My Favourite Reads of 2016

I'm never sure how to organise these things. Usually I just list all my favourite books read that year in a non-specific, non-committal order.

The difference is that this year I do have a most-favourite book read, and a second-most-favourite.

So I'm going to strike out and pretend I'm a one-woman book award. I'll tell you my most favourite, the runner up, and then all the other books I thought were especially good, the shortlist, if you will.

Ready? Okay.

My Absolute Most Favourite Book I Read This Year

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about this post, and the inevitable YouTube video, and I said to myself, 'What is my favourite book read in 2016?'

And then I replied 'LOL duh of course it's Sorcerer to the Crown' and then I stopped thinking about it until just now when I went through my books read in Goodreads just to check I hadn't somehow forgotten about a better book?!?! Like a TOTAL IDIOT because OF COURSE I hadn't read a better book.

Sorcerer to the Crown is definitely my favourite book that I read this year. It was so fun and thoughtful and I desperately want Zen Cho to write and publish the sequel...months ago on May 16 2016 because that's when I read Sorcerer to the Crown!

It's about an alternate Regency England where there is magic, except it's only the rich white dudes who get to wield it 'properly'. Everyone else is just doing what the dudes think of as twee little household spells, with two major exceptions: Zacharias Wythe, the Sorcerer Royal, who was a slave adopted by the previous Sorcerer Royal, and all the single Ladies, who are cooped up in boarding schools being told that they need to control/get rid of their magic so they will be suitable wives. Unsurprisingly, all the rich white dudes are panicking because their magic supply seems to be shrinking so Zacharias goes to investigate and along the way he meets the awesome magnificence that is Prunella Gentleman, the ward of the headmistress of one of the aforementioned schools. Cue hijinks and magic and revelations about parentage and dragons. It's hilarious and charming and I didn't want it to end.

It was so great, I'm tempted to go read it again right now...

...what? I need to finish this post? Oh boo.

My Second Most Favourite Book I Read This Year

As I knew my most favourite book already, I didn't really think about the rest of this list until about two days ago, when I said to myself, 'What is my second most favourite book read in 2016?'

And then I replied 'LOL duh of course it's Love Song' and then I stopped thinking about it until just now when I went through my books read in Goodreads just to check I hadn't somehow forgotten...you get the idea.

Love Song. How can I explain my love of Love Song? I mean, I did not expect to love this book! I thought it would be fun, I always like a book about music and bands and all that. But knowing going in that it was about a girl going on tour with a boy band, I did not expect it to capture my heart and hold it to ransom for 384 pages like it did!

Is it because the main character is from Croydon and I am half-Croydonian myself?
Is it because there's so much emotional brilliance that I fell in love with each and every single one of the main characters?
Is it because it involves the exploration of a very big and very quirky house in the country?

It's so hard to describe why exactly I love this book, but oh, how I do. It's excellent. If you like contemporary YA please please pick it up - I'll be busy working my way through Sophia Bennett's backlist.

The Best of the Rest

When We Collided (Emery Lord) sounds like it's going to be super-twee - it's about a newcomer girl who shakes up the life of the boy who's lived in the town his whole life, but again, emotional brilliance took me by surprise to lift a simple, mundane-sounding premise into something glorious and sophisticated.

Maresi (Maria Turtschaninoff) may have suffered a little from the translation because the language is a bit flat and simple but I loved the idea of an island convent for women and the emotional journey the characters went on. I am looking forward to revisiting the world of the Red Abbey in the sequel.

The Girl with All the Gifts (M. R. Carey) really is as good as everyone says it is. It's better than the film, filling in background details about the characters that make them come more vividly alive. I really enjoyed the ending.

I actually expected to love The Song Will Save Your Life (Leila Sales) and I did. Though it was not exactly what I anticipated, it was still a lot of fun and I now have the occasional secret longing to get dressed up and visit a hidden club!

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My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend (Eleanor Wood) is an unconventional comtemporary about a blogger who gets comments from her favourite rockstar that lead into a secret relationship. I loved how realistic this book was - the protagonist makes a massive mess of her whole life! I also appreciated that it dealt with social class, a subject that doesn't come up as often as I'd like it to in UKYA.

Only Ever Yours (Louise O'Neill) is a zoomed-in Handmaid's Tale, focusing on the experience of teenage girls in a world where women are literally born and bred to be the property of men. It's bleak as hell, but it needs to be.

