August 2017 Wrap Up

I feel like it's been such a long time since I've actually had a sit down and written a post. I've been insanely busy and insanely stressed but that is something I think I might have a chat about in another post. Today, I'm doing one of my favourite kinds of posts, a wrap up. Yayy!

This month I read:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Cress by Marissa Meyer

Okay, so I will admit I read fair bit this month. I finished off my Harry Potter reread and I loved it. I am in the process of writing a lengthy, chatty post about it. So definitely stay tuned for that. I'm also trying to knock off a few more series' before the end of the year, hence Blue Lily, Lily Blue and Cress. Hopefully I can manage to bowl over The Raven Boys and The Lunar Chronicles pretty soon. I didn't read any contemporaries this month which might be why I had such a stressful and emotional month.

This month on the blog I've been a bit inactive. I've been mostly posting reviews because I'm just tired and I always have plenty of reviews. I've been terribly slack at visiting other blogs too. But, I'm hoping to manage my time a bit better in September. I also have a long weekend coming up that I'm hoping to do some blogging in. We'll see.

This month in life stuff has been hectic. I did my driving assessment yesterday, I failed because I turn corners too wide and didn't consistently check my blind spot. I could rant about it and trust me I already have, I'm not happy that the assessment was completely fair but  it happened and I'll have to get over it. It just got me down a bit because it's been one thing on top of the other recently. I've been crazy busy at school with revision, last minute assessments, retests. Just all that fun stuff. I've been practising my trumpet like crazy. Any spare minute I'm playing. So, it's been a bit. I've never really been stressed like this because in high school none of this really mattered but it does so much this year. But, I'm at least 93% sure I can get through it because I'm made of tough stuff. Or as I'd have myself believe.

So, good reading month. Read some really great books. Bad blogging month. Life is stressful and hard but worth it someday I'm sure but until then I will persist. I hope you've all had a fantastic August and I hope an even better September.

The Agony of Bun O'Keefe by Heather Smith

4 Stars

I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I actually really liked this!! At first, I kind of questioned whether I would like it but I read some reviews which sounded pretty good and decided to push on. It was worth it.

You will like this book if you like strong, quirky characters. This whole book was very focused on the characters which I didn't mind at all because I quickly learnt to love all of them. I think characters are the most important part of any book so The Agony of Bun O'Keefe certainly makes the cut.

Immediately, Bun is very naive and literal and says what she thinks. At first, I was kind of taken a back by a character like this but I quickly grew to love her. She's a very lovable character and a very strong character. I loved her and I loved seeing her grow and develop.

I loved the other characters too, and I loved the friendship that was made between them. I loved the way they took Bun in and took such good care of her. I got this huge sense of family from them and I loved that a lot. My favourite part was how accepting Bun was of everyone and their stories, Bun really didn't think anything of Chris and his sexuality or Busker Boy and his race. It was lovely to see that.

The plot was sad and almost had The Perks of Being a Wallflower vibes to it. Actually, the whole book held that vibe for me. Eclectic group of friends taking in a naive and troubled person and helping them come into themselves. My heart hurt for poor Bun who we'd come to love. It was just sad and that's all I really have to say about the plot.

I just really liked this. I loved the 80's setting. I love the Perks think going on. I loved the characters. It was just good and it's as simple as that. I think I'd read this one again.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4 Stars

“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.”

This was really cool. I really like the idea of retellings like this. It stayed on a similar kind of track but it also crazy different. I really liked it.

When I first started reading it, I was worried. It seemed very scifi-ish to me and scifi isn't always my favourite genre as you might already know if you've been keeping notes. So, I was slightly hesitant but I found myself really enjoying it. Purely because it's set in the future and Cinder is a cyborg and what not, I just wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. I chastise myself for it now.

I found it really easy to get into, the fact that it's based on Cinderella, a story I know like the back of my hand probably helped. I love books that I don't struggle to get into. I've read so many recently that I haven't immediately understood and it's always such a shame. This was wonderfully refreshing.

Despite the fact it's a retelling, it was still so different. Of course, there were so many things I can point out and say 'that's Cinderella' but there were so many factors that made it so unique and really made Cinder into it's own story. That's a certain skill I haven't yet acquired, accidental plagiarism seems to be my hidden talent. I haven't read many retellings despite how intrigued I am by them but this one makes me want to read even more.

I loved Prince Kai, I don't know how Cinder could resist him so well. I would have been jelly in his arms. He is so gorgeous and I really hope he continues to play a prominent role in the rest of the series. He almost reminds me of Prince Maxon from The Selection series but that might just be because they're both Princes.

I'm really excited to read the next book. I loved that the ending of this one wasn't so final and leaves you wanting more. I think this was good, very good. I really enjoyed it and it was nice and quick (possibly not as quick when you add the other books on top). I look forward to continuing the series.

