Bout of Books 17 Vlog 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Today I have for you my full Bout of Books 17 Vlog! It's a long video so grab a drink and a snack and enjoy! I absolutely loved being involved with the readathon and doing the challenges as well as of course reading a lot more than I usually would. It was sometimes difficult to find time to read but I managed and got two books and two graphic novels read which I'm super happy about. I definitely want to join in with a lot more readathons so watch this space for those!

If you joined in with the readathon then let me know how you got on and if you have any wrap up posts/videos then feel free to show me those!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just read Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples and I loved it! I can't get over how amazing this series is! And how much I'm loving it even though I don't usually like Sci Fi!

This is obviously the 2nd part of the story and in this volume we see the family (mother, father, baby daughter) continue to fight off their enemies. They are still on the run and there are still lots of people out to kill them.

This is because the two got together but are from different planets. And being with someone from a different planet is definitely not allowed. Not only that but of course they've now had a daughter together as well.

At the end of the last volume, the father's parents are introduced. We see a lot more of them in this volume and they are now out helping the family fight against the evil that is surrounding them. Freelancers are still being sent out but another enemy has decided to go after them...the father's ex partner, Gwendolyn.

I don't want to say too much more but I absolutely loved the continuation of the story and the world building. Everything was very well explained and I could understand everything easily enough for me not to get confused while reading.

I also loved the introduction of Gwendolyn. We've heard about her throughout the story but for her to turn up completely unexpected was such a great twist to the series. I like how badass her character was as well and I hope she has a lot more character development throughout the next few volumes.

The family relationship is something that I've loved from the beginning so it was nice to see that again and just how close this family is. Having the grandparents introduced now as well gave the family element another level of strength fighting off the enemies.

Once again the illustrations were fantastic and went with the dialogue perfectly. Fiona Staples' art work is just incredible!

Overall I would say this has been a perfect continuation of the series and I can't wait to get my hands on Saga Volume 3! I just want to mention again however that this series isn't suitable for younger readers as there are a lot of topics mentioned and illustrations that are for a more mature audience.

Rating /5

5

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Hello Book Lovers!!!

For my final book of the Bout of Books Readathon I've decided to read Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples! I couldn't be more excited to read this as I loved Saga Volume 1 so much!

I don't know which direction this volume is going so I'll just have to update you with all my thoughts and opinions when I've finished it!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just finished On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a sweet read with the perfect ending.

So this is about a woman called Evie who dies in her sleep at the age of 82 surrounded by her children and grandchildren. When Evie arrives at her own private heaven she finds she can't open the gate as her soul is too heavy. Evie is now also her 27 year old self and has to work out how to make her soul light.

With the help of Leiffe, the two find ways for Evie to communicate with her family and friends and share all of the secrets Evie has been hiding over the years to make her soul light so she can enter her own private heaven.

On Evie's journey, we meet Vincent, a man she found herself falling in love with in her 20's. Unfortunately her family had strict rules about marriage having to be arranged and Evie's parents choosing a suitable man for her so unfortunately Evie never got to have her dream life with Vincent.

She did however still marry and have children and so Evie found that her life ended up not being too bad. However she never stopped thinking about Vincent. So when Evie works out who she needs to communicate with about the secrets she's kept, Vincent and her husband Jim are two of these people.

The story takes us through Evie's struggles growing up in a family that never really let her live her life how she wanted and instead had to lead a life that they wanted. As well as this we learn about the relationships and friendships she has had over the years and how she dealt with the ups and downs of life.

This was such a heart-warming story and I fell in love with some of the characters. One of these was Vincent as I just found him so caring and loving towards Evie. I also loved Evie; she has such a drive about her to life in general and I thought she was a truly inspirational character.

I hated Evie's parents however. I couldn't be more against their beliefs (I understand everyone has their own opinions and that's completely fine!). But what I hated was the way they treat Evie because of her wanting her life to be very different to the way they wanted it to be like.

