Friday 25 March 2016

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Review

Salt to the Sea is based during WW2 and centered around four people. Three of which are on their way to a port in which Wihelm Gustloff is based, and the fourth of which is working on it.

I found this book interesting, as it tells the struggles of those its based on, but than it got really interesting as they were trying to board Wihelm Gustloff. Each chapter is told by in the view of a different person. Something else worth mentioning is that each chapter is only three or four pages long at most, with some only being one page long.

I found myself wanting to know more about Wihelm Gustloff. The book mentions what happens to the ship in the view of the characters, but if you want to know more you will have to go off and do your own research.

Tuesday 15 March 2016

We Were Liars Review

I just finished reading We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. It look me all of two days to read and I did not see the plot twist at the end coming.

We Were Liars is about a girl who goes to stay on a island that her family owns for the summer. Something that her family has always done. By her family I mean her grandfather, aunts, cousins and so on. Two summers earlier something happened and she can't remember what. This is due to receiving a head injury that summer. She spends the whole summer trying to find out what happened because she wants to know but no one is telling her.

I found this book really interesting. I could not put it down and I just wanted to know what happened. Than the plot twist happened and I was not ready for it. I kind of felt like I needed a moment to fully take in what just happened. I knew that there was a plot twist, but I didn't know what it was or just how big it would be. For me I kind of feel like the twist made it. The rest of the book is pretty good, but the ending made it.

I also found it was a really fast paced book. It doesn't focus on one thing for long. I think this helps the book to seem faster and helped me to finish it in two days.

Sunday 28 February 2016

5 books 7 days readathon February 2016

If you follow me on Instagram (if not than you should - my user name is the same as this blog) than you know over the course of the past week I have been taking part in the 5 books 7 days readathon hosted by a bookstagramer by the name of Lottelikesbooks. Over the course of 7 days, the goal is to read 5 books.

At the start of the readathon I had picked out four of the fives books I had planned to read, but a certain book by the name of Assassin's Quest turned out to be too difficult for me to read in the time flame.

The books I ended up reading were as follows
1. Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in Dungeons
2. The Devil is a Part Timer
3. The Bane Chronicles
4. Assassination Classroom
5. Attack on Titan volume 1

Thursday 18 February 2016

Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Soundless by Richelle Mead is set in a village who's people can't see and are slowly going blind. For food, they have to send down what they mine down a zip line and the less they send down, the less food they get. With the limited food and people going blind things are getting desperate. Until one day a girl wakes up with her hearing. 

While I did enjoy this book, I did finish it in a day after all, I found it to be a bit slow going and this stopped me from really loving the book. It wasn't very action packed in the first half of the book. It was just talking about what was happening in the village though what the girl was seeing and what she was going though along with her sister. Luckily it was only 260 odd pages long, so instead of thinking this is going to take a while, I was thinking, is this going to be a series?

It did get better. Once it got a bit more interesting I really got into it and I couldn't put it down. I ended up reading the last 80 pages in bed before going to sleep. 

Would I go out and recommend this book? Probably not, but if someone asked me what I thought, I would probably say it was slow going at first, but I did enjoy it p.

Tuesday 16 February 2016

25 Bookish Facts About me Tag

Seeing as this is a newish blog about books, I thought I would do the 25 bookish facts about me tag so that you can get to know me better.

1. My favorite series is Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I started this series way back in 2005/2006ish. I actually picked up the second book first not realizing that it was the second book. Luck for me, I ended up leaving it at school during school holidays and my mum ended up buying both the first and second books for me and I have been hooked ever since.

2. I have more books than space on my bookcases. This is a problem I have had for a while now. It actually got to the point where I ended up filling up two boxes of books and putting them in storage. It was pretty painful trying to pick what books to put in storage, but I think I might need to box up some more soon.

3. I probably own over 500 books. Last time I counted I had somewhere in the 400's range and this was over two years again. So it would be more surprising to me if I didn't have over 500 books than if I had over 500 books.

4. I grew up in a book/story telling loving household. My mum loves to read and has just as many books as I do. My dad loves to tell a good story or two. We like to say he never lets the facts get in the way of a good story as we are forever correcting him, or he is forever changing the story.
Fun fact, while mum reads more, I actually remember dad always being the one to read to my sister and I when we were kids sharing a room. He would read a part of a book of my choosing to me first and than he would do the same for my sister.

5. I love looking at other people's bookcases, even more so if they have similar tastes to me. Another Fun fact, recently I went to a friend's birthday party and when she went to give me a tour we ended up stopping when I saw her bookcases so we could talk about her books.

6. I have a serious book buying problem. Last time I brought books online, I ended up buying over 20 books, plus two manga boxsets. It can get really bad.

7. I was really late to broad the Harry Potter train as I was too busy loving the Ranger's Apprentice. I have read it, but only after the 4th or 5th movie had came out.

8. I love a good looking book. Like a lot. Like I would consider buying another copy of a book, if it looks really good and I kind of like the book.

9. I hate cover changes mid way though a series. I'm ok if they make new covers for the series once the series is finished, but I like my books to look similar. Which brings me to my next point.

10. I like my books to be a similar height. It just looks so much nicer on my bookcase

11. I never realized just how many books I read in a year until I started tracking them on goodreads.

12. As someone who was read over 60 books (over 90 books one year) each year for as long as I have been tracking on goodreads I don't understand how someone can only read 10 or so books a year. Reading is fun. If you don't think it is fun, than your reading the wrong book.

13. I used to say I will never own a e-reader because I like physical books better and the look of them on my bookcase, and the feel of them when I read them. I have since brought a kindle. I still like physical books better, but some times having them on my kindle is handy.

