June Wrap-Up

4/27/2018



June is now over, and what a phenomenal reading week it's been! 9 books! It's the most I've managed to read in a month so far this year. Over the last month I've been focusing on reading in little tidbits of time. What a pay off too! I feel lucky that I got through so many great books, the worst thing to experience in the middle of a bookish frenzy is a boring book. However, the majority were wonderful!




The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

I am giving this book all the credit for my reading streak. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is artistic and intricate. At first I was unsure, however as the story progressed I found myself loving it more and more. Walton shows all the different aspects of love in this book, a subject that I adore! One of my first magical realisms made a lasting impression. I'll be re-reading this as soon as I can!

You can read my 5 star review here.




Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

After adding the Morganville Vampire series to my series I'd like to start list, I felt the desire to finally give it a try. It had been on my shelf for years! Glass Houses is set in a village where vampires and humans live together, the former having the most power. Claire joins college having no idea of the sort of trouble she would get into. This book is a simple and quick read, but it's full of fun, sassy darkness. I loved Claire and the few characters she became friends with. Caine's writing makes the scene incredibly easy to imagine so it's no surprise that it's a 4 star from me!




Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Unfortunately, the book that everyone seems to love isn't so great in my eyes. Anna and the French Kiss has been named as an incredibly romantic book, one of the best. However, I detested the premise of the story. The romance is based around a girl who loves a boy with a girlfriend. Unfortunately, no matter what whimsical term you put on it, this is still infidelity to me. The story didn't play out the way I would've liked, and left me feeling frustrated. On a lighter note, Stephanie Perkins' informal tone in her writing was lovely. I felt like I was reading a teenager's diary, something which makes it more real. Anna's passion for movies could've been featured more. She had hobbies other than boys, why not show them?

Although this wasn't what I expected it to be, I still enjoyed many aspects of it and gave it 3 stars. (Maybe 2.5.) My experience hasn't put me off from reading the rest of her books. I look forward to seeing what I think of those!




Fairest by Marissa Meyer

I figured it was about time that I finally continued with the Lunar Chronicles series. I just don't want it to end! Fairest gives insight into Queen Levana's past. Reading from the perspective of evil characters is always so enticing. What makes the character the way they are? Are they aware that what they do is wrong? A positive addition to the Lunar Chronicles series, I gave Fairest 4 stars.




Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona has been hidden under a pile of books for a while now! I stumbled upon it one day and knew I had to read it, I hadn't read a graphic novel in a good length of time. This book is witty and adorable. Nimona is a slightly psychopathic shape-shifter who's little quirks become lovable to her partner in crime, Lord Ballister Blackheart. The graphic novel challenges the different stereotypes and tropes in fantasy novels, creating new sides to various characters. All in all, I loved it! Stevenson needs to create more comics in this story, I must know all the details about Nimona's origin! A 4 star.




Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Sometimes I read a classic and it clicks with me. I understand it perfectly, and connect with the characters and languages. Other times I find myself confused, wondering if I am not smart enough. Unfortunately, the latter was my experience this time. Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of boys who get stranded on a deserted island, and have to fend for themselves. Over time they begin to lose their humanity and havoc commences. Due to misunderstood expectations, I had expected the book to be a lot more gruesome than it was. At times I felt like I should be reading more into a scene, seeing more meaning in a particular moment of symbolism, only to find that it was fairly simple. In the beginning I was quite confused and it dragged at times. To help with this I read studies online, and answered questions that were provided at the back of the book. Overall it made my reading experience much more rewarding, leaving me with a book rated at 3 stars.




Girl Online Going Solo by Zoe Sugg

I read Zoe Sugg's last two novels and loved them. Girl Online is a guilty pleasure for me. It's incredibly simple, I mean, the writing is enormous! The book is definitely aimed towards a younger audience, however I adore it. The main character, Penny, is lovely. She's calm and collected, always thinking through her decisions before she makes them. She's a great role model for teenage girls. The final novel in the Girl Online trilogy was my least favourite. I could not stand Callum, and didn't feel as connected to the romance part of the storyline. The cheese between Noah and Penny still melted my heart. As did the friendship between Elliot and Penny. If I need a pick me up, I will be turning to this series, a 4 star for this one!




A Work In Progress by Connor Franta

Back in the day I used to watch Connor Franta a lot. Unfortunately, I don't as much. Despite that, I still have his first book on myself, and found myself curious to see how he fared in the bookish youtube trend. Autobiographies have definitely been my favourite contributions in youtuber books. Connor Franta's memoir is simple. I flew through it. Thanks to it's positivity and thoughtful nature, I finished A Work In Progress feeling inspired. Franta gives lots of insight into different aspects of his life, it was fascinating to read his thoughts on things! It's a massive reminder to read more memoirs. Maybe I'll find another 5 star one.




The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

A common theme for this month seems to be arising as again, The Devil Wears Prada had been sitting on my shelf for a very long time. Years in fact! I had watched the film a few years back and had always been intrigued by how the book would vary. The book didn't amaze me, it was pretty much what I expected. In fact, at times it stressed me out. Andrea's life was so hectic, and why was Miranda so mean?! Bear with me while I question my life goals. At times I found myself lost in the countless designer references. For a medium sized book, the plot is standard. The Devil Wears Prada didn't anger me in any way, but it didn't impress me all that much either. My reading month ended with 3 stars.



Song of the Month


One Last Time by Ariana Grande

Due to the heartbreaking events in Manchester, Ariana Grande has been appearing in social media a lot more than usual. While writing a few blogposts I spent one evening watching the One Love Manchester concert that she organised to help the families effected by the attack. I cried the whole way through, it was a beautiful concert. Before then Ariana Grande had been off my radar for a few years, however I've found that I love a lot of her newer hits. One Last Time is one that has stuck in my head since hearing Ariana Grande's heartfelt rendition. Give it a listen, it's worth it, plus the music video is phenomenal!


Musical of the Month



We Will Rock You

Putting my iPod on shuffle has been a new love of mine. One day while I was on the bus a song from We Will Rock You came on, reminding me of all the reasons why the musical brought me so much excitement. I was part of the chorus in my secondary school's production of We Will Rock You when I was younger, so the musical brings back a lot of nostalgia. Queen's music is full of heart and soul, there's something so exciting about it! I must say, it is my favourite jukebox musical by far.


Despite various ups and downs, June has been a fabulous month full of productivity. Lets hope July sees the same results, although of course, no pressure for myself!

What was your favourite June read?


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3 comments

  1. Yay for 9 books! And I love those covers for the Morganville Vampires series- plus the premise sounds good too. Vamps and humans coexisting :)

    I haven't read Nimona but did read the first volume of Lumberjanes, same author I think? It was pretty good. And I love We Will Rock You by Queen- one of the awesomest songs ever.

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  2. I think part of why I liked Anna so much was BECAUSE of that trope, of girl likes guy with a girlfriend. I could relate to it, and while it IS wrong, sometimes those kinds of feelings just can't be helped and sometimes it's messy but that's life. But each to their own.

    The only other book I've read from this list is Glass Houses which I enjoyed, but I never did read on with the series. I think too much time has passed now for me, and I'm not that much of a fan of vampire books anyway.

    Great reading month for you! Keep it up. :)

    Cass @ Words on Paper

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  3. YES! So many great books. :) Fairest is such a great installment - it really gives a lot of depth and motivation to Levana's character. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post! <3

    ~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage

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