Milestones Write Tag

It’s the second day of NaNoWriMo and I have been writing, writing, writing. I’m trying my hardest to get as ahead as I can (because I know there’ll be days where I write little to nothing at all) and I figured the best way to introduce my WIP was to take part in one of Kat’s Write tags. I was tagged by Kat at Life and Other Disasters, who also created this tag, and Sophie at Sophie’s Corner. Thank you both so much for the tag, I had a lot of fun with this one so I hope you enjoy reading my answers just as much.

Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you but also link back to the original post! (I want to see all your lovely answers, people!)
• Provide a short description of your WIP/story!

My WIP for NaNoWriMo this year is the same project I had last year but with a few key changes. I’ve replaced some old characters, added some new ones, and changed a few minor (major) plot points.

Aria was murdered ten years ago, and now she’s been brought back from the dead she wants vengeance for her fellow demigods killed alongside her. With no memories of her past she doesn’t know who to trust. Elias, the brother she no longer knows? Zeva, a fellow demigod seeking eternal power? Rin, a thief seeking forgiveness? Rhian, a pirate seeking peace. Only one thing’s for sure; Aria’s return signals a new era, and everyone is out for themselves.

• Don’t use just one character for all answers if possible! (We want to get to know as many of your characters as possible)

Discussion Time: How to Set Aside Time for Your WIP (and Not Get Distracted)

If you’re anything like me then you know how much of a b***h procrastination can be, even when it comes to something I love as much as writing and as much as my current WIP there’s always that small voice in the back of my mind saying; “you still have plenty of time left, you can get around to that later”. But “later” never comes.

I’ve always been this way, and it seems like blogging has been the only aspect of my life that’s escaped my procrastination tendencies because in the run up to the start of a November and the start of NaNoWriMo when I should be working on my WIP plan I’m consistently putting it off.

How to Set Aside Time for Your WIP (and Not Get Distracted)

Discussion Time: Plotting and Planning a WIP

There’s no right or wrong way to write a book (OK maybe that’s not true because I think what I’m doing now, which is not writing at all, is the wrong way to write a book) but everyone has a different way of going about it. There are people who plan every chapter and character, and people who start writing with nothing more than an idea and a blank Word document.

Those are the two extremes, you may be a mix of the two (which is where I think I am). This post isn’t to discuss the right and wrong ways to plan a WIP (like I said I don’t think there is a wrong way), but in the run up to NaNoWriMo I want to talk more about writing and WIPs to help me get my head back in the game.

Plotting and Planning a WIP

August 2018 Recap

After going on three amazing holidays over the course of June and July, celebrating my birthday and taking part in Camp NaNo (even though I didn’t get too far) August felt very much like a ‘nothing’ month for me.

Still I managed to get through eleven books, and I’m still ahead on my Goodreads Reading Challenge, so August wasn’t a complete write off. I just had a lot of personal things going on and while it wasn’t all bad it kind of put a bummer on August as a whole.

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Books I Read

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan – Four stars

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan – Four stars

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan – Five stars

Demigods and Magicians by Rick Riordan – Four stars

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – Four stars

In Time by Alexandra Bracken – Four stars

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken – Five stars

Sparks Rise by Alexandra Bracken – Four stars

In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken – Five stars

Beyond the Night by Alexandra Bracken – Five stars

The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken – Four stars

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As long as I stay ahead of my Goodreads Reading Challenge I’m happy. I’ve worked out that in order to meet my goal of 125 books this year I need to read 9.75 books each month, and for me that’s an easy goal. Looking back there’s only been more than one month where I’ve read less than ten books.

The best book I picked up in August was The Serpent’s Shadow. Again Rick Riordan has written an incredible series; I loved getting to know Carter and Sadie and loved learning more about Egyptian mythology. Granted I wasn’t a massive fan of the love triangle in the second book but I’m hoping we’ll see more of Carter and Sadie in one of Riordan’s other series one day.

The worst book I picked up this month was The Darkest Minds. It wasn’t terrible, I ended up rating it four stars which just shows how good all the other books I picked up this month were if this was the worst, but it didn’t have the same emotional impact the other books in the series had, and even with the love triangle I can never not wholly love Rick Riordan’s writing.

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My WIP

There’s not much I can really report on when it comes to my WIP, I’m sticking to the plan I outlined last month and at the moment (to my everlasting surprise) it’s actually going OK.