14. Some times I like to smell my books when I'm reading them. They smell so nice.

15. I am dreading moving house because of how many books I own.

16. In saying that though, I would love to have enough books and bookcases to fill up a room. I would also like the money to do so.

17. I like to organize my books on my bookcases based on author's last name

18. I really do not like lending out my books. I have had way too many people not return my books, or if they do, it's only because I have asked for them back months after I lent them out. Like MONTHS later. I have had someone drop one of my books in the bath and not returned it or replaced it. So now if I lend out a book to someone, it's with conditions and I'm really picky with who I lend them out to, and you get one chance and one chance only. You stuff it up and I will never lead a book to you AGAIN.

19. I get really funny about my books. See 18. I think it's because it's like they are a part of me.

20. I love talking about books with other people who also love books.

21. I can't not have a book on the go, even if I don't read that day, I have to have a book that I'm reading at the moment.

22. I can read more than one book at a one, but most of the time I stick to one at a time.

23. While I mainly read fantasy, YA and manga, I do adventure out some times and read other books. I really want to reread Jane Auston.

24. To me, if you don't consider reading to be enjoyable, than you haven't found the book for you. It's out there somewhere waiting for you, I promise.

25. I would really have to dislike a book to sell it. I don't like selling my books.

Saturday 30 January 2016

What's on my bookshelves January 2016

I thought it would be interesting to log what books I have on my two bookshelves to see what changes from year to year. I do have more books. Some are in boxes in storage or in a to be read pile, and others are ones that will be put on to my bookshelves but aren't included due to being brought this month. Those will be included in a book haul when they finishing arrving and I have time to take photos of them all.

Not let's begin!


Go Ask Alice by Anonymous, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen, Jane Austen Collection


Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, three Novels from the Bronte Sisters


The Princess and the Captain by Anne Laure Bondoux, Assassin's Creed series by Oliver Bowden, The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z by Max Brooks


The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne,  Belle by Paula Byrne, Breakfast at Tiffany's by James Patterson, Graceling Realm series by Kristin Cashore.


The Selection series by Kiera Cass, Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare


Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare


Artemis Fowl series, Airman, Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, Nagasaki by Craig Collie


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz


Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz, The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven


Ranger's Apprentice series and Ranger's Apprentice The Early Years by John Flanagan


Brotherband series by John Flanagan


The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory, Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, Austenland by Shannon Hale, Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand

Saving June, By Hannah Harrington, Iharmell series by Rhiannon Hart, Wolf Springs Chronicles by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, Farseer Trilogy and Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb

The Power of Five series by Anthony Horowitz, Les Misetrables by Victor Hugo, Fallen Angels by Tara Hyland, The Name of the Stars series by Maureen Johnson, 


Warrior Princess series by Frewin Jones, Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy, Marie Antoinette by Kathryn Lasky


King Raven series by Stephen R. Lawhead, Fairest and Ever by Gail Carson Levine, Jane by April Lindner, I am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore


Fallen series by Lauren Kate,Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon,


Legacy Trilogy by Cayla Kluver, Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin (not pictured book three part one 


Song of Fire and Ice, Dangerous Women, Rogues by George R.R. Martin,

The Host by Stephenie Meyer, Warm Bodies by Isac Marion, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, An American Haunting by Brent Monahan,

Ruined by Paula Morris, The Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix (not pictured is book three) Running Pink by Megan Norris


The Inheritance series bChristopher Paolini, Beka Cooper series, Melting Stones, Tortall and Other LLands by Tamora Pierce


The Secrets of The Eternal Rose series by Fiona Paul, The Laws of Magic series by Michael Payor


The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Sovay by Celia Rees, The Name of the Wind series by Patrick Rothfuss


Harry Potter by JK Rowling


A Book Addict's Treasury by Julie Rugg and Lynda Murphy, Petty Little Liars by Sara Shepard


Petty Little Liars by Sara Shepard, White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter, The Notebook, The Longest Ride, Safe Haven, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks


Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, Pikachu's Global Adventure the Rise and Fall of Pokémon by Joeph Tobin


The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


Cardcaptor Sakura by Clamp


Ouran Highschool Host Club by Bisco Hatori,
I know it is a gap but a friend is borrowing it at the moment.


Pokemon Adventures: Diamond and Peal by Hidenori Kusaka


Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto


Pokemon Adventures by Hidenori Kusaka


Pokemon Adventures, Pokemon Black and White by Hidenori Kusaka


Bleach by Tite Kubo


Bleach by Tite Kubo, Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima, Bloody Monday by Ryunosuke Takagi


Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba


Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, Food Wars by Yuto Tsukuda

Sunday 24 January 2016

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is about a teenage boy who receives tapes in the mail from a girl at his school who killed herself two weeks before, listing the thirteen reason why she killed herself. He happens to be one of them.

I found this book very interesting, once I got into it - something that took all of 50ish pages, I was hooked. I found the way it was written to be interesting. It had Hannah's tapes going though out the story with Clay's reactions and what he was doing as he was listing to them, along with what was going though his mind. I ended up feeling sorry for Clay. I felt like he wanted to do more, but didn't know what to do.

I thought Hannah's reasons why she killed her say were interesting. She decided to go all the way back to where it all started and than slowly made her way to the point where she decided to kill herself. I though it really show how some times, something you think is meaningless can led to something so much more.

I would like to say, going into this book I thought I was going to cry at one point due to the subject matter. As it turned out I did not cry. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it wasn't sad just not as sad as what I thought it would be. I would also like to add, this is not a book you should read if you don't want to read about a heavy topic.