Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Read So Far in 2015

I have only read 28 books so far this year, so it was quite hard to pick out a top ten - there were some clear winners but I was wracked with indecision over some of the others. Therefore I wouldn't call this a definitive list - I'm prone to changing my mind and revising star ratings! I also haven't ranked these - if I tried to do that it would have taken me all day - they're in the order in which I read them.

Click the book titles/authors for full reviews.

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2015

Trouble, by Non Pratt - I finally got around to reading the much-acclaimed Trouble and really enjoyed it, but not as much as Remix, which appears later on my list.

The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson - it took me a while to get into this one but by the end I felt like I was the narrator, which is the number one sign of a good book.

Artemis Fowl and The Opal Deception, by Eoin Colfer - SUCH PERIL. SO PLOT. VERY AHHHH! My favourite Artemis Fowl book so far apart from the first.

The Bookshop Book, by Jen Campbell - I want to use this as a travel guide for the rest of my life.

Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey - I had a few mixed feelings about this but it was well-written and I enjoyed it.

Remix, by Non Pratt - friendship, festivals, and whimsical vests, wonderful.

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett - I'm still thinking about the witches and I read this in May.

Being Emily, by Rachel Gold - quick, easy to read trans coming-out story, with some unusual elements.

I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson - I didn't love this as much as The Sky is Everywhere, it took me even longer to get into it but it was still a memorable, powerful read in the end.

How to Be Bad, by E Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski - friendship and life troubles on a three-day road trip. Now I have read all of E Lockhart's books! Wayhey!

Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. If you've done your own version of this list let me know! Do we have any books in common?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

As I said in the above video, I am a seasonal reader. In summer, I crave contemporaries like they're going out of fashion. Which they might be - it certainly seems that way, especially when you look at the YALC lineup. Discuss.

Anyway, regardless of current publishing trends or fan furore, in my mind, contemporary settings in books and summer belong together. It's not compulsory for the books be set during a summer, but I do find myself drawn to summery books because summer is my favourite season, as I rambled in another video, last year, and I want to make the most of it!

So most of the books on today's Top Ten Tuesday are contemporary, or contemporary with supernatural elements.. I might not get to them all, because I'm moving, and have to spend a lot of time going round furniture shops (Zzzzzzz...). Or I might devour all of them, because I don't have internet for weeks. Who knows!

Yeah, as if I have the space for a dedicated table for my TBR, a pair of sunglasses and a wrist cuff. 

Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

1. Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, by Eoin Colfer - I am FINALLY going to finish #FinishItFeb. In June.

2. This Is Not A Love Story, by Keren David - everyone seems really thrilled about this, so I can't wait to give it a go.

3. The Lost and Found, by Cat Clarke - this is an upcoming Bookish Brits Book Club selection. Lots of people I know absolutely rave about Cat Clarke but I've never read any of her books before so I'm excited to give it a go.

4. Subway Love, by Nora Raleigh Baskin - because I'm probably not going to go on holiday abroad this year, I figured I might as well go on a journey in my head to NYC. Also this is quite a short book, so it can be a little self-esteem booster in-between longer reads.

5. How To Be Bad, by E Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski - because this is the only E Lockhart book I haven't read yet, and I just got this copy. I'm hoping to start it as soon as I finish my current read (The Girl on the Train).

6. Second Chance Summer, by Morgan Matson - another book that everyone seems to love, plus, it's set during a summer.

7. Rules of Summer, by Joanna Philbin - I got sent this unsolicited review copy a year or two ago, and I hadn't heard anything about it, so it languished on my TBR until Stacey at prettybooks recommended it.

8. Have a Little Faith, by Candy Harper, and

9. Dare You To, by Katie McGarry, because I should really start working on my List of Shame. We're more than halfway through the year, after all.

10. Under My Skin, by James Dawson, because the hot pink on the cover and the edges of the colour is such a summery colour. I mean, I'm looking forward to the story as well, but maintaining a summer aesthetic is important business...

Just the UKYA, chilling on my bed.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these and if you have any recommendations, and if you've done your own version of this list please share the link. Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books Read in 2014

It's been a great year for reading and me! I read way more books than I expected to, and (re)discovered some really fabulous authors. So without further preamble, I present:

My Top Ten Books Read in 2014 (in the order I read them)

1. The Worst Girlfriend in the World, by Sarra Manning

Sarra Manning is one of my favourite authors of all time so it was no surprise that I adored this. I loved it so much that when I finished reading it I wanted to start over again from the beginning! I think fans old and new will find plenty to love about this novel, which follows the (mis)adventures of would-be fashion designer Franny and her best friend Alice, from tiny seaside town to big city.

2. Adaptation, by Malinda Lo

Need the sequel, like, yesterday. Cool twist on the love triangle. And (redacted spoilery thing)!

3. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

I FINALLY got around to reading Fangirl, and I loved it. If you want to read a story about fanfic and university and first, incredibly awkward romantic adventures, you should definitely read Fangirl.

4. We Were Liars, by E Lockhart

This is actually my least favourite E Lockhart book. But that still makes it better than most other books. Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for YA, barely a day has gone by without someone gasping excitedly about it on Twitter.

