We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

3 stars

“There is not even a Scrabble word for how bad I feel.”

The first time I read this, I'd just turned 14 and I'd gotten this book for Christmas from my Nan and Pop. I fell in love with it and I guess, I kind of am still in love with it but I am willing to see the flaws in it now. I think that's a sign of growing as both a reader and reviewer. I used to find myself very blind sighted by my love of a book but now while generally I can still manage to keep my reviews positive for the most part, I can acknowledge the flaws as well.

I gave it the tiniest book review ever. This was stunning, I'm not going to tell you what happened because you don't want to know but it was just stunning. It definitely is stunning, I can't possibly deny that and I think it's the best word to use for it. It is such an interesting book and it just isn't what you think .

I am in love with the concept of the plot. I've never read anything like it, so I tend to think it is ridiculously interesting. I have about a million and one questions for E. Lockhart about this book and I feel like each answer would just give me a thousand more. I am immensely curious about We Were Liars. It is just beyond me how someone could weave ab plot as complex as that. 

I'm not a huge fan of the Sinclairs, they are entitled and bratty. Especially the aunts. Although, I don't think that's a problem with the writing but more of an intentional thing. I did genuinely like Mirren, I wish we got to see more of her but I guess that would defeat the book. Cadence sort of annoyed me, especially in summer fifteen. I thought she was a bit thoughtless, although that could be intentional too. 

For me, this was one of those books I thought about for days after I first read it. My mind was just completely boggled and I just wanted to know more about it. Although, now I find myself a bit more at peace with the book. I feel less inclined to discover more about the book since I feel half the mystery of it would be lost. I'm happy not knowing what E. Lockhart's intenions were and what she was thinking. I think We Were Liars is kind of subjective, it really depends on the reader. Also, I did notice while rereading that E. Lochart has a very distinct writing style. I always think it's interesting when I can begin to see distinctness in authors writing. 

Anyway, to finish it off. I do honestly love it. I'm only giving it three stars because I think it's subjective and the reason I love lies behind the whole concept and maybe not with a lot of other things. It's a dark read and I tend to enjoy dark reads.                

My Favourite Reads of 2016

I read a lot of reading in 2016 (and still more to go) and I discovered so many amazing books, if I could I'd include all of them but I had to be rather exclusive with this list. The making of the list involved a lot of pointed staring at my bookshelf and sighing as I remember how many great books I read this year. Anyway, here is my list of favourite 2016 reads that I spent a painstakingly long time trying to compile. In no particular order.

1. When We Collided by Emery Lord
I really adored this. It was like the All The Bright Places of 2016, at least that's what it reminded me of. All The Bright Places was one of my favourite reads of 2015 and they follow similar issues so of course, I compare them. I loved Vivi and I loved Jonah and the ending made me really sad but it felt right. I really want Jonah and Vivi to have the best. You can read my full review here.

2. Carol by Patricia Highsmith
I remember this was the first time I'd ever read anything like this. I was amazed for days after reading this. I just couldn't get over it. It was filled with tension and the feel of the times. It was such a renewing reading experience. I felt more aware almost after reading it and it still sticks with me after all this months. I loved it.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This was like nothing, nothing I've ever experienced. This was the first time I've ever loved a book so much I wanted to flip it over and start all over again the minute I finished. It took me immense self control not to do that because I had a huge stack of books waiting to be read. For weeks, I just wanted to read it again. It was beautiful and put me into a mini slump because I only wanted to read this book. I will never get over this and it's probably just behind Harry Potter on my favourite reads ever list. That's a hard task. You can read my full review here.

4. The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub
Ugh, even thinking about it gets to me. It was so good. When I saw it in Target and realised it was Australian, I knew I had to buy it. I've got to support my aussie authors right? But I didn't think much of it at the time. By the time I put this down, I was just sat there gaping. It was fantastic, like Looking For Alibrandi level fantastic. Better. I was not expecting it, I thought it would be a light fluffy book but it was absolutely not. You need to read it.

5. Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
This was just the cutest. This is on my list because it was one of the cutest books I've read this year. And, you all know I love fluff. I would read pages and pages of pure Simon and Blue fluff (please make that a thing). It was cute but it also revolved a lot around coming out which as a straight, cis person, is a process I'm not entirely familiar with and Simon had a lot of thoughts on it. Which I thought were all really thought provoking, like when he said things about how you're constantly coming out when you do things out of the ordinary. Which is something I think we can all understand, it took something that not everyone experiences and related it to something everyone experiences and can relate to and I think that was a good tool in bringing together an understanding. It was a great book, love, love, love.

6. Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
This was my all time favourite fantasy/scifi/whatever you want to call it read of the year. So good! I was really worried about it because it was so hyped but it was so great and I'd recommend it to anyone. It completely changed my opinion on the scifi genre. It was so unique all the way down to the formatting.

