December Wrap-Up.

2018 is over! I'm totally flabbergasted! But I did manage a good four books in December, though I diverted from my original reading list a little when I received my Christmas presents.

1. 'Starfighter [Ch. 2]' by Hamlet Machine. Even though I was a little dubious about Chapter 1, I was intrigued enough to continue with this series, and I did like Chapter 2 a little better. There was still a bit of dubcon but I am a little more invested in Cain & Abel now. Also, the art is stunning.   3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Feminists Don't Wear Pink (& Other Lies)' cur. by Scarlett Curtis. I absolutely adored this collection, and it's a real top read of mine! I'm trying to read more non-fiction as of late, and Feminism is a real hot topic for me.  The contributions from such a variety of women were varied and really interesting, and I liked them all a lot! 5/5 Stars.
3. 'Useless Magic' by Florence Welch. I received this for Christmas and was very pleased with it. I'm a big fan of Florence & The Machine and I love Florence Welch so much. The design of this book is lovely: I liked reading the lyrics so beautifully presented and the poetry section at the end too. 4/5 Stars.
4. 'Stars Above' by Marissa Meyer. This was an AMAZING read and the perfect one to end with this year. I've missed the world of 'The Lunar Chronicles' so much, and this collection of short stories made a great addition to the world and the character arcs. I particularly liked the last story! 5/5 Stars.

This month I read two books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total thirty seven.

- Starfighter [Ch. 2]

- Stars Above

This month I read one books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total two.

- Stars Above

I read two book for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total seventeen.

- Feminists Don't Wear Pink (& Other Lies)

- Useless Magic

I read zero books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total twenty three.

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

Planned Reads for December.

December is here! And I have a lot of high hopes for this month because I've actually got a substantial portion of time off! So here are the eight reads that I've got planned.

First on my list is Kendra Leighton's 'Glimpse', a retelling of the famous poem 'The Highwayman' and a book I had on last month's TBR that I really want to read. I have so many NetGalley books to catch up on and I'm trying really hard to work my way through them as a priority!

This next book, 'Feminists Don't Wear Pink & Other Lies' curated by Scarlett Curtis caught my attention as soon as I read about the Topshop controversy. I really want to read this because so many of my role models have contributed something to this book and I think it will leave me feeling super inspired!

Winter is the perfect time to read science fiction! Space is cold, and so is December! Okay, you can read sci-fi any time of the year but I really want to read 'The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers. I've seen it described as Mass Effect in a novel. Yes. Please.

I'm also a really big fan of murder mysteries and 'The Last' by Hanna Jameson looks really cool! Sort of a cross between The Shining and And Then There Were None, I think this has potential to be a really fun read.

My next chosen book is special - I can't describe to you how excited I am to read it! 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease is probably one of my most anticipate 2019 reads and I've got an ARC to read! How exciting!

The cover of my next pick, 'The Sisters Of The Winter Wood' by Rena Rossner is stunning. But beyond the illiustrations, this read looks creepy and filled with folklore/magical realism and that makes me very excited!

'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian is looking to be the one that got away from me this year and I really don't want it to be. The similarities to the classic fairy tale Cinderella are too cool looking for me not to read it! I really hope I get round to it this month.

Last but not least, I want to read 'Everless' by Sara Holland. I have had this on my TBR for some time, but it was one of the few books that my friend who has recently left for New Zealand (a) recommended to me repeatedly and (b) gave her copy to me before she went.

December Wrap-Up.

I am so proud of my December reading this year! I managed to get through so many reads, some on my original list for the month, and some that I've been wanting to read for ages! I got round to nine whole reads this month! I'll admit a few were pretty short, but I'm super proud of my productive reading month!

