Monthly Recap: Catching Up

I have been meaning to do one of these each month and always forgetting too! So I  finally have a day off and time to blog and will tackle all of 2014 so far. 

January

I read: 10 books.

Reviewed 8 on blog:

Avalon by Mindee Arnett

The Program by Suzanne Young

The Treatment by Suzanne Young

Splintered by A. G. Howard

Imposter by Susanne Winnacker

Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison 

I only had one 5/5 Butterflies review for that month, which was The Program. It was a really great start to the series, but I just didn't like the sequel. For the most part January was filled with disappointing reads, I only had a couple that I enjoyed. And 10 books is a lot lower than what I used to read in a month before I started blogging, it would usually be about 15-20.

February

I read: 7 books, 1 novella

Only 7 books! That actually shocks me, I need to make more time for reading and less time for blogging. Maybe cut out some memes for a while and concentrate on powering through my endless TBR pile. At least I had a much better month when it came to books, I had FOUR 5/5 Butterfly worthy reads this month.

Starters by Lissa Price

Enders by Lissa Price

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Vitro by Jessica Khoury

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

This was the month I finally tried the Under the Never Sky series, and I am so happy that I finally did. I thought it was such an amazing series, I definitely recommend that one to everybody. I also really enjoyed Uninvited by Sophie Jordan and am eagerly awaiting the sequel for that one.

March

I read: 12 books, 1 novella

I reviewed on blog:

Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Where You'll Find Me by Erin Fletcher

Easy by Tammara Webber

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

After the End by Amy Plum

This was a bit of a better month but I am still surprised, I would like to see myself reading 15 books a month if I am honest. But I guess it is hard to find time when you work, blog and at least attempt to have a social life haha. But I had a varied month with books, quite a few hits and misses. I had a few 5 star reviews and quite a few disappointing reads. What I Thought Was True was one I was extra excited for and ended up being really disappointed by. 

April 

I read: 9 books

I reviewed on blog:

Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Exile by Kevin Emerson

The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

Storm by Bridid Kemmerer

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Nantucket Red by Leila Howland

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

And another poor reading month for me. I am determined to not let May look this bad, I will be powering through a ton of books. I was put in reading slumps by some terrible books, Ashfall and Storm. I read one book at a time, which I should stop doing with books like these that are just too hard to get through and to painful. I need a decent read pick-me-up to get me back into it. I did finally get to read Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before, and I absolutely LOVED it!

Other Posts


Why Do Books & Readers Glorify Abusive Relationships
Meet the Pets

Top Ten Tuesday:

Gateway Books
Most Unique Books I've Read
Bookish Things I'd Like To Own
Characters Who Make Me Want To Slap Them


Films for Thoughts on Thursday:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Divergent
The Amazing Spiderman 2
The Bling Ring
Epic


Five Friday Favourites:

Favourites Books of 2014 So Far
Favourites Things About Being A Blogger
Favourite Villains
Favourite Books Received As Gifts


Book Hauls:

05/04/2014

12/04/2014
19/04/2014
26/04/2014

Challenges

TBR Pile Challenge

My goal: 50+ books

Have read so far: 11 books

That's 11 in 4 months, so I don't see myself reaching my target. I might if I stop requesting so many NG & EW books, which I am getting a LOT better at.

Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge

My goal: 50 books

Read so far: 24 books

I am doing much better with this one and hope to complete this challenge early. Once that happens maybe I can start looking at getting my TBR challenge complete. 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (#1): Review

Title: To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Buy This Book: Book Depository / Amazon

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

This review is really hard for me to write because I don't want to give away anything. I feel like the synopsis doesn't really tell you much about this wonderful book and I don't want to be the person who ruins  even one thing for you. So I obviously will keep my review a little vague and won't be able to go into a ton of detail. Not knowing very much other than the fact her letters get posted was the best way to go into this book, everything was a pleasant surprise.

I had read and loved Jenny Han's Summer series, and seriously recommend that to all, but I admit to being a little nervous about To All The Boys. I was nervous that I wouldn't enjoy it as much or I would be let down or disappointed by it. Well, it's safe to say that it exceeded all my expectations and I was wrong to doubt Han even a little bit. She gave me an exceptional reading experience and a book I was practically unable to put down until it was finished. And even then all she did was leave me craving more.

