Top 5 Wednesday – Unlikeable Protagonists

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme created by gingerreadslainey but now hosted by ThoughtsOnTomes.

I see unlikeable protagonists as a good thing to have in a book. Now hear me out; I don’t mean that its good for the protagonist to not be someone that the reader roots for. What I think is that people usually use this term to describe characters that are flawed, that aren’t perfect but instead have a level of humanity about them. It makes the character more realistic as no one in real life is perfect, we all make mistakes, and in my experience this makes me root for the character more. If they are too perfect I end up resenting them a bit, just for being so perfect, unbelievably so.

• Hanna from Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Hanna isn’t especially unlikeable, she is brave, funny, clever, everything you would expect from a strong protagonist. What makes her unlikeable however is her privilege above a lot of the other characters in the book. This book uses this in a really interesting way to explore how the reader feels sympathy- does her grief and loss throughout the book make her less privileged and more on the other characters’ level? Or do they still resent her level of wealth despite all of the emotional loss she experiences? I will discuss this more in my review for this book, which I will post tomorrow.

• Kaz from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Kaz is a very different character from Hanna. He is not at all wealthy however he has also experienced loss and grief. But he is pretty much a villain, and what he does each day is not something you would expect from a hero who you feel sympathy for. However, we do because of that deep sympathy we feel towards him, and the way the author has got the reader on his side, rooting for him. Actually, most of the main characters in this book could be described in this way.

• Cathy and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

These are some of the most unlikeable protagonists in literature. Yet it is still seen as one of the best romances of all time. The reason Heathcliff is vouched for by readers rather than completely hated is because of the pity we feel towards him. When he acts violently, we see where it has come from. We then sympathise with Catherine maybe because of her love of Heathcliff and the decisions that she has to make, or perhaps it is through the viewpoint we get of her, from the point of view of Nelly.

• Kate from This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

This is another very similar case of sympathy. Kate isn’t really a nice person in the book, but her overwhelming loneliness makes her someone that the reader roots for. She is maybe one of the least unlikeable on this list, just because we see so clearly why she acts the way she does.

• Emma from Emma by Jane Austen

Jane Austen herself said that Emma is “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” She is so self centred that she does come across as unlikeable, and the whole novel is full of her making mistakes. As we see everything in the novel through her eyes, we do in fact end up backing her up and, despite all her mistakes, not hating her.

Who are some of your favourite unlikeable protagonists? What are your thoughts on these characters?

YA Series I want to read this summer (Top Ten Tuesday)

This is the second in a series I’m doing for different genres of books I want to read this summer, as I have finished my exams. When I saw the Top Ten Tuesday topic (series you have been meaning to read) I thought I might as well combine it with this, except this will just be YA. A lot of these won’t be completed series, but if it is only the first book which is out, I will be including it on my next post on books I need to read this summer.

1. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

I’ve owned this series since Christmas but haven’t got around to reading it yet. I really need to read something by Marie Lu, as I feel like I’m one of the only people who haven’t! I decided to buy this instead of the Legend Series just because I saw it had slightly better reviews.

2. The Winner’s Curse series by Marie Rutkoski

I have read the first in this series (see my review here) and I wasn’t hugely impressed. However, I have heard that it gets better with each book so I am planning to read the next two very soon.

3. Monsters of Verity by VE Shwab

I have also read the first book in this duology and in contrast to the Winner’s Curse, I loved it! The second book has just come out, and I already have a copy of it, so all I need to do now is get on and read it. Although I am struggling to remember what happened in the first book, so a re read may be due… Do you re read books? Or do you have a better way of re capping the previous book in a series? Let me know in the comments, it would be extremely helpful, because I don’t really want to have to keep re reading books!

4. Front Lines by Michael Grant

This has been on my shelves for months, I really have to read it soon. I think it is going to be a trilogy? Maybe a duology. But anyway, from what I understand it is basically an alternate World War Two, where women could also fight. Which sounds like a really awesome concept, so I hope this doesn’t let down my high expectations!