I went into Rebel of the Sands (Alwyn Hamilton) not really knowing anything about it and was soon caught up in this story of rebel teenagers banding together to save their lives and maybe change the status quo. I have the sequel sitting on my bookshelf and I'm sure it won't be long before I pick it up!

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I'd never read any Patrick Ness before The Rest of Us Just Live Here and now I know exactly what I've been missing out on! It could easily have ridden on its premise of being about the teenagers left in the background while the Chosen Ones save the world, but it rises above parody. It pokes fun at the 'indie kids', and focuses on the ordinary, heartrending difficulties that the others have to face, but ultimately has a lot of affection for all its characters.

And that's the end of the list! Are any of my favourites on your list, from last or previous years? Let me know!

Reading Challenges 2016 Wrap Up

Last year I read 45 books. I didn't meet my overall target (60), but I was a long way from my all time low of 21 books (2011).

To be fair to myself, I was very busy. I have been writing short stories like they're going out of fashion (or maybe like they're coming into fashion - I certainly hope so!). I published an online course. Reading often fell by the wayside as I scribbled down bullet points and edited videos.

So how did I do on the individual challenges?

Classics Challenge

I planned to make a proper go at this challenge, after I only managed three books in 2015. I had all the best intentions - I was going to post a video every month on my YouTube channel about the challenge. I would still really like to do videos about each of these books, but the research involved is quite time consuming so I'm going to shelve this project for a later date. This challenge was hosted by Stacey at Pretty Books.

I did not complete this challenge, though I did do better than last year. I read:

1. The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, by Nancy Mitford
2. Claudine at School, by Colette
3. Fifteen, by Beverley Clearly
4. What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge

British Books Challenge

In 2015 I read 24 books for this challenge, which was double the amount required. I didn't do so well on this challenge this year, but it was still quite easy to complete and even exceed the target - you can read any kind of book, as long as it's British. It was hosted by Kirsty at The Overflowing Library.

I read:

1. The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, by Nancy Mitford

2. My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend, by Eleanor Wood

3. Love Song, by Sophia Bennett

4. London Belongs To Us, by Sarra Manning
5. Girl Out of Water, by Nat Luurtsema
6. Hacker, by Malorie Blackman
7. Rebel of the Sands, by Alwyn Hamilton
8. The Next Together, by Lauren James
9. All of the Above, by Juno Dawson
10. Blood Will Stream, by Nick Bryan
11. After the Last Dance, by Sarra Manning
12. The Girl with All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey
13. The Graces, by Laure Eve
14. Gilded Cage, by Vic James
15. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett

Retelling Challenge

This was hosted by The Daily Prophesy. Despite a lingering sense of guilt for forgetting this challenge, and despite the fact that I acquired ever more fairytale retellings in 2016, I only managed to read one book, Poison, by Sarah Pinborough. It did remind me how much I love reading (and not just collecting) fairytale retellings, but it was too late to make much difference as I read it over Christmas!

TBR Pile Reading Challenge

I was aiming for 31-40, Sweet Summer Fling, but I only managed to read 13. This is a reflection of my low overall total, though I did read more TBR pile books (those acquired before January 1st) in the first few months of the year than later on, which is probably because I was doing the TBR Triple Dog Dare as well.

1. The Dark Days Club, by Alison Goodman
2. The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, by Nancy Mitford
3. Misguided Angel, by Melissa de la Cruz
4. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, by Ally Carter
5. Only Ever Yours, by Louise O'Neill
6. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, by Ally Carter
7. This Song Will Save Your Life, by Leila Sales
8. My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend, by Eleanor Wood
9. Claudine at School, by Colette
10. Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho
11. The Next Together, by Lauren James
12. Poison, by Sarah Pinborough
13. Fables: The Deluxe Edition, Book One, by Bill Willingham

Bardathon Challenge

I didn't do anything for this challenge. It was in the back of my mind but to get around to all the steps involved more planning than I was ultimately willing to do for a reading challenge!

Challenge Challenge

Yes, someone made a meta challenge. I signed up for five other challenges, as above, so I was going for 'Cinco de Challenge-o'. I only completed one, so I also failed this challenge!

TBR Triple Dog Dare

I had done this every year since it first ran and this was the final dare so of course I had to take part! I only allowed myself a few exceptions and otherwise only read books on my TBR that I owned before 1 January 2016 until 1 April 2016. This challenge was hosted by James Reads Books.