I had some problems initially and struggled to get into the book. It was the writing style I think, I'm not even sure how to describe it other than to say it felt a little choppy. It didn't flow and that made it a little harder to read and get lost in. But, after a few chapters it started to really work for me and I didn't notice it as much, it just felt like the writing style complemented Lara Jean and her personality perfectly. The one issue I had with the book suddenly turned into something else I really loved about it.

Lara Jean was a character I came to really love and admire. She knew exactly who she was and she wasn't afraid to admit it or be herself. Who doesn't love that in a character? She wasn't one for going out all the time or hooking up with guys. She'd rather be indoors, baking and hanging out with her family. I did find Lara Jean to be a little childlike at times, she is quite young for her age but I found that endearing about her. I did hate the way Lara Jean and her sisters still referred to their parents as Mummy and Daddy; seriously, she's seventeen and by that age it just comes across as a little creepy and not cute. Overall though, I adored Lara Jean and I completely loved her name too.

This wasn't just a cute romantic read, which was what I had first assumed it would be. This had such a brilliant focus on family and I loved getting to know Lara Jean and her relationship to her two sisters and her father. It's nice to find a YA book where family plays such a central role to the story, where it's really important and not just in the background. Her little sister Kitty was adorable, loveable and had her exceptionally annoying moments that, if you have sisters, you will recognise and laugh at. It was the moments with her family, which were utterly realistic, that really solidified my love for this book.

The romance in this was completely spot on for me, Jenny Han just does it so wonderfully that you find yourself falling right along with Lara Jean. It's not a romance that just appears out of nowhere, or suddenly occurs within the first 100 pages. This is definitely a slow building romance and I think that was what I liked most of all. I didn't find the story predictable either, although one thing I did figure out right from the very beginning and it surprised me that Lara Jean took till the end of the book to realise it, but other than that this was filled with so many pleasant surprises in terms of the story.

I don't know if you have been able to tell yet, but I fell head-over-heels in love with this book. The ending just left me wanting to cry in frustration because I need more. I had thought this was a standalone, but once I reached the end it was plain to see it wasn't. After adoring this book so much, I can't actually wait to get my hands on the next one, seriously I need it now. How can I be expected to wait for a sequel? Part of me wishes this was a standalone, it doesn't need anything else other than the ending that was missing from this one. If it had provided me with that then I would have been one hundred per cent satisfied that storyline alone. Part of me worries that a sequel will ruin it for me, that it will add in unnecessary drama and ruin the amazing, wonderful, brilliant, awesomeness that was To All The Boys I've Loved Before. But, who am I to doubt the talented Jenny Han when she provided me with such a glorious reading experience. Bring on book two!

5/5 Butterflies

I struggled at the very beginning with the writing style, but quickly came to love it. By the end it was hard to see what had even bothered me about it to begin with. I was swept up in this story and the romance was utterly adorable to me. I would have been completely satisfied with one book if this had a conclusion to it, but I am beyond excited for book two. I need more Lara Jean and I need more of her love interest, as I said I won't spoil anything. I hope you all read and love this book as much as I did, but be prepared for the cliffhanger ending and the urgent need to get your hands on the sequel. I'm practically forcing myself to not pick up this book and start it all over again!

Nantucket Red by Leila Howland (Nantucket #2): Review

Title: Nantucket Red (Nantucket #2)
Author: Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Buy This Book: Amazon 

Cricket Thompson's lifetime of overachieving has paid off: she's headed to Brown University in the fall, with a spot on the lacrosse team and a scholarship that covers almost everything. Who knew living in the dorm cost money? An Ivy League education seems to mean living at home for the next four years.
When Cricket is offered the chance to earn enough cash to afford a real college experience, she heads back to Nantucket for the summer. But the faraway island challenges Cricket in ways she hadn't anticipated. It's hard to focus on earning money for next year, when she finds her world opening up in entirely new ways-to art, to travel, and, most unexpectedly, to a future completely different from the one she has been working toward her whole life. A friendship blossoms with Ben, the gorgeous surfer and bartender who encourages Cricket to be free, even as she smarts at the pain of seeing Zack, her first love, falling for her worst enemy.
But one night, when Cricket finally lets herself break all her own rules, she realizes she may have ruined her carefully constructed future with one impulsive decision. Cricket must dig deep to fight for her future, discovering that success isn't just about reaching goals, but also about listening to what she's been trying to ignore-her own heart. (Goodreads summary.)