5. And I Darken by Kirsten White

I have owned this for a year, and put off reading it because I heard it was quite boring. But I have seen so many glowing reviews since then that I am going to have to give it a try; I really hope I love it! The second book comes out soon, so I want to read it before then, and then read the second one.

6. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

I am so curious to see how magical realism is used in this series, as since I read the Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, I have wanted to see what else the genre has to offer. Plus this series is extremely popular, so hopefully it will live up to the hype.

7. The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

This seems to be a proper fantasy series, and I really want to get into one. I want to be immersed into another world for a series, so if I like it I might binge read this series at some point. It has pretty good reviews, so hopefully it will be something I would enjoy.

8. The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

I have started the first book of this series quite a few times so I want to continue and finish the trilogy. This is one of the most highly viewed trilogies in YA, so I think I am seriously missing out on something by not having picked these up yet.

9. The Shades of London Trilogy by VE Shwab

Last year I read the first book and liked it, but I felt like I didn’t fully get immersed in it. Therefore I want to reread A Darker Shade of Magic and move on to read the rest of the trilogy, which from what I have heard is absolutely brilliant.

10. The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown

This was lent to me and I feel bad for not having read it yet, plus I really want to get into the world. I started the first book but exams got in the way, so I’m hoping to get back to the series fairly soon.

Have you read any of these series? Did you enjoy them? I’d also love to know if there are any great YA series you think I should definitely read!

Also, on a different note, I am starting from today to update and post bookish photos on my instagram account, so if you are at all interested, you can find me on instagram @_booksareallyouneed and also on Litsy, which is a social media app entirely for books @booksareallyouneed . I have been updating Litsy fairly regularly for a while, and I would definitely recommend it, it is basically a mixture of goodreads, instagram and twitter and it is so awesome! You may also see my blog change from now on in terms of design, as I am going to try and improve the design with artwork and photography and a new theme.

Anyway, if you are still reading, thanks for that! I will be posting a review of Gemina tomorrow probably, so look out for that. Bye!

 

 

Classics I want to read this summer

This will be the first in a series of posts where I decide what books to read in the two and a half months holiday I have this summer. I will start with classics and then next time I will talk about YA series, then YA standalone, then Adult fiction.

1. Persuasion by Jane Austen

I literally just started this and I am really enjoying it so far. I read a few Austen books a couple of years ago, so it brought back nice memories of reading those books. My favourites would have to be Pride and Prejudice and Emma, but I have heard a lot of praise for this one, which makes me want to discover why this one in particular is favoured by so many people. On that note, I am thinking about doing a post each time I read a classic saying ‘What makes … a classic’. Let me know if you would be happy to see this content, because I was trying to think of an alternative to reviewing classics, which I find hard.

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde is one of those authors who always seems to be quoted. This really makes me intrigued to read this book because as far as I know this is his only novel… correct me if I am wrong! But this is one I have been meaning to pick up for a while but just haven’t found the right moment. It is also quite short which makes me hope it is a really impactful couple of hundred pages!

3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

This is quite a contrast with the previous one, being hundreds and hundreds of pages. But I would really like to read more lengthy books whilst I have the time, so this is definitely one I hope to get to. It seems like it could really capture my attention and be a very involving read. I have heard it is easier to get into than War and Peace, which I hope is true!

4. A Passage to India by E M Forster

I actually don’t know a huge amount about this. I have heard a lot of praise for it, and it just sounds like it would really interest me. I feel like I am missing out by not reading it, which is a good sign that I need to get to it.

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Now this is a really urgent one to read. I honestly don’t know how I haven’t read it, seeing as it has been on my shelves for so long. Plus its so short! What am I even doing with my life? I adored 1984 so now I have even more incentive to pick this up, plus so many people name it as one of their favourite books of all time.

6. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

I’m a bit nervous to read this, mainly because I’ve heard it is quite dense to get through because of the language, despite its length? But obviously it is one I have to read, it is well known as a must read, so I need to give it a try at least. Who knows, it may become a new favourite! Let me know your opinions on this book, did you find it dense or not, is it definitely worth reading?

7. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

I’ve started this before, but I didn’t have time to finish it. From what I remember it was quite easy to get into and it was enjoyable to read, which is what I’m hoping for! I might be wrong, but what I’m expecting to get from this is the classic adventure novel, which I hope I’m right about!

8. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Jane Eyre is probably my favourite book of all time, and I’ve also read Wuthering Heights (but I definitely need to re read at some point), so this seems like a natural book I need to read. This doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as the other Bronte books, however I have heard it is underrated, so I want to discover what is hopefully a hidden gem.

9. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

I think this is a murder mystery, I don’t know a whole lot about it but I own it and have wanted to read it for a long time, so lets hope I’ll find the time this summer!

10. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

Rebecca is one of my favourite books of all time, and I have heard this one is the most similar to Rebecca out of all Daphne Du Maurier’s books, so for me this definitely seems like a must read. Plus there is a new film of it just released.

So that is all the classics I am hoping to read this summer! Obviously there is a never ending list of classics I hope to read, but my aim with this list was to try and be realistic with my goals. I doubt I will read all of these, but hopefully I will read a decent amount of them.

Are there any classics you think I definitely need to read? Have you read any of these? I’d love to know any opinions on any classics in the comments!

 

 

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – Review

This book is based around two teenagers who both have very traditional Indian parents. When Dimple tries to persuade her parents to allow her to follow her dreams and go to Insomnia Con, a summer camp for web development, where she could win the prize of developing an app with her idol, Jenny Lindt, her parents are surprisingly on board. But later she discovers they sent her there so she can meet the boy she has been put in an arranged marriage with: Rishi. However, Rishi isn’t as oblivious to these plans as Dimple is.

This was a really enjoyable read. One of the best features of this novel was the relationships between characters. Obviously, there was Dimple and Rishi, who were just so adorable and they had a dynamic that was just so fun to read. Their two different personalities worked so well together, and made this book hard not to love. It was also really great to see their relationship develop, rather than them just instantly falling in love, which happens way to much in YA. There were also other relationships, such as the friendship between Dimple and Celia. I loved how this was properly developed and featured throughout, rather than just something that was dropped to leave room for the romance, and how they supported each other. I also enjoyed reading about Rishi and his brother, and that kind of love combined with resentment relationship that was present.

Also worth mentioning is the part family played in the story, specifically parents. It was nice to see parents that were supporting their children, even if it took them a while to see this was the case. It was interesting to see their attitudes to the arranged marriage, how much Dimple resented being controlled by her parents, and also Rishi’s strong respect for Indian culture and his parents and upbringing. The idea of how he dealt with the conflict between respecting his parents and his passion for art was fascinating, and I thought this was a highlight of the book.

Something that I really loved was the passions that the characters had. As I just mentioned, Rishi’s passion for art was really well explored, as well as Dimple’s passion for coding. I liked how ambitious she was, and how she wouldn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams. I think that was a really strong theme of this book, how to pursue dreams and balance that with other important things in your life. Their passions were portrayed very realistically, they weren’t ridiculously far fetched but instead things that they really enjoyed and wanted to make the centre of their life.

The only problems I had with this book were some of the writing style and also the predictability of some of the plot. The writing seemed a bit forced at times, like slightly weird similes were being put in for no apparent reason, and some of the description used just seemed a bit disjointed and out of place. This might not be a problem everyone has, and is easy to overlook, so I wouldn’t let it stop you reading this book. The plot was quite predictable, I quite often caught myself guessing where the plot would go and then surprised myself when I actually guessed correctly. This took away some of the enjoyment of the novel, which is why I’m not giving this 5 stars.

