Goodreads Goals

Truth be told, I suck at goals. Especially my Goodreads, I have been using the app to track the books I have been reading for a couple of years now. I have yet to reach any of my goals. I always start the year with good intentions to read more but one way or another life gets in the way or something. I guess maybe I set my goals too high but I decided to scrap the reading goals for 2021. I managed 22 books this year and even though it doesn’t sound like a lot I am chuffed with myself!

One thing I am very proud of this year is discovering a love for Graphic Novels, something I never thought I’d see myself getting into. I  have read some amazing pieces one being the first two volumes of The Wicked & The Divine. The artwork is incredible and the storyline is so good! I really loved the characters, if you wish to read more about this amazing series I have done a book review on the first two volumes!  Just give the title a search in the top right corner of the page! I am waiting for the stores reopen properly before I search for a local comic book store in my city- rather than fund big businesses like Amazon. This year was definitely one of discovery. The first graphic novel I read this year was Faithless, very sexy but waiting for the next part of the collection which has not been announced yet.

I feel after this weird year I don’t want any pressure, I should just want to read and not feel like I have to.  Even though the Good Read’s reading challenge is supposed to be for fun I found myself rushing novels. I don’t want that anymore. I do want to read more, of course, I do. I want 2021 to be the year of content I care about, in all aspects of my life. I do want to try and not buy as many new books in the next year, my To-be-read pile is huge and my bookcase is full. I want to reread some of my favourite classics like Dickens' Great Expectations, Shelley's Frankenstein and whatever I find on my shelves. I want to be more creative over here on my blog too. Do you ever finish a book but you’re not quite over it yet? I want to explore that, maybe write an extra chapter or something. I know this sounds a little like fan fiction but I just want to share more creative writing with you guys. I will still write book reviews, I very much enjoy writing those and taking cute bookstagram photos to go with them.

This blog post is not disregarding Good Reads, I think it’s brilliant that I can see what I have been reading. Scrolling through the books I have read this year, I can say the book I loved the most, that I very much didn’t expect to, was Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking. I never really showed much interest in this actress previously but I was and still am fascinated by her story. This also started my love of audiobooks (see more about this in my previous blog post) which has helped me discover stories I wouldn’t usually even look at on a bookshelf!   Having talked about the books I love the most it’s only right I talk about one story I didn’t enjoy as much.

The graphic novel version of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.   If you know me, you’ll know I love the series. I have not enjoyed a series this much in a while. The graphic novel is very different, which as a lover of books I know adaptations change things and alterations are made, but the graphic novel disappointed me a little. I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting. With the Netflix show coming to an end soon (sadly) I am feeling more inclined to purchase the rest of the volumes so I can keep it alive and maybe see a different ending. I hope the next volumes change my mind. 

I am looking forward to the books I could read in 2021. Let’s make this the year of reading books we actually want to read! What book is at the top of your to-be-read list?

Goodreads Goals

Wednesday, 30 December 2020

44

Hello!

It has been a little while since my last post, I want to talk about reading and the books I want to read this year. I have been using Good Reads for a couple of years now to track the books I have been reading. To be honest, I have never completed my Good Reads goal, and that I find quite disappointed in myself. I asked my sibling to pick a number and she picked 44, that will be my reading goal for the year.

I know it is a high number but I have some really good books lined up to read, between Christmas and now I have accumulated 13 new books. Alongside reading more I want to make my Instagram more bookish, and just more. I have been neglecting the blog and my YouTube channel so I am trying to be more active. I love blogging and reading, I just haven't been able to find the time.

My current plan is to read before sleeping at night, but also listening to audiobooks when I am doing things so like bathing or cleaning. This way it means I can read two books at once but also get things done. This year I want to be posting more book reviews over here, I love reading and I love talking about books. It is an opportunity to share the books I have been reading and spark discussions. I love finishing a book and getting the chance to chat about it.  I think this year I will be keeping my blog purely bookish and writing-related. This means the blog can be more niche and I can control it better but also reach a more targeted audience. I feel like this space has been a bit messy and I feel like I can write better if I know what I am writing, if that makes sense? I will be posting monthly updates on how my reading goal is but also a rating of all the books I have read that month. I am aiming to post at least 1 review a week but we will see how that goes. The first book of the year I am reading is Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. The audiobook I am currently listening to is Oscar's Wilde's A Woman of No Importance. 

This was just a little blog update, first one of 2020 and I hope you all had a lovely festive period! What book are you starting off the year with?

44

Sunday, 12 January 2020

January Reads

I have not been posting many book reviews this year, I guess sometimes I just don't feel strongly enough about the books I have been reading. At the start of the month I set my yearly Good Reads goal, this year I have set my goal to 50. Last year I set it to 25 but that was about midyear.  I have decided to do monthly reading updates over here on my blog, to share with you guys what I have been reading a few words on each book.

The books I have read this month are:

1) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

2) Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill

3) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

4) Love on the Dole by Ray Speakman

5) A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

Two of out five of the books are for plays, and two of the novels I read was for study purposes. I did a  book review on The Hate U Give at the beginning of the month, the link is here. All of these books were really interesting, I read the majority of them in one sitting.