7. To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Another one that was just so cute and pure. I can't believe I missed this somewhere along the line, where has this been the past 16 years of my life?? I needed it. I can't imagine going back to a life pre-To All The Boys. So sweet. Such swoon. Much fluff. It is honestly my dream book. My favourite trope paired with the cutest narrator of all time. Too much good.

8. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
This gave me a huge book hangover. I put it down and my head was just spinning. That plot twist was amazing. It's not often that you get plot twists like that in contemporary so I was actually really shocked. I was so nervous through the end of the book about what was going to happen. I'm still not over it. I immediately walked my parents through the whole book when I finished sobbing over it. I did not expect something so big and beautiful to come out of a small, compact little book like that. You can read my top quotes here.

2016 End Of Year Survey

Alright, I've seen this on so many blogs this last week and I thought it was totally awesome. I decided I needed to do it. I love the idea of being able to reflect on the reading year with something like this. Of course, all credit goes to The Perpetual Page-Turner. With no further ado, let's dive right in.

2016 Reading Stats
Number Of Books You Read: 86
Number of Re-Reads: 20
Genre You Read The Most From: I'd have to say fantasy.

Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2016? The Book Thief
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Six Of Crows. Please don't hate me, I was in a bit of a slump when I read it and had other things on my mind. I plan on giving it another go asap.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  Shatter Me. I wasn't a fan and I was expecting to love it. I was a bit disappointed by it, it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? I actually can't really think of one. Although, I've been petitioning for my mum to read You by Caroline Kepnes ever since I read it and she said she'll try it when she finishes her other book.

 5. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016? I haven't read many sequels or enders this year. This year was the year of beginning new series, next year will be the year of finishing said series. I know almost everyone has said A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas but I really haven't read that many. And, I've got to admit. It was pretty fantastic. As for ender, I'd have to say Champion by Marie Lu. I've actually only finished off three series this year.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016? I'm really loving Nicola Yoon. I adored Everything, Everything and I just ordered The Sun is Also a Star. I think she's really great.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? You by Caroline Kepnes. I never read thrillers because they just aren't my kind of thing but I'd seen so many people rave about You that I had to read it and it was really good.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? I'd have to say Illuminae. I'd like to say I read it all in one sitting but I actually had to read it in two. I didn't think I'd be able to fly through it like I did since it's quite and intimidating size but it really was unputdownable.

 9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? So many. You might know, I love rereading. I definitely know I want to reread Six Of Crows and All The Light We Cannot See because I don't think I was in the right headspace to really enjoy either of them.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016? There were so many beautiful covers. I think I'm going to go with This Savage Song. It was just so pleasing to look at.

11. Most memorable character of 2016? Joe Goldberg from You. I don't think I could forget him, he was so creepy and really opened my eyes to how some people can be.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2016? I think I'd have to say All The Light We Cannot See, it was written like a poem. Absolutely gorgeous.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016? You was incredibly thought-provoking.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2016 to finally read? The Book Thief, definitely.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2016? “Just because you can’t experience everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience anything.” From Everything, Everything. That book had a lot of quotes about live that had me thinking.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2016? Shortest was Defective by B. Austin and longest was A Game of Thrones, of course.

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most: The Book Thief. I couldn't believe that ending.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!): Lara Jean and Peter K. Love them. I love them so much.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year: Noah and the rest of the raven boys. You can tell they all really cherished Noah. Also Blue and Noah.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2016 From An Author You’ve Read Previously: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven. So gorgeous. Made me love Jennifer Niven more than I already did.

21. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: A Court Of Thorns and Roses. There was so much pressure to read ACOTAR so I just caved in and read it.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2016? Ugh, but there's so many. I'm going to have to pick either Gansey from The Raven Boys or Noah Shaw from Mara Dyer.

23. Best 2016 debut you read? I can't think of any that I've read this year.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? I thought Cinder had a pretty good world building.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read? Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. Simon was so funny and the story just made me smile.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2016? It's embarrassingly easy for a book to make me cry. The biggest ones were The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub, The Book Thief and Me Before You.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? The Yearbook Committee, for sure.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? The Book Thief

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2016? Miss Peregrine for sure. Such unique story telling and I've never seen anyone incorporate photographs into a novel like that. It weaved a beautiful story.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? The Crown by Kiera Cass.

Your Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016? I've discovered a mass of new blogs this year. But, in terms of good content and being a lovely person. Emily @ Paperback Princess really stands out to me. I also love Ava @ Bookishness and Tea. She writes fantastic posts about diversity and all other things book related. And, obviously Cait @ Paper Fury has posts that always leave me with a smile on my face. I could go on to name various others but I'll leave it at three for the moment.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016? For some reason, I love my The Bane Chronicles review. I just think it reads very easily and I'm quite happy with it. It's also quite straight to the point which I really like since I have a habit of rambling in reviews.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? I love my bullet journal post. Mostly because I used a lot of pictures and I'm horrifically lazy and hardly use pictures on my blog.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)? I haven't actually participated in any events this year. I've only been blogging for about six months so I'm still learning about all those things.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016? Best moment was probably just when I started my blog. I was really happy and excited and I'm thrilled that I decided to start blogging.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year? Probably trying to find a ratio of exam study and reading/blogging.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? For some reason, people loved my September wrap up.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? There isn't really a post that comes to mind.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Probably the whole bookish community. I hadn't known they'd all existed. It's great, I get recommendations and I get to chat to people about books. 10/10

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? I don't like reading challenges so I don't typically do them. I had a goodreads goal set last year and I got stressed out about meeting it. My only goal was to read more books than I did last year which was only 67 so I've topped it by about 19, if my counting is right.