In Conclusion...

I only completed the British Books Challenge and the TBR Triple Dog Dare, but honestly I don't mind. I used to worry a lot about not completing challenges, but as I've said before, if it's easy, it's not a challenge. There wouldn't be much point in signing up for challenges that I could complete without really thinking about it!

I'm looking forward to choosing a new selection of challenges for 2017 and getting going!

Top Ten Tuesday: Villains in Books

I could not resist this topic as I love a book villain, especially one who is a little bit sympathetic or is extremely clever!

Top Ten Villains in Books

1. Voldemort, from the Harry Potter series - I thought I'd kick off with a classic and couldn't resist putting Voldemort on the list. He's got it all. He's physically frightening, creepy, wants to kill the lead character, wants to oppress all Muggles, you name it, if it's evil, Voldy wants to do it. Plus his middle name is Elvis in the French translation, which is très drôle, non?

2. President Alma Coin, from the Hunger Games trilogy - I know Snow is more iconic but Coin is ultimately more cunning, and therefore more interesting to me. I love it when a villain appears to be the good one but has a self-serving plan.

3. Speaking of self-serving, Piper Greenmantle in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle is the queen of selfishness. She does whatever suits her in the moment without really thinking about it and that makes her much more scary then any of the other potential villains in this series.

4. Another villain that appears to be 'the good one' is Silarial, the Queen of the Seelie Court in Holly Black's Modern Fairy Tale series. The Seelie Court make a good show of being genteel but behind all that prettiness they're child-snatching monsters.

5. The Queen in The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury has so much power she gets away with only the thinnest veneer of civility, which is quickly brushed away when things don't go as she had planned.

6. Opal Koboi, from the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, is probably my favourite villain on this list. She pretends to be an upstanding businessfairy, but is actually deliciously evil and brilliantly cruel. It's so much fun to both see her put Artemis and the others in danger and get her comeuppance.

7. Opal seized power from her father, and another favourite villain who grasped power when she had the chance to get it is Circe, from Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy. She was the girl who wasn't gifted, who could only access power when her best friend allowed it, and when there was the risk that she would never be able to wield it again, she took matters into her own hands. I have a lot of sympathy for her - even though she does terrible things to get that power.

8. That's enough individuals - now let's move on to a villainous organisation. Rush Recruitment is the big bad of the Hobson and Choi series by Nick Bryan (my boyfriend - the fourth book is out today so I couldn't resist including them on my list), an evil recruitment agency/human trafficking organisation. They're genuinely terrifying, even though so far they haven't appeared that frequently, because they have their fingers in so many pies and commit such appalling acts.

8. In the marvellous historical fantasy Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho, the villain is really institutional prejudice. Everything would have gone a lot differently for the main characters had they not had to deal with racism and sexism throughout their lives - and a good part of the plot involves them fighting it efficiently and hilariously, in order to save the day.

10. Similarly, but more extreme, the villain in Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill is the entire goddamn system. Everything is hopeless for frieda and isabel because all the odds have been stacked against them. And that's the most frightening thing of all.

Let me know in the comments if any of your favourite villains are on my list, and if you've participated in this week's Top Ten Tuesday.

Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Five More Contemporary YA Books to Read Before YALC

YALC is in ELEVEN DAYS TIME! But don't worry, there's still time to get some reading done...maybe just a little if you've got to work! If you want some moral support, the YALC Readathon Challenge is still open, and if my first recommendations post wasn't enough, I am here for you:

1. Counting Stars, by Keris Stainton

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Counting Stars is at the older end of YA, it could be called NA (New Adult), and it is my favourite of Keris' books that I've read so far. It follows Anna who moves to Liverpool after she finishes school to move into a shared house and work at a theatre, keeping her YouTube channel going all the while. Anna and her housemates deal with adulthood in very different ways, and it was really interesting and entertaining to see them work their way through grown-up problems for the first time. I wrote a draft of a NA novel last year and Counting Stars, although quite different from what I'm working on, confirmed my belief that it's important that we have more books featuring characters of this age. Keris will be leading a workshop on Writing YA on the Saturday at YALC.

