2020 Anticipated Book Releases | Blogmas Day 12

Happy Boxing Day!
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate)

Final Blogmas post! It has been good, but I for one will be glad for a break. Well done to anyone who did Blogmas daily, you’re amazing!

Let’s get onto the books, in no particular order:

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

I am dying for more SJM. Her books are insanely addictive and I just drink them up. I am so excited to read something Adult by her!

Out March 3rd
Preorder here: Amazon UKKindle |Hardback

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The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

I love Alexa Donne’s first book, so I’m excited to get this one too!
I don’t know much about this, which is fine – I prefer to go in blind. I hope it’s as good as her debut!

Out 4th February
Preorder here: Amazon UK Kindle| Paperback

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Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

I bloody adored Get a Life, Chloe Brown and this is the sequel following another Brown sister. I cannot wait for this!

Out June 23rd
Preorder here: Amazon UK Kindle | Paperback

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The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

Have I finished Mark Lawrence’s other books yet? No. Will that stop me from being excited/being this? Also, no. The books I’ve read so far have been great. This one sounds amazing, so I’m definitely picking it up!

Out April 30th
Preorder here: Amazon UK Kindle|Hardback

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The Switch by Beth O’Leary

I absolutely loved The Flatshare, it was one of my favourite reads of 2019. I will now pick up anything this author does. I pray that I love this as much as The Flatshare. The premise of this sounds SO cool! I cannot wait to pick this up!

Out 30th April
Preorder here: Amazon UK Kindle | Hardback

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What 2020 releases are you looking forward?

The Joy Of Christmas Book Tag | Blogmas Day 11

 

Happy Christmas Eve!
I cannot believe Christmas is tomorrow. Time really does fly!

Today I’m going to do The Joy of Christmas Book Tag!
This tag was created by Samantha at Novels and Nonsense

1) Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas!!!
I am SO ready for some SJM! I have missed her addictive writing so much.

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2) Christmas Songs & Carols: What book or author can you not help but sing its praises?

Anything Brandon Sanderson.
I will never shut up about how amazing his books are.
The world-building, the character, the plot twists. EVERYTHING is amazing.

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3) Gingerbread Houses: What book or series has wonderful world-building?

I’m not going to repeat my previous answer (Even though Sanderson is the King of world-building)
So I’ll go with Lightbringer by Brent Weeks.
Incredible magic system and world. I cannot wait to read the final book asap and be back in this amazing world! If you like Sanderson, give Lightbringer a go!

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4) A Christmas Carol: Favourite classic or one that you want to read

Jane Eyre & Pride and Prejudice

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5) Christmas Sweets: What book would you love to receive for Christmas

The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
(The only book I specifically asked for, so I know I’m getting it hehe)

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6) Candles in the Window: What book gives you that warm fuzzy feeling

Recently, Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
FEELS! This was adorable. The romance gave me so many fuzzy feels, I highly recommend this book!

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7) Christmas Trees & Decorations: What are some of your favourite book covers?

Here are a few of my favourites from 2019 releases!

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8) Christmas Joy: What are some of your favourite things about Christmas And/Or some of your favourite Christmas memories?

FOOD!!!

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Have a great Christmas / Happy Holidays!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Books I Wish I Read in 2019 | Blogmas Day 10

Welcome to Day 10 of Blogmas!
Today I’m going to talk about the books I wish (should’ve) I read in 2019. Hopefully, this will inspire me to actually pick up these books. I’ve had some on my tbr for ages or some were anticipated releases I just haven’t read yet.

 

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

I literally preordered this book and it came out in 2018 and I still haven’t read it. I reallllllllly need to get to this in 2020. I enjoyed the first book and yet still haven’t picked this one up. *Facepalm*

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The Burning White by Brent Weeks

I planned to read this in December but life got way too busy and I didn’t want the enjoyment to be affected by my stress. I will definitely be reading this in January when I’m done with my finals!

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Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Another book that I just don’t have time to enjoy. I want to love this book so reading it while I’m stressing over finals would probably kill that enjoyment. Hopefully, I’ll get around to it ASAP!

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The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

I really wanted to finish this trilogy but alas I don’t even own the book. I’ve read the first two, had an arc of The Cruel Prince, really enjoyed it. I got The Wicked King when it came out… didn’t like it. Very unpopular opinion but it was boring as hell. I’m not sure why I’m continuing but I feel like I might as well finish the series now.

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What book do you really need to get to in 2020?

Best Audiobooks I Listened to in 2019 | Blogmas Day 9

Hey Guys!
Welcome to Day 9 of Blogmas!
Today I’m going to talk about my favourite audiobooks I read in 2019.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Narrator: Adjoa Andoh

 A very recent read for me, but I had to include it!
I loved this book so much! The narrator was fantastic and did amazing voices/accents, it really added to the story.

Full thoughts in my review here!

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Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell
Narrator: Joe Jameson

The amazing conclusion to the Spellslinger series.
This whole series is amazing on audiobook, the narrator is incredible! The story is fun, but the narrator adds so much to the story with his voices. I have never experienced audiobooks better than the Spellslinger series, they are my favourite!

Review here!

