T5W: Favourite books of the year so far

1. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn book 2) by Brandon Sanderson  - This was definitely the best read of the year and one of my all time favourites.
2. The Final Empire (Mistborn book 1) by Brandon Sanderson  - I had to include this too as it was also easily my next favourite and I don't feel like I have read enough so far to be able to clump series together. If I had finished the third book I am sure it would be on here too.
3. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell  - This book is the best contemporary I have read in a long time and it broke my heart.
4. We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist  - This memoir was so funny and told in a really unique way.
5. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett  - this was a very odd play (the style is called absurdist) which somehow blew my mind. I think it helped that it was short and so I could get through it when I was too busy to read properly and also that my friends studied it this year so they talked about it a lot. Anything that leaves me researching essays and interpretations for fun definitely earns a place on this list.

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page.

Books I won't read

This was the topic of last weeks Top 5 Wednesday and I did not post anything as I couldn't think of a single book. Now that I have seen other people's lists I thought I would make a post explaining why this confuses me.

I do not understand why anyone would completely write off reading any book. Sure there are some books I have looked at and decided probably are not for me but I would never say never. Even books I have started but could not finish... I may have reason to revisit them. What confuses me most is when people put an author on lists like this. Authors can have so many works and be so versatile that their works cannot just be lumped together. If one book wasn't to your liking it doesn't mean another one won't be. I understand if for some reason someone has a moral objection to an author and does not want to support them but you could still buy their books second hand or borrow them from a library and they would not make a profit from you (although I guess I understand not wanting to even do that for them). 

The closest thing I have to books I will never read are a few unfinished series that, after up to 10+ books, I decided were no longer appealing to me. But even in this case I could never say I definitely will not read them.

Update

It feels like ages since I last posted anything but with school I have been awfully busy lately but now that exams are over and I am back home for the summer I will be back to blogging regularly. Although I start work on Monday I will hopefully now have time to read again so I will have more reviews up soon.

It is almost June and I had been planning to do Camp Nanowrimo but now that it is almost time I know I am not ready. I decided a few months ago on what story I am going to write but the outlining process has proved difficult. There are a lot of different aspects and tropes I have found myself enjoying lately and playing around with them in this story has caused it to be fairly long and complex. At this stage I have decided to postpone the writing process in order to figure out what exactly my heroes do in the second half of this story. I still hope to have a fair bit of story actually written (as a first draft) by the time uni starts back up.

T5W: Books that Should be TV Shows

These are a few book I think would make great TV shows (not movies). I love what has been done with Game of Thrones and I think that has shown that complex books can be adapted to TV shows and still keep their complexity. 

1. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness - this is apparently going to be a film at some point but it's been in the works so long I don't know what's happening any more with that. I am worried about how the Noise could possibly be visually represented but assuming that could be done I think this would make an amazing TV show and they couldn't really delete a main character. The first book could be a short 6 episodes with the second and third book being longer as needed. I can just picture all the cliff hangers at the end of each season and how suspenseful it would be. 
2. The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson - this series is so epic and I'd love to see allomancy come to life. I think with each book being so different it could make an amazing set of projects with great action scenes as well as intense political suspense. And with how vivid Brandon Sanderson's imagery is it would be easy to turn the Central Dominance into a setting. 
3. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach - this is a very character driven story and I think that a TV show could possibly really bring the characters to life and make an audience really care about them. I am worried however that this would become an overly dramatic college show rather than keep it's really deep and moving plot. 
4. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah - this story is based on Adeline's own childhood with her emotionally abusive family. I think this could make an amazingly moving short series and it could be adapted without having to add or subtract anything. 
5. Our Lizzy by Anna Jacobs - this book would make a great historical drama. With World War 1 just around the corner a series following Lizzy and her siblings could be a really moving and enthralling series despite not being too fast paced. I can picture something similar to Downtown Abbey but without the wealth. 

Review: Waiting For Godot

Waiting for Godot 

By Samuel Beckett

I don't read many plays but I truely loved this. It is such a short 2 act play I think everyone should give it a go. 

This play as it depicts the characters Vladimir and Estragon waiting for someone called Godot who never arrives. Literally nothing happens in this play and it's simplicity allows it to be open to so many interpretations. Although it seems that Beckett honestly meant it to have no meaning at all it somehow manages to be a very deep and meaningful play. I'd highly recommend reading some essays on the play while you read it (or at least the Wikipedia page) because while is come up with a few ideas of my own reading it was much more enjoyable once I could see all the different interpretations people had come up with.

I am clearly not doing this play justice as it's very hard to explain. At only 100 pages and it being public domain it is definitely worth the read.  

Goodreads link here 

T5W: series enders

1. Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking Trilogy) by Patrick Ness - this perfectly tied up every possible loose end and was such an emotional roller coaster and the ending nearly killed me.
2. The Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter Series) by J K Rowling - this may be an obvious pick but for a good reason!
3. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan - this book again just rounded the series off perfectly and everyone got a deserved ending. 
4. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn Series) by Brandon Sanderson - I am still reading this book but I doubt I'll be wanting to change this answer. This whole trilogy was amazing and this last book is no exception. 
5. The High Lord (Black Magician trilogy) by Trudi Canavan - I was obsessed with this trilogy when I read it and the last book was so action packed and intense. Completely broke my heart. 

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page.

T5W: books that feature traveling

I love how vague this topic is as there are so many types of travelling and any genre can feature it.