The change between the 'heaven waiting room' and the living world was clear in the writing and that element never confused me at all. I liked the difference between these two places and I could easily see which location we were in when. One thing I did find difficult to keep up with however was the amount of characters. I did catch up eventually but it took me a while to remember who was who and who was related to who.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a cosy, heart-warming read that you can just curl up with (burning candles would also give this reading experience the perfect atmosphere!).

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The next book I'm going to read for the Bout of Books Read-a-thon is On the Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher! I'm really looking forward to reading this book as the synopsis doesn't sound like anything I've read before!

All I know is it's about Evie Snow who dies in her sleep at the age of 82 surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She ends up at her own private heaven but the gates won't open as she has to have a light soul. So Evie has to get rid of all the things that are making her soul heavy.

Sounds really good and I can't wait to read it! And can I also say...how beautiful is this cover!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

A Whole New World. A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've finished my 2nd book of the Bout of Books Read-a-thon and I enjoyed it. Probably not as much as I'd hoped to but still a good read. And that book was A Whole New World. A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell.

This is the story of Aladdin, but not how we all know it to be. The novel begins in the same way as Aladdin, up until he is in the cave. In Aladdin, of course he doesn't give the old man (Jafar) the lamp, but in this story he does. Which could be the worst decision he has ever made.

We follow Jafar as the Sultan and the leader of Agrabah, and all the chaos that he is causing. He has slaves, guards that tend to his every need, and he will kill anyone that gets in his way. So Agrabah is now in ruins.

Aladdin and Jasmine go out to try to save their kingdom and get Jasmine into power. With the help of Aladdin's friends, Rajar Jasmine's tiger, and Abu Aladdin's monkey, the gang fight their way through the chaos and try to save the kingdom before it's too late.

I found this story really fun and a good take on Aladdin. It was good to see what Agrabah could have been like if Jafar had all of the power and became the most powerful Sorcerer in the world. And trust me, it's not a nice world!

I loved Jasmine's character as she wasn't your typical princess and had such a feisty nature to her. I also really liked Morgiana, one of Aladdin's friends, as she came across as such a leader but you could tell she still needed her friends to support her.

There were lots of moments in this story that shocked me and for it to be a different take on Aladdin, it definitely got a lot darker than I expected it to. I really liked those elements though as it kept me engaged and I wanted to read on.

However, the story did also get slow at times and I felt my mind wandering. This meant I had to go back and reread some pages as I got lost every now and again. Saying that, Jafar and how evil he was really surprised me! He was awful! I knew he was obviously a bad character but I never expected him to be as bad as he was...he was so horrible! A really good character to read about though.

Overall I enjoyed this story but like I said, I did feel like my mind wandered every now and again when I felt the story slowing down. However I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good fairytale retelling or is just a Disney lover.

Rating /5

3

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

A Whole New World. A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell

Hello Again Book Lovers!!!

It's time to tell you what I'm going to be reading next for the Bout of Books Read-a-thon! And I've decided to read A Whole New World. A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell! I'm super excited for this one as it's an Aladdin retelling and I love Aladdin and retellings so this sounds perfect for me!

All I know is that Jafar now has the lamp and is in charge of Agrabah and it's up to Aladdin and Jasmine to save the kingdom. But it's risky and could end up destroying the kingdom all together!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just flown through Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples and absolutely loved it! I completely see where all the hype has come from now! It's just so gripping and I can't wait to continue on with the series. I'm actually thinking do I just order the next volume right now!

So this is about a family trying to find their place in the world, in between a galactic war. The two are from different planets and aren't meant to fall in love, but having feelings for someone can't be helped! The two end up having a child together and this is where the story begins.

The basis of the novel is told from the perspective of the child and follows the story of her parents. The two have to fight off all of their enemies that are trying to kill them as well as keeping their child safe...as someone is wanting their child brought to them, but alive and in full health. However killing her mother and father doesn't seem to be an issue.

I don't want to say any more about the synopsis as I don't want to give anything away but trust me when I say, it's definitely worth the read! I'm not a sci fi fan in the slightest and I loved it!