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The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Narrator: Rebecca Soler

I thought I’d include the whole series here since I listened to them all this year.
They were amazing! I didn’t think I’d like this series, I picked up Cinder on a whim since the audiobook was available at my library, but I ended up loving them! Now one of my all-time favourites. I have to say the narrator grew on me too, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy her narration but I enjoyed it all.

Reviews: Cinder| Scarlet | Cress| Winter | Stars Above

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The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

I had previously read this book (physical copy) when it came out back in 2016. I saw that the audiobook was available at my library and I instantly got it. It’s narrated by Carrie herself which makes it even more enjoyable. As a huge Star Wars + Carrie Fisher fan, I loved every moment. Just listening to her voice was so comforting, it really makes her stories feel even more personal when she speaks them.

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What were your favourite audiobooks in 2019?

Bookish Things I’m a Grinch About | Top 5 Wednesday | Blogmas Day 8

 

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
T5W is currently on a hiatus so no new topics. So I’ll be revisiting old ones 🙂
Today I’m going to do the Bookish Things I’m a Grinch about prompt!

1) Stickers on Books

WHY. WHYYYYYYYYY.

Bane of my entire life. I hate it when the sticker doesn’t come off properly and you’re left with paper and glue stuck to the front.
Stop. Putting. Stickers. On. Books. I. BEG.

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2) Love Triangles

Love triangles just don’t sit right with me 95% of the time. It’s usually just someone cheating on someone else/ two dudes fighting over a plain girl?? Stop.
Some love triangles are just plain ridiculous and over the top and instead of the character falling out of love the writer just turns the first person into a ‘bad’ character. *cough* Shatter Me *cough* ACOTAR *cough*

The only love triangle I can get behind is the one in The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E Pearson. Writers: Take note. This is a well-done love triangle.

 

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3) Tissue paper thin pages

I HATE it when publishers make the pages thinner to make a book seem smaller!!
I get scared to read the books in case I rip the pages! SO annoying.

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4) Book ‘adaptations’ that ignore the book

Do I need to explain this one?
Everyone’s seen a favourite book ruined on screen, right? Heartbreaking.
Use. The. Material. Source.
Why adapt a book if you’re only going to steal the title? Infuriates me.

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5) Misleading blurbs/synopsis

You ever read the blurb/synopsis and think ‘WOW that sounds great!’ – then you read it and it’s nothing like what it claims. WHY. This annoys me to no end.
Recently this happened with Kingdom of Souls. Sigh. It was very disappointing.

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What bookish things are you a grinch about?

 

Audiobook Review: Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert | Blogmas Day 7

 

Hey Guys!
Welcome to Blogmas Day 7!

Synopsis:

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

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My Thoughts:

This book was AMAZING.

Firstly, the rep: Black, plus-size, chronically ill

I loved every moment, all the characters, everything. It was so funny and cute, I cannot get over it. I’m not huge on romance books in general but this one had me interested and boy, am I glad I picked it up!

I listened to this on audiobook, I listen to maybe an hour and I put it down because life got busy. I was bored one day and put it on, ended up listening to it all day and reading 90%.  It is so addicting and engrossing. Once I got going I was hooked. It was so easy for me to become invested in these characters, the romance and the story.

I absolutely love the humour, I love it when a book can make me laugh out loud and this did. I was giggly, smiley and just so happy reading this book. It’s seriously wonderful.

This book is described as steamy and it is. There’s no escaping it, there are some steamy sex scenes – I am not a huge fan of this myself but I managed to get through it with minimal embarrassment. If you’re not a fan of detailed sex scenes, you may want to skip this. The book isn’t filled with them, however.

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Characters:

Chloe: She’s is such a great protagonist! I have never connected and felt more like another character. Chloe suffers from a chronic illness, which I can personally relate to. Her experiences and the way she lives and feels because of her illness is something I can relate to 100%. I have never felt so seen and understood.
I have no idea if the chronic illness rep is own voices – I couldn’t find anything about it but it is very well written and accurate.

Red: One word: SWOON.

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Narrator:
Adjoa Andoh is a great narrator. The voices and accents she did were so enjoyable, she fitted this book perfectly. I am so glad I got to listen to the audiobook, the listening experience was incredible.

 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

* Thank you to Libro.fm for providing the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

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Book Recs: Wintery Fantasy Reads | Blogmas Day 6

Hey guys! Welcome to Blogmas Day 6
Today I’m going to recommend some wintery fantasy reads!

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

This is probably the most wintery book on this list, it’s set in literal winter. It would be such a perfect Christmas read that’s not actually about Christmas. The wintery/snowy setting is so amazing, you can vividly imagine it while reading.

Review here
Purchase on Amazon UK here:Kindle | Hardback | Paperback

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The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

I loveeeee the Lightbringer books.
This is such a gripping, gritty read – perfect for dark winter days.

Warning: There are some dodgy descriptions of women in these books, it bothers a lot of people but if you can look past that, it’s a really great book.

Purchase on Amazon UK here: Kindle | Paperback

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The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

One of my favourite books of all time, I will never stop recommending this book/series.
Although it’s fantasy, the world is kind of dystopian and grey – perfect for winter. It very much has a wintery/dark times feel.