There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done before the start of NaNoWriMo but at the moment I have a much better idea of where I want my WIP to go, and as of yet there haven’t been a hundred new plot ideas screaming for attention in my mind. Also I’ve found that using what I’ve come up with before, previous drafts, plot outlines, and character templates, as a starting point makes planning a lot easier.

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Life in General

My friend and I went to so many flat viewings. It started off being very exciting, but quickly got tiring. Don’t get me wrong I want to be able to move out, and it’s fun viewing possible places we could one day live, but it’s a lot of effort and energy. So far we’ve seen eight places, and while a couple have come close none of them have been quite perfect yet.

I finally got down to the cinema to see Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. There are some serious timeline inconsistencies, which I caught even not having seen the first film since it was released, but it’s such a fun, feel-good film you can’t help but leave the cinema smiling.

During the August bank holiday I went with my dad to Kew Gardens. It’s a fair trek from where I live so it’s not something I get the opportunity to do every time I’m in London but it’s been ages since I last went and they recently re-opened the Temperate House so why not? Surprisingly my favourite part was actually the Princess of Wales Conservatory, not the Temperate House.

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I didn’t buy many books this month, but let’s just say I’m going to quality over quantity. Or let’s say I’m saving up for next month when so many pre-orders will be arriving on my doorstep.

Books

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
• Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

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September is going to be all about new releases, and I can’t wait because some of my most anticipated reads of this year are finally coming out. There’s City of Ghosts and Vengeful, which I know are going to be incredible because they’re written by V.E. Schwab, and Wildcard, which I know I’ll love because after the ending to Warcross you can tell it’s going to be an epic story.

I also have a couple of ARCs I need to get around to, both of which sound amazing so both of which I can’t wait to dive right into.

I am going to be changing my posting schedule in September. Previously I’ve been posting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and every other Friday, but going forwards I’ll be posting on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and every other Friday and/or Saturday. So one week I’ll post on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and then the following week I’ll post on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

(It should be easier to understand than I’m making it seem when I actually start posting).

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I hope everyone else had a good August, and I hope you all have an even better September as well.

Did anyone else have a book-buying slump this month, or do you end up with too many books every month? Has anyone else seen and loved Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again? Who else is really excited for releases like Vengeful and Wildcard, or is there another September release you can’t wait for? Let me know.

Happy reading!

June and July Recap

Bear with me, because this is going to be a long post. At the end of the last month I was still on holiday, so instead of posting my June recap late I decided to combine June and July into one post.

When you add the two months together I was very very busy. I got a lot of reading done but not as much blogging as I’d hoped, and I was travelling much more than I’d planned to be but my writing seemed to fall into a black hole as a result.

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Books I Read

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – Four stars

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – Four stars

Gilded Cage by Vic James – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Tarnished City by Vic James – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Bright Ruin by Vic James – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Four stars

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman – Five stars

Save the Date by Morgan Matson – Five stars

Always Never Yours by  Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde – Four stars
Check out my review here.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – Three stars

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson – Five stars

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo – Two stars

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows – Four stars
Check out my review here.

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows – Three stars

LifeL1K3 by Jay Kristoff – Five stars

Bright We Burn by Kiersten White – Five stars

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh – Four stars

Lucky in Love by Kasie West – Two stars

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West – Four stars

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West – Four stars

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I’m finally ahead on my Goodreads Reading Challenge, but when you take into account how many books I read in June (sixteen of the twenty-four listed above) that’s not a surprise. When it comes to reading I am a machine when I’m lazing around on beach holidays.

The best book I picked up in June was Bright Ruin, and in July Bright We Burn. Both of these were endings to favourite series of mine, and both exceeded my expectations. There was a lot to wrap up in both of these books, but Vic James and Kiersten White both wrote brilliant stories that kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page.

The worst book I picked up in June was I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and in July Lucky in Love. I go into more detail in my reviews for each (which I hope to post soon) but my issues with both of these books were with the main character, and because I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Lucky in Love were told in first person POV it was hard to look past that to enjoy the rest of the story.

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My WIP

I mentioned at the beginning of this recap that my writing fell into a black hole these past two months and wow did it ever. In May I set myself a goal to write 25K words a month, thinking after taking part in last years’ NaNo that would be easy, but it turned out to be anything but. I even tried taking part in Camp NaNo in July but at the end of the month I didn’t get any writing done.