2. Hacker, by Malorie Blackman


This is a really quick read so ideal if you haven't got much reading time in the next couple of weeks! Vicky's father, a programmer at a bank, is wrongfully accused of stealing a million pounds. To clear his name, she logs into the bank's system and tries to work out what has been going on. It was first published in 1992, so it is a bit dated - for a more detailed explanation, watch the video above - but it's still a quick read, ideal for younger teens.

3. Remix, by Non Pratt

Non will be joining Sophia Bennett on the 'Teenage Soundtrack: Music in YA' panel, and rightly so, as Remix is all about the power of music to bring friends together. I made it sound totally cheesy then, didn't I? It's not, I promise! Remix is about best friends, Kaz and Ruby, who are going to a music festival together. Their favourite band in the world is playing, and a bunch of their friends are going. In theory, this should be the perfect break from normality, but both of them have secrets they're trying not to let slip out... I did a full review of Remix here.

4. Lobsters, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Another book featuring a music festival is Lobsters, but it's quite different in tone - Remix is more serious, full of friendship and romantic dramas, whereas Lobsters is very much a heartwarming romantic comedy. The tag line is 'A socially awkward love story' and that is exactly what you get, as Sam and Hannah try and fail and try again to get together. It's very funny. In fact, I don't think I've stopped laughing at it and I read it months ago - lines from the book pop into my head sometimes and I start cracking up all over again. I would share my favourite line, the one I laugh at the most, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Just read it for yourself! The authors are leading a workshop on co-writing.

5. Nobody's Girl, by Sarra Manning

If festivals aren't your thing, why not take a trip to Paris with Bea, who has been obsessed with France ever since her mum first told her that her absent father was a Parisien. When she gets the chance to explore Paris for real, she can't resist - even though she was meant to be in Spain with her school's Mean Girl clique. She finds romance and adventure and gets into a lot of trouble with her mum. My full review is here.

Have you read any of these? If you haven't, get on it! While we're having this heatwave, why not roll with it and take copies of Remix and or Lobsters to the park? Go on! Join the Readathon!

Many thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me a copy of Counting Stars and to Walker Books for sending me Remix.

Five Contemporary YA Books to Read before YALC

As host of the 2016 YALC Readathon Challenge I've been thinking a lot about what books I would recommend by authors attending YALC. Hopefully I'll do several posts in this series, but I thought I'd start with five contemporary YA books, as that is my favourite genre!

1. Girl Out of Water, by Nat Luurtsema

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This is the first book I read for the YALC Readathon Challenge (go on, join me!) and it was a great way to *PUN ALERT* dive in - Girl Out of Water follows Lou Brown's attempts to find new friends and a new place in the world following her failure to get into Olympic swimming school.
It's funny (Nat is on the Funny YA panel), heartwarming, and deals with an issue I think is underexplored in fiction - coping with failure. Not everyone is going to succeed against all the odds. Sometimes the odds are never in your favour - and you keep going, like Lou learns to do.

2. Love Song, by Sophia Bennett

I have read some amazing books so far this year and plan to read many more - but I'm sure whatever happens this will be in my top five. I was not expecting to fall in love with a story about a girl who goes on tour with a boyband, but reader, I fell HARD.

I am finding @sophiabennett's Love Song so unputdownable I am literally reading it while I #ukyachat. Not even kidding I'm on page 156

— Julianne Benford (@ladyjulianne) April 8, 2016

@SnugglingonSofa @sophiabennett I basically had to abandon my own writing to finish it because it was so addictive! I even ignored Two Dots!

— Julianne Benford (@ladyjulianne) April 11, 2016

I am really looking forward to the Music in YA panel!

3. London Belongs to Us, by Sarra Manning

Both Sarra Manning's 2016 releases. View on Instagram

If you've never read any books by Sarra before this is a great place to start - though if you're spoiler-averse you may want to read Guitar Girl and Adorkable first. An enormously entertaining love letter to London filled with snappy one-liners, it follows Sunny's pursuit of her wayward boyfriend (or is he ex-boyfriend?) over one night and features pastries, parties, perilous road journeys, dramatic confrontations and hairspray. There are also several girls you'll wish you could be friends with - highly appropriate as Sarra is on the #SquadGoals panel.

4. Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan
Look at my beautiful hardback. Just look at it.

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If just gazing at the cover isn't enough to make you pick it up, this is an LGBT classic. It's a pretty straightfoward romance story with the usual tropes but it's set at a school where there isn't really any homophobia - it's a utopian vision of what school should be like, and although it's not realistic, it's lovely to disappear into a world where things are a little more as they should be.