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking book 1) by Patrick Ness - this book has Todd running away from his corrupted town and the people who don't want him to leave. This book takes place mostly on the road and is one of my favourite books of all time. 
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Not the most obvious travel book by John Green but Hazel and Gus travel to Amsterdam in this book and their adventures there are the main essence of the book.
3. These Broken Stars (Starbound book 1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner) - this book has the characters travelling across the universe at hyper speed before it crashes on an uninhabited planet. It is mostly a survival story but once they have crashed Lilac and Traver have to travel across the rough terrain to make it to where they think a rescue ship will arrive. 
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter book 7) by J K Rowling - this book largely follows the Golden Trio as they travel around the UK trying to figure out what their next move is. 
5. The Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts - this was one of the first high fantasy books I ever read and I'd be really curious to reread this series and see how I feel about it now. This book has travelling through time and travelling between worlds and made for a thrilling read. 

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page. 

Review: The Well of Ascension

The Well of Ascension

(Mistborn book 2)

By Brandon Sanderson

This book is the second in series so the review will spoil the first book. My review of The Final Empire (book 1) can be found here.

This book was perhaps the easiest 5 stars I have ever given and may be one of the best books I have ever read. 

This book follows Vin, Elend and the crew as they try and hold together their new world a year after the collapse of the final empire; but it looks like killing the Lord Ruler may have upset some balance as now the Mists are coming during the day and creatures that had once been under control are now roaming wild. And, if that wasn't enough, they have armies marching on them and Elend's political ideas may be too idealistic for a time of war and instability. 

This book is packed with amazing metal-powered action scenes and political manoeuvring that made it literally impossible to put down most of the time. As usual Brandon Sanderson captures the world beautifully and the characters are just as complex and loveable as before. There are amazing twists throughout the book and it even brought tears to my eyes more than once. 

I don't know how to explain how much I loved this book besides that I'm not sure if anything with every be able to top it and I am dreading finishing this series. 

Goodreads link here. 

Review: Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight

(Throne of Glass book 2)

By Sarah J Maas

Although I have tried to keep this spoiler-free it is the second in a series so may spoil you on the first book if you haven't read that one yet. My review for Throne of Glass can be found here. 

T5W: most frustrating characters

Most of these characters were frustrating in a good way if that makes sense. U was still able to throrougly enjoy the book and the characters (except for the first one) so I just want to clarify that characters 2-5 were not characters I hated. 

1. Chaol from the throne of glass series by Sarah J Mass - he is the most annoying character I gave ever read about (especially in crown of midnight). I disliked his attitude and the way Celaena acted around him. It was especially frustrating because the rest of the book was so amazing. 
2. Celaena from the throne of glass series by Sarah J Mass - I have grown to love this character but at first I found her softer and more emotional character off putting as she was not my idea of a child assassin and she was also advertised as having a heart of steel. But once I got to know her and put my preconceptions aside I really loved her and her own brand of badass-ness. 
3. Pella from The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach - this is an example of a character that is purposefully annoying and dislikable and definitely doesn't dampen the enjoyment of the book. Pella is very selfish and self-pitying at the start of the book and her story line follows her learning to be her own person and make the most of her life. 
4. Josh Sundquist from his memoir We Should Hang Out Sometime - now I feel weird putting a real person on this list but I just had to. Josh was so hilarious and such a genuine person and I gave his book 5 stars but when we went through all his failed romances I was routing for him so hard and so often his own lack of self confidence would get in the way of him making the final move!
5. Bella from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - I loved this book when I was 13 but even then I found Bella's inability to choose between Edward and Jacob annoying. I think the whole girl-likes-two-guys-and-has-to-choose or the girl-likes-gy-but-then-another-bad-boy-cones-along-and-makes-her-doubt-her-relationship are troupes I'm just never going to be a fan of. In fact there were many girls in this situation that I could've added to this list but I didn't want it to be too repetitive. 

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads group

Review: We Should Hang Out Sometime

We Should Hang Out Sometime: embarrassingly, a true story

By Josh Sundquist

This boom was a five out of five for me. Josh tajes us through his old crushes and almost girlfriends to try and discover why none of them ever worked out. This hilarious story is so relatable and I honestly was laughing out loud. This memoir takes us through Josh's high school, college and adult life exploring his relationships as well as the way he views himself. This was an amazing book and I flew through it and I think absolutely anyone would enjoy it. 

Goodreads link

Review: The Final Empire

The Final Empire

Mistborn book 1

By Brandon Sanderson

I loved this book so much and it was an easy 5 stars. I am already about to finish the second one and I have not been able to stop thinking about it.

This is a high fantasy book set in a world where ash falls from the sky and ominous mists fill the streets at night an evil tyrant took control of the world and called himself God. Under the Lord Ruler's rule there is great poverty and injustice for anyone who is not of noble blood and a group of amazing and complex characters get together to overthrown him.

The magic system in this book is so ingenious and I don't understand how someone could have though this up but it makes for such an amazing read. In this world there are metals with special properties and some people are born with the ability to burn these metals and use their powers. The majority of people with this ability are only able to burn one metal but a few are capable of burning them all and they are called Mistborn.

The best thing about this book, in my opinion, are the characters as Brandon Sanderson makes them all so unique and you become so invested in their lives and cause. The world building is also fantasic as it is so complete and complex yet it is explained and introduced with such ease that it is so easy to get into and visualise.

This book is full of plotting and political scheming as well as full of amazing action scenes and it is so fast paced. We follow Vin as she learns to trust people again and it has amazing things to say about friendship, love, trust and belief. I would have to recommend this to absolutely everyone.

Goodreads link here.

T5W: books I wanted to start yesterday

There are an awful lot of books I want to read but these are the top five that I have been craving lately. I found this quite hard as I'm in the midst of an amazing series and can't really think about anything else too much...