I read and reviewed Nantucket Blue, and gave it 4/5 butterflies, and instantly moved onto my copy of Nantucket Red. I had found Nantucket Blue to be a really easy read, it had it's funny moments and it's cute romance moments. It wasn't a book that blew my mind or anything, but it was definitely enjoyable. So I went into Red with high hopes, I was hoping for another fun, enjoyable read. Unfortunately, for me at least, Nantucket Red fell short.

How I felt about NR.

It picks up from where Nantucket Blue ended, where Cricket and Zack have got together and she's apparently in love with him. And then she proceeds to basically break up with him five minutes later because he is going away to college. Basically, he is offered a place at a boarding school and accepts but this will take him far away from Cricket. Deciding that she doesn't want to do long distance, even though she says she loves him, she decides that they should put the relationship on 'pause' until the next Summer. I was frankly unsurprised when Zack was less than impressed with her way of thinking. To me, Nantucket Red made Nantucket Blue seem pointless for the longest time and then the end of Red just made the whole of Red seem pointless and irrelevant.

The beginning of the book works to show us what happens to Cricket between the end of Nantucket Blue and the next Summer, as quickly as possible. It's really quick and involves a lot of things happening that are way too convenient for me. I really can't explain in detail because I don't like to spoil anything but things just seem to conveniently happen for Cricket that work out perfectly in her favour. This bothered me throughout the entire book.

Cricket was a real issue for me because I really didn't like her in this book. I am not sure why she got to me so much, but it's hard to love a book when the main character is making you want to hit them. I had an issue with her from the word go, her breaking up with Zack made little to no sense to me. If you are declaring your love for someone one minute then I don't see why you are then telling them you can't handle long distance literally ten seconds after! If you really loved a person then you could probably make it work if you really wanted to try. She also makes a ton of bad decisions, but blames everyone else and gets angry at everyone else when things go wrong but never holds herself accountable for any of her own actions. I couldn't stand that about her, I was ready to be done with Cricket by then.

How I felt about Cricket.

Surprisingly, to me at least, I came to absolutely adore Ben, the new guy and love interest that is introduced in this book. He plays guitar and is a little emotionally unavailable at times, but I loved him. Now he was a fun character, he had a sense of humour and he was a breath of fresh air compared to Cricket. At one point I really did just think 'Screw Cricket, screw Zack... Ben all the way!!!'. Yup, I was rooting for Ben the whole time, not to end up with Cricket but just to somehow take over this story and make it all about him.

For a sequel I felt the whole thing seemed a little irrelevant. I don't feel like Blue ended in a way that seriously required a sequel to be written. It showed a cute, first-love story on Nantucket, it was fun, it was easy and it was enjoyable. Red just added too much pointless drama and a storyline that seems kind of silly by the time you get to the end. It only got fun and interesting at about the 65% mark, but by then it wasn't enough to make this all that enjoyable for me. I just felt far too disconnected and disappointed in this story, it wasn't what I was expecting at all.

2.5/5 Butterflies

This wasn't an awful book, but it just seemed like a really irrelevant sequel to me. I felt like it lessened and ruined my enjoyment of the first book as well, which is really strange but true. By the time I reached the end of the story I was left wondering if I really needed to have read it in the first place, especially with the way it ended. I felt like this didn't add much on to Cricket's story, there was far too much forced drama and convenient events that worked perfectly in Cricket's favour. It was still an easy enough read but I didn't enjoy it in the same way I enjoyed Nantucket Blue. 

*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

My Weekly Book Haul: 26/04/2014

Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week. All book covers and their summary come from back of book or Goodreads.

I reached another blogging milestone this week, I received my first ever physical review copy from a publisher, which blew my mind! Bloomsbury had offered to put me on a blogger mailing list and I had accepted, but didn't really know what to expect. A few weeks later and I received a finished copy (which is even more awesome!) of Goddess and I squealed because I wasn't expecting to actually receive anything.