5. My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend, by Eleanor Wood

From my 'Music March'. View on Instagram

This is a funny and surprisingly realistic story about Tuesday Cooper, a music blogger who starts getting comments from her favourite rockstar. One thing leads to another and he becomes the secret boyfriend of the title, getting her into trouble with friends and family alike. It's really interesting seeing how she deals with the mess she's in and moves towards adulthood.
What books by YALC authors do you recommend? Would you choose different books by these authors? Let me know! And don't forget to vote for your favourites!

Limerbooks #1

I have written some limerickesque lines of dubious quality about books I have enjoyed. Can you guess which books they are about?

Don't go trawling through my Goodreads, that's cheating!

Also, I know some of these lines don't exactly scan, you don't have to tell me...

1.

There once was a woman called Linda
Who lived in a time before Tinder
She married and divorced
A small scandal it caused
Then with a French duke she did linger

2.

There once was a girl called Cia
Who studied hard without fear
But her father's bad dreams
Tore life apart at the seams
And death became suddenly nearer

3.

There was a brave orphan named Laura
Her long-lost uncle adored her
He lied about his job
But let her get a dog
Things were never the same as before

4.

There once was a girl who couldn't stop eating
Her sister accused her of lying and cheating
She found out one day
That she wasn't meant to stay
But she refused to let her strange life be fleeting

5.

There once was a princess who didn't know
That into a monarch she would one day grow
She just wanted to be cool
And do okay at school
And for the popular boy to be her beau

Let me know your answers in the comments or tweet me!

Local Library Love: Beckenham Library

Today is National Libraries Day and in celebration I am beginning a new occasional feature:

This feature will celebrate my favourite local libraries, and if there is a library close to your heart that you'd like to write about, let me know - I'd love to have some guest blogs on this topic.

Today I am going to be sharing my favourite library of all with you, the very first library I ever visited, Beckenham Library.

That's how the entrance looks now that they have self-issue/return machines, but when I was a kid there used to be two desks behind that wooden window-frame, one for returns, and one for taking out books. I didn't mind queuing up to take out books - after all, I had plenty to read while I was waiting! I also remember that time there was a Hot Guy working at the library, and I stood in the queue anxiously wondering if he'd judge me on my book choices...

The first space you enter is the generously-sized children's section. I loved rummaging through the boxes of picture books, finding books for my homework (and for fun) on the non-fiction shelves, and, later, picking up Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wilson novels I didn't have at home. If it wasn't for this library, I would not have been able to read every single Goosebumps book! I was also obsessed with one particular book about jewellery from all around the world - I was always really interested in different cultures. I got it out over and over again for what must have been at least three years. A few years ago I found it in the library sale and bought it for the sentimental value!

The children's section was full of kids, which is great for the library and for the children of Beckenham, but it meant I couldn't take any photos.

However, if you turn left as you go in, you'll find a corner that is my little slice of heaven, the teen section. I may be getting perilously close to 30 but this is still, in my opinion, the best part of the library. Nobody was browsing here so I took plenty of photos.

Here is a photo which shows off the wall displays:

I discovered so many of my favourite YA books here. When I was doing my MA and trying to read as much teen fiction as humanly possible, I came in one day and found Simmone Howell's Notes from the Teenage Underground by chance. I'd never heard of it before. I was able to read and fall in love with her second novel, Everything Beautiful, as well, thanks to the library. I also found Notes from the Teenage Underground in the library sale, a few years later, and bought it, though I was so disappointed it would no longer be on the library shelves!

I've also borrowed books by Malorie Blackman, Sarra Manning, Robin McKinley, Kate Cann, Gabrielle Zevin, Cecil Castellucci, Carolyn Mackler, Julia Bell, Susie Day, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Sophie McKenzie, Mitali Perkins, E. Lockhart, Kirsten Miller, T. S. Easton, and Marcus Sedgwick, as well as quite a few Buffy tie-in novels.

I remember how excited I was when I got a teenage library card and my borrowing limit went from six to eight. I used to go to the library on a Saturday morning, and borrow eight books. As teen books back then were often really short, I'd have read six of them by Sunday evening, and would then have to make the other two books last for the rest of the three weeks before I'd go back to the library! I used to reread the best bits over and over.