The Memory Book by Lara Avery

4 Stars

“Life is not just a series of triumphs.” 

Oh wow. This book was quite a ride. And, here I was looking for a sweet contemporary to get me in a good mood.

When I first saw this, I immediately thought of Forgotten by Cat Patrick. There were a few similarities that were just uncanny but in the end, it wasn't a disease in Forgotten like it was in The Memory Book. Maybe, I'll read Forgotten again and do a comparison post, that might be interesting.

Anyway, I've never really heard of NPC but now that I have it makes me so sad. Like Sammie, I quite treasure my memory and have quite a lot of ambitions. My heart broke for Sammie because she's such an ambitious girl and she had goals and to me, it represents that this can happen to literally anyone. Even someone like Sammie.

I loved reading about all of Sammie's thoughts. You could really see how her sickness had put things into perspective. I like that it didn't romanticise NPC as much as I thought it would do. Sammie was a brat sometimes and sometimes she was really reduced to something she was clearly embarrassed of. She wasn't always optimistic and it just wasn't too much of a cheese fest.

It tore at my heart to see Sammie deteriorating. At the beginning you could feel her hope and determination. We really got to grasp how badly Sammie wanted to go to uni and keep living the way she always has. It was a great glimpse into the kind of person Sammie was. But, in the end we saw that Sammie had learnt how to appreciate small things like the support from family and friends.

It also held a lot of Me and Earl vibes. I think that might have been Coop. It's like a nicer and less blunt version of Me and Earl. Which is nice because I loved Me and Earl and I loved Forgotten and I love this book.

It made me so sad though, which put me in a weird mood for the rest of the night. It hit me pretty close to home but I think any contemporary lover will really love this. It was super lovely and I think it's up there with some of my favourite contemporaries.

My Favourite Music

Today, I wanted to talk about music. I love music and I'm really in the mood to be talking about it. I think it's fun to do something a little different here on the blog. I think music is something absolutely anyone can enjoy. So, I wanted to talk about my favourite bands and solo artists and why I love them so much.

The Beatles
I adore, adore, adore The Beatles as so many of you probably already know. I know really discovered them late 2015, early 2016. I mean, I knew who they were, obviously, but I didn't really listen to them. They have such a diverse range of music and it's all so incredible. My favourite album is A Hard Days Night because it's so fun to sing along to. My favourite song is The Long and Winding Road from Let It Be because it's one of the most beautiful songs ever and I can't help but thinking what a beautiful concert band arrangement it would make. I love all their music so much and I think they were such a revolutionary band.

Lorde
I love Lorde, she is so unique. I've loved her Pure Heroine album since it was released. I was only about 13 at the time and it just blew my mind. I listened to it while I read The Hunger Games and it is such a fitting album for The Hunger Games. Her lyrics are always so meaningful. I was so excited when she released her new stuff. Melodrama is so different to Pure Heroine but listening to the lyrics, I can totally tell it's Lorde. I know a lot of people are pissed that it's different but she released PH in 2013 when she was like 16 or 17 so of course she's grown and I love that her music has grown with her.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
I really like the Chili Peppers. I think they also have quite a unique sound and my parents love them so I've grown up listening to them. It's so rocky and makes me feel so angsty. It's awesome music to drive to, there's a few CDs in the car and I love singing along to it in the car. But, they are so cool and I wouldn't even be able to think of what my favourite song is. Maybe By The Way which is on their By The Way album. I just think they have such cool music.

Harry Styles
I used to be a huge fan of One Direction but I kind of grew out of them by the end of 2013. I still listened to some of their music but I was growing out of the very pop sort of music. It just wasn't my jam anymore. I wasn't expecting much when it came to Harry's solo career but holy crap. It's fantastic. It's beautiful. He has such a raw voice and so much power. I love his music. I love the album and I can't wait to see what else he does.

Elton John
Elton John has been a huge guilty pleasure of mine for a while now but I've come to fully embrace it. I love his music. I think he has, again, a fairly diverse range of music. I love some of the more upbeat and bop kind of songs. But, he also has so gorgeous, slow songs. I can do a mean rendition of Don't Go Breaking My Heart and I adore Goodbye To Yellow Brick Road. I'm just really into that rock and roll sort of genre.

Queen
I love Queen. My mum loves Queen and eventually I started to love it too. Freddie Mercury has the most incredible vocal range. Their music is so unique and cool. I can never not sing to Bohemian Rhapsody. Don't Stop Me Now is my go to song for when I need to get hyped for something. It's so rocky and fun. I absolutely love their music.


So, there you have it. Some of my favourite musicians. I'm slowly delving deeper and deeper into classic rock bands and soloists. I'm loving Bowie at the moment but am still discovering his music. I'm also really into Billy Joel. There are quite a few others I'd like to give a go too so I'm sure an updated version will be needed in no time. But, in the mean time, I'd love to hear what kind of music you guys like and who you listen to the most.