This first volume was so intense and gripping I just couldn't stop reading! It was one of the most exciting stories I've ever read. I loved how the story was told from the child's perspective as I thought that it gave a much more interesting look on the story of the family. I also loved how much the family cared for each other and how they would do anything to keep each other safe.

The world in which this story is taking place is well developed and interesting to read about as it has so many elements to it. Learning about the different planets and the people within them was incredibly engaging as they were all so different.

The illustrations throughout were amazing and made the story even more engaging to read. They were a perfect match to the dialogue and really supported in the process of bringing the story to life.

Overall I loved this first instalment to the series and I can't wait to continue on. I would recommend this to readers who love an action packed, quick read and even if you are like me and aren't a sci fi fan, I highly recommend giving this a read anyway. I definitely wasn't disappointed! However saying all of that, I don't recommend this to younger readers as there are a lot of scenes/illustrations that are definitely not suitable for younger readers.

Rating /5

5

If you've read this volume of Saga then let me know what you thought of it as I'd love to know your opinions and I'll speak to you all very soon with more updates of my progress in the Bout of Books Readathon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Hello Book Lovers!!!

It's the first day of the Bout of Books Read-a-thon and I couldn't be more excited! I have a full day of reading today so I'm going to make the most of it! I've decided to start with a nice easy read and that is Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples! I couldn't be more excited to start this and I just want to find out what all of the hype is about.

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Bout of Books 17 Read-a-thon TBR 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I'm really excited to share with you all the books I plan on reading in the Bout of Books Read-a-thon 17 in the upcoming week! I decided to do this read-a-thon as it's really relaxed so fits in nicely with my busy lifestyle. I can't wait to get started! So here are all the books I plan on reading! Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just finished Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I really enjoyed it but I'm finding it difficult to see the hype around this story. It was a fun summer read but for me it wasn't anything super special.

This is about two girls called Emily and Sloane. They are best friends and have a full summer planned. But Sloane disappears leaving only a list for Emily. This list is a bucket list of sorts, including things like 'kiss a stranger', 'dance until dawn', 'go skinny dipping' etc. Emily has no idea why Sloane has left her this list or where Sloane has disappeared to but Emily thinks that if she completes this list, then maybe that could bring Sloane back.

So we follow Emily on her journey during the summer trying to complete the list. She makes friends with people she would never normally speak to, goes on many adventures, and at some points, gets herself into a little bit of trouble...something Emily would never do!

I really enjoyed this book like I said above, and I liked reading about all of the characters however I never felt myself getting attached to any of them. They were all great to read about, but I didn't get any emotional connections like I usually do when reading.

I also really liked following Emily through her summer trying to complete the list Sloane had given her. Some of the tasks were really amusing to read about and I loved how she didn't have to complete this list all on her own. She made some friends during the summer and these friends were such a support through her journey and her tasks, which I definitely think Emily needed as a lot of the things on the list, she would never even dream of doing!

The writing style was easy to follow and didn't leave me confused at any points. Even though the book was quite big, it didn't take me long to get through however I'm not a fan of longer chapters and this book was full of them! Other than that, I didn't have any issues with the way the book was written and I'm glad I gave Morgan Matson's writing a chance.

Overall I would recommend this to anybody that likes a cute contemporary summer read and something that you can read easily without feeling you are dragging yourself through a book.

Rating /5

4

If you've read this book then let me know your thoughts on it as I'd love to know. That's it for this post and I'll speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Popular Unread Authors 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've decided to share with you some of the authors I'm yet to read. There are so many popular authors on BookTube that I've not read but here are just a few of them I've picked out. If you have any other authors/books you think I would like to read then let me know as I'd love more recommendations.

Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Next I've decided to read Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. I'm super excited to start this one as I've not read anything by Morgan Matson before and she is highly hyped especially over on BookTube!

I've heard lots of positive reviews of this book so I can't wait to get my nose stuck in and see what all the fuss is about. It's also meant to be perfect for reading in the summer so I thought it best I get it read now as summer will soon be over!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Pig - Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just finished Pig - Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm so happy I revisited this story as I forgot about just how good it actually is.

