-A-Thon including ebooks: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (reread), Turn Here by Jackson Pearce, Reboot and Rebel by Amy Tintera

Hex Hall, Demonglass and Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins and Stripes of the Sidestep Wolf by Sonya Hartnett

Watched:

My best friend and I finally finished watching The Originals with my best friend, super excited for season two to come out.

Being on holidays I've been home alone a fair bit, so I've been watching Hart of Dixie - I've almost finished season two - and also catching up on Emma Approved, which I really love.

 

Husband and I watched Veronica Mars season three, and then the movie (I'll be posting a review of sorts at some point - I have thoughts). We also watched season four of Friday Night Lights, season one of Being Human (the BBC one), season five of Psych and started Brooklyn Nine Nine, which is on SBS at the moment.



 

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Seven and Wrap Up

Day Seven:
So today was day seven, the last day of BookTube-a-thon and read 394 pages making my BookTube-A-Thon total 3,109. Reading Rebel completed the challenge of starting and finishing a series.

Rebel - Amy Tintera
Finished. I loved this even more than Reboot. The premise of this series, and the execution is superb.
(394 pages).

Wrap Up:
So I successfully completed Book-Tube-a-thon and its reading challenges. I read seven books, and a short story. It was really great to just focus so much on reading, and really helped me read some books I've been meaning to read for a while, and to remind myself how much I love reading. I'll definitely be writing a few reviews, especially for Fangirl and the Reboot series.

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Six

I was going to do a late update for yesterday early this morning but we had a bunch of drama with a burst water main and stuff so it's pretty late. 

On day six I read 482 pages making my current BookTube-A-Thon total 2,715. Finishing The Folded Earth completed the challenge of reading a genre I'd read least this year.

The Folded Earth - Anuradha Roy
Finished. This was really beautifully written. 

(83 pages).

Reboot - Amy Tintera

Finished. I loved this book so much, such an interesting take on one of my favourite genres - zombies.

(399 pages).

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Five

Day Five was a very slow reading day for me, but I got some done in the evening. I've read 174 pages making my current BookTube-A-Thon total 2,233.

The Folded Earth - Anuradha Roy
This is will complete the challenge of reading a book in a genre I've read least this year. It's reminding me I really enjoy literary fiction.

(174 pages).

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Four

For Day Four I've read 744 pages. That makes my current BookTube-A-Thon total 2,059. And watched 2 hours of BBC glory.

By finishing Fangirl I completed the challenge of reading a book with red on the cover and by finishing Hollow City I completed the read a book with pictures challenge. I've also now done the read a book and watch the movie challenge with North and South.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Finished. I had very high expectations, and not all of them were met. I really felt the community aspect of fandom just wasn't really represented. But I enjoyed the book, it made me feel all warm and mushy and nostalgic.
(348 pages)

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs

Finished. I am in awe of how much effort has gone into the series. 

(396 pages)

North and South BBC adaptation (disk 2)

Finished. I just so much love. Such a great adaptation.

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Three

So for Day Three I read 946 pages. So all up I've read 1,315 for BookTube-A-Thon.

We were going to finish watching North and South tonight as well but ended up babysitting for some friends and now will have to do that tomorrow. So no challenges completed yet, but am well on track for my 300 pages a day :)

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Finished. I actually read the last chapter twice because I love it so much, but I haven't counted that in my pages. I really think this is my favourite classic.
(663 pages)

The Devil Latch - Sonya Hartnett
Finished. Sonya Hartnett is a national treasure. Seriously, her writing is just so incredible. I would read about anything if she wrote it.
(171 pages)

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

I want this book to be amazing. But so for it's not quite managed to encapsulate my fangirl feelings. I'm still enjoying it though.

(112 pages)

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Two

For Day Two I have managed 1, 203 pages (they're both ebooks but I couldn't be bothered working out the page differences) and 2 hours of BBC period drama. 

I completed the challenge to read something that someone else picks out by reading Turn Here, which my sister chose for me.

Turn Here - Jackson Pearce
Finished. This short story was super cute and random, a great quick read.

(691 pages)

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

I've read about 23 chapters, it's fun rereading as I here the characters speaking with the voices of the actors from the BBC adaptation.

(512 pages)

North and South BBC adaptation (disk 1)

So much fun watching as I'm reading it is such a great adaptation because it changes a lot to fit the medium while keeping the exact right feel of the story. And of course because Richard Armitage is incredible.

June Round-Up

June was a pretty big month for me. I went to Melbourne the first weekend to hunt for a bridesmaids dress (and see family and drink fancy hot chocolates), I had my 24th birthday and 2nd wedding anniversary. It was the first month of my 2 month uni break, and I injured my back so I had plenty of time for relaxing. Also, very importantly, the World Cup started, and while I have complicated hatred towards FIFA and its ridiculously corrupt and discriminatory practices, my love for football is immense and it was so awesome to watch Australia play so credibly against such massive teams. 

Treats:

Book Haul:

Books I acquired this month

Read:

False Colours by Georgette Heyer (reread), Cress by Marissa Meyer, Dangerous by Shannon Hale, Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce, Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Lani Taylor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 8.7, Batgirl: Knightfall Descends, Home by Larissa Behredt, Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. 