5. Murder Most Unladylike, by Robin Stevens

Boarding school! MURDER! Friendship! Bunbreaks! MURDER!

6. The Diviners, by Libba Bray

This is so gorgeous I swooned over almost every page. I had mixed feelings about the Gemma Doyle trilogy by the end (although overall I loved it) but it looks like The Diviners will avoid all those issues. Thrilled that the sequel is coming out next year!

7. White Cat, by Holly Black

I love this series and this is one hell of an opener. The magic system is unique and the characters vivid and real. Very much recommended.

8. Through the Ever Night/Into the Still Blue, by Veronica Rossi

I loved both the second and the third books in this trilogy, which began with Under the Never Sky. Aria is one of my favourite protagonists ever.

9. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, by Sarra Manning

This book was highly hyped and with good reason. It was published in 2011 but it took me this long to read it as I was hoping to find the *good cover* in a bookshop (I don't trust online shops to send me the right one!). Eventually I gave up and borrowed it from the library, and I'm very glad I did as I needed Neve, Max, Keith and all their family and friends in my life.

10. My True Love Gave To Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins

Finally a short story collection by novelists that isn't mediocre! A wonderful diverse seasonal anthology that stole my heart and wrapped it in tinsel.

Honorary mentions go to two non-fiction books (I didn't read enough non-fic for a proper non-fic list): The Bookshop Book, by Jen Campbell, though I still have a few pages to read, and Story, by Robert McKee - my god, I finally understand plotting thanks to this book!

Last year I did my top books list in a Bookish Brits video:


This year, we have done a series of videos talking about our favourite 2014 books in different categories. To watch, just press play below:

Did any of these books make it onto your top ten?

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons I Love Being A Blogger

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Blogger

1. Keeping up to date with bookish news - before I was a blogger, I only knew that my favourite authors had new books out when I saw them in a bookshop or at the library, which is far too late! As a blogger, I get to know about books, events, conferences, and all sorts of other wonderful things that I might otherwise have missed out on.

2. Finding out what other people thought of books and issues surrounding books - I love the community. I am passionate about books, reading, writing, libraries and diversity, and love talking and reading about a wide variety of book-related issues. Being this obsessed can sometimes get a bit awkward, but most of the time it's worked out well!

3. Instant gratification - Not only do I love it when I update my blog and people comment straight away, but I also love being able to go online whenever I want and explore other people's blogs.

4. Connecting with people on other forms of social media - Blogging has lead me to find and follow so many interesting people. I am a complete Twitter addict, but I also love Instagram and Facebook.

5. Memes - a great excuse to indulge my love of lists. Oh look, I'm writing one now.

6. Communications with publishers, invites to events, and review copies - I'd be lying if I said that I didn't love all this stuff and that it didn't make me feel good!

7. It looks good on my CV - I have had a couple of conversations at job interviews about blogging and social media, even when the job wasn't directly related to those things.

8. Pretty pictures - books make great eye candy, don't they? I love finding and making pictures of books.

9. Discovering books I might otherwise not have heard of - my wishlist is always increasing and although I enjoy knowing what is popular, I love finding out about a book I might otherwise never have read.

10. Sharing my opinions - I started to blog in the first place for the same reason as almost everybody else - I thought some other people might be interested in my opinions about books. I haven't always been someone with confidence in my own opinions, and blogging has really helped me practice expressing my thoughts in written form.

Which of these reasons made your Top Ten list? Let me know in the comments! Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

POC Reading Challenge

I decided to join the POC Reading Challenge after clicking the link in the left sidebar at Once Upon A Bookcase. I would also like to join the GLBT Challenge but I only have 1 book (as far as I am aware) in my TBR which is eligible. Loads on my wishlist, but wishlist is wishlist and not TBR. I'll probably do a similar challenge in 2011 instead, as I hope to have gotten my TBR down below 100 by then, which will give me enough space for all those wishlist books! Every time I think about this I have to resist rubbing my hands in glee at the anticipation.

(I realise this post is full of acronyms. POC = person/people of colour, GLBT = gay lesbian bisexual transgender, also often spelled LGBT, also often with a Q or two added at the end as well for queer and/or questioning, sometimes with other letters as well, see Wikipedia. TBR= to be read (pile/box/mountain/list). Some people use TBR to refer to all the books they want to read, but like most people that use the term, I use it to refer to the books I own and have not read. Books I don't actually own but want to read are on my wishlist. Wishlist is sometimes abbreviated to WL, but I don't abbreviate it as it takes me less time to type the word than two capital letters.)

I intend to get to Level 2 of the challenge, which means I have to read four to six books this year. I actually have enough books in my TBR to get up to Level 4 (ten), but I don't think I'll be able to read all of them within the year as I am also trying to read for Body Image and Self-Perception Month and my main priority is the teen/YA books on my list (if you're not aware, I'm writing a teen/YA novel - or twelve - myself.). Only two of those ten are teen/YA.

This in its own way actually shows why this challenge is so necessary - I have about 130 books TBR and the vast majority are by white authors, which makes a phenomenal amount of no sense.

So far I have read for this challenge:

1. Push, by Sapphire (also for the Mooky Book Club)
2. Girl Overboard, by Justina Chen Headley

3. to be read

4. to be read