In this story we meet Cameron who is 13 and in need of a heart transplant. Unfortunately a match has not been found for him but one day a doctor offers him a heart that he believes would accept Cameron's body. But the heart isn't from a human, it's from a pig.

Cameron decides to go ahead with the operation as he either has no hope of surviving anymore than another few months, or by having the operation, could possibly start leading a slightly more normal life. Even though his mother isn't too happy about this she goes along with the idea anyway knowing it's what Cameron wants.

After the operation Cameron faces a lot of hate and people trying to interfere with his life including press from the newspapers trying to get further information from him. So Cameron has to learn how to deal with this as well as trying to start a normal life again like he had before he got ill.

This is a beautiful story with a lot of family elements which I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. I also loved the way in which Malorie Blackman can write a story based on a seriously important topic but keep it light enough for younger readers to read.

I thought all of the characters were well developed and I felt I got to know them well. I really loved Cameron's character as even though he is only 13, he really spoke his mind and didn't let anyone tell him what to do. However you could still tell how innocent he was through some of his dialogue so you never forgot his age. You could also tell how much his family and friends meant to him which was a lovely element to the story as well.

The writing was easy to follow and because of that I was able to picture each detail very clearly. By being able to picture everything, I always feel like this helps me stayed captivated by the story.

The plot for me was really strong and there was always something waiting to stir things up just around the corner. I never felt I was getting bored and I read most of this book within one day. It's a nice quick read and definitely something I would reread again.

Rating /5

5

If you've read this book then by all means let me know what you thought about it as I would love to know and I'll speak to you all very soon.

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Pig - Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Today I'm going to start Pig - Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman! This is my reread of the month and I can't wait! I remember really enjoying it the first time around but I can't remember that much about it now.

All I remember is it's about a boy called Cameron who is 13 years old and he's in need of a heart transplant. But it's not looking good as they can't find a match until one day the doctor comes in and says they've eventually found one. But it's not from a human; it's from a pig.

I'll tell you lots more in my review once I've read it so keep your eyes open for that!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne Review | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I finally have my full video review of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne! I had so much to say about this story so I hope you enjoy the video and let me know your thoughts on this book if you've read it as I would love to know. There has been so many mixed reviews that I'm really interested in what you all thought about it.

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Dream House by Marzia Bisognin - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've finished Dream House by Marzia Bisognin and I really enjoyed it. I found it very strange but highly engaging.

This is about a girl called Amethyst who comes across the house of her dreams and as she is looking over at it, a storm begins. The two people in this house notice her and invite her in to get out of the storm.

Amethyst ends up staying the night but when she wakes up she's completely on her own. She can't quite understand where the two people that invited her in have gone but she decides to go explore. While exploring she comes across some strange people and happenings. She notices the gardener called Alfred but people soon tell her to stay out of his way as he has a dark past. She also keeps seeing a little girl in the house who's name is Akiko but doesn't know why she is there. As well as this she keeps getting random messages around the house, one of which were made by the letter magnets on the fridge.

Because of all of these happenings, Amethyst can't help herself and wants to get to the bottom of whatever it is that's going on. She starts to collect clues and also tries to get some information off a guy called Avery that lives opposite.

But Amethyst is not prepared for what she is about to discover, but could you ever be prepared for something that shocking?

Like I said before, I really enjoyed this story. I loved Alfred's character and I felt we got to know a lot about him. I found him very interesting to read about especially finding out about his past and how he has ended up where he is today. I didn't however feel like we got to know Amethyst that well, even at the end when all of the secrets were revealed. It would have been nice to find out a lot more about her past however I did still like her character, even if I did find her a bit strange.

I felt like I could picture all of the locations really well so that helped me stay engaged in the story. I also felt that the writing style was effective but also very easy to follow.

The storyline itself was strong but could have been made longer as I feel like there is so much more that could be said about Amethyst, her past, and the house itself. I also found it really strange that Amethyst didn't run a mile when she was getting all of the messages and meeting some really odd people.