My caterpillars have gotten absolutely huge and I can't wait for them to become butterflies. Our work set ha all emerged as butterflies and it was amazing to see. We will be releasing them in a few days and I'm very excited. 

After today, I am off work for almost a whole week and I can't wait! Hopefully I will be able to make some time to just sit down and blog. I would really love to plan some posts in advance. I would also love to find some time to just dedicate a whole day to reading. I've been struggling lately to find the time to just sit down and read lately and it makes me sad. 

I almost forgot to mention the fact that I got TWO new bookcases! TWO!!! I was unbelievably excited and have spent days trying to decide how to organise them. The two in me bedroom are done, one is mainly DVDs and the other is books and for the first time in forever I can have books standing upright. I still have to have books stacked up behind them, but it's progress! 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?
Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

My preorder finally came this week, and I almost died of happiness! I am trying to power my way through Nantucket Red so I can get to it, but partly want to give up on NR altogether. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I HAVE A PROBLEM! I have once again bought another edition of a book I already own but, in my defence, the movie tie in edition is AWESOME! 

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend Robby have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things. This is the truth. This is history. It's the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it.
Funny, intense, complex and brave, Grasshopper Jungle is a groundbreaking, genre-bending, coming-of-age stunner.

This one looks really interesting, very excited to see what I make of it. 

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

This just has the most wonderful cover and I have seen some A-mazing reviews. But I literally had no idea what this was about before I got the synopsis off Goodreads. And now, OMG, I need to read this.

  

Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight & The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Have heard such wonderful things about this series, hope to get to these soon. Although the 'Hotter than The Hunger Games' sticker on the book bothers me. 

Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout

What if you had the chance to start again...but only if you promised never to look back? Samantha is popular, rich, and seemed to have it all...until the night she and her best 'frenemy' Cassie disappeared and only Sammy resurfaced, with no recollection of who she is or what happened. Sammy's a stranger in her own life - a life she no longer wants any part of. Losing her memory is a chance to start again. Then Sammy begins receiving mysterious notes warning her about that night, urging her to not look back. But she can't let it go. As she starts poking around in her past she begins to remember...and something sinister begins to surface.

I got a review e-ARC of this and was excited to start it, until it refused to go on my Kindle. Very happy to finally get a copy of this! 

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident-including her memory of the event. She doesn't remember driving on the cliff road. She doesn't recall jumping from the truck just before Trip lost control. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she's kept hidden for so long, the horrible reality of their abusive relationship. When the police reopen the investigation, it quickly turns on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. As the threats begin and the survivor's guilt takes over, Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free?

Fans of dark contemporary stories will feel right at home in the hands of debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf as she takes them on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and ultimately, forgiveness.

What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

How can you talk about something you can’t remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Goddess by Laura Powell

Strikes. Starvation. Riots. Britain is at breaking-point and Aura is blind to it all. The Cult of Artemis is the only home she’s ever known. Enclosed in its luxury lifestyle, the unrest gripping the country seems to belong to a distant world. Her dream is to serve the Goddess and taking a vow of chastity and obedience seems a small price to pay. But days before Aura is due to be initiated as a Priestess, she meets Aiden, the rebellious son of a cult insider, whose radical ideas and unsettling charm force Aura to question everything – and everyone – she knows.

This is my first ever physical review book! (Thanks Bloomsbury) I was expecting an uncorrected proof, so it was a nice surprise to get a finished copy of the book.

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

During a semester in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sib expects the tough outdoor education program and the horrors of dorm life, but friendship drama and an unexpected romance with popular Ben Capaldi? That will take some navigating.
New girl Lou has zero interest in fitting in, or joining in. Still reeling from a loss that occurred almost a year ago, she just wants to be left alone. But as she witnesses a betrayal unfolding around Sib and her best friend Holly, Lou can't help but be drawn back into the land of the living.
Fans of Melina Marchetta, Rainbow Rowell, and E. Lockhart will adore this endearing and poignant story of first love, true friendship, and going a little bit wild.

This one sounds really interesting and I really like the cover. 

Two chances to win a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 in Paypal Cash/Amazon Gift Card

And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 850 Bloglovin' followers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer: DNF Review

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Make Me Want To Slap Them

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland: 4/5 Review 

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Bling Ring

Five Friday Favourites: Books I Received As Gifts

F&F Friday: Meet the Pets!

