Yep. Up until earlier this year I’d never read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I’d also never seen any of the film adaptations (still haven’t, actually), so apart from some little nuggets of information and a general idea of “Alice” I didn’t even know what the story was about really. To be honest, I’m still not quite sure, but is anyone?
Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It’s the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she’s become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won’t open.
Evie’s soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets which have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it’s too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow, some way, she may also find her way back to the only man she ever truly loved…
First published: 2016
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that miss Peregrine’s children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive.
First published: 2011
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
I wasn’t planning on participating in today’s Top Ten Tuesday, but then I saw that the topic was the top ten books you read in 2015, and I thought “well, I can’t let that one pass me by, now can I?”. Although the year isn’t officially over yet – I still have to read four books to win my Goodreads challenge and I’m behind (eeeks) – it seems like as good a time as any to tell you about my favourite books of the year. Of course, I didn’t count rereads, and there will also be two honourable mentions at the end… Oh, and these are in no particular order (as always) and the links lead to my reviews of the novels.
Let’s go!
Cress, having risked everything to warn Cinder of Queen Levana’s evil plan, has a slight problem. She’s been imprisoned on a satellite since childhood and has only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress involving Cinder, Captain Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf goes awry, the group is separated. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
First published: 2014
Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan’s deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.
Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom…
First published: 2013
I don’t know about all you other bloggers out there, but I spend most of my time on the internet. Okay, perhaps not most of my time (I sleep a lot too). It’s pretty safe to say that I spend a lot (too much?) of my time online, though. The possibilities are endless, especially now that I’ve discovered the bookish community out there. There are so many cool Instagram accounts and YouTube channels and what not, so I thought I’d share a few of my favourites with you today!
First up is a YouTube channel that I’ve only discovered about two weeks ago, even though it’s a pretty big channel with almost 100k subscribers. I’m talking about PeruseProject by the lovely Regan. She does the usual like book hauls, tags and monthly wrap ups, but she also has some really cool themed videos like “Rainy Day Book Recommendations” among others. I mainly just love the way she talks about books quite in depth without giving any of the plot away and her enthusiasm for reading. I’d definitely recommend paying her channel a visit if you haven’t yet!
“I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.”
First published: 2013 [Goodreads]
Harry Potter is preparing to leave the Dursleys and Privet Drive for the last time. But the future that awaits him is full of danger, not only for him, but for anyone close to him — and Harry has already lost so much. Only by destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes can Harry free himself and overcome the Dark Lord’s forces of evil.
In this dramatic conclusion to the Harry Potter series, Harry must leave his most loyal friends behind, and in a final perilous journey find the strength and the will to face his terrifying destiny: a deadly confrontation that is his alone to fight.
First read: 2007
Times read: 2 or 3
When I started this blog I was a little bit worried that I wouldn’t get to reread some of my favourite books since I now review every “new” book I’ve read. That’s why I came up with this feature. Every time I reread a book (which isn’t all that often, but still) I will keep track of my reading progress and thoughts on Goodreads, and I will then make a small post and review about it on here.
I love lists, surveys and summary-type thingies at the end of the year, so when I came across this survey by Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), I immediately knew I wanted to fill it in! It’s a great way to look back on everything I’ve read this year, both now and in the years to come.
This’ll be quite a long post, so let’s get to it right away!
Number of books you read: 30 (although this’ll probably be 31 or 32 by the actual end of the year)
Number of re-reads: 2
Genre you read the most from: Contemporary Continue reading