I would definitely recommend this to older readers as it was highly engaging and kept me hooked throughout. It also had me asking questions all the way through and it was one of those stories that I didn't want to put down until I had all of the answers. I wouldn't recommend this to younger readers however as it does get quite creepy and can make you feel on the edge a lot so it might not be suitable for the younger age range.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

July/August Book Haul 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Today I'm sharing with you all the books and bookish items I got in July/August. I don't plan on buying anything else this month so I thought I'd share them all with you now. Enjoy!

Let me know if you got any books or bookish items over the last month or so and I'll speak to you all very soon.

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

August TBR 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I'm finally sharing with you all the books I plan to read in August! I have been reading the whole way through this month so far so have already finished one book and I'm about 3/4 of the way through another one. But here is my August TBR anyway. Enjoy!

Let me know what you plan on reading in August and I'll speak to you all again very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

July Wrap Up 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've finally uploaded my July Wrap Up video so here it is! Let me know what you've been reading in July and what was your favourite book of the month and I'll speak to you all very soon! I've got lots of videos hopefully getting uploaded this week so lots to look forward to!

Enjoy!!!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Dream House by Marzia Bisognin

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The next book I plan on reading this month is Dream House by Marzia Bisognin. This book intrigues me and I'm really in the mood to read it at the minute so I just cant wait!

All I know is this is about a lady called Amethyst and she comes across the house of her dreams. The people inside invite her in as a storm has started and she ends up staying the night. But in the morning she wakes up alone as everyone has disappeared. She then faces some strange happenings and people and I think it's about her trying to escape all of this.

That's all I can really say at the minute so I'll give you more information in my review!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne - Review

Hello Everyone!!!

I finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne and I have so much to say about it so I will be doing a full video review of it on my channel very soon! Overall I really enjoyed it but I did have some issues with it as well.

This is the script from the stage production in London so is written in a very different format to what we are used to from this world. However it didn't take away my enjoyment of the story and I loved the dialogue.

There will be spoilers in this so I advise you read the book before reading this review if you don't want to be spoilt!

In this we follow Albus Severus Potter, Harry Potter's son, as well as Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son. They are both new to starting Hogwarts and have to be sorted into their houses. Scorpius Malfoy is of course sorted into Slytherin...he's a Malfoy after all. But so is Albus Potter which nobody expects!

The two overhear a conversation and find out that a Time Turner has been kept in the Ministry of Magic even though they were all meant to be destroyed, and Cedric Diggory's father is wanting to use this to bring his son back to life. Everyone is against this of course; if you change the past, who knows what could happen to the future! But Albus and Scorpius hear how distraught Cedric's father is and decide to take it into their own hands to go back in time and bring back Cedric. Cedric's father recommends that his niece Delphi goes with them to help in their quest.

They use Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Ministry of Magic to find the Time Turner and succeed with only having a few complications on the way which could have got them killed! When back in time, they try to stop Cedric from competing in the Triwizard Tournament, but this then completely changes present day, turning the Wizarding World into a dark and miserable place as now Harry is dead which means Albus never existed and Voldemort is in charge!

So we journey through with these characters, meeting new characters on the way and going back to see old characters from the series and travelling through an alternate history of events.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and most of the characters and it was great to revisit old characters from the series as well as be introduced to the next generation of witches and wizards of Hogwarts. The writing was of course very different to how a Harry Potter story is usually published however this didn't affect my enjoyment of it at all.

I found that Albus and Scorpius' friendship was absolutely adorable and I couldn't help but fall in love with Scorpius. He was one of the cutest characters I've ever read about and I have definitely gained another favourite character of all time. I do feel like he should have been a Hufflepuff not a Slytherin though; he was too sweet to be a Slytherin!

Draco was a fantastic character and it was nice to see his good side and how he has now become friends with everyone. It was great to see him and Harry work together to find their sons instead of working against each other like in the series.

I found Harry a bit too aggressive considering he's meant to be a loving, caring character so I didn't like his character as much as I'd hoped for. He just seemed a lot different to how he was in the series.

I loved how Albus and Scorpius were both in Slytherin and it was great to see two Slytherins be the heros for once as it's usually Gryffindors so it was a nice change.