1. 'Ghost Stories' by Whit Taylor. Everything about this book disappointed me. I've read some wonderful graphic novels this year and I wanted the same from this. But the art was not great and the stories felt like they didn't really mean anything or achieve their purpose. 1/5 Stars.
2. 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. I actually planned to read this one on Christmas Eve/Day and was only loading it up on my Kindle ready when I started reading and found myself unable to stop. This was every bit the tale that I imagined it would be - a little creepy but full of festive cheer and hope. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years Of Pilgrimage' by Huruki Murukami. This is the first thing I've read by Murukami (I thought I'd start small to get a taste of his work) and I enjoyed elements of it. The plot was kind of intriguing, and the mystery kept me hungry for answers. But that ending was so disappointing because I felt like it had all been a waste. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'The Gifts Of Reading' by Robert Macfarlane. This short essay was a nice break from longer books and did a great job at making me think and reflect. It's subject, gift giving, was perfect for the time of year too! Macfarlane writes bittersweet anecdotes well and references many other books that I now want to read. 3.5/5 Stars.
5. 'Renegades' by Marissa Meyer. This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, largely because it was written by Marissa Meyer, whose books never fail to blow me away. This was definitely my least favourite of hers - the dialogue felt a bit corny at times and I was a little at odds with the book's pacing. But this was still a rich world with great characters and I'm still excited for book two! 4/5 Stars.
6. 'The Worm & The Bird' by Coralie Bickford-Smith. I'm definitely collecting these little illustrated tales that Bickford-Smith writes, and as I got some money for Christmas I actually bought this one for myself as a gift! The art is beautiful but the message felt a little hopeless so I didn't quite like it in the same way that I enjoyed 'The Fox & The Star'. 4/5 Stars.
7. 'The Toymakers' by Robert Dinsdale. This was hands down one of my favourite reads of the month. Mesmerisingly magical, the story captures the wonders of toy shops at Christmas time and expertly contrasts them with the horrors of WWI. Dinsdale writes his characters very well too, I empathised with all of them! 5/5 Stars.
8. 'The Happy Prince & Other Stories' by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde's fairy tales have always intrigued me, and it's clear to see from these that he had an enigmatic personality. These read more like political satire and mockery of the format than anything else, but I enjoyed them all the same - even if they were a little dark and slightly hopeless. 4/5 Stars.
9. 'Fairest' by Marissa Meyer. 'The Lunar Chronicles' series is probably one of my favourite series of all times and I've been dying to get hold of a copy of this novella because it reveals a little more about Levana's life before the series and how she came to be so cruel. I loved the insight into her character and learning more about Lunar itself. 5/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read three books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total to thirty. My reads were:

- Ghost Stories

- Renegades

- The Toymakers

This month I have read zero books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total to fifteen.

This month I have read zero books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to eleven.

This month I have read three books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to thirty seven. My reads were:

- Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years Of Pilgrimage

- Renegades

- Fairest

And here's my update on this quarter's Bookish Bingo card, courtesy of Pretty Deadly Blog!

2018 Debut: The Toymakers; Robert Dinsdale

Winter Release: Ghost Stories; Whit Taylor

Sci-Fi: Fairest; Marissa Meyer

Freebie: --

Friend's Fave: The Happy Prince & Other Stories; Oscar Wilde

Trees On Cover: The Gifts Of Reading; Robert MacFarlane

Music Themes: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years Of Pilgrimage; Haruki Murakami

Book That Was A Gift: The Worm & The Bird; Coralie Bickford-Smith

Holiday Theme: A Christmas Carol; Charles Dickens

Villainous: Renegades; Marissa Meyer

Planned Reads For December.

December? My goodness! It's almost Christmas! I cannot believe the speed at which 2017 has passed me by to be perfectly honest. But despite hating the cold with a passion, I'm looking forward to snuggling down with some great wintery reads!

My first choice has evaded me a couple of times since buying it, so I'm placing it as my first read of the month! 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years Of Pilgrimage' will be my first ever read by Haruki Murakami, and I always find winter to be the best season to read deep, reflective writing. I'm interested to see what this author can do!

'Renegades' by Marissa Meyer. Do I even have to say any more than that? It's no great secret that she's one of my favourite authors, and I've adored every single one of her books that I've read so far. Since the Avengers: Infinity War trailer dropped a couple of days ago too, I'm really looking forward to a superhero/villain themed read too.

It's surprising, even to me, that I've never read a book by Charles Dickens. But there's something about him that really invokes the holiday spirit, so I've picked 'The Christmas Carol' because it is literally about spirits and Christmas eve/day! It was a definite tradition to tell ghost stories during those cold winter nights, and this is one that I would love to tick off of the TBR!

It's so frustratingly upsetting how often I have gone to pick 'Six Of Crows' up but never quite managed to read it. I loved the 'Grisha Verse' series by Leigh Bardugo, and I have high hopes for this one too. It was heavily hyped, it's true, but I'm hearing great things: diverse characters, LGBT+ coverage and most importantly, a better look at Ravka which is heavily based on one of the world's snowiest places, Russia!

The cover of 'The Toymakers' alone is enough to make anyone think of Christmas. Toys in shop windows, snow falling, the hint of magic. I've been eyeing up Robert Dinsdale as an author as his retelling of Hansel & Gretel, 'Gingerbread', looks fantastic. This should hopefully give me a decent sample of his work!