Overall this was a cute, heartwarming contemporary with some interesting elements of computer coding, art and Indian culture. Dimple and Rishi’s characters just contrast so beautifully together, and this combined with themes of pursuing your dreams makes a delightful read, perfect to read in the summer. There are also some wonderful friendships and family relationships which add greater depth to the book. It was slightly predictable, but all in all I would without a doubt recommend it.

 /5 hearts

May Wrap Up and June tbr

Hi, sorry I haven’t posted in a while! I’m in the middle of my exams, so I haven’t really had time to write reviews or anything, as I’ve been revising. But I thought I would just check in with this wrap up and tbr. I’ve only read two books, and both were contemporaries as I find them easier to go to as a break from revision, although I am seriously missing fantasy! Here are the books I read in May:

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

This was so adorable! Honestly, one of the cutest books I’ve read, definitely one to go to if you are looking for a really light, cute read. I loved the characters, and how they all had such realistic issues which were explored in the book, such as Lincoln not really knowing what direction to go in with his life. However, it wasn’t perfect, I thought it got quite slow in the middle, not a lot seemed to be happening, so I think the pacing could have been better managed. I would say that it isn’t quite at the high standards of Eleanor and Park or Fangirl, but I would still recommend it if you are looking for something light and easy to go to during exams or whatever.

3 out of 5 stars

• The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I picked this one up entirely on a whim, I’ve been interested in reading it for a while, so I saw it in a bookshop and just decided to go for it. Again, this one was so adorable. It was exploring the idea of love at first sight, and basically trying to make a case for it. I felt like the two characters, Natasha and Daniel, definitely had chemistry, but I did find the whole story a bit too unrealistic, I couldn’t really get past how they only met each other that morning and the rest of the novel was that day. I also found the coincidences too much, as well as all the deeply philosophical conversations, which just didn’t seem realistic. What made this go up in my opinion was the chapters on other characters, and the way it showed how everyone has a story, and the influence people’s circumstances have on each other. Also, the chapters with information on subjects within the novel were really interesting, and definitely worked well.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I almost definitely won’t stick to this tbr, but these are books I might end up reading:

• Fairest by Marissa Meyer
• If I Stay by Gayle Forman
• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
• Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

These I will read when I have finished my exams (just over halfway through the month)

• Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
• The Flame in the Mist by Renée Adieh

I have already started Fairest, and I am really enjoying it so far. I will probably write a review for it soon, so look out for that! I’m not sure what else I will post in the next couple of weeks, if anything, but I will be back to regular reviews, tags, book hauls etc after exams. For around 2 and a half months I will be free from school, so I will be posting more regularly than I have been since I started this blog!

Thanks for reading, I look forward to being a lot more active reading and posting!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas – Review

Feyre has the full responsibility of keeping her family alive, and is forced to hunt in order to do this. One day, she has to pay the cost for one of her kills and ends up being imprisoned in the kingdom of the High Fae. But there are so many secrets at the Spring Court, everyone seems to be hiding something. Feyre soon faces the challenges that come with falling in love with one of the most powerful faeries, along with the secrets that have been hidden from her.

Firstly, I would like to talk about the plot. I found it interesting to begin with, but I think all of the events of the original story, as this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, happened too quickly, and then there was a long stretch of not a lot happening for the middle, and a load of action packed in at the end. I thought the pacing was definitely off, and could have been improved a lot. Also, I didn’t really feel that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling to be honest. Yes, it had all of the main events like Belle/Feyre being captured by the beast/Tamlin, but the actual idea of her looking beneath the ‘beast’ exterior and falling in love with the person hidden behind it wasn’t there at all. Ok, Tamlin could shapeshift, but I definitely got the impression that Feyre fell in love with his appearance, there was no mention of what she thought of his personality. The spirit of the original story was not there. I didn’t ship Feyre and Tamlin at all, and I got the idea I was supposed to.