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller - this book was all over my tumblr and it sounds really great. I love Greek mythology so I am sure I will love it
2. More than this by Patrick Ness  - I love Patrick Ness so I really cannot wait to read this book over summer
3. Game of Thrones by George R R Martin  - I have re-read the fist 70 pages or so many times but I just never seem to get into it but I have decided that this summer I will make it through
4. I have really been craving a re-read of Harry potter lately (don't know if that counts)
5. Everything by Brandon Sanderson  - I am almost finished the second Mistborn book and I am so obsessed with it and I am horrified that I will be finishing it soon but I now want to read everything he has written.

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads links. 

Review: These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars

(Starbound book 1)

By Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This was a solid four star book for me. It was an incredibly fast read and just what I needed during my busy uni schedule. The story is light while still managing to tug on my emotions. 

This is a science fiction companion series and I am planning to read the sexual but I am sad we will not be following Lilac and Travor. The book is very light sci fi and reads more as a romance/magical realism/contemporary in a lot of ways. 

Told in alternating perspective this book follows Lilac - daughter of the richest man in the galaxy - and Tarver - a solider. When the starship they are aboard crashes and they land on a deserted planet they have to figure out how to survive as well as uncover the planet's mysteries. 

This book was super quick and light but very enjoyable. You definitely don't have to like sci fi to thoroughly enjoy this book. 

Goodreads link. 

T5W: Bookish Habits

So this T5W is a bit different as it isn't so much to do with books and instead about my reading/bookish habits.

1. Reading multiple books at once  - I usually dedicate myself to one book once I am into it but while I am starting a new book I tend to start more than one then pick the one I am more into. I also sometimes start books that are either really long/dense or that for some other reason I don't get into yet still want to read and so read slowly over the course of many books until I can get into it.
2. Carrying a book around at all times - I always have a book on me even if I know there will be no time to read.
3. Going early to meetings in order to read  - If I have class across town or am meeting friends for coffee I will try and go early and read before hand.
4. Have highlighted/marked books - not often (unless it was for school) but I have marked my books and I sort of wish I did this more often - highlighting favourite quotes etc. - but I usually never think of it when reading a book for the first time.
5. Crying - I cry an awful lot in books. An awful lot. And even more than crying I get a little bit chocked up and watery eyed in nearly every book I ever read.

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page.

Mothers in Books

With it being Mother's Day yesterday (or at least it was in the UK) I was thinking about the role of mothers in books. So many books neglect to show us the parent even (especially) when the book is about a teenager. Personally I love books that add a family aspect to the story so here are a few of my favourite mothers in books. 

1. Sally Jackson from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan - Percy was only 12 in the first book so it made sense that his mother would be a big influence in his life. Everything she did for him and all her struggles make her such an empathetic character. I'm so happy she got her happy ending. 
2. Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling - I don't think I need to explain this one. Molly was an amazing mum and the way she took Harry under her wing just warms my heart. 
3. Mrs. Mendoza from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Ari's mum is amazing in this book and because Ari is a sixteen year old he doesn't always appreciate her but she's always there for him and understands him the way only a mother can. 

T5W: Books that made me think

1. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman  - this book is about racism and tackles it in the unique way of having black people be the privileged race and white people are oppressed. This is a trilogy (and a companion novel) and while all four books made me think about different things this first book made me think the most. One of the things it made me think about was actually terrorism as there is a terrorist group/group of freedom fighters in this series  that are fighting for equality but with really messed up methods. The hatred that grows inside Callum (a white boy) towards the black-ran world, despite his best friend (Sephie) being black, and Sephie's unintentional ignorance towards the problems he faces were really thought provoking.
2. The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness  - this is another trilogy but this is the second book. While all the books dealt with thought provoking topics this one in particular made me think about what motivates people to do bad things. There are really horrendous acts carried out by the main character but he is in no way a bad person he is just confused and hurt and doesn't have all the information he needs to see what he is doing is wrong. It also shows that he is doing these things out of a need to survive and not because he wants to. His journey also gives a second look and some of the "bad guys" from the first book and you see that while some of them are even worse than they appeared from afar some are still good people who just have been raised to not see an issue with their actions. The last few chapters of this book I have read again and again and again.
3. Nothing by Janne Teller   - this book seriously messed with my mind. It takes an existential look at humanity and what the point of living is when we are inevitably going to die. The fact that it does this through such young characters adds another layer to the story as they slowly have their innocence stripped away as they struggle to find meaning in their lives. 
4. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach  - I find it hard to explain what this book did to me but it made me think on so many smaller topics. It is a very character driven story and one example is Chapter 6 which I read three times before moving on to the next chapter - a new character is introduced and so it is unrelated to the previous chapters but it just made me think about passion and what I truly care about and that if you follow your passions you will live a happy life. The way Guert described his love for Moby Dick has really stuck with me. It also was about learning to have self worth that isn't purely dependant on your performance in one field. It made me question the way I look at myself. I think was really incoherent but I don't even know how to articulate all the ways this book changed me.
5. The Bot in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne   - This book is about the Holocaust and is set at a concentration camp but the main character is the child of the man who runs it. He befriends one of the boys in the concentration camp and they talk often from either side of the fence. Because it was told through a child's eyes it was really innocent and when horrors were being talked about the character didn't understand what was being referred to but the reader knew. It was also interesting because the boy was not morally against the concentration camp as it was just a part of his life (even if he wasn't entirely aware of everything that went on inside the fence). I read this book when I was very young and I am sure I will get even more out of it when I get around to rereading it but I still think about it often 10 years later.

Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads page.

Goodreads Tag

I thought I would do the Goodreads Tag as my first tag blog post as I do use the site/app all the time to keep track of all my read books and to look up new books I have heard about or that look cool.