One of my problems is I impulsively edit as I go along; I can never just sit down, write a draft, and stick with one idea from beginning to end. While taking part in Camp NaNo I came up with a new idea for where I wanted my WIP to go which meant I had to dump everything I’d written before (about 5K words) to make it work.

So I’ve come with a new plan, one I am 100% determined to stick to. For the next three months I’m going to carefully plan my current WIP so when it comes to NaNoWriMo this November I can start writing it and hopefully not be lured by the siren call of the new ideas that pop into my head.

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Life in General

It was my birthday in June so there was a lot of celebrating and a lot of yummy food. One evening I went out for Japanese with my family, and another day went to the House of MinaLima – which is four floors full of Harry Potter art from the movies – with one of my friends.

Later we went and got Bubblewraps; I had strawberry shortcake ice cream with Oreos and white chocolate sauce, and my friend had matcha ice cream with hazelnuts. Both were very yummy.

The rest of both June and July were taken up by my holidays. For ten days at the end of June/beginning of July I was in Dubai and Mauritius with my sister; we spent five nights in Dubai before flying down to Mauritius. It was the holiday of a lifetime, and both countries were incredible in very different ways.

I also went on a very unexpected holiday to Croatia. My sister had booked this but when her original plans fell through she asked if I wanted to go with her instead. Croatia has always been somewhere I’ve wanted to visit, mainly because it looks like a beyond beautiful country, so I jumped at the chance.

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I did a lot of book shopping in June/July, but I will be cutting back in August and a fair few of the books below were birthday presents so I don’t feel so bad about how much money I spent.

Books

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 20th Anniversary Edition by J.K. Rowling
• My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
• The Mermaid by Christina Henry
• Gilded Cage by Vic James
• Tarnished City by Vic James
• Bright Ruin by Vic James
• Spark by Alice Broadway
• Bright We Burn by Kiersten White
• LifeL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

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Fairy Loot

• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton

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I have absolutely zero plans for August at the moment, both in terms of what I’ll be reading and what I’ll be doing. I can’t even say there are any new book releases I’m super excited for, although my copy of The Girl in the Tower will be arriving at the beginning of August so I’ll likely try and read that before the month is over.

Other than that maybe I’ll get some more re-reading done, or pick up some books that have been on my TBR list for ages that I still haven’t gotten around to. Who knows? I’ll very much be taking August as it comes.

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I hope everyone else had a good June and July, and I hope you all have an even better August as well.

How have the past two months been for everyone? Did you have any epic trips you went on, or are your summer holidays still to come? Are there any books being released in August that you’re excited for, or will you been going back to old favourites like I likely will? Let me know.

Happy reading!

May 2018 Recap

May was a much better month for me. There’s still a lot going on in my life at the moment that isn’t so great but after April it’s nothing I can’t handle.

Reading wise though, May was another brilliant month. I managed to get through twelve books, which is again a 2018 personal best tied with last month, and I’m catching up on my Goodreads Reading Challenge too. Give me another month and I may even be ahead of my 125 book goal for the year.

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Books I Read

End of Days by Susan Ee – Four stars

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Circe by Madeline Miller – Five stars
Check out my review here.

State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury – Three stars
Check out my review here.

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Ōkami by Renee Ahdieh – Three stars
Check out my review here.

Yumi by Renee Ahdieh – Three stars
Check out my review here.

Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi – Five stars

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik – Five stars

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning – Five stars

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake – Four stars

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I’m very steadily catching up on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. After getting through 12 books in April and another 12 in May I am 100% confident that by the time we come to the end of June I’ll not only be on track but ahead of my goal for the year.

The best book I picked up in May was Circe. There was a lot of competition this month because I got through some incredible books, but Circe was a tiny bit ahead of the rest. The development Circe went though over the thousands of years she was exiled on Aiaia was wonderful to explore, and Madeline Miller is the queen of Greek mythology retellings in my mind.

The worst book I picked up this month was Ōkami. It wasn’t terrible but what counted against it were the facts that it was a short story that didn’t add much to either Ōkami’s character or the overall story arc for the Flame in the Mist duology. Granted it didn’t take long to read at all, but you don’t need to pick this one up to understand what’s happening in Smoke in the Sun.