In terms of characters, I liked Feyre’s passion for art, that was definitely something I haven’t seen a lot of in YA fantasy. To begin with I found her character interesting, how she was painting whatever she could, and the idea of her not being able to develop her skills in the conditions she was in. It seemed like at the beginning she was a skilled hunter, and we were shown this in the very first scene. However, this was all lost as soon as the story properly got going. She seemed to lose her passion for art whenever it was convenient for the author to not write about it, and all of her hunting skills and instincts seemed to disappear. She was kind of stupid to be honest, and I lost all interest in her character. I would have liked it if she had a bit more personality and was less bland. It seemed like all of her uniqueness was flattened out as soon as she arrived at the Spring Court. Tamlin was also quite a bland character, and I thought he was overly controlling.

There were some parts of this book that I found problematic, involving Rhysand. I was shocked at the fact that he treated Feyre in that way, yet it all seemed to be completely excused by the end of the book. I know a lot of people ship them, but I find that impossible considering what he did. There are all kinds of inadequate excuses for his behaviour, and I am sorry to say that I am not a fan of his character, or this series as a whole until these issues are sorted out. I have heard that it is all explained in ACOMAF, so I am hoping that this is true, although I do think this was a very poor decision of the writer to use this situation as a plot device to add twists or whatever. I disliked how he was still romantacised despite what he did. I think the book should have definitely tried to show what he did was wrong, rather than just letting it happen and making it seem like something to quickly move on from, whilst still portraying Rhysand’s character as attractive. Does anyone agree? I haven’t seen a lot of discussion about this, so I was wondering what people’s opinions are. My explanation might not have made a lot of sense, I was trying to keep it spoiler free. Although that probably wasn’t necessary considering pretty much everyone seems to have read this book.

There were some things I enjoyed in this book. Like I said, I liked the art aspect, and the writing for the most part, although there was a lot of telling rather than showing, which I wasn’t a fan of. But it was fairly entertaining, until the more problematic parts were reached. I liked Lucien’s character, he was one of the more interesting and nuanced characters. As well as this, I found Nesta quite intriguing, she did seem to change a fair amount throughout the book, during Feyre’s absence.

One huge problem I had, however, was the lack of diversity in this book. I am pleased to say that a lot of YA fantasy books being released are being more realistic in terms of their representation, and that this one actually stands out for the wrong reason, for not having that. I had a similar problem with the Throne of Glass series, I think Sarah J Maas definitely needs to step up her game in this area. That was another point actually, this book did seem very similar to ToG, which was slightly disappointing, as it would have been nice to see something a bit different.

I was definitely not a huge fan of this book. I found a lot of the characters to be fairly boring, although I did like Feyre’s passion for art and the character of Lucien. I found there were some problematic aspects to this book later on involving Rhysand, and I also thought the pacing was a bit off. There was a lot of telling and not showing, and also I think it would have been an improvement if there was more diversity and representation in this novel. However, I am interested enough to read the next book, and I am hoping it is an a step up from this one.

/5 hearts

April Wrap Up and May tbr

Hi!! I actually read 5 books this month which I am pretty impressed at considering the amount of revision etc I am having to do right now. But anyway, I don’t have a lot of time to write this so I’ll just go straight into it! Here are the books I read in April:

• Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I was so incredibly disappointed by this book. So disappointed. As you could probably tell from my last couple of tbrs, I was incredibly excited about this one but it turned out to just really be not that great at all. I strongly disliked the characters and the writing, and it seemed like a lot of the details in the world building were just completely copying the Night Circus, except it was just nowhere near as good. If you are considering reading this book, don’t. Go read the Night Circus instead, trust me, it is a million times better.

I gave this 1 out of 5 hearts.