The time travel was fantastic and it was great to revisit parts of the series but with new characters. It showed how by changing the past, that could have a major effect on present day and the future and you should never meddle with time. I loved how dark it got in present day when the past had been changed and how there was even a Voldemort Day! We also saw how some characters had completely different personalities and weren't their usual selves at all.

Going back to the day Harry's parents died was incredibly emotional and for Harry to have to watch this happen was awful. It really made it feel like the story had gone in one big circle. There were so many shocking moments and emotional moments but I'll talk about them a lot more in my video review so look out for that!

Hermione being the Minister of Magic was just brilliant! I feel like it's such an Hermione job and it's perfectly suited to her.

One thing I'm not so sure on is Bellatrix and Voldemort having a child...like what?!?!? I just found this too weird and haven't quite come to terms with it yet.

The writing style was different as I believe it was mostly Jack Thorne who wrote most of this, not J.K. Rowling, so that was strange to get used to a first but once I got into the story more it didn't bother me at all.

I really want to know how the magic is performed on the stage as I find it difficult to picture not in CGI. I hope that one day I'll be able to see the stage production but I've just got to hope!

Rating /5

4

If you've read this then let me know what you thought of it as I'd love to know. There has been a lot of mixed reviews so let me know your opinions! That's it for today and I'll speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The first book I'm going to read in August finally is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne! And I can't wait! I went to the midnight launch of the book and that was great fun and I can't wait to find out what this book is about! 

All I know is it's the 8th Harry Potter book 19 years later and it's the script for the play in London! I don't want to know much else as I want to go into it blind and just find out more as I read.

If you've read this then let me know what you thought of it as I've heard very mixed opinions!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

July Wrap Up 2016

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I'm finally getting round to concluding everything I've read in July! Sorry it's late, I've been ill over the last week or so and haven't been able to do much at all. But here it is so I hope you enjoy!

The first book I read was...

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

This is the second book in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series so I don't want to say too much about it but it continues on following Lara Jean after her disasters in To All the Boys I've Loved Before where she writes letters to all the boys she's ever loved. These letter are just for her but one day they all get sent out and she has to deal with the consequences of this. I liked where the story took us in P.S. I Still Love you as I had no idea what was going to happen and my feelings slightly changed for some of the characters as well as some of my opinions for different elements during this book. I gave this book 4* on Goodreads.

The second book I read was...

Fairest. The Clamour for Glamour by Matthew Buckingham and Bill Willingham

This is the final volume in the Fairest graphic novel series and I really enjoyed this one as well. In this we meet Reynard who can turn from human to fox and vise versa, which makes the other animals jealous, especially when he does nothing but boast about it. Because of this he is picked up and dropped on a farm well away from where he lives and comes across a girl called Meghan who isn't treated very nice by her uncle and cousin. The two end up together and Meghan ends up pregnant, but is the baby going to be a fox or a human? This wasn't my favourite volume in the series however I did still enjoy it and really loved the characters and all of their different personalities so for that I gave this 3* on Goodreads.

The third book I read in July was...

The Disney Book. A Celebration of the World of Disney by Jim Fanning

This tells us facts about the films, character development, story development, Walt Disney's life, the Disney parks, and many more! I found this book highly engaging and informative and learnt a lot from reading this. I loved finding out about the initial ideas for the films and how they were developed into feature lengths we watch and love today. I gave this book 4* on Goodreads.

The fourth book I read was...

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

This was my reread of the month and I loved revisiting this story. This is about a boy called Bruno who has to move from his home because of his father's job. He is a soldier and when the family move to their new location, they all find it very difficult to settle in, especially Bruno. When he notices a giant metal fence in the distance from his bedroom window, he goes out exploring to see what it is. There he meets another little boy behind the fence who appears to be wearing striped pyjamas. But Bruno has no idea what he has just discovered. I love this story and younger readers could read this easily as well as the writing style isn't too mature. It's also an informative book and covers very important topics. I gave this book 4* on Goodreads.

And the final book I read in July was...