I cannot seem to find who came up with this tag as there are multiple videos claiming to be the original plus every video I have watched has given a different person credit. This tag has 11 questions related to my Goodreads account which is listed on my blog if you click on contact me o feel free to add me as a friend.

1. Last book I marked as read  - The Thinking Ape by Richard Byrne which I read for my Evolutionary Psychology class.
2. Book I just started reading  - I am currently reading quiet a few books and I have had a lot of work/reading for uni which has gotten in the way of reading but the last book I started which I am still reading is These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.
3. Last book I marked as Want To Read - A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
4. What do I plan to read next  - well other than the books I am currently reading I am planning to start is We Should Hand Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist as it is the Booksplosion Book of the moth for March.
5. Do I use the star rating systems?  - I do but in my head I give a lot of books half star ratings and round them either up or down and I should specify this maybe but I don't.
6. Do I have a 2015 reading challenge?  - I do. My goal is to read 26 books this year and I am currently 3 books ahead of schedule.
7. Do I have a wishlist?  - I am not entirely sure what this question means but I do have a shelf on Goodreads called my top-to-buy shelf where I keep a note of some of the books I don't own which I want to get my hands on sooner rather than later.
8. What will I buy next?  - I don't know. I try not to buy books often unless they are on sale so it will probably be whichever book I find next in a charity shop or the next Booksplosion book if it is one I haven't got already.
9. Do I have any favourite quotes on Goodreads?  - I favourite a few when I see them as I only recently learnt this was a feature. I would like to keep a not of all my favourite quotes though so I may try and update this.
10. Favourite authors  - This question isn't specifically Goodreads related but the authors which have the most high starred books on my read shelf are Patrick Ness, J K Rowling, John Green and Rick Riordan.
11. Groups I have joined  - I haven't joined many so far but I am a member of the Booksplosion Book Club, The Little Book Club and Top 5 Wednesdays. 

Doing old tags

One large part of BookTube is doing book tags but many of them could be just as easily done in blog form. I really enjoy watching tags and when I do I always come up with my own answers for the questions so I've decided to start doing some tags here. There are a bunch of old tags I have really enjoyed and so I am planning to start with those. Now seeing as I only discovered BookTube six months ago I have no idea how some of the ones I'm planning on doing are so I hope this is something you're interested in. 

T5W: Books I'd save in a fire

I'm not really sure what to answer for the question because if we are talking literally then most of my books can be repurchased so instead of going with emotional meaning I am picking rare or old books that would be harder to replace. This is pretty difficult though because I'm at university right now so most my books (and all the books that could make this list) are at home so I'm having to go by memory alone. 

1. My Classics Collection - this may be cheating as I'm including about 20 classics that are all hard back bound with beautiful gold decoration as well as my complete collection of all Charles Dickens' work. I have no idea how old these are but they were my mum's (and may technically still be so but they've been living in my room for over ten years now) and I imagine they would be extremely expensive to repurchase. 

2. Lord of the Rings - my edition of this book contains all three parts and is beautifully bound with tracing paper thin pages. It literally looks like a copy of the Bible until you read the spine and I have never seen this edition anywhere else. 

3. My mum's copy of Pride and Prejudice - now this book is included in my classics collection and isn't an especially nice copy but it's my mum's favourite book and it contains all her highlights and notes that she's taken over decades of rereading it. 

4. A Streetcar Named Desire - this play is what I studied for Higher English and, like above, this book isn't an expensive or beautiful edition but it's margins are crammed with a years worth of in depth analysis that I could never replicate. 

5. The Harry Potter audiobooks - although the first four books we have on tape and so are practically useless I'd still save these masterpieces voiced by Stephen Fry. With them making new audiobooks with a different narrator that makes the version voiced by Stephen Fry very expensive and although I do want to buy my own copy some day (all in CD form) I'd have to save these as my sister and I listened to these every night as we went to bed for years. 

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page. 

Review: The Thinking Ape

The Thinking Ape: Evolutionary Origins of Intelligence by Richard Byrne

I read this for my evolutionary psychology class despite it not being compulsory reading as my lecturer is the author (which is pretty cool). I really enjoyed it and it was really good at explaining our links with the rest of the Great Apes and how we have evolved. It does a great job at explaining what intelligence is and how evolution shapes our actions and it wasn't as philosophical as Dawkins which made is an easier read. I didn't read it page by page as it is more textbook styled so I was able to flip to the sections that related to my essay but I think I have read it all now although there may be a section or two I have managed to miss,
I would definitely recommend this to  anyone who is either studying or just generally interested in this topic but it is definitely not a novel.

Goodreads link.

T5W: Best character arcs/developments

1. Sephy Hadley from Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman  - she starts off as a nice girl but is fairly selfish and her upbringing has left her ignorant of just how different her life is from the segregated "Noughts" despite Callum being her best friend. When they intergrate her school reality hits her and her development over this first book is tragic as her world is shattered both from the polictical/racist system she is becoming aware of and the unravelling of her family life.
2. Todd Hewitt from the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness  - Todd starts of very naive and angry at the world and in the first book he is forced to grow up as he is left running for his life and caught up in a series of events he doesn't understand. In the second and third book in particular his character goes through a lot of changes. What I like about this development it isn't a straight forward case of becoming stronger and better, he goes through points of weakness and it looks like he is loosing himself and he knows that what he is doing is wrong.
3. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins  - Katniss doesn't start too weak and then get stronger like most heroines, she is strong at the beginning and when she has to she is capable of competing in the Hunger Games. She is strong throughout the first book but then when we see her dealing with the aftermath of the games she is breaking. After the Quarter Quell she is more fragile than ever and not capable of leading a revolution like she would've been at the start of book one. Her development is almost the polar opposite of what the majority of characters go through and that is largely why I loved it so much.
4. Park Sheridan from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell  - Park is just as judging of Eleanor as everyone else is when he first sees her but they gradually fall together. Despite how much he cares for her Park is still embarrassed of Eleanor although he doesn't want to admit that to himself but finally he stands up for her and in doing so doesn't just learn to be unabashedly with her but also that he can be himself without feeling any shame.
5. Henry Shrimshander from The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach  - Henry starts off very insecure and self depricating with baseball being all he has in his life. Since his self-worth is tied up in his skills as a baseball player he begins to loose it once he psyches himself out is unable to play. As he tries to get his ability to play back he also finds himself and his worth off the field (although he does mess us a lot along the way).