Review here

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Contrasting with Caraval, this one entirely exceeded my expectations. Obviously I knew it was a good book, but I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. It was so personal and realistic, things I always look for in books. I didn’t actually review this, just because I don’t tend to review classics as I would end up basically writing an essay analysing it. Everyone already knows these are classics for a reason. But honestly, this is a must read.

I gave this 5 out of 5 hearts

• Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

This book was phenomenal. I adored it, a perfect finale to a perfect trilogy. I seriously recommend this trilogy to anyone who hasn’t read it already. I won’t go into why I loved it so much here, but if you are interested, then you can check out the review I posted a few weeks ago.

I gave this 5 out of 5 hearts

Review here 

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

If you have read my review, you know exactly how amazing I think this book is. This is one everyone should read, it is important, compelling, sensitive, educating… the list goes on. Just read it! If you need any more persuasion, look no further than my review. 🙂

I gave this 5 out of 5 hearts

Review here

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

This book is the reason this post is a bit late. It took me a little while to read because school, but I wanted to include it in my wrap up. No one go mad at me, but I had a lot of problems with this one. I can’t say I really enjoyed it overall, there were some aspects I liked but I don’t think it all came together, especially not as a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I found some parts quite problematic for a few reasons which I will discuss in my review, which I will probably write tomorrow.

I gave this 2 out of 5 hearts

Review to come

And now for my May tbr! This is probably slightly overambitious because exams, but I want to keep reading so I have chosen quite a few lighter reads for this month.

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

I have already started this one, and I want to get into it straight after I’ve read the first one so I can properly assess the solutions Sarah J Maas has come up with to the more problematic parts of ACOTAR, as I have heard that she does deal with the issues in this book. I’m really hoping it will all fall into place. I will probably also read the third book, but I don’t want to pressurise myself to get to it when I am focusing on exams and revision.

• Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

I didn’t manage to get to this last month so I’m hoping I will this month! I am highly anticipating reading this as I loved a couple of her other books which I have read, so I am hoping this lives up to it.

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

This sounds like the perfect light read for exam season. I doubt it will be as good as Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, but I think by the time I get to it I will need some kind of fun escape from exams, so I am hoping this will provide that.

• If I stay by Gayle Forman

I think this will probably be quite an easy read, which is what I am looking for, although I think it might be quite emotional also? I don’t know a lot about this, I just picked it up secondhand. I have heard of it a lot, but I don’t really know what people generally think of it. Let me know if you liked this one in the comments! I honestly don’t even know what it is about, but it is fairly short, and this month short books are a good thing.

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

It is very unlikely I will end up reading this one this month, but I do have a half term holiday in the middle of my exams, so although I will be revising like crazy, I may have time to pick up this.

There are a few others I may end up reading: Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Fairest by Marissa Meyer and A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. I feel so stressed out right now, so I don’t want to give myself too much of a goal for reading, I just want to read whatever I feel like, as long as it isn’t too time consuming. Honestly, if I had the time I would be reading Strange the Dreamer right now, but I want to give that my entire focus and attention and really enjoy it, which won’t happen unless I wait till exams are over. How are any of you dealing with managing exams and reading and blogging at the same time? Let me know in the comments!

April Book Haul

Hi! When I realised how many books I had picked up this month, I decided I definitely had to do this post, so lets get into it!

Books bought in shops

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I got an absolutely beautiful Vintage classics edition of this book, which I’ve been wanting to read for so long. After my exams are over, I will definitely be tackling some longer classics, including this one. But I have heard this is quite accessible compared with some others, so I don’t think I will have much trouble reading it, as I will have enough time to really get involved in it.

• The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about this book, so when I saw it in the shop I decided I needed to buy it. I did struggle a lot with American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and ended up not finishing it, but I think this one is slightly more towards YA and a bit more accessible? Well I’m going to give it a try anyway, as I really want to like it.

• To all the boys I’ve loved before by Jenny Han

I bought this because I was looking for light, fun reads to read during my exams and this seemed to fit the description perfectly. I’ve heard good things about it, so it should be an enjoyable escape from revision!