Feature & Follow Friday: Meet the Pets!

 

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog of the week. It is a way for blogs to gain exposure but also so you can check out and follow other blogs

I haven't taken part in Feature & Follow for so long, but this week is all about pets! I love animals so I can't wait to go see everybody's pets and show off my own. 

The Sephy

This is my wonderful cat Sephy, full name Persephone, and she is named after a character from the Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman. She used to be the baby cat, but my other cat Sasha had kidney failure and had to be put down. Now Sephy is queen of the house, which she seems to hate and love in equal measure. She has always been super needy. When we got her she slept in bed with me every night and would cry at the door if I didn't let her in. When I moved in with my boyfriend it really made me upset, because our flat doesn't allow pets and she had to stay with my parents. For weeks she would sit at the door after I would leave and cry for hours. But, she now stalks my sister instead and dribbles on her during the night. I adore this kitty, she is hilarious.

The Wilson

Named after Wilson from House, he is the only pet I can have in my flat and even then that is just because I snuck him in lol. I can't bear living without a pet so I snuck hamsters in when we started living in the flat. He is our third hamster and he's adorable. He is currently 2 1/2 and shows no signs of slowing down soon. 

My Caterpillars

These are a very new addition and will soon be gone! They will be butterflies within the next two weeks and I will be releasing them. They come from this amazing website that send them and a habitat straight to your house. Then you keep them until they emerge as butterflies, feed the butterflies for a few days/week and then let them go. It's such a wonderful idea and I will be getting more after this lot. We recently had nine emerge from our set at work and it was incredible to watch.

So come share your adorable pets with me! 

Two chances to win a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 in Paypal Cash/Amazon Gift Card

And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 850 Bloglovin' followers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer: DNF Review

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Make Me Want To Slap Them

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland: 4/5 Review 

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Bling Ring

Five Friday Favourites: Books I Received As Gifts

Five Friday Favourites: Books I Received As Gifts

Five Friday Favourites is a weekly event hosted by Book Badger, where once a week, a five favourites subject is posted and everyone is welcome to join in. You can find out more about Five Friday Favourites and the future subjects here.

I kind of struggled with this one because it was hard to think of the books I had been bought as gifts. I managed to think of some in the end though. I cheated a little as well, because I wasn't too sure if ARCs will count as 'gifts' or not. They feel like gifts, so I included some of my favourites at the end. 

Harry Potter is probably the greatest gift anyone has ever bought me, EVER!!! I was about 8 or 9 when I received this and I had no idea what I was in for. I was visiting my nan and she had bought this from a bookshelf on a whim, the spine had jumped out at her she said because it was very colourful and had a picture at the top. I began reading it straight away and read it on the car road home until it was so dark in the car that I couldn't read any more if I tried. That began my love of Harry Potter, a  love that will definitely last a lifetime. 

Noughts and Crosses, Northern Lights and The Sight are all books that were bought for me by my parents when I was younger. They are still some of my all time favourite books and I love every single one. I look up at my bookshelf and they are all right there on my favourites shelf. I recommend every single one.

My Life Next Door is one that the boyfriend bought me as a gift. It became an instant favourite when I read it last year. It's such an easy read but a brilliant romance and amazing story. 

I'm not sure if review copies count as gifts, but I am counting them! 

These four are all amazing and I loved each one of them for different reasons. Far From You was a book that I thought was going to be a predictable thriller, but turned out to be so much more than that. It earned a five star review from me and blew me away. These Broken Stars started like Titanic, if Titanic was on a spaceship. Alienated was a brilliant, funny and unique romance story of a girl who gets a hot alien come visit as part of an exchange program. Into the Still Blue concluded one of my new favourite series and Maybe Someday combined my two favourite things, books and music! 

Two chances to win a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 in Paypal Cash/Amazon Gift Card

And my giveaway to celebrate reaching 850 Bloglovin' followers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer: DNF Review

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Make Me Want To Slap Them

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland: 4/5 Review 

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Bling Ring

Films for Thoughts on Thursday: The Bling Ring

This is a weekly meme that I am hosting here at Reviews from a Bookworm. All you have to do is share a movie review once a week and link back to here.