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017? Salt To The Sea. I will make sure I get to it next year. I've already got it waiting in a cart so I can get it as soon as possible.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2017 (non-debut)? Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab.

3. 2017 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2017? Our Dark Duet

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017? I have a lot of goals but I'm really just hoping to make it to 1 year of blogging, to be completely honest. I won't have a huge amount of time on my hand so here's to hoping it's enough.

6. A 2017 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: None.

My Best Friend Is A Goddes by Tara Eglington

5 Stars

"But just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean you should throw it away."

I flat out love this book. I can relate so strongly and I love it. It is intense and angst filled and everything friendship is like as a teen. This is going to be a long review because I have a lot of my own personal stories to add. This is what I love about Australian YA, it is so relatable.

Emily and Adriana are in year 10, which I just finished so trust me, I have a lot of anecdotes. Honestly, sometimes during this book I was Adriana and sometimes I was Emily. I was Adriana in the way that I am awkward and introverted and have a best friend who can talk to anyone. I'm Emily in that I struggled with my best friend finding new people to talk to who didn't particularly like me. Relatability adds so much to a story.

Also, it gave me so much nostalgia as it had so much formal talk. Mine was only 15 days ago exactly. Not that I'm counting. And it was the best night of my life. For those of you who don't know, it's a formal you do in year ten. You dress up and get driven in a nice car and you go with a date if you're lucky enough to secure one. It's super exciting and it is the night you're looking forward to since year seven. Adriana and Emily were so sweet with the promise to go with each other, I love it. See, at my school it wasn't that uncommon to go without at date but I had this image in my mind that I would have a hot date. Before year ten even began all the hot dates had been scooped up. So, I went with a couple of girl friends and a guy friend. Super nostalgic for any Aussie girl.

This book perfectly captured the intensity of year ten. Every tiny thing felt like the world was ending and it was honestly insane. But, that was what year ten was like. Or at least, my experience of it. It was like if you bottled year ten and made it into a book. This book was the essence of year ten. I think this book is something all girls around my age should read.

It put things into a perspective the way it went into the years after as well. It showed how things are so big but then are few years on it's just not. Which is why I think it's an excellent book for teens. Another reason it's a great book for teens is it talks about ugly and pretty and how these things can define you but also don't define you at all. I think it juggles a lot of good topics.

Also, on the boy situation. Holy moly, I could sympathise. It really put into perspective the kind of sacrifices you should make when it comes to boys and friendship. Honestly, if I were Emily, I would've come clean about it from the beginning but I can understand where she was coming from. Emily was doing things to protect her friendship but she was also hurting herself and I think that was a really difficult situation to be put in.

I could feel this book pulling at my heart constantly. I tended to lean more towards Emily's side but gosh, towards the end my heart was breaking for both of them. I was kind of proud of Adriana for doing what she did, though. This book really got to me and I think it was because of how close it hits.

It was such an addictive read and it definitely made me think about a few thinks from a moral outsider's standpoint. It had a huge relatability factor. I think it was fantastic and I think you should definitely read it.

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

3.5 Stars

“It’s interesting how fuming, or anger in general, is such a physical process, like a wave washing up on a beach and then receding.”

I love this book, I do, it holds a lot for me. First, it's Australian which gives it many relatable points and the main character, Amelia is 15 turning 16 which gives another small handful of relatable points. Amelia's first job is at Woolworths which is honestly, my dream first job (I actually heavily looked into applying earlier in the year) which gives another lot of relatable points. So, what can I say? I heavily relate to this book. Which is why I picked it as a reread.

Aside from being relatable I like that the topic is something untouched almost. Especially the way it ends which not to spoil it, I like because never will a 15 year old and a 22 year old work together. No way. So, I like that the book tells it how it is. Crushes are hard and they won't always work, it's the worst thing about them. And, Amelia is only 15, she'll have plenty more to come. I like that this book knows that Amelia isn't going to go off and marry Chris and have six babies and live on a farm.

I like the dual perspective, I think it's important because it put's so much emphasis on the differences in lifestyle and why there is no way in hell that they'd work. Chris has sex and drinks a lot while Amelia goes to school and tells her best friend Penny all the tiny details. It definitely proves to the reader that they aren't suitable. I know when I first read Love and Other Perishable Items, I was totally rooting for them to end up together until I read Chris's diary entries which totally made me see how much six years actually is. Still, I felt so sad for Amelia because I can almost feel the pain first hand.