Books bought online

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

So a few weeks ago I did a post asking for advice on which book I should buy, and I ended up going with this one! It sounds awesome, I can’t wait to read it once my exams are over. I will be doing some posts very soon where I let you know which books I am planning to read during my two and a half month holiday! I think I will do two parts to it, I will do a post for classics and one for others, either YA or adult. So look out for that!

• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

I pre ordered this, so I will get it as soon as it comes out on Tuesday! I am reading ACOTAR at the moment (I’m nearly finished) and I am not hugely impressed to be honest, but I am looking forward to reading ACOMAF which I’ve heard is a whole lot better. And then I’m gonna go straight into ACOWAR!

Books bought secondhand 

• Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Again, I got this one because it looked like something very easy that I can read during the month of exams, plus I adored Eleanor and Park and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, so I thought it would be interesting to give her adult book a try!

• If I stay by Gayle Foreman

Yet again, this is a contemporary I picked up to read during exams. Also I feel like I’m one of the only people who hasn’t read this.

• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This book just sounds stunning, it is one I want to read soon, so when I saw it for so cheap I couldn’t not have it. I’ve barely seen any criticism of it, so I hope I am impressed by it as well!

Wow, I didn’t quite realise I had obtained 7 books until I typed this out! I think I have definitely got enough contemporary to read now, before this month I didn’t have any that I hadn’t read already. Thanks for reading, I will be posting again pretty soon with an April wrap up and May tbr, along with a review of ACOTAR!

 

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday – Authors I want to read more of

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme created by gingerreadslainey but now hosted by ThoughtsOnTomes.

When I first saw this topic, I thought it would be so easy, I had the idea in my head that I have a lot of authors I want to read more from. The truth is, I actually in reality always want to read from authors I haven’t read before, so that fact made this slightly harder to make. But fortunately, I do have 5 authors that I want to read more from, so here they are!

• Marie Rutkoski

Basically, I want to finish the Winner’s Curse trilogy. That counts, right? But seriously, I am really desperate to continue with this series. I read the first one a few months ago now, and reviewed it here. I didn’t get on amazingly well with the first book, but it was ok, I didn’t not like it. However, to tell you the truth, I read it because I wanted to read the second and third books, as I have heard so much praise for them. Yet I am at the point where I have read the first one and then stopped. What am I doing.

• Laini Taylor

I have said this a lot of times on my blog, but I adore the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (reviews here and here) and I can’t get enough of Laini Taylor’s writing. Or characters. Or plots. You get the idea. Strange the Dreamer is just sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. But the problem is, I really want to immerse myself in it, and I don’t have the time to do that right now. As soon as I finish my exams, I am reading that book.

• Daphne du Maurier

Going a bit classical now, just to mix things up. I read Rebecca a few years ago now, and it is one of my favourite books of all time. Which means I really need to read some of her other books. I definitely want to read Jamaica Inn, as well as My Cousin Rachel, which I think is meant to be more similar to Rebecca, which means I will most likely love it.

• VE Shwab

I have actually read a few books by VE Shwab (A Darker Shade of Magic, This Savage Song, Vicious) and I have really enjoyed all of them, especially Vicious (I am so excited for the sequel omg). But for some reason I haven’t got round to finishing the ADSOM series. Well I think it is just because I have got distracted by other books since I read the first one a year ago, as well as the fact I don’t own the other two.

• Ruta Sepetys

I loved Salt to the Sea, which means I really really need to read Between Shades of Grey especially, as it just sounds like something I would like. I always like it when a book opens my eyes to something I never knew about in history, which is what Salt to the Sea did, and I am hoping Between Shades of Grey will do that too.

Look out for a review of ACOTAR soon by the way, I have nearly finished it, so I am hoping to write a review for it this weekend! Thanks for reading!