Graphic novels and revision guides! I wasn't a big graphic novel reader when I was a teenager - I was averse to illustrations in books, preferring to imagine everything in my own head - but there was usually another person going through this box on a Saturday morning!

That chair used to be where the graphic novels and revision guides are and they used to be on the end of where the quick reads are now. I didn't spend much time sitting in it though - the seats in the adult section are more comfortable...

though not much better, at least there's some padding! There are proper tables and chairs in the centre of the main library and also some desks in the reference section, but obviously they were being used, so I couldn't take any photos.

Thanks to the general fiction section I got to read books by Angela Carter, Ali Smith, Stella Gibbons, and many more whose names don't spring to mind right now. I used to be able to see a list of every book I'd ever borrowed by logging into the library catalogue but they changed the software and the history has gone, and I've misplaced the handwritten lists I kept before joining Goodreads.

Another section I love - the craft books! I am guilty of renewing some of these books for years!

I always like to check out the displays in the library. Bromley Libraries have their own list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, a selection from this list can be seen above. I also find it nearly impossible to resist checking out the new books displays! I have given into temptation looking at these shelves so many times - and so has someone else, recently, judging from the gap on the bottom row below!

There are so many other parts of the library that I love - the sci-fi and fantasy section, which helped me, as a teenager, work my way through most of Anne McCaffrey's back catalogue, the horror section, where I tried various different vampire series, the music section, where I found sheet music to borrow, and most recently, the cookbooks.

By the reference section is Literature, where I found writing how-to books aged 14 and realised that writing could be an actual career. Until then, I just kind of assumed I'd write a book someday as a matter of course but would have to do something else as my real job. I haven't published any novels yet and I do have a day job, but I still have that aspiration I first discovered at Beckenham Library, and two first drafts!

I can't overstate how much this library means to me. I would never have read as widely as I have if it wasn't for this place and its wooden shelves filled with worlds and possibilities. My mum signed me up for a library card when I was two, and I had taught myself to read by the time I was four. I don't come from a wealthy background and could never have bought all the books I wanted to read, so the library was an essential part of my life. It makes me really sad to think that communities across the country are losing their libraries.

Is there a library with a special place in your heart? Let me know in the comments.

Many thanks to the London Borough of Bromley for granting me permission to take these photographs, and to the lovely library staff that have helped me over the years.

Reading Challenges 2015 Wrap Up

I decided not to do any reading challenges in 2014. For the full story, see this post.

However, in 2014, a lot changed in my life and I started reading more frequently, so I decided to sign up for some reading challenges yet again! I decided to stick to more relaxed challenges only. I went through the Novel Challenges list and discounted any challenges with rules that were too strict. I skipped challenges that required me to stick to one goal as I wanted to be able to challenge myself more if I was doing well.

I hoped to stick to the spirit of 2014 - reading for fun - and to try to resist the temptation to create a spreadsheet! "Let's see how long THAT lasts..." I said, and I did resist for the entire year! It's okay, I made a lot of spreadsheets for work. I still love spreadsheets.

So, how did I do?

British Books Challenge

DONE - I beat the goal of reading 12 books by British authors in 2015!

I last attempted the British Books Challenge in 2011 and I managed 7 books out of the 12 I originally planned to read. As I found it so hard I avoided it in subsequent years, but for 2015 it was being run by the wonderful Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies who is a) lovely and b) persistent, so I found it impossible to resist!

I also vlogged the British Books Challenge, which I think helped a lot as it encouraged me to read enough books to talk about in each vlog!


British Books I Read In 2015:

1. Five Children and It, by E. Nesbit
2. Trouble, by Non Pratt
3. The Bookshop Book, by Jen Campbell
4. Beware The Dwarfs, by Terri Paddock
5. Gypsy Girl, by Kathryn James
6. Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey
7. Remix, by Non Pratt
8. The Sin Eater's Daughter, by Melinda Salisbury
9. Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett
10. The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins
11. The Lost and the Found, by Cat Clarke
12. The Year of the Rat, by Clare Furniss
13. Crow Mountain, by Lucy Inglis
14. Have a Little Faith, by Candy Harper
15. Keep the Faith, by Candy Harper
16. Lorali, by Laura Dockrill
17. Counting Stars, by Keris Stainton
18. Killing the Dead, by Marcus Sedgwick
19. Return to the Secret Garden, by Holly Webb
20. The Wolf Wilder, by Katherine Rundell
21. Witch Wars, by Sibéal Pounder, illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson
22. Cuckoo Song, by Frances Hardinge
23. The End of Mr Y, by Scarlett Thomas
24. Lobsters, by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Dive into Diversity Reading Challenge

As this has no specific goal I'm not sure how I did..! However, although I read a few novels with LGBT themes, I didn't read many by non-white authors. I think I need to make a serious effort with this next year.