Top 5 Wednesday GoodReads page.

T5W: Friend Groups I want to be a part of

I really like it when a book has a strong focus on friendship and have strong group dynamics so without further ado here are my top 5 friend groups I want to be a part of.

1. From the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling  - Harry, Ron and Hermione make such a good team both when fighting against evil and when they are just struggling with homework. Part of what I love about the Harry Potter books is how we get to see the characters just going abut their lives throughout the school year as well as dealing with the threat of Voldermort. Also (obviously) James, Sirius, Lupin and Peter Pettigrew seem like a great group to be a part of but without more about them (can we get another book please!). I would also like to be friends with Fred, George and Lee but I don't feel as though I would be best suited for all their pranking and I would almost definitely fail out of school if I had them distracting me!
2. From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series  - Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson and Rachel Elizabeth have so much fun and being their friends would involve so much laughter I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be their friends. I am half way through the Heroes of Olympus series and I do like the rest of the people who have made their way into this group too.
3. From The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky  - Charlie, Sam and Patrick are always supporting each other (and their other friends). Whether it is Patrick's secret relationship with the football star, the issues Sam has had in the past or what Charlie is dealing with in this book they never judge each other and will always be their if needed.
4. From the Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkein  - the whole of the fellowship is an amazing group and I would love to be friends with all of them but particularly the hobbits. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are such great friends and they would do anything for each other. Plus Merry and Pippin would always be able to make you laugh.
5. From the Circle trilogy by Nora Roberts  - now I know this series is a bit far fetched and I am curious to see how I'd feel about it if I was to read it now but this was one of the first proper grown up fantasy books I ever read. It combined vampires (which I was so into back then) with magic and quests and epic battles and fantasy worlds which I love now. Hoyt, Cian, Glenna, Blair, Larkin and Moira were such a great team and I loved them greatly even though they hated each other half the time. The only issue with being their friend would be that they all pair off into couple so I would be a permanent seventh wheel.

Top 5 Wednesdays's Goodreads page.

T5W: Books that take place in my country/town

I tried to keep this list as close to home as possible so the top picks are books set in Edinburgh that I loved seeing as I haven't actually read any set in the town where I go to university although I have looked into it (although there do not seem to be many). Once I ran out of top Edinburgh settings though I did broaden it to Scotland in general. I do like reading books where I know where a character is and can picture the actual street although I haven't read as many as I had expected. 

1. Trainspotting by Irving Welsh  - This book does not paint my city in a good light as it explores the Edinburgh underworld but it is a great book and a classic Edinburgh pick. Definitely would recommend that everyone try this but I think the dialect it is written in will maybe make it difficult for some people to understand but I think it just adds to the experience of reading this to me.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding  - Another book set in Edinburgh and if you haven't read this book you have probably seen the movie. This is such a funny and light read as we follow Bridget's daily diary of how she is managing her goals.
3. Fleshmarket by Nicola Morgan  - this book is set in the Edinburgh slums in the early 1800s and follows a boy who is trying to raise his siblings after his mother dies and father runs away. We read the first chapter or so of this in school in preparation for the author coming to give a talk to us. The first chapter is very graphic as it depicts old fashioned surgery without anaesthetic and after that I had no desire to continue the book but then as many of my friends read it I caved to peer pressure and I am glad I did. 
4. The Desperate Journey by Kathleen Fidler  - This book is about the highland clearances and we read it back in primary school but I rememberer really enjoying it. It is a heartbreaking tale about a family affected by famine and a forced to leave their homes and inevitably their country.
5. Harry Potter series by J K Rowling  - this book is only vaguely set in Scotland and it doesn't include any of the culture nor even any specific places but Hogwarts is in Scotland so I have to include it.

Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads page.

Favourite Book Couples

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I wanted to make a post that was related to love today and so I thought I would talk about my favourite book couples. As I started writing this I saw a pattern. Firstly both characters have to be greatly developed and lovable on their own before they can make a fantastic couple. The best relationships are between  characters who compliment each other. I think a long build up to the relationship also helps make us readers even more invested in it.

[Quick note: The couples above the break I feel are from big enough series that most people will know of them and the fact that people love their relationships are not spoilers but below the break I mention some couple which it is not as well known or obvious from the start of the books that they will be in some sort of relationship so there will be spoilers if you click read more. The discussion about these relationships will also be full of spoilers for the plot as well so you have been warned.]

First for a few honorary mentions: Hazel and Gus from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; Eleanor and Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell; and Owen and Guert from The Art of Fielding by Chad Harback. These are all amazing couples and they all caused me to cry but I think the fact they are all from single books and contemporaries I don't have quiet as much to say about them but I did want to mention them quickly before getting on the others.