Purchase on Amazon UK here: Kindle | Hardback | Paperback |

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A YA rec of course!
This book always reminds me of winter, due to it being winter in the beginning. It’s such a quick read too, perfect to just snuggle up and devour!

Purchase on Amazon UK here: Kindle | Paperback

 

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City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

A middle-grade rec!
Had to go with this, it’s such an adorable read!
It’s cute but spooky – if you like ghosts/paranormal stuff, Scotland and Harry Potter references, you’ll love this.
(The audiobook is really good too)

Purchase on Amazon UK here: Kindle | Paperback

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Any of these intrigue you?
Recommend me a wintery read!

The Festive Christmas Book Tag | Blogmas Day 5

Hey guys!
Welcome to Blogmas Day 5.
This post is going up later than I anticipated, oops. I’m so not used to posting so much!

The original tag was made by the Booktuber: GirlReading.

 

1. A fictional family you would like to spend Christmas dinner with?

Hmmm… Either Rhys’ Inner Circle, Aelin’s Court or 100 Fox Way gang.
How incredible would any of those be?!

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2. A bookish item you would like to receive as a gift?

Bookish pins! I love them and NEED more!!

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3. A fictional character you think would make a perfect Christmas elf?

Blue from The Raven Cycle!

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4. Match a book to it’s perfect Christmas song.

Ooof.
This is a cool question but I read so much fantasy I’m not sure any fit with Christmas songs.

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5. Bah Humbug. A book or fictional character you’ve been disappointed in and should be put on the naughty list?

The Wicked King. 

No, I’m not sorry. That book was beyond boring.

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6. A book or a fictional character you think deserves more love and appreciation and deserve to be put on the nice list?

The Kiss of Deception /  Lia
Why does no one talk about these books? They’re amazing.
Lia is an amazing,, strong female character who deserves so much more appreciation!

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7. Red, Gold and Green. A book cover that has a wonderfully Christmasy feel to it.

My True Love Gave to Me ed. by Stephanie Perkins
Can’t get more Christmasy than a Christmas book!

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8. A book or series you love so much, you want everyone to find under their Christmas tree this year so they can read it and love it too?

MISTBORN!!!
My favourite book trilogy of all time. It’s INCREDIBLE.
Everyone needs it!

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Find me over on Instagram//Twitter//Goodreads

A (VERY) Long Overdue Book haul | Blogmas Day 4

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Hey guys!
This book haul is obscenely overdue. I have been compiling it since August… Yep. I need to finally just post it. It’s getting ridiculous. It needs to be up before 2020…
Onto the books!

Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin (Signed!!!!)

I was luckily enough to go to GRRM’s London book talk in August and got a signed copy!! I didn’t get to meet him but seeing him talk IRL was incredible!

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*Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson  + Speak graphic novel

*Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
Review here.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
I won this on Reader’s First!

Embers of Memory – Okay not a book per se but related!

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Saga Vol 3 by Brian K. Vaughan + Fiona Staples (kindle edition)
The first two are on *Kindle Unlimited,  it’s worth signing up for a trial just to read them!

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The Burning White by Brent Weeks (Signed)

Unfortunately, I don’t have the copy with me to take a photo 😦
But it’s a signed hardback! I am so hyped to have this!

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*Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan

 

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

*Devouring Gray by Lynn Herman

My True Love Gave to Me ed. by Stephanie Perkins

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson (Signed!!)

So excited for this book but also INSANELY happy I finally have a signed book from my favourite author! Eeeeeeeeeek!

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What books have you bought recently?

Bookish Gift Guide: Books for YA Lovers! | Blogmas Day 3

Hey guys!
Welcome to Day 3 of Blogmas!
Today I’m going to do a gift guide for the YA lover in your life.

Boxsets:

Boxsets make such great gifts! The more books the merrier, right?
Here are some boxsets I adore:

The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E Pearson

This series is INCREDIBLE. It would make such a great gift for a YA fantasy fan!

Get it here on Amazon UK 

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Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
This amazing series would make such a great gift!
The box is beautiful!

Get it here on Amazon UK

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A boxset I’d love to receive:

Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman

I have yet to read these books but seeing this boxset makes me want it so bad!
I’ve been dying to read this, since everyone raves about it, now that it’s all out I might finally have to binge this series in 2020.

Buy it here on Amazon UK!

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Individual Book Recommendations:

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Not only is this book absolutely beautiful (imagine opening that?!) it’s an amazing read.
It would be perfect someone who loves sci-fi or wants to get into sci-fi!

Get the book here: Amazon UK

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Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

With the His Dark Materials TV show out, now is the perfect time to dive into the books! How gorgeous is the new cover?! It’s the gift edition – perfect for Christmas!
I think I may need to gift myself a copy…

Get it here on Amazon UK

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Simon Vs the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This adorable book would be perfect for any YA contemporary lover!
You could take it a step further and get them a copy of the film adaptation too.

Purchase here on Amazon UK: Book |DVD |Bluray

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What book would you love to receive as a gift?

 

*Purchase links in this post are affiliate