Fairytale Retelling Reading Challenge

I don't think I managed to read a single Fairytale Retelling. Eep.

2015 Classics Challenge

I got talked into this one on Twitter, and I'd already read one book that qualified at the time and had another lined up! But then I kind of stopped...

1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank L. Baum
2. Five Children and It, by E Nesbit
3. Forever, by Judy Blume

#FinishItFeb

DONE - though I only read two of the previously-unread Artemis Fowl books in February, it took me until July to finish the series!

The TBR Double Dog Dare

DONE - I  only read books I already owned until April 1st with the following exceptions:

• books for my book club
• books I get sent for review that I REALLY want
• books for #FinishItFeb

How did you do with your reading challenges last year?

Top Ten Books Read in 2015

What a year! I read 61 books this year, which is the most I've read in one year since 2009. I can hardly believe I managed to read so many books, what with taking on extra work and moving into my flat, but somehow I did and I am really pleased with myself.

I didn't do terribly well with most of my reading challenges but I finally, after years of trying, completed the British Books Challenge! I'll be posting again in the next few days about all the challenges I want to have a go at in 2016.

In the list below, books marked with an * were sent by the publisher for my consideration, this did not alter my opinion of any of these books.

Now, without any further ado...

My Top Ten Books Read in 2015 (in the order I read them)

1. Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception, by Eoin Colfer


This year I finally finished the Artemis Fowl series and, first book aside (and not qualifying, as it was a reread), this one is my favourite. Opal Koboi is a wonderful villain and this book is a rollercoaster of magical and technological delight. You can see me talk about all the Artemis Fowl books in the video above.

2. Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey

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I'm going to describe how good this book is via a quote from my sister, who almost never reads novels: "I think it's one of the best fictional books I've read. Made me teary at the end".

3. Remix, by Non Pratt*

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Friendship ups and downs at a music festival. I'm really pleased with how my review of this one came out, so rather than repeat myself, I'll tell you to go read it here.

4. I'll Give You The Sun, by Jandy Nelson*

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I also read (and loved) The Sky is Everywhere this year but I think I'll Give You The Sun had more impact on me - I keep mulling over parts of it in my head. It's about twins who were once very close and how devastating events changed their relationship and the way they see the world.

5. Have a Little Faith, by Candy Harper (and the sequel, Keep the Faith)

This is so good! Funny, easy to read, addictive - as soon as I'd finished the first I had to grab the second, and I can't wait to read the third book, Leap of Faith, which actually comes out today! You can watch me talk about why I think Faith is the perfect comedy heroine in the video above.

6. Wolf by Wolf, by Ryan Graudin


I read this book for my book club and also received a copy in my first Illumicrate box (watch the unboxing video above). It's a gripping blend of alternate history, fantasy and sci-fi, featuring a shapeshifting girl on a mission to kill Hitler.

7. Lair of Dreams, by Libba Bray*

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This is the sequel to The Diviners, which featured on last year's list. I loved returning to the glittering yet horrific world of this series, and the focus on different characters in this book - it made it more interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing what other intriguing - and gifted - individuals we get to meet in the next book.

8. Counting Stars, by Keris Stainton*


This is what I would categorise as New Adult - a story about a group of young people living in their first houseshare - and it's fabulous. Definitely my favourite of Keris' books. I spoke about Counting Stars and Lair of Dreams in my September Wrap-Up/British Books Challenge Vlog, above. Also, it's got most of my name in it.

9. Cookoo Song, by Frances Hardinge*

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This was just gorgeous. It's a beautifully-written, emotionally-involving, glorious, frightening, and marvellous adventure. I am definitely in love with changeling stories now and must find more. When I'm not devouring Frances Hardinge's other books, that is. Seriously, believe the hype, Frances Hardinge is as good as everyone says she is.

10. Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson

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I have a full-length review coming (I've written most of it), but to summarise, Suite Scarlett was a delight. Funny and charming, it follows the trouble Scarlett gets into when the newest guest in her parents' struggling hotel takes it upon herself to meddle in her life. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel!

That was HARD to write! I'm not sure it really is my definitive top ten - but it's as close as I can manage, having read so many great books this year. I hope you enjoyed reading it! Are any of these books on your list? Let me know!

Top Ten Tuesday: Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

Top Ten Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

Presumably I'd summon him via a spell in an old book...

1. Firstly I'd wish for a signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Obviously because I love Harry Potter and not because I could sell it at auction for tens of thousands of pounds...*innocent face*

2. Next I would wish for Libba Bray to be given the ability to write her brilliant books really quickly so that I don't have to wait long for the next two sequels to The Diviners.

3. See also Candy Harper so that I can have the third Faith book now!

Play this video to hear me talk about how amazing the Faith books are.

4. I would also wish for Robin McKinley to be given the overwhelming desire and inspiration to write a direct sequel to Sunshine in which EVERYTHING IS EXPLAINED.

5. I would wish to meet Angela Carter.

6. And Virginia Woolf.

7. And Shakespeare.

8. Actually I'd also like the Book Genie to transport me back in time so I could see one of Shakespeare's plays being performed for the very first time.

9. And tangentially, I'd like a TARDIS in my flat to serve as my library.

10. I'd also like the ability to finish writing my own books really quickly, and for me to get an agent, and a publisher, and for my books to be wonderful and successful, and the same for my boyfriend...

...oh wait, I'm out of wishes, and this isn't real, it's just a Top Ten Tuesday? 

Damn.

Thanks to The Broke and the Bookish, as always. Let me know in the comments if you did this week's Top Ten, and if we have any of the same wishes! That way, if we are visited by the Book Genie, we can save wishes by wishing that both of us get to do x...

Bookish Brits Vlog 28: A Guide to Book Swapping

I love this hat. I have never worn it outside. I have worn all my other hats out, but this one is blue and it doesn't go with much of my clothing.

Anyway, book swapping!

In this video I recommend Bookmooch (worldwide) and ReadItSwapIt (UK only). If you're in the US you can also try PaperBack Swap.

If you don't want to post books, look into BookCrossing. You may also want to see if there are any Little Free Libraries near you.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens (or any other natural disaster)

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is actually a freebie, which means that you get to make up your own topic or choose one of the past topics that you missed or want to redo.

When I scrolled through the list of past topics my eyes quickly lighted upon this one, which I felt I had to do for the title alone. I mean, abduction by aliens? I'm pretty sure that's an unnatural disaster if ever there was one...

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Top Ten Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens

(or any other unnatural disaster)

1. My signed hardback copy of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart. Because getting to meet E Lockhart after having loved her books for years, in a room full of people who also loved her books (and this after years of feeling like one of about three people in the UK who'd even read her books) was so cool and I'd want to have this book to remember it by.

2. My signed copy of Kiss and Make-Up, by Sarra Manning, which contains my favourite bits of the Diary of a Crush trilogy. I met Sarra and had it signed back in 2010, at a Chicklish event at Dulwich Library. I was unbelievably excited because a) it was the first YA book event I'd been to b) I got to meet some bloggers for the first time c) as well as Sarra Manning, who had been my hero when I was 14, I got to meet Keris Stainton, Luisa Plaja, and Simmone Howell. It still remains the only multi-author event I've ever been to where I'd read at least one book by every author!

3. My copy of Burning Your Boats, by Angela Carter
4. My copy of The Curious Room, by Angela Carter
5. My copy of The Magic Toyshop, by Angela Carter
6. My copy of Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales...because they're all fancy hardbacks and the first two are definitely out of print and the bottom two might be.

7. My hardback copy of The Diviners, by Libba Bray, because it's a way nicer cover than on the paperbacks and I want to get it signed one day.

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8. My childhood copy of The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, because I read it so many times it's all battered and worn-in and a new copy would never be the same.

9. My childhood copy of Matilda, by Roald Dahl, for the same reason.

10. My first edition, second printing, of The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, by Emilie Autumn, because even if I don't decide to keep it I could sell it on eBay for monies. Ditto for all of my digipak CDs.

What books would you save? Have you met any authors and had any books signed? If you did Top Ten Tuesday this week, which topic did you choose?

Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.