Percy and Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan  - separately they are both really well developed by Rick and their personalities seem so different at first. Percy is a bit foolish and acts without thinking whereas Annabeth is highly intelligent and likes to plan things out and in this way they are perfect together with Annabeth making Percy think things through and Percy making sure Annabeth actually gets things done and takes that step from planning to taking action. However, they are both highly loyal to their friends and to Camp Halfblood and are willing to take considerable risks to protect those they love and to do what is right.

Katniss and Peeta from The Huger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins  - yes that is right I am a Peeta fan. I do not think a relationship between Gale and Katniss would have been sustainable after everything she went through but I do think if Primrose's name had never been picked and the events of the books had not occurred then the two of them could have been very happy together. After the Huger Games though Katniss is very fragile and Gale is too passionate about revolution whereas Peeta is quieter and can live a low key life. He has always been putting Katniss first even when he shouldn't have and he is just as broken as she is. Where Katniss looses strength after the first book Peeta gains some for the Quarter Quell and he manages to look after her emotionally where she has had a more physically supportive role before. 

Harry and Ginny from the Harry Potter series by J K Rowling  - this couple are a little bit different as during their relationship in the sixth book they are not fighting anyone or are up against any danger so their relationship feels more like a contemporary one to me and so here I think the rules are slightly different. When there are no evil forces (be magical villans or corrupt government) to go against I prefer couples that are so natural and have little to no drama and that is exactly what we get with Harry and Ginny. After years of hero-crushing on him Ginny is finally able to get over it and that is exactly what was needed for their friendship to grow and for Harry to realise he was falling for his best friend's little sister. But as soon as they get together the drama and angst stops. Everyone knows how heroic and loyal Harry is but Ginny is such a funny character and a lot more like Fred and George than any of her other siblings and I am so annoyed they didn't incorporate her great personality nor this beautiful relationship into the movies.

Todd and Viola from the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness  - this couple is so interesting to me as they are thrown into a crazy situation where they are running for their lives and Todd has never seen a girl before and Viola doesn't talk for ages. In the first book they become dependant upon each other to survive and they are all each other has but in the second book when they are thrown back into civilisation and are kept apart they both get a chance to develop as individuals and as Viola gains strength Todd starts to loose himself and I just find the way they make their way back to each other (both in terms of geography but also emotionally) is really beautiful.

Ari and Dante from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz  - now these two spend almost the entire book as friends but it was the most beautiful friendship I have ever read about. Now, this relationship wasn't an entirely smooth ride as Ari could sometime be a bit of a bad friend (but never out of cruelness or lack of caring) and deals with some issues not very well but they both stand by each other through everything and I was so worried that they wouldn't end up together. Dante is such an optimistic human being whereas Ari is quite sullen and withdrawn but Dante manages to pull smiles out of him and despite Ari not being great at writing back he is always there for Dante and never judges him when he comes out despite it being 1980s America.

Review: The Selfish Gene

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

This is a non-fiction book so I am not really sure how to rate this. I gave it 3 (and a half) stars on Goodreads but I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this area and will pick up more of his books at a later date. I had to read this for my Evolutionary Psychology class and it explores the idea that we are all controlled by our genetics and the "selfishness" of genes and our only purpose is to pass these genes along.
The idea is a really interesting one, and kind of scary too, with a lot of biological evidence to support it. It looks at this subject in a manner that is accessible to anyone, regardless of your level of education in the sciences, yet it manages to also be interesting to people who already know all the background material which I found impressive. I did, however, get bored during chapters 2 and 3 as he explained evolution and genetics which I have studies in depth before but he did manage to convey quite complex notions fairly quickly and concisely.
Dawkins looks at the topic from a variety of viewpoints including biological, psychological and even philosophical.
It definitely is worth a read if anyone is interested in this sort of thing and I think everyone should at least be aware of the concepts he discusses as they are very thought provoking and also might change the way people think about how they live their lives and the choices we all make.

Goodreads link.

Back at Uni

Now that I've settled back at university I thought I'd give some details about what I'm doing here. I am studying Neuroscience and at the moment that means a module of evolutionary psychology and a module of biochemistry. The work load is already overwhelming and we've barely started! This has meant I've barely had time to read. I'm currently 150 pages into The Final Empire (Mistborn book 1) by Brandon Sanderson. I was hoping to finish it in January but university has been more demanding than I'd expected. I also have two books to read for evolutionary psychology which are getting in the way. I think I'm going to have to set The Final Empire aside for a bit, despite how much it pains me, because I just don't have time to commit to such a huge book. So instead I think I'm going to pick up a smaller book (maybe These Broken Stars?) that I can read in short 20 minute portions.

T5W: Futuristic Reads

I found this list quite difficult to make without naming just dystopian novels. I haven't read much sci fi books but it's a genre I definitely want to get more into this year. 

1. The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness   - This book takes place on another planet which people moved to after our own planet became to polluted. What I love about this world is that everyone that arrived on this new planet they destroyed all the technology so it has the feeling of being set both in the past and in the future. 
2. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde  - This book takes place in a sort of dystopian world where everything is in black and white and there is a hierarchy based on what colours people can see, with thoe Greys living as second class citizens. Eddie is a Red and is being punished for thinking outside the box.  Fforde's depiction of this future after The Something That Happened is hilarious and you can tell that the author is extremely smart through his writing.
3. Unwind by Neil Shusterman  - there is no doubt this is a dystopian novel but it is one of my all time favourite books. In this society parents can send their teenagers off to be "unwound", where they are killed but with all their body parts being transplanted onto others. This book follows Conner, Risa and Lev as they try and run away after being sent to the unwinding camps. This book was really amazing with great characters and really intense moments that meant I couldn't put it down. 
4. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff  - I read this book years ago but I remember it had such an impact on me with really moving scenes. This book takes place in World War III and seeing as the book is about young teenagers and children the reason for this is never explained, instead it shows the fallout. Daisy is sent over to the UK to live with cousins she's never met, but who seem to be able to read minds and talk to animals, in a hopes to keep her safe from the violence in America. Soon the war spreads to Britain too and the children are forced to run and split up; this is about them travelling through war torn England in an attempt to find each other again. 
5. Rot and Ruin by Johnathon Maberry  - Benny Imura and his friends live in a post-apocalyptic world with wastelands overrun by zombies the only thing beyond the wall that encloses his town. Somehow, and I honestly don't know how, this book changed me. When I put it down I was stunned. I can't pinpoint what this book did that was so write but it did something. 