The Hate U Give

A brilliant book, coming of age type of story. This book holds such a powerful message, this book hit every emotion possible. You follow a strong protagonist go through traumatic events, you see a story of racial hate and struggle. An eye-opening read. It has been a very long time since I fell deeply into a book, I couldn't walk away from it. I finished this one in one night, I was enticed by every single page. I cannot remember the last time that happened to me.

This book has been adapted into a film, I have not seen the film just yet but I am looking forward to seeing how similar it is/isn't to the book.

I would rate this book:

Overall: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Sugar Rush

I think this was my least favourite read out of all of them. I thought I would delve in further to the Coming of Age genre. I felt a little old to read this book, it is quite young and contemporary of its time. This book was released in 2001, and the culture and nature of the book is very of its time. I did enjoy that the book was set in Brighton, a city I have come to know and love within the last year and a half. I loved reading about the city in a fictional world. I admire the book is set in Brighton, I have been trying to use setting more in my own writing. This book is about a girl who changes schools, it shows you the contrast within the class system. The difference between private schools and public schools. I definitely found myself relating more to the working class aspect of the novel. It was a good read, but it definitely is for a younger audience than myself.

I would rate this book:

Overall: ★★★

Characters: ★★

Plot: ★★★

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I have read this book many times, I think I even studied it at one point. It is such an interesting read, a classic piece of gothic literature. I read this piece for part of my coursework for my 19th-century Literature module at University. I compared this piece to Jane Eyre, about the topic of love. There are many things I could say about this book, it is beautifully written, I really like how the descriptions bring the book to life. I think what I like the most about this novel is the concept of never growing old, I love seeing Dorian become more and more corrupt. I love the theme of madness, the book is multi-dimensional in so many ways.

I would rate this book:

Overall: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Love on the Dole

I read this play ready for semester 2 for my Twentieth Century Literature module. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. The majority of the books on my course have been set in a middle-class society, so this was a refreshing change. This play is set in a working-class society, and you see the daily struggles of having no money and people out of work. I found myself absorbed into the pages. It has a northern feel to is, it is set in Manchester. I enjoyed reading the accent, it felt real. As if I had just journeyed back up North. This piece was such a refreshing read, especially for something we are studying. I cannot wait to start to lecture on this one. I love reading plays, it feels like no time has passed at all. I liked how the story was based on characters and their lives, and how poverty and money can affect a relationship, and what extent people are willing to go for money. I read this one in one sitting.

I would rate this book:

Overall: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I will forever love this play. I love the whole aspect of fairies and even Greek mythology. This play is short and sweet. I don't really care for the love tiffs between the mortal characters, I always enjoy the quarrels and happenings going on within the fairies. Puck is such a menacing character, loveable in every way. This play is just fun to read, light-hearted fun. I have read this one before, but I have been eager to read it again. If you just need a little pick me up,  this is a good play to read.

Overall: ★★★★

Characters: ★★★★

Plot: ★★★★

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Five books isn't so bad for the first month of the year, I do hope I read more as the days go on. I know I will have to read more for my studies so there won't be a lot of time for pleasure reading but I will try! The next book I will  be reading is the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

January Reads

Wednesday, 30 January 2019

The Hate U Give (Book Review)

I was recommended this book by a writer who came into Uni a couple weeks back. I have seen so many young adults buy it at work, so I was quite thrilled to pick up a copy for myself. This review will have spoilers!

I didn't know that the book was made into a film, having just read the book it would be interesting to see how it has been adapted into a film. 

I really like the cover, and that the title spells out THUG. I was curious about the title from the start, you find out more about as you read. 

This book was a very intense read, I felt every emotion possible. I could not put the book down. I started reading last night at about 5/6PM and I spent the entire night attached to the pages. I finished the book about 2.30AM. I have to say, it has been a very long time since I stayed up reading a book in one sitting. 

The story was an emotional one, about a girl who witnesses her best friend be killed by a police officer. It was such a beautiful story, but also infuriating. I found myself feeling the emotions the character was going through, the frustration of not getting justice for Khalil. You see how characters react to situations, and the main character Starr finds out that her supposed to be best friend Hailey is a racist.  I feel like this is very reflective of today's society, in the novel after the murder of Khalil the media spin the story that it was his own fault and that he was a 'thug' and pretty much dehumanising him. I found this so upsetting and infuriating because this happens in real life! It is just not fair, the police officer was made out to be the victim when in reality he killed a child and pointed a gun at Starr. 

The book shows you friendship dynamics and interracial couples and even shows you why people are forced to make bad choices. Khalil was deemed a drug dealer, and that was only so because he was paying a debt for his mother so she didn't lose her life. The story of Khalil is heartbreaking.  The main character, Starr, she is such a beautiful character. In her lifetime she witnessed two of her best friends die right in front of her, Khalil (by the police officer) and when she was ten her best friend Natasha died in a drive-by shooting. She is such a strong powerful character. I am aware that these characters are not real, but they are so well created I cannot help but feel for them. 

The book was written beautifully in a first-person perspective, I was hooked from the start. I do believe the author has written another book in 2018 called the 'On the Come Up' which I will definitely be buying, I read the first chapter which is included in the back of 'The Hate U Give' and I have to say Angie Thomas is such an amazing writer! So, would I recommend this book? YES 100%!

I feel like this was such a good read for the start of the year, it's going to be a tough one to follow!

The Hate U Give (Book Review)

Thursday, 3 January 2019