This weeks movie review will be for: The Bling Ring

I saw this in Asda and it was super cheap so I thought I would give it a go. I must confess that a large part of the reason I picked it up was the fact Emma Watson is in it. What can I say, I love her. But I also found the whole true story behind it really fascinating. I hadn't ever heard of the Bling Ring until I read about the movie when it was close to being released. I just found it so strange all of the things they were able to get away with for so long.

Like most movies that are based on true events, this makes some changes and isn't going to be 100% accurate to the true story, but it is pretty close. It tell the story of a group of young adults who spend their free time breaking into celebrity houses. Whilst inside they rifle through those celebrities clothes and jewellery and taking any thing that takes their fancy. This may sound a little crazy, especially the fact they don't get caught for so long, but the real life Bling Ring were responsible for stealing over $3 million in money and possessions from these people's homes. 

You know from the get go that these are not going to be likeable characters, and they aren't. They are all really detestable and I spent the whole film just waiting for the moment they got caught. I wanted to see them finally have their actions catch up to them because, for the longest time, they act like they are untouchable. I don't think anyone watching this movie will feel even a slither of sympathy for any of these characters. They just act like a bunch of spoiled children, who spend all their free time stealing, doing drugs and getting drunk. It saddens me that this is based on real people, these people actually exist and that is depressing. 

I think the movie is quite well done, the acting was solid as well. Emma Watson's accent did get to me a little, it seemed a little too over the top and a little too put on. Now, I'm not sure if that was what she was purposefully trying to do, and it could be because that is a lot like the character herself. And when you think of the fact that she had a great accent in Perks, that wasn't over the top at all, and I start to suspect it was supposed to sound that way. 

My main problem with the film was that for a movie that has such a sensational story, it was really dull. I just found myself watching it but not getting into it. I watched because I had started and wanted to finish, not because I was enjoying it all that much. There were too many scenes that were just tension building music and no dialogue. You can see what the director is trying to do, but it just didn't work for me. I felt a bit of a disconnect from it all.

I was also surprised at just how easily the characters got into these houses, even more so when I realised it was actually that easy for the real life Bling Ring. I just always assumed that celebrities, especially with the amount of money and possessions in their houses, would have better security. The only good thing about the Bling Ring is that it probably made a lot of celebs realise the importance of locking your doors, windows and maybe getting an alarm system. 

3/5 Butterflies

This has a really interesting story, especially since it is based on real life events. The acting was pretty solid all the way through and worked to really sell the characters to me. The characters were once that were all too easy to despise and all too easy to root for them to get caught. As interesting as the main story line was, the film itself was a little boring. I just didn't really connect with it, I was just watching it in order to get to the end. 

I have been meaning to take part in both of the following memes for a while now, so its nice to finally be able to get to them. I will be taking part in Reading is Fun Again's Thoughtful Thursday and Okay, Let's Read's  Thursday Thoughts.

I love Okay, Let's Read's topic this week, which is: Classics

Do I read them? Do I like them? Do I feel pressure as a blogger to be knowledgeable about them?

Confession: I haven't read many classics, and I don't plan to start reading more any time soon. As a blogger I don't feel pressure to have to read them or know all about them. I feel like it is like every other genre or book out there, people like what they like, they read what they like and I am fine with that. Some people adore crime fiction, others prefer science fiction. So I don't feel bad that I don't read many classics, I have at least read a few and enjoyed them. In all honesty, I am much more likely to read a children's classic than an adult fiction one. I have a few that I do want to read, like Pride and Prejudice, but most of them don't really sound like books that I would read if they weren't described as 'classics'. A few classics I have read and enjoyed would be Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby and a ton of Shakespeare.

And Reading is Fun Again's topic is about: Series 

This is about when you start reading a series late, when it already has a ton of books out, short stories and novella's, prequels and everything else. How do you read the series? Full length books first and then everything else after. In order of chronological order or publication date?

In all honesty I usually read a series in the order an author released it. So if it went first book, second book, prequel, third book, a 1.5 novella and then final book, I would read it in that order. I feel like if that's the order it was written in then that will be the order I will read it in. I'm not sure why, it's just how I have to do things. Although, I do really hate this trend of series now having to have a prequel and about twenty different pointless novellas. I preferred when you just got all the books of a series. Novellas are starting to really bug me, prequels too. 

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