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

This is the second book in the Twilight series which I'm currently rereading. I liked rereading this as it let me compare my thoughts from when I was 16 to now and turns out some were similar, and some were very different. We continue to see Bella spend her time with the Cullens but when she finds out they are leaving, she doesn't know how to cope. This is where Jacob Black plays a big role in making sure she is ok, but he begins to get feelings for her. Bella also takes an interest in extreme sports as she can hear and see Edward this way in her imagination but when Alice Cullen has a vision of her dying, Bella has no idea what she has just done. I liked this book again but I found it to be quite slow during the middle sections as it seemed to be just Bella moping around a lot. I really liked Jacob and the La Push group again and I also liked how the story picked up again as it got closer to the end. I gave this 3* on Goodreads.

So that is it for my July Wrap Up! And I managed to read 5 books which I'm super happy about! But it's now time for my July Favourite Read! And the winner is...

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne!!!

I just loved how this book was written and how it dealt with horrible topics but in a way that it wouldn't be a problem for younger readers to enjoy. It could also be educational to students learning about the terrors covered in this story so it could serve for that purpose also.

So that is it for this post! Let me know what you read in July and what was your favourite read and I will speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The final book I read in July was New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. This was one of my rereads as I'm currently rereading the series. I've been ill over the last week so haven't posted or uploaded anything but I'm hoping to get back to posting and uploading regularly again over the next week. New Moon is the second book in the Twilight series so if you don't want to be spoiled then you've been warned!

In New Moon we see Bella continue her life with the Cullens but when she finds out they are planning on leaving Forks she doesn't know how to cope. If she hasn't got Edward, then she's not only got no protection from Victoria, another vampire that wants to kill her, but she's also losing the boy she loves.

When they leave, Bella can't cope but finally finds comfort in her friend Jacob Black. The two spend a lot of time together and Jacob begins to get feelings for Bella and tries to win her over. But Bella can't help but only want Edward and doesn't want a relationship with Jacob.

When Jacob becomes ill, all Bella wants to do is see him and make sure he is ok but Jacob's father Billy won't allow her to have any contact with him. She even tries to ring him but Billy won't let her speak to him. This makes Bella think that there's something seriously wrong.

As the clues start developing, Bella soon learns that Jacob is a werewolf and can now change between human and werewolf depending on his moods. But because Bella has already been involved with vampires, this doesn't faze her and continues to see Jacob when he has recovered.

Bella has also turned to extreme sports as she realises this is how she can see Edward in her imagination and hear his voice. But when Alice Cullen gets a vision that Bella has killed herself jumping off a cliff, she soon gets back to Folks expecting Bella to be dead. However she's very much alive and when Alice finds out she was doing it for adrenaline, she has to tell Bella what Edward is planning on doing.

On Edward finding out that 'Bella has killed herself', he goes to Italy to see the Volturi, a group of vampires that can kill him. So Edward tries everything to get them to kill him however nothing is working and so he decides he's going to stand outside in the sun so everyone can see what he is. But Bella and Alice are already on their way to try to save him, however they don't have much time...

I enjoyed the second instalment to this series but also had some issues with it as well. I really liked Jacob and the La Push group again reading it the second time round as I thought they were completely different to the rest of the characters in this series. I remember really liking Jacob the first time round reading it so my opinion hasn't changed there.

I thought that the beginning of the story started well and it was well paced, finding out about the Cullen's plans to leave and Bella's reactions to finding out about this, however I thought that the book then got a bit slow and flat as about 3/4 of the book seems to be just Bella moping around not doing much. I liked Jacob and Bella's friendship throughout this however as I felt that it added more to the story which is definitely something that needed to happen.

The end of the story then picked up a little again when Bella and Alice arrived in Italy. The story was tense and you could feel the emotions each of the characters were feeling. It was also nice to be introduced to some new characters that will continue to be around further on in the series.

Overall I thought this book was good but definitely has room for improvement as I felt that it could have been condensed into a much shorter read. I'm still looking forward to continuing on with the series as I want to know what I think of the full series as a whole the second time round reading it so I can compare my thoughts from when I was 16 to now.

Rating /5

3

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx