Reading Year Wrap Up 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

It's that time of year again where I wrap up all of the books I read during the year! I can't wait to begin a new list next year and see how many books I get read! But for now, here is my reading for 2016! Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Christmas Book Haul 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I ended up receiving quite a lot of books for Christmas so have decided to put them all into a haul video on my channel. So that is what I'm sharing with you today! If you received any books or book related items for Christmas then by all means let me know what you got as I'd love to know and I hope you enjoy my video!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

CramAThon Wrap Up 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've finally posted my CramAThon Wrap Up so that's what I'm sharing with you today! I had so much fun doing this Readathon and I definitely recommend it. The challenges always motivate me so I tend to read more when there are challenges during Readathons. 

So here is my video and I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

CramAThon Vlog 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Today I'm sharing with you my Vlog of the CramAThon. I managed to have a pretty successful week even though I didn't read everything I wanted to get read. I'm still super happy with my progress though and my Goodreads challenge is looking so much better.

I hope you enjoy the video and if you joined in with the CramAThon then let me know how you did!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

The Peter Rabbit Library by Beatrix Potter - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I managed to finish the Peter Rabbit Library by Beatrix Potter during the CramAThon and absolutely loved it! It was so nice to go back to my childhood and revisit these stories and characters.

This library contains the following books:

1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (4*)

2. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (4*)

3. The Tailor of Gloucester (3*)

4. The Tale of Benjamin Button (4*)

5. The Tale of Two Bad Mice (4*)

6. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (5*)

7. The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher (4*)

8. The Tale of Tom Kitten (4*)

9. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (4*)

10. The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (4*)

I'm not going to go through all of these as that will take a lifetime! However my favourite is still The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. I just love how cute these characters are and how beautiful the locations are. I remembered again when reading this story that I was obsessed with one of the drawings in this story and looking back at it now, I still think it is so beautiful.

I also loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Benjamin Button as these interlink with each other which I completely forgot about. Most of the stories do actually interlink with each other which I think is just so lovely and it means you don't just get to read about the characters in one story, a lot of the time they make appearances in other stories as well.

My least favourite was probably The Tailor of Gloucester as the locations just weren't as pretty in this story and I love a pretty location! I did however still love the mice as they reminded me of the mice in Cinderella and I'm a huge Disney fan.

Overall I think this collection is perfect for children or even if you aren't a child anymore but just like to take your life back in time a little and reminisce about your childhood like I do. The images are also extremely adorable and add a whole lot of character to the stories.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

  

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Screenplay by J.K. Rowling - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I finished the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Screenplay by J.K. Rowling last night and loved it! It's such a different experience reading a screenplay to reading a novel but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you don't know what Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is about, it's about Newt Scamander, a British wizard who goes to America but accidently lets loose magical creatures while there.

He has to go out to collect them all back up before they cause too much damage but what he finds out is that there is also another creature on the loose but nobody knows what it is...and this creature is a whole lot more dangerous than anything that Newt has let loose.

This creature can destroy cities, kill people etc. and so needs to be stopped as quickly as possible. However when Newt sees the destruction this creature is causing, he knows straight away what it is...its an Obscurus...

I don't want to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen the film or read the screenplay yet but it is certainly worth checking them out if you haven't already!

I love so many of the characters in this story and I'm completely obsessed with Newt Scamander. I love how awkward he is and how caring he is towards his creatures. You can see how much he cares about them when his magical case where they all are is taken from him. It breaks my heart the way he reacts during that scene. I also love Jacob and how dippy he is. Because he is a No-Mag (or Muggle), he has no idea what is going on most of the time and just ends up going along with everything anyway. Queenie and Tina are also great characters and well developed. I love reading about these two together as they are so different.

The storyline itself is so magical yet so different to the Harry Potter Series. I adore the Harry Potter Series and so was very wary when going to see the film for the first time. But it really didn't let me down and I went back and seen it for a second time because I loved it so much. Reading it as a screenplay was also so entertaining. The closest to reading something like this would be when reading scripts. However this was in so much more depth as we got to read about the camera angles, edits, set directions, location descriptions, and much much more. I found all of this really interesting and I definitely want to read more screenplays in the future.

Overall I think this story is amazing and it was so nice to be brought back to the Wizarding World. I can't wait for the next film to be released and I'm hoping we can buy the screenplay for that as well. Like I said earlier, if you've not already seen this then I'd definitely go see it. And I recommend you see the film before reading the screenplay as well as I feel you can imagine it a whole lot better that way when reading it.

Rating /5

5

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I've just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and this was for the challenge of 'Read a Book with under 200 Pages' for the CramAThon. I really enjoyed this like I thought I would. I just love the magic of Wonderland.

So as I'm sure most of you know, this is about a girl called Alice (or in this case Hannah, as the book was personalised for me). So Hannah ends up falling down a rabbit hole and landing in Wonderland. She begins by being taken to a room full of doors, and she has to work out which door to open, however she has a few issues including not being able to reach the keyholes. This is where the 'drink me' bottle comes in. This makes Hannah grow to a much more suitable size for her to be able to complete the task.

After getting through the door she comes across a number of different peculiar characters such as the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, finally, the Queen of Hearts.

When Hannah ends up at the Queen of Hearts' palace, she is made to play a game of croquet with flamingos as the mallets and hedgehogs as the balls. As well as this she has to listen to the Queen shouting 'off with their head!' constantly!

Hannah finally has to go to a trial in the court room where the Knave of Hearts is getting questioned about whether they stole the tarts from the Queen of Hearts. As you can imagine this is a huge mess of a trial and Alice even ends up in the firing line...

I love this story and find the nonsense of it highly amusing. I also found that the characters made me laugh a lot as they were just full of completely ridiculous theories and the way the dialogue was written for them was hilarious. Even though the writing was complete nonsense you could tell the difference between all of the characters and each of them had their own separate personalities.

Wonderland is such a magical place and even though its all nonsense, I could still picture everything so clearly. I love how colourful everything is and I think the whole world has been developed so well.

I think my favourite characters have to be the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter. I love both of these even though they are so different. I just think their characters have been developed really well and they are really interesting to read about.

Overall I think this is a great story for all ages and a one I think everyone should read at some point in their lifetime.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Winters Snow by Carrie Hope Fletcher - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Yesterday at the end of Day 2 of the CramAThon I read Winters Snow by Carrie Hope Fletcher. This is the novella to On the Other Side which I absolutely loved when reading it earlier on this year.

So this is from Vincent's perspective. He has now also died and wants to finally be able to be with Evie (their story is explained in On the Other Side).

Vincent finds himself struggling to get to Evie and realises that he didn't fight for Evie the first time he lost her due to family struggles. This means Vincent has to fight a whole lot more this time before he can be with her.

But will Vincent succeed in all he has to do to be with the woman he loves?

I loved reading more about these characters and wish the story was longer as I could have read about them all day. However I loved what there was to read and I thought it was a nice little add on to On the Other Side.

One thing I would have liked would be at the end to hear more about the two together as it ended quite quickly. But maybe that could mean there's space for another book...right? :p

I love Carrie Hope Fletcher's writing style. How she writes fiction is so beautiful. Her words just flow together perfectly. Sometimes when I'm reading her work I think this could be poetry or a song etc. (Of course Carrie is a singer so maybe that element to her writing just came naturally) but I loved it and I can't wait to read more from her.

Overall I think this novella has been beautifully put together and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sweet, romantic read (of course read On the Other Side first though).

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Christmas with Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I started Day 2 of the CramAThon by reading (or rereading) Christmas with Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher. And once again I absolutely loved it!

This is the Christmas novella to Billy and Me and we read more about Sophie and Billy and their Christmas. Sophie works in a little coffee shop and she wants to make the coffee shop a perfect place for the customers to enjoy spending time with their friends and family over the Christmas period. She decorates and bakes delicious cakes, pastries etc. and serves up a variety of different hot drinks, perfect to have during the cold weather!

One day Sophie gets an email from an unknown source asking her whether they can use the coffee shop as the place to propose to their girlfriend. Sophie of course jumps at the opportunity and wants to make it the most perfect occasion for the couple. But she is also curious as to who they are as they are staying really secretive about the whole thing.

Sophie and her family, including Billy, help her with the planning and organisation of the event and Sophie couldn't be more excited for the couple. But who are they...

I fall in love with this story every time I read it. It's the perfect story for this time of year and it couldn't put you more into the Christmas spirit.

The locations are beautifully described and it really feels like you are there with the characters, living their lives. The coffee shop is a place I really want to be real. It's such a cosy location and would be perfect to visit on a cold wintery day. I think the fact the regular customers are mentioned so often during the story really shows how much Sophie cares about them and enjoys speaking to them.

I love all of the characters in this story and I just want them all to be real. They are so likeable and funny and make you smile throughout. I don't think you could be in better company if you were with these characters.

Overall I think the plot developed beautifully and the ending of the story was perfect. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a Christmassy read to get you into the festive spirit, and to make your reading experience even better, how about you make yourself a nice hot drink, sit by the fire, and curl up in a blanket...yes it's one of those kinds of reads!

Rating /5

5

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

So I've just finished Saga. Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples which was for the Read a Graphic Novel or Manga Challenge for the Cramathon. I liked this volume but possibly not as much as the first two. However I did still find it enjoyable. (Obviously this is the 3rd volume so if you haven't read the first 2 and you don't want to be spoiled then probably stop reading now).

So in this volume we continue on with the family as well as the grandma. It is still told sort of from the child's point of view however we hear from all characters. So the family go to find an author that can possibly help them with their quest. He lives in a lighthouse and they end up staying a few nights to get as much information as possible.

The family still have freeloaders after them so they are constantly aware of their surroundings and any changes they notice in anyone or anything.

Then there is also The Will that ends up falling for Gwendlyn, the ex of the father in the main family. The Will is also with The Slave Girl that he saved in the previous volume who he now calls Sophie. Sophie however ends up hurting The Will and he ends up seriously ill in hospital.

Of course as always there is lots of fighting off enemies as it is set in a galactic war and running from danger. Of course the family's main priority is to keep their child safe as they weren't meant to fall in love in the first place, never mind have a child. So because of this they have lots of people after them and they are constantly on the run trying to find out more information about fighting off the enemies.

I really liked this volume however not as much as the first two. I found that my mind wandered a little bit and I found it difficult at times to keep up with who was who as lots of people's perspectives were introduced.

I did however love the main family once again and I think the grandma is one of my favourite characters. I just find her to be such a strong opinionated character that makes me laugh and I find that she brings the humour into a story where humour is rare.

I also love the action scenes once again as I love how exciting and fast paced they are as they keep me on my feet and wanting to read more.

The artwork is always stunning in these volumes and they always managed to get me back on track if I feel like I'm getting lost somewhere along the lines. I did feel like that happened more in this novel than in the previous novels and I found that because of this that was why my mind wandered every now and again.

I would definitely recommend this to older readers even if you don't like Sci-Fi as I'm not a fan but I'm loving reading this series. I find that this has helped me be reintroduced into the Sci-Fi genre and I don't feel as scared now to read more novels in this genre.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Saga. Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Hello Book Lovers!!!

So I'm kicking off the Cramathon by reading Saga. Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. This is to complete the challenge of reading a graphic novel or manga.

I loved the first 2 volumes in this series so can't wait to find out where the series in going to take us in the next volume!

I'll of course update you lots more in my wrap up which will be posted later on today.

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Cramathon TBR 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Today is the first day of the Cramathon which is a week long Readathon ending at 11:59 (in your time zone) on 23rd! I decided to join in with this Readathon as I wanted to try to catch up with my Goodreads goal (which I'm massively behind on!) but I thought I'd give catching up a go anyway!

So this is my TBR for the Cramathon and I hope you enjoy! Also if you're joining in with the Cramathon then why not let me know what you plan on reading as well!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

Dream a Little Christmas Dream by Giovanna Fletcher - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Yesterday I made a last minute decision to read Dream a Little Christmas Dream by Giovanna Fletcher on the train on the way to my boyfriends as I wanted something to read on the way but something I'd finish before the Cramathon that started today. This book was going to be an extra book during the Cramathon but I decided to read it yesterday instead and because it was an extra book anyway, I still have enough books for all of the challenges that have been set.

So this book is the Christmas novella to Dream a Little Dream and so it's the perfect time of year to read it. I did read this last year as well so it's a reread for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it once again.

We follow Sarah who is with her boyfriend Brett. They aren't living together yet but Sarah lives with her friend Carly. She finds out that Carly's boyfriend wants them to find their own place so they can live together. Sarah is happy for them but can't help wondering how long it's going to be before Brett asks to move in with her.

As well as this, another one of Sarah's friends announces she is pregnant and although Sarah is once again over the moon for her friend, she feels like she doesn't know where she fits in with her friends anymore as she feels she's the only one who doesn't have anything exciting happening to her.

She starts to feel paranoid as Brett starts to be distant with her and even misses Christmas dinner with her family. Sarah can't help but feel upset and starts to think that Brett could be breaking up with her.

What Sarah doesn't know is that Brett has something planned for her just around the corner...

This is such a sweet story and perfect to read for this time of year. It really gets you into the Christmas spirit and although this is a short story as it's a novella, the plot develops at a perfect pace and nothing seems rushed.

The characters are all so likeable and I felt like I wanted to be in their friendship group too. You can really feel a sense of support between all of the group and it gives off a nice warm atmosphere.

I would have liked for more of the characters to have developed a little more as we see development in the main characters but not so much in the side characters. However apart from this I really enjoyed it and I'd highly recommend it if you are looking for a nice Christmassy read to get you into the festive spirit!

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

October/November Book Haul 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Recently I posted a Book Haul Video on my channel for October and November so today that's what I'm sharing with you. There won't be another book haul now until after Christmas so here's to the final book haul of 2016!

Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The other day I finished reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and really enjoyed it. I'm happy I was finally in the mood to read this book as it's a one I've been meaning to read for a while.

In this story we meet Rachel who gets the same train to work each morning and see's the same people and events, so much so that they have just become a part of her life. However Rachel is keeping some secrets from her friend that she is currently living with, as she is now no longer with Tom, and so had nowhere to live.

Rachel is an alcoholic and because of this she ended up losing her job. So each morning when she gets the train, her friend thinks she going to work when in fact she spends her days wandering the streets.

One day she sees something from the train that she can't help but get herself involved in. It's something shocking, something she never expected to see. So she begins to piece together clues of what could have happened and ends up getting herself into more trouble than she realised was possible.

This is about family break ups, the death of a girl, and how the two interlink with one another. It's an exciting read and a complete page turner.

I felt like I just couldn't put this book down. At the end of each chapter I wanted to find out more. The plot for me was the strongest element however I expected the shocking thing that Rachel sees to be a bit more shocking than it was.

However saying that, the story developed in such a strong way and I never got bored. I was always wanting to continue to read and found myself having to rush to work some days as I'd lose track of time.

One thing I found not so enjoyable for me was the characters. I know that in these genres of stories you don't tend to like the characters as there are so many secrets and things revealed that make you angry. But for me although I didn't like the characters, I didn't feel any sort of strong feelings towards any of them and I'd prefer to strongly hate them than just not feel much at all.

Overall I found this book highly engaging and the storyline would definitely be my selling point if I was to recommend this to anyone.

Rating /5

4

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Hello Book Lovers!!!

The first book I've decided to pick up in December is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I've already started this and I'm enjoying it so far so hopefully that continues!

All I know about this book is it's about a girl who gets the same train to work everyday, sees the same people and events, and because of this, these people and events have very much become a part of her life. But one day she sees something shocking...

I don't know anything else but I'll update you a lot more in my review!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

December TBR 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Here are all the books I plan on reading in December not including the books I plan to read during the Cramathon which is taking place from the 16th - 23rd of this month. I will be posting a separate TBR video for that next week so you can look forward to that. But for now I hope you enjoy my December TBR!!!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

November Wrap Up 2016 | BookTube

Hello Book Lovers!!!

I'm finally getting round to sharing with you the books I read in November! I only read 2 books but here are my thoughts and opinions on them anyway! 

Enjoy!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

November Wrap Up | 2016

Hello Book Lovers!!!

So I'm finally getting round to wrapping up what I read in November! I only read two books but here are my thoughts on them anyway. Enjoy!

The first book I read was...

A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson

This is about a girl who dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer and one day gets approached by a ballet coach that wants her to tour with their company. She wants to but her father doesn't agree with it so she runs away with the company without telling him. I really couldn't get into this book at all and I found that too many characters were getting introduced all the time and it was difficult to keep up with who was who. I felt my mind wandering a lot and it took me so long to read because of this so I only gave this book 1* on Goodreads.

And the second and final book I read was...

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

This is about a boy called David that wants to be a girl and a boy called Leo that just wants to be invisible. Leo moves to David's school and ends up standing up for David when he is getting bullied. This sparks off an unlikely friendship between the two of them and we follow their journey of finding themselves and discovering their secrets. I completely loved this book. The story was well written and covered diverse elements perfectly. I fell in love with Leo and David; they are just such sweet characters, and I never got bored at all. I just couldn't put this book down so for that I had to give it 5* on Goodreads.

So that is it for the books I read during November and it's now time to give the award for Favourite November Read! Of course this is an obvious answer...

And the award goes to...

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson!

I just adored this book and it's probably one of my favourite books I've read this year. It definitely deserves all the hype it gets.

So that is it for this post and I'll be posting my Video Wrap Up very soon! I hope you've all had a fantastic November reading month and I'll speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - Review

Hello Book Lovers!!!

Recently I flew through The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. I'm classing this as a November read even though I finished it in December. I absolutely loved it!

This is about a boy called David who really wants to be a girl. He feels trapped in his body and feels the person on the inside doesn't match the person on the outside. He has never told anyone about this and instead keeps a journal with all his thoughts and feelings in it.

He has been bullied at school for a number of years and gets called 'Freak Show'. He tries to not let this bother him however and just gets on with school the best he can. He has two friends called Essie and Felix who support him so he's not completely alone however sometimes he feels like he is due to his huge secret.

Another character we follow throughout this story is Leo. He has moved from his school and joined the school David attends. There are rumours going round the school as to why Leo left his old school but nobody actually knows the true story because just like David, Leo has a huge secret of his own.

The two end up building an unlikely friendship after Leo sticks up for David when he is getting bullied. They begin to hang out together and Leo ends up helping David through his maths exams as he really struggles with that subject.

But when the boy's secrets start to emerge, how will they deal with the reactions of everyone else?

I was completely gripped with this book. I read is so fast and just couldn't put it down. I found it highly engaging and I loved the twists and turns it had throughout this story and it had me feeling every emotion.

I completely fell in love with Leo straight away. I liked how he could be quite mysterious and played along with the rumours everyone had of him at the beginning of the story. David took a little longer to grow on me but when he did I loved him just as much. You really see a huge amount of character development throughout this book and you really feel like you know the characters inside out by the end.

I also loved the support elements to this story. The strong friendships and relationships came across really well and developed at a steady pace. I found that the diverse elements were dealt with perfectly, nothing felt forced or out of place, and the story flowed nicely.

Overall I think this is a perfect book for if you want a diverse read and also if you want to fall in love with some more fictional characters...and who doesn't want to do that?!?!?

Rating /5

5

If you've read this book then let me know what you thought of it as I'd love to know and I'll speak to you all very soon!

Happy Reading!!!

xHannahx