Watched:

Finished watching The Vampire Diaries with my best friend.
Husband and I watched Call the Midwife (on abc) and then bought Veronica Mars which we've been marathoning. I've also been getting up at all hours of the morning for my one true love: football.

 

23rd Year as a Book Lover

Finished. I am 24. This past year I have read 74 new books and reread 48 books (not counting rereading bits and pieces, which I do often).

----
Today is my birthday (16th June 2013). I am twenty three. The following twelve months will be my twenty-third year as an obsessive lover of books (babies can love books. Especially when they have an awesome mother like mine). To celebrate this milestone, and ignore the creeping feeling of growing up, I've decided to keep a list of every single book I read in the next year, both new discoveries and old friends. I'll try and review most of them as well. Since it is my birthday, and that means guilt-free indulgence in fiction, I can start my list today.

The List:

New:
The Moon and More - Sarah Dessen
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Lo, Michael - Grace Livingston Hill
Dawn of the Morning - Grace Livingston Hill
The Man of the Desert - Grace Livingston Hill
Marcia Schuyler - Grace Livingston Hill
Phoebe Dean - Grace Livingston Hill
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh
Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh
A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
Put Out More Flags - Evelyn Waugh
The Ordeal of Sir Gilbert Pinfold - Evelyn Waugh
Team Human - Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover - Ally Carter
Only the Good Spy Young - Ally Carter
Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter
Double Crossed - Ally Carter
United We Spy - Ally Carter
The Book of Blood and Shadow - Robin Wasserman
The Royal Ranger - John Flanagan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief - Rick Riordan
Somewhere Around the Corner - Jackie French
Sweetly - Jackson Pearce
Reached - Ally Condie
Allegiant - Veronica Roth
The Night Circus - Erin Morganstern
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater
The Fairy's Return - Gail Carson Levine
Fate - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
Frostbite - Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead
Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
White Cat - Holly Black
Pandemonium -Lauren Oliver
Requiem - Lauren Oliver
Alex (1.5) - Lauren Oliver
Ruby Red - Kerstin Gier
Legend  - Maria Lu
Sapphire Blue - Kerstin Gier
Emerald Green - Kerstin Gier
Endlessly  - Kiersten White
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
Scarlett - Marissa Meyer
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The Chaos of Stars - Kiersten White
Red Glove - Holly Black
Picture Me Gone - Meg Rosoff
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (0.1) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Desert (0.2) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Underworld (0.3) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Empire (0.4) - Sarah J. Mass
Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Mass
Crown of Embers - Rae Carson
Underworld  - Meg Cabot
Awaken - Meg Cabot
Catching Jordan - Miranda Kenneally
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen
When You Were Mine - Rebecca Serle
Black Heart - Holly Black
Bitter Kingdom - Rae Carson
Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi
Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Home - Larissa Behrendt
City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare
Battle Magic - Tamora Pierce

Reread:
Pistols for Two - Georgette Heyer

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

The Time of the Singing Birds - Grace Livingston Hill

The Patch of Blue - Grace Livingston Hill

The Strange Proposal - Grace Livingston Hill
Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones
Conrad's Fate - Diana Wynne Jones
The Magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones
Mixed Magics - Diana Wynne Jones
The Pinhoe Egg - Diana Wynne Jones
The Power of Three - Diana Wynne Jones
Along For The Ride - Sarah Dessen
Last Chance - Sarah Dessen (now Keeping the Moon)
Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen
Dreamland - Sarah Dessen
That Summer - Sarah Dessen
Brentwood - Grace Livingston Hill
Daphne Dean - Grace Livingston Hill
A Song of Summer - Eva Ibbotson
Detection Unlimited - Georgette Heyer
Matched Pearl - Grace Livingston Hill
Rose Galbraith - Grace Livingston Hill
Footsteps in the Dark - Georgette Heyer
The Unknown Ajax - Georgette Heyer
City of Fire - Grace Livingston Hill
The Girl From Montana - Grace Livingston Hill
The Enchanted Barn - Grace Livingston Hill
The Voice in the Wilderness - Grace Livingston Hill
The Search - Grace Livingston Hill
Exit Betty - Grace Livingston Hill
The Witness - Grace Livingston Hill
The Mystery of Mary - Grace Livingston Hill
What Happened to Goodbye - Sarah Dessen
This Lullaby  - Sarah Dessen
Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer
Rilla of Ingleside - L.M Montgomery
Rapunzel's Revenge - Shannon Hale
Teen Idol - Meg Cabot
The Reluctant Widow - Georgette Heyer
The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
Cousin Kate - Georgette Heyer
The Mislaid Magician - Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Abandon - Meg Cabot
Charity Girl - Georgette Heyer
The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer
Spring Muslin - Georgette Heyer

Reading Goals in 2014

My TBR pile

• Read every book on my bedside table
• Read at least 100 books from my Goodreads To Read list
• Read a more diverse range of books
• Read more Australian books
• Review at least one book a month