Top 5 Wednesdays Goodreads page.

Review: Wintergirls

Wintergirls

By Laurie Halse Anderson

This was actually a reread for me although it was very different from my memories of it. I first read it three or four years ago and I remember loving it. Reading it now I still loved it but I found the content far more disturbing. It is about eating disorders, depression, self harm and suicide and I would definitely warn you if you think you may be triggered by these subjects to think twice before reading it. Although I do think the author represented these issues very well and realistically - There was no romanticising of Lia's illness and it was shown to be brutal and quiet frankly gruesome. 

Lia has been struggling with her eating disorder for a very long time and has been hospitalised twice for it. She is meant to be recovering but she has no desire to do so. Her best friend, Cassie, dealt with similar problems but turned her back on her after her hospitalisation. On the night Cassie dies she phones Lia 33 times but Lia never picks up. Now she's being haunted by Cassie's memory and the overwhelming desire to be skinny, skinnier, skinniest. The author using a unique writing style to get Lia's compulsive and conflicted thoughts across to great effect.

Would cautiously recommend to any fan of similar stories, keeping in mind I found this far more triggering that any other book I have read that dealt with these issues. 

Goodreads link. 

T5W: Authors I Want To Meet

There are so many authors I'd like to meet and sit down and discuss their books with yet I found it surprisingly easy to name my top five. I'm taking the liberty that this includes any author living or dead. 

1.  John Green - I am a massive VlogBrothers fan and so I think seeing his personality for so long made him an easy choice for top position. He is the only one in this list who I'd really like to talk with about matters other than their writing.
2. J K Rowling - Like many of you Harry Potter was a massive part of my childhood and I'd love to be able to sit down and really comb through the characters with their creator. 
3. J R R Tolkien - As with J K Rowling I'd love the chance to discuss the details of the world he created. Lord of the Rings was also a massive part of my life (admittedly the films more so than the books). 
4. Patrick Ness - He is one of my favourite authors and from his twitter account it is clear he has a great sense of humour and I know he'd make me laugh. 
5. Enid Blyton - It surprised me when I thought of this name as I usually don't when thinking of my favourite authors but as soon as I did I knew she had to make this list. Her books were are very large part of my younger years and she's been such an inspiration. If I could trace my love of books back to a single author it would have to be her. My Mum read the Five Findouters and Dog, The Enchanted Forest and so many more of her books to me when I was little and made me fall in love with stories long before I cared to read. 

Link to Top 5 Wednesday's Goodreads page.

On Graphic Novels

This year I have read my first two graphic novels: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean (illustrator) as well as the first volume of Scott Pilgrim by Brian Lee O'Malley. 

It turns out I quite like this medium and would be excited to continue to explore it if it weren't for the price. The average cost for a basic graphic novel or Manga seems to be about £10 yet they only take an hour to read (and that's being generous). 

Above is a few pictures from the pages of Arkham Asylum. The colours are vibrant and each page is a work of art printed on high gloss paper. I found myself spending ages on each page and revisiting it after I'd finished to examine and awe over the illustrations. This is a book I understand paying extra for and I am happy to do so.

Now this photo is from the Scott Pilgram graphic novel. With the images being in black and white and the pages being the normal paper you find in books. Now don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the story and I gave it four stars on Goodreads, but I won't be revisiting it over and over again. This is not to fault Brian Lee O'Malley as his format is by far the norm. In fact, I had to pay extra for Arkham Asylum. 

Overall  I really enjoyed my experience with graphic novels and, despite the price, I will be continuing to explore this medium. I'll definitely be continuing the Scott Pilgrim series (I also really want to read Blankets by Craig Thompson). I just wish they were cheaper!

Review: Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J Maas

(Book 1 in the Throne of Glass series)

This book has received a lot of hype recently and now I understand why. 

Celaena Sardothien was the worlds most feared assassin until she was betrayed and throw into Endovier, a salt mine/death camp. A year later the Crown Prince of Ardalan asks her to compete against other killers to win the title of the King's Assassin. If she wins she will also win her freedom so she eagerly excepts but there may be more dangerous thing than her competition awaiting her at the palace. 

I gave this book four stars on Goodreads but the second half was definitely five star worthy and the last third had my heart racing and I couldn't put it down. I did initially have a problem with Celaena's personality as she did not fit my preconceived idea of a child assassin. I expected a much colder character but once I got used to this more emotionally open bad ass I grew to really like her. The magic and world building was done really well and I cannot wait to continue the series, especially as I have heard it only gets better. My only criticism would be I felt Maas was trying to create a love triangle where none was needed and I definitely wasn't feeling it but this didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the story however I am cautious to see how it progresses.

Goodreads Link. 

T5W: Series I want to start this year

So I am planning on doing Top 5 Wednesdays from now on (I missed the first week of the year and this one is a day late whoops). This week's T5W is series I want to start this year. These are in no particular order.

1. Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas (already started the first one just the other day)
2. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
3. Anna and the French Kiss companion series by Stephanie Perkins
4. Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
5. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

Most of these are pretty big series that most people in the book blogging community have already read or at least started. At the end of the year I will look back over these and see how much I manage to complete.