Amelia totally reminds my of myself, annoying as she can be but I guess that's how the world sees us 15 year olds. Whingey and annoying which honestly, I won't deny. But, she is so real. Such a real character, and I like that a lot. Having real characters that you can see yourself in really helps you get into the story.

I would absolutely read this again. Love it, a fine piece of Australian writing right here. You may not hold as much affection if your from somewhere that is not Australia because then it may lose a good few relatability points but I still think even without I'd love it. Definitely not a point well discussed in contemporary (although, when I was younger I did read this great Jaqueline Wilson book similar). I think you'll like it if you like contemporary but if you only dabble in contemporary, you might find it a wee bit more difficult to like.

What I Got For Christmas 2016

A small disclaimer to begin with, I'm in no way trying to brag or show off. I'm just very genuinely excited about what I got for Christmas this year. I love to read these kinds of posts and I love to write the things that I love to read. We'll obviously start with the books I got this year. So please get cosy and I am super cosy with worlds fattest cat in my lap.

From my parents, I got the whole Throne of Glass series in hardcover excluding Throne of Glass because I already had that. My Mum thought it would be nice because she knew how long it would take me to accumulate the whole series on my own and the more I think about it, the smarter I think it was. It would have taken me forever. I'm already half way through Crown of Midnight and loving it. Also from my parents, a small collection of Beatle related books. I got The Beatles Book which I'm loving so far. I got Shout! and John by Cynthia Lennon which I'm extremely intrigued about. Plus a couple of Harry Potter related books. It was great and I can't wait to read all of them.

From my extended family, I got quite the collection. If my list is correct, I got:

• The Young Elites by Marie Lu
• My Best Friend is a Goddess
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyers
• Heartless by Marissa Meyers
• Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
• Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy
• Three Dark Crowns by Kendra Blake (THE HARDCOVER WITH THE GORGEOUS DECKLED PAGES OMG)
• The Night Circus
• The Memory Book

I'm really excited about these. I know Scarlet and Heartless will be good and lord knows I'm a sucker for a shadowhunter book. My Best Friend is a Goddess looks like a really fun book too, and I think it's an Australian author but do not quote me on that. I've obviously really done my research for this post. Anyway, super excited to read the lot of them. You'll have to watch out for reviews.

I also got a bit of cash so I did order just a few new books for myself. If I remember correctly I ordered, If I Was Your Girl, A Torch Against The Night, Library Of Souls, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and The Sun Is Also A Star. All of which I'm very excited to receive because I know I'll love them all.

Now, onto a few non book items. I got a few nice summer clothes with I absolutely love. In fact, I have a pair of really cute shorts on right now and I am in love with them. I usually hate shorts but these are so comfy and not too short and they actually look really nice too. I got some white sheets for my bed because they're always handy to have and now I can actually rotate between sheets which will be fantastic. I got a couple seasons of Friends on DVD plus the fourth Sharknado movie because I love Sharknado. I got a couple of bath things from Lush which is awesome because we only have one store in the state and I've never been there. I used the bath bomb yesterday and it was kind of fun although the glitter despite making me feel like a princess makes me worried. Glitter in a bath seems too much like I'm asking for an infection. I also got The Great Australian Bake Off cook book which has so many fun recipes that I can not wait to test out for myself. I love the Bake Off. Plus a few other small bits and bobs.

I had a fantastic Christmas day even if it was the hottest one we've had in a while. I'm in love with all of my lovely things and my friends and family are in love with the things I got them. I saw a lot of family members I haven't seen in a while which was lovely and of course, I ate a lot of yummy food. I hope you all had a great Christmas with your loved ones and got spoilt. I also hoped you enjoy my more chatty kind of haul.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

3 stars

“You can't go back to how things were. How you thought they were. All you really have is...now.”  

My fourth reread of September and it was 13 Reasons Why. I first read it when I had just turned 14, I got it for Christmas and spent all boxing day reading it. It was also my first review on goodreads (which I will add in for the sake of my updated review). I had a lot of feelings about it then and I have a lot of feelings about it now.

I loved the book but then I hated it also which makes the rating difficult but I did love it while hating it. I'm feeling very conflicted towards this book and I'll tell you why. This book was brilliantly written, it was suspenseful and I couldn't put it down. The thing that bothers me is those reasons while horrible and maybe more had happened before she moved that broke her down and made her incredibly vulnerable but I feel like some of that needs to be explained otherwise those are horrible ye I loved the book but then I hated it also which makes the rating difficult but I did love it while hating it. I'm feeling very conflicted towards this book and I'll tell you why. This book was brilliantly written, it was suspenseful and I couldn't put it down. The thing that bothers me is those reasons while horrible and maybe more had happened before she moved that broke her down and made her incredibly vulnerable but I feel like some of that needs to be explained otherwise those are horrible yet ridiculous reasons to commit suicide over. You should understand that I thought this book was fantastic and I like to not let the slightly ridiculous reasons ruin the engrossing and all round great writing so I do like to think that she was torn down before making her solution more understandable. There you go, my 14 year old self's review of 13 Reasons Why. Three paragraphs long and I can tell you, this review will be much longer. Also, I'm honestly surprised at the level of sophistication in my vocab there. I just desperately wanted to impress everyone. So, I still tend to agree with everything I said then even if a little bit of it wasn't as well said as I would have liked. I think I now have the ability to explain everything a bit more thoroughly with more reasoning. I've included my old review simply because it is a reread therefore I like to have my old thoughts neatly in with my new thoughts to see how I've grown as a reader and a person. I tend to think a lot of what you think of a book can be related to you as a person. Firstly, I really do agree with the love hate thing I talked about. I loved the book for it's writing and whatever else but I hated it for Hannah. I don't mind saying I hate what Hannah did, it was cruel, truly cruel. Sending around tapes blaming people who had the tiniest part in your own suicide in sincerely horrible. These characters will be ridden with guilt and anger for a very long time, some of them did, admittedly, not nice things but how were they to know what Hannah was going through. And to send the tapes the Clay is absolutely horrid. I don't really agree with it, yet I loved the suspense filled writing and the way I was determined to keep reading so I could discover who did what. I also think that the whole point may have been to be ridiculous, to be petty, to be whatever else. While reading it I kept thinking to myself, maybe Hannahs 13 reasons are supposed to be like this, maybe this is what Jay Asher is going for. Maybe he's making the suicide victim one of the villians of the story. I mean, I don't know but to me I kind of thought that it seemed like whatever he did was on purpose. I personally don't think it's right to blame all those people Hannah blamed. Sure, some did horrible, horrible things but also some did things that they couldn't have possibly known was going to result in Hannah's suicide. I'm a strong believer in you're the one who decides these things. No one forces you to commit suicide and even Hannah sort of said that which made me confused about why she was making the tapes. This book did enforce how quickly things can snowball out of control, though. Maybe that was the purpose of this book. To tell you how quickly things can get out of control even when you don't intend for them too. One things can quite quickly turn into the other and in the end the result can be pretty drastic and they can end in people feeling the way Hannah did. Sincerely hope no one else is experiencing this at the moment but I do think it had an important lesson of to be careful of what you say and do to others. Despite the negative things I feel about it, I still believe the writing was of good quality. It was engrossing and I think the general idea was awesome. In the end, I don't know what Jay Asher's intentions for this book were. Maybe they were like I suggested but maybe he genuinely wanted this to be what it is. Without really knowing much about intentions, I feel as though I can't judge it too harshly and in the end I did like it.

2017 Anticipated Read Pt. 2

I'm back for part two because there are so many amazing books I am so excited for next year. I can already tell next year is going to be such a good reading year, even if I'm still trying to catch up on 2013 releases.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Okay, I haven't exactly read P.S I Still Love You yet but To All The Boys is one of my favourite reads of the year and I need more. Lara Jean is absolutely gorgeous and I love Peter K (please let him be in the next book). I have so much love for All The Boys that I don't even need the second book to know this one will be fantastic. I can't contain my excitement about this one. Plus, the cover is beautiful.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

I only recently read Simon Vs as well and I loved it. So, of course, this has me excited. Confession time, I haven't actually read the synopsis or anything but purely the title itself has me anticipating the no doubt beautiful read this will be. I can simply feel it in my soul. I can't wait.

The Color Project by Sierra Abrams

I follow Sierra Abrams on twitter and she's lovely despite a couple problematic tweets that made me think twice. I'm giving her book the benefit of doubt because she truly seems lovely and her book sounds great. It looks like a perfectly sweet contemporary and if you've ever read at least one of my posts before, you'll know there is nothing I love more than a sweet little contemporary. I'm looking forward to it and I hope it lives up to standards.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

I am so thrilled about this. As soon as I read the synopsis I knew this was something I needed to read. Seriously, if this isn't on your list, you have to add it. I've never read anything like it so I'm really excited and I think it's going to be amazing. You'll never be able to shut me up about this once I've read it, I can feel it in my bones.

The Inexplicable Logic of Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Again, I haven't read Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe (please Santa) but I've heard so many amazing things about this author, I can't wait to read one of his books for myself. I can tell I'm going to love it, the synopsis seems right up my alley. And, of course, it's fairly diverse too. Which is another reason I've been dying to read something from this author.

I think 2017 is going to be a bit of a turning point for books. Such an emphasis has been put on diversity in books and I've seen quite a few awesome sounding diverse books to be released in the future. I can't wait for more and more of it to happen. I'm hoping 2017 will be a positive year for change in fiction. Look out for a third post coming at you in the near future. There's still yet more books I want to talk about.

My favourite bookish ships

Ronmione

Obviously they take number one spot. They'll always be my absolute fav. I think they're relationship was so well developed. It was so damn sweet and lovely. They're complete opposites which makes it even better, I've always been a sucker for that type of thing. I would absolutely read a whole book dedicated to Ronmione. I have my favourite Ronminone sections marked so I can easily go back to them when I want a little Ronmione action.

Wessa

Ever since Will was first introduced, I was rooting for him. I never once was rooting for Jem. Not that I didn't like Jem, I love Jem, he is such a gentle soul. I love Will, though, I love him so much and I think Will and Tessa worked together so well. They so much passionate together, I know Jem loves Tessa but in my opinion, they never shared as much passion. I think their relationship was much gentler and softer that her relationship with Will.

Feysand

When I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, I was a major Feylin shipper and I didn't understand all the Rhysand hype. It wasn't until A Court of Mist and Fury that I realised all of Rhysands charm and the easiness between Rhysand and Feyre. I thought their relationship was so much easier and well fitted than her relationship with Tamlin. I adore Rhysand and he brings out something more interesting in Feyre. I like it a lot. Sidenote, if you want to feel all the things you need to check out some of the fan art, it's really incredible.

Day/June

I love the Legend trilogy and I'm obsessed with Day and June. They're kind of problematic together but they just need to be together, like, right now. They have a very special place in my heart full of ships. They contrast each other yet they really fit and they love each other so much. I can hardly think about the way Champion ended.

Lets Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

4 stars

“Funny, how it took a little bit of pain to remember that certain parts of yourself were alive.”  

My third read of September was not a disappointment. I honestly can't confirm that I'm not rating these books so highly based on pure nostalgia alone but I do know that I genuinely love these books. I have a lot of love for Lets Get Lost, when I read it I was still discovering the sweet world of lesser known books (i.e books that hadn't been made into movies yet). I didn't realise how good a lesser known book could be but I simply loved this. Maybe it won't be every ones cup of tea but it certainly is mine.

I read this, when I was 14. I'm trying to read a lot from a couple of years ago (although I read this in February of last year, it's still basically eons ago in terms of books) rather than more recent reads. Treasures that I'd forgotten about and I really had forgotten about Lets Get Lost, doing this rereads month has made me realise how many books I've just forgotten I owned.

I love Leila and her compassion for people. It is absolutely beautiful and it's the kind of person I aspire to be although I'm not sure that I'd ever make it. I think hers in the type of compassion and spirit that everyone needs to encounter. I wish I had my own little Leila to keep in my pocket. I adore her and just meeting her you almost wouldn't suspect anything particularly abnormal about her.

There was a wee bit of insta love but I don't mind insta love in a book. Although, I'm down for anything romantic and beautiful. I do understand it is a pet peeve of many though but it isn't a huge thing throughout the book so you should be pretty right.

I love the concept of the whole thing, the characters are all people who need someone, in different ways. Some of them don't even realise they need someone when Leila comes along, I think it's awesome that these five people are all intertwined now. I really love that and to me it shows the importance of compassion because you never know when someone might need it.

Even as a reread, it kept me wanting to know about all these peoples stories. They were each so different and their stories conveyed what different lives they all lead. I think it's a great read and it also gets me in the roadtrip kind of mood even though I can't stand being in a car longer than an hour. It would make for an awesome summer read, too. I don't have words to pin  point what exactly makes me love Lets Get Lost, I just do.

What I've Done in 2016

As the year begins to wrap up, I'm feeling incredibly proud of all my personal achievements. It's been a greatly successful year in my personal life despite all the horrible things that have happened around the world. But, nevertheless, so many positive things have happened in my life so this post will be dedicated to walking through those moments.

Firstly, I started this blog. This was a pretty big one because I never had that much of an interest in it. Thinking it would be so much work and it was only something people with enough money to buy their own domain and either hire a web designer or learn to code themselves. Not that the web designer thing would be hard for me with my Dad being one. I've done al my design stuff myself though, because I have a big thing about my blog being completely me. Anyway, I realised it's really not that hard. I chose blogger as my host and away I went and I'm still figuring things up and it is hard work to grow your blog organically but it's worth it when you realise the attention is all you. This blog has probably been a turning point for me and my reading journey. Before, I wasn't huge on discussing books because I had no one to discuss with but now I have the interwebs to talk with. Writing quality content that others will want to read is a hard thing and I'm not always sure of some of the things I post. I'm proud of myself though, even if I've been a bit slack this month with so much personal stuff going on. I'd like to thank the bookish community for being so welcoming and lovely.

I also just formally graduated from high school which you might already know if you follow me on twitter. This was such a proud moment for me and even more so when I was one of only four people to win a scholarship. I wasn't expecting it at all but I'm thrilled with it because now the two most expensive years of my schooling so far are mostly taken care off. It's fantastic to have one less thing to worry about and I'm also really proud of the fact that I was decided to be worthy of a scholarship. I'm just crazy happy about it. I won a couple other awards but I won't go into detail about those. It feels so good to know my four years have been worth something and with only a few more school days left I'm starting to get really emotional. I can't wait to see everyone dressed up at the celebratory dinner in a few nights. I'm really grateful to all the lovely teachers I've had who've really been an influence to me.