Mary Shelley is another classic author, and I feel that winter is a great time for classics. Especially if they are sombre, victorian reads! 'Matilda' certainly sounds like one of those reads and it's a little one too, which is ideal. In the winter I like my reads to be either very long or very snappy!

'Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore' by Matthew Sullivan intrigues me for a lot of reasons. Firstly, I like books about books. Book shops are my favourite places in the winter because they are always so warm and inviting. This one a little less so if the synopsis is to be believed, but who doesn't like a good mystery now and again?

I haven't been able to read an awful lot of historical fiction this year, which has been a bit upsetting to me as it's a genre I like a lot. 'Wolf Winter' by Cecilia Ekbäck will be my last before the year is out! It's certainly got the right snowy setting, and has been compared a number of times to 'Burial Rites', a historical book that I also loved. I have high hopes!

December Wrap-Up.

As is usual for December, I didn't manage all of my reads this year. That is in fact not surprising because Christmas month is always SO busy for me! Still, I managed a lot of reads (four of the original seven I chose, plus one extra) and I'm excited to talk about them all!

1. 'Dragon Slayer Number Nine' by Intisar Khanani. This book probably shouldn't count seeing as it was only four or five pages long, but I'm including it anyway because it was a pretty cool short, experimental story written by one of my favourite authors of all time (I can call her that now because I've adored everything she writes so far). I really wanted to get back into the Khanani mood and this piece seemed like the perfect way to do it. In fact, I'd love if she'd expand upon it because the problem with a story with ONLY dialogue is that it becomes exceptionally short. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani. After my little warm-up, I dived straight into the book I've been waiting to read all year. I read the first in this series, 'Sunbolt', quite a while ago and I've been hoping for a sequel much longer in length ever since. I certainly got that! Khanani took everything great from the original novella and expanded upon it in this. The characters are well thought-out (and she has the kick-ass female character thing down to a tee), the world-building absolutely gorgeous and Khanani just writes such strong story-lines. 5/5 Stars.
3. 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige. Sadly, my happy reading bout couldn't last long. I really didn't enjoy this book, which was sad because it could have made the perfect wintry read. Instead, it just disappointed me. The pace was way too fast, revolving an annoying, indecisive main character who jumps from scene to scene without fully being allowed to explore it. Not to mention the fact that she falls for every guy she meets. Ugh. The world didn't comprise of much more than lots of snow, coloured trees and a few penguins and became just a generic Fantasy world rather than having personality. 1.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer. Marissa Meyer did it again. I was a little unsure going into this despite my love for Fairy Tale retellings because Wonderland is a difficult place to get right. It has to have the perfect balance of madness and sense, otherwise it will either be no fun/unrecognisable or just too ridiculous. Of course Meyer managed it perfectly and created the perfect origin story for the infamously cruel Queen Of Hearts. She also neatly slotted in some great references to other recognisable characters from Carroll's original novels and paid great tribute to him in the process. 5/5 Stars.
5. 'A Girl Called Owl' by Amy Wilson. My last read of the year was okay, and while I was hoping for something overwhelmingly positive, it wasn't a bad story. In fact Wilson had thought up some pretty neat ideas about the cycle of the seasons and how famed figures of folklore could actually be real. The problem was that I felt that Owl, the MC, was far too flighty and her feelings didn't fully match up to her actions. Many sub-plots were introduced but not for any real reason other than a device to keep Owl's story moving and other areas that I would have liked more development on didn't get enough attention. 2.5/5 Stars.

This month I have read zero books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total to fourty four. 

This month I have read three book for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to nineteen. This month's reads were:

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

- 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer

- 'A Girl Called Owl' by Amy Wilson

This month I have gained two points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to sixty two. This month's read was:

- 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani (+2)

This month I have read two books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to seventeen. The books I read were:

- 'Memories Of Ash' by Intisar Khanani

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

Note: I have not included 'Heartless' or 'A Girl Called Owl' as they are not released until 2017.

This month I have read two books for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to twelve. My reads were:

- 'Stealing Snow' by Danielle Paige

- 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer

I also started my new Bookish Bingo card, and here is the result.

Alternative Format: Dragon Slayer Number Nine; Intisar Khanani

Sequel: Memories Of Ash; Intisar Khanani

2017 Debut: A Girl Called Owl; Amy Wilson

GR Choice Nominee: Heartless; Marissa Meyer

White Cover: Stealing Snow; Danielle Paige