Link to Top 5 Wednesday's Goodreads page.

Writing Plans

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a writer and having a book published is my dream. Yet I never write. I have so many story ideas and I continue to come up with new ones. I develop the characters and the world and the plot but I will be lucky to write more than a couple of pages of anything.

This year I have decided to actually take my writing seriously for a change. I have set the goal of completing the first draft of a book. This may be too big a goal but by first draft I do mean an unreadable pile of garbage that simply gives me words to work with. A story set out from beginning to middle to end which I will likely almost completely rewrite before it even resembles the finished thing. I figure the hardest part will be getting the initial words down.

I have decided to do Camp NaNoWriMo in July this year. For those of you that don't know he original National Novel Writing Month takes place in November and the goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Now, seeing as I have never sat down to write a book before I figure 50,000 words might be too high a goal. Camp NaNoWriMo, however, allows you to set your own goal so I have decided that 30,000 words is doable (hopefully as that is only 1000 a day) and I won't be at uni in July so hopefully I won't be too busy. Then, if the story isn't over, I will continue writing throughout summer with the aim of finishing the draft before going back to uni in September. I can then spend the semester rewriting it.

My goal in the meantime then is to pick a story to write (and stick to it). This is proving extremely difficult as every time I choose one I either remember a "better" story idea or I start to really think about it and start to notice too many flaws that will either make it difficult to write or will need too much time dedicated to fixing. Once I manage this though I am going to spend the rest of my time up until July outlining it. Beginning to end. Chapter by chapter. I am outlining Katytastic style and she has some great videos on this topic on her YouTube channel.

I am not sure how many posts about writing I will make but you can expect updates, especially in July.

Winter Book Haul

This is my book haul for the Winter Break of 2014/15 seeing as I go back to uni in a week and I have managed to accumulate a lot of books this past month. Most are books I've wanted for a while and haven't been able to get during term time. I don't know how interesting of a blog post this will be but I really enjoy watching book hauls so I figured I'd do one of my own. 

So the 25 books pictured above are all the books I've gotten this holiday and I'm sad to say only 2 were gifts.....  Most of the books I buy are either bought second hand online or are on sale but this month there were a few Christmas gifts to myself that I used to justify the amount of money I've spent. If you click on the titles it will take you to their Goodreads page.

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas  -- This is the book I am reading currently and I will be posting a review of it fairly soon but I am really enjoying it.
2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell  -- Obviously I loved this book and I have already read it and posted a review of it.

Review: Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park

By Rainbow Rowell

What a way to start the year! An easy five stars!

This book is told in the dual perspectives of Park, a quiet boy who just wants to read his comics in peace, and Eleanor, the new girl at school whose eccentric dress and larger frame make her the perfect target for bullies. They meet when Eleanor sits next to Park on the school bus and the most realistic progression from strangers to love interests I have ever read unfolds. 

Eleanor has a very difficult home life and finds solace in Park's company and the seemingly perfectness of his family. This story is about acceptance and the inevitability that first loves are doomed to fail. 

This book broke my heart in the most uplifting way imaginable. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes harder hitting young adult. 

Goodreads Link. 

Favourite book of 2014

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

By Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This books was not only my favourite book of 2014 but also makes it onto my list of favourite books of all time.

It is set in the 80s in El Paso and is about two Mexican-American teenagers. It is told from the point of view of Ari who has never had a real friend until he meets Dante at the local pool and the most beautiful friendship I've ever read about develops as we follow these two through their struggles with discovering who they are and navigating their way towards adulthood. 

One of the great thing about this book is the family aspect. Too many Young Adult books neglect to talk about the relationship between the teenage protagonist and their parents but this book doesn't and the result adds a layer to the story that makes it beautiful.

It deals with family drama and the challenges of trying to be a good friend; with feeling like you don't belong and allowing yourself to open up to someone. It deals with hurt and blame and love and a lot of pent up anger. This book made me squeal at it's cuteness and brought a tear to my eye more than once and even after I put the book down it stayed with me. 

Goodreads Link.

Looking forward to 2015

This year my aim is mainly to just read as much as I can. Goodreads asks for my goal for the year and I have been really struggling to decide. I don't want to make it too high and fail but at the same time I feel everything realistic is too low. Personally I blame the BookTubers who read 150 books last year for my unrealistic expectations! I also want to try the 100 book challenge as I know that I could have completed that many books in a year back in secondary school with only a little bit of work required. Now with all my uni work I know there is no chance.

In the end I settled for 26 books. Although this feels like very few it is still a book a fortnight. I know I will not always be able to keep on top of that but I'm hoping that I can catch up over my 3 month summer holiday (although hopefully I will be working!). I guess I just haven't gotten used to my new reading limits yet...

My other goal is to read more diversely as I have recently noticed the lack of this both in the authors I read and (more interesting to myself) the cultures explored in the books and their locations.

I also hope to blog regularly and post book reviews here for everything I read. Maybe someone will even read them! So that's basically everything I am aiming for this year (well maybe to pass my modules and get a place on the honours programme but let's just focus on the 26 diverse books okay). 

Why I am making this blog...

With it being the Christmas holidays I get a month off in which I finally have time to read. Since going to university a year and a half ago the amount of reading I manage to fit in is practically non-existent due to a mix of the sociability of living in halls and the heavy workload of my course. 

This holiday I have really gotten back into books and realise how much I've missed it. I also got into BookTube this year and discovered the world of blogging and discussing books and thought starting my own blog would be the perfect way to keep up my reading once term starts again.

Hopefully I'll manage to force myself make time for reading in my life again.