I got my learners license. I wasn't sure about this one, it took me a while to get a hang of all the giving way stuff but eventually I got there and managed to pass my test. Two weeks ago today actually. I was tremendously worried about the actual driving because I'm a really nervous and cautious person so I just thought I would absolutely suck. Turns out, I'm actually getting the hang of it really quickly. And I'm surprisingly good at keeping my calm on the road. I honestly thought I'd find it so much more stressful than I do. Well, I hate reversing but everything else is going great. I seriously thought I'd be some sort of road hazard so this is immensely pleasing to me. Somehow, I really like driving.

I did more work on my trumpet this year than any other year. Ever. Seriously, I have worked so hard on this thing the whole year (excluding the past couple of weeks, whoops) and I'm so proud of all the improvement. Especailly now that my band is competing in the national competitions for the first time ever in a few months. This time last year, I could've never dreamed I'd be where I am with the trumpet now. I can only see myself going up now and I can't believe I went from on the verge of quitting band to spending almost every afternoon with my trumpet. My trumpet has become an extra limb. I'm really proud of how far I've come with it. And, I can only thank my music teachers for being to inspiring and supportive to me.

I started up my succulent garden. This one is very recent but I plan on keeping at it. You might notice succulents are a pretty big theme on my blog because I love them. Now, I finally have six different succulents of my own and you better believe me when I say, I'm taking care of them like my own babies. I've actually discovered after looking after my little garden that I quite like gardening and in the future would be looking to extend my gardening skills. The only down side is I hate being outside for extended periods because I know I burn so quickly. I'm really happy with how it's going and I'm excited to see how it looks this time next year.

I read so many books it's ridiculous. And I loved a lot of them. It was a pleasure to read so many gorgeous books and the year isn't even over just yet. I feel like every single one has shaped me and that's the fun part of books. You're never the exact same person you were before you read it. I think that's amazing and I'm so glad I get to experience that.

I've included a few thanks in here because I'm really grateful to all those who've helped me achieve so much over the year but I saved one for the end which goes out to my parents who I couldn't have done 2016 without. The two of you are beautiful people and the two bestest friends I'll ever have. Thank you for giving me so much love and for supporting my mostly expensive and sometimes useless hobbies. I know you think my succulents are silly, Dad but you still help me with them. And Mum, I can see you in my mirror with your eyes squeezed shut in the backseat while I drive but thank you for still coming (sometimes).

So, that's what I've managed to achieve over the year. I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting but it's been a brilliant year. I'm trying to focus on all of my positive achievements this year amidst all the crappy things. I think you all should too, it's great to think back on some of your high moments of the year. So, do tell, what are some things you've done this year?

Top Quotes from Everything, Everything

I adored Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon and there were so many gorgeous quotes from it that I needed to make a post highlighting my favourites.

1. “Everything's a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It's up to you.”

2. “Life is a gift. Don't forget to live it.”

3. “Just because you can’t experience everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience anything.” 

4. “I was happy before I met him. But I’m alive now, and those are not the same thing.”  

5.  “There's no denying it now. I'm in the world. And, too, the world is in me.”  

6. “Do you remember when we read The Little Prince together for the first time? I was so upset that he died in the end. I didn’t understand how he could choose death just so he could get back to his rose. I think I understand it now. He wasn’t choosing to die. His rose was his whole life. Without her, he wasn’t really alive.”

7. “I’ve read many, many books involving heartache. Not one has ever described it as little. Soul-shattering and world-destroying, yes. Little, no.”

8. “It's like I can't look at the world in the old way anymore. I found this new part of myself when I met him and the new part doesn't know how to stay quiet and still and just observe.”  

9. “and how sometimes you can’t unmix things no matter how much you might want to.”  

10. “Q: Will I encounter turbulence? A: Yes. Into all lives a little turbulence must fall.”

I selected only ten to keep this short and sweet but I'm sure if I could I'd just copy the whole monologue of the book here but unfortunately I'd probably get in major legal trouble. I don't think I'm quite old enough yet to acquire my own lawyer. Regardless, I adore all these quotes so much. Everything, Everything is one of the most quote worthy books I've read in a long time.

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

5 stars

"Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you,"

I am loving my month of rereads so far, I'd forgotten so much. There are so many people who complain about John Green and I will admit I have a few bones to pick with him but people complained so much so, I adopted their opinions. Which is one of my hamartias (fatal flaw), I am so easily influenced by the opinions of others. So, when I read this again I wasn't expecting much. I knew I loved it when I was 13 but I don't always trust my 13 year old self's judgement. This book though, is a gem. An absolute gem.

For starters, it is so pretentious but it's supposed to be. Augustus is supposed to be a pretentious character. That's how it's written and you'll notice most of John Green's novel come off very pretentious. I could pull out about a thousand pretentious but surprisingly accurate quotes and I would except the list would go on and on. When I was 13, all the pretentiousness made me feel like I knew the world. It made me feel like I was in on some little secret, it also made me slightly angsty and I went through a short teenage angst period shortly after reading this. I thought no one would ever understand me because of this book, luckily for you and everyone around me, I have not experienced that this time around.

Hazel and Augustus have very witty and amusing conversations that make me want to grow my vocabulary even more. It's very enjoyable to read, I love when characters have that sort of ease with each other. I also love the way Hazel narrates her story with metaphors and analogies, I've always loved analogies and metaphors. I even tend to narrate my life like that in my head. I think it's all very clever.

I always adore the bluntness of this book, I've always been fairly blunt about death which is odd for a girl who romanticises everything else in her life. I also realised that I developed some of my views on death from the book and I think my bluntness about death probably does stem from this book. For example when Hazel said funerals are for the living, it stayed with me and I didn't even realise where I'd gotten it until I read that part again. A lot of it has actually stayed with me, it's an incredible book. I've just always loved how real and raw this book is.

It, of course, is tremendously sad but it's how it is. If it were a happy ending, the book wouldn't have made the same amount of sense, if you get what I mean. It makes me cry so hard, like actually ugly cry. Which is saying something because not often will a book make me ugly cry, cry sure but not ugly cry. I can't imagine how horrible and I hope I don't ever have to find out nor anyone else.

Such an incredible book that you need to read and if you've already read it then, reread it because like me I'm sure you've forgotten how good it was. So beautiful, so raw, so thought provoking.

Some New Words No. 2

So, you might remember my first Some New Words post but since then I've acquired three new words. I came across them in a few books and I wasn't sure of the meaning and I really enjoyed my first post so much that I thought we'd make it a regularly occurring thing. And for anyone wondering, these definitions are taken from bing and I add my own examples.

Neolithic

Relating to or denoting the later part of the Stone Age, when ground or polished stone weapons and implements prevailed.

E.g. The house was very Neolithic.

Obelisk

A tapering stone pillar, typically having a square or rectangular cross section, set up as a monument or landmark.

E.g. While travelling I saw a few obelisks.

Eclectic

Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

E.g. As an artist, she was quite eclectic.

My favourite word out of the three would have to be eclectic because I think I tend to be eclectic, I often find inspiration for my blog posts hidden among dozens of other bloggers posts and I always look at other blogs for inspiration for my own. I hope you've learned something new, as I have. If you haven't already checked out my first Some New Words post then please do so.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

5 stars

“It was the nicest thing she could imagine. It made her want to have his babies and give him both of her kidneys.”

I am so, so, so thrilled that I decided to reread this. Like, I feel like I could read this everyday of my life. I won't but I could. I forgot how much I loved it and what it felt like to be reading it. This books gives me genuine feelings and I love that.

It is so fluffy, it is beautiful and it's funnily enough, set back when my mum and dad were 16. Which I think is kind of cool. This book makes me want to love someone that much. It has done everything I love in a contemporary.

When I read this for the first time I was only 13. Now I have a couple more years on me, I'm about to turn 16. I remember thinking that when I was 16 I was going to fall in love for the first time. So when I read this book, I thought that was what it was going to be like and I was so excited but also kind of devastated because it's so bittersweet. So this is what I thought I was in for, it obviously is not. I mean, it might be, who knows but I definitely won't (probably) fall in love the day I turn 16 (maybe with the books I get given). So, I guess this gave me a lot of what I believed about love and I guess a lot of what I still do. I don't believe it's always bad but I do think when you're young that you probably won't get your happily ever after yet, my parents did but I think I'd have to be ridiculously lucky to get that.

Anyway, away from personal experiences. I love how real Eleanor is. She isn't perfect, she's insecure about herself and her body. I like that it showed Eleanor's body issues from both sides because I liked seeing Eleanor being down on herself and insecure and wondering what Park saw in her but then Park would come along and he just thought she was so beautiful. I thought it was nice to see that even though Eleanor wasn't happy with herself, Park thought she was amazing and incredible anyway. I think that's an important message.

I kind of love the bittersweetness of it. I love that you don't know if it works out or what happens at the end because that's the unpredictability of young love. I think it adds interest where it could have otherwise been a fluffy pile of mush (not that I'd mind) but still. I just love an edge.

It is so fluffy and it always warms my heart so incredibly much. Especially when they hold hands for the first time, it makes my heart melt. That is absolutely 100% my favourite scene.

I always love this. It was one of my very first contemporary reads. I got it back when I didn't even have a bookshelf, I just stacked my books in a pile on my desk. Until the stack get too high and fell on me whilst I was admiring it, this was when my parents decided it couldn't go on anymore. I'm in love with this book, I'm in love with Rainbow Rowell's writing and I'm in love with the memories it gives me of my first read.