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My WIP

I’ve finally started writing again. This is a big moment for me, and while I can’t really say I’ve written a lot this month I have got something down on a Word document, and that’s more than I could have said previously this year.

One of the things I’m doing, and this is something I’ve always done no matter what I’m writing, is editing as I go along. So far I’ve written just under 5K words, but every single one of those words has been re-written at least once because when I finish a paragraph I go back and re-write it, and then when I finish a page or scene I’ll go back and re-work sections of it.

This was something I was doing even while working towards 50K words last November for NaNo. What I’m doing going forwards is setting myself a goal of 25K words a month, because maybe that will force me to cut down on my ad-hoc editing until I’ve finished the second draft of my WIP.

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Life in General

There were two bank holidays in May, and they were sorely needed. During the first my mum and I took part in Southend’s Great Pier Walk. It’s something we do every year, walking up and down the longest pier in the world (and the pier that’s burnt down the most times as well).

I went to see Hairspray live on evening, again with my mum. I’d seen the movie before when it was first released, but it was something special being able to see it live on stage.

During the second bank holiday I travelled up to London and went to the V&A exhibition Fashioned From Nature. I took a fashion-related course while at university so it’s always something I enjoy learning more about. The exhibition focused on the way nature contributed to fashions of the past, and the affect fashions of the present are having on nature now.

I started talking to one of my friends about us potentially moving out and buying a place together, just as a first step to get us both on the property ladder. Granted we’re still at the very beginning stages of everything, but I’m very excited about potentially getting to live with one of my best friends again.

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A lot of books were released in May, so a lot of pre-orders were arriving on my doorstep. All I can say is it’s a good job I carefully budget each month.

Books

• A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
• The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
• Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber
• Vicious by V.E. Schwab

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eBooks

• Ōkami by Renee Ahdieh
• Yumi by Renee Ahdieh

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Fairy Loot

• Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
• Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

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In terms of what I’ll be reading in June I’m still going to be catching up with some of the May releases I haven’t gotten around to yet. One June release I am so excited to get my hands on though is My Plain Jane, and I expect a lot more YA contemporary will be moving over to my ‘read’ list next month. Now that summer’s here and the weather is reflecting that I’m in a very “YA contemporary” mood.

I will also be taking a mini-break from blogging mid-June. I’m heading off the Dubai and Mauritius with my sister this month, so from June 20th I’ll be away from WordPress until July 5th when I get back home again and have recovered from the jet lag I’ll no doubt be stuck with.

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I hope everyone else had a good May, and I hope you all have an even better June as well.

Does anyone else have any exciting summer holidays coming up, or do you plan to stay and enjoy the sun you have at home? Who else is really excited for the release of My Plain Jane, or is there another June release you can’t wait for? Let me know.

Happy reading!

April 2018 Recap

I’m going to be honest and admit that April was pretty much a massive write-off for me.

Granted it wasn’t all bad. Blogging and reading wise I’d say I had a great month, and there were even a few highlights in my day-to-day life, but overall this was the month I just wanted to hibernate and not get out of bed until May arrived. Still, looking on the bright side, my year can only go up from here on out.

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Books I Read

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Lost Boy by Christina Henry – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu – Four stars

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller – Four stars

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller – Five stars

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon – Three stars

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – Four stars

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Leah on the Offbeat – Four stars

Angelfall by Susan Ee – Four stars

World After by Susan Ee – Five stars

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I am still behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge, but I’m catching up. I was playing around with the idea of lowering my goal but now I’m more confident that I can catch up and I can read 125 books before the end of 2018. I got through 12 books in April, so I’m aiming to get through the same amount next month.

The best book I picked up in April was Lost Boy. Considering some of the other books I read this month, some of which were highly anticipated releases of mine for 2018, this is definitely a surprise but it was an incredible book. I love fairytale retellings but it’s rare I find a Peter Pan one I enjoy as much as I did this book.

The worst book I picked up this month was From Twinkle, with Love. I still enjoyed it, I did end up rating it three stars after all, but I just had a few issues with Twinkle’s character and some of the things she did, and as this book was told from Twinkle’s POV it made it hard to move past that and enjoy the other parts of this story as much.

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My WIP

I had planned to start re-writing my WIP this month, unfortunately due to the mess that was my April I never got around to actually writing anything.

What I did do was re-read my original draft from NaNoWriMo last year. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I actually found a few scenes and chapters I can use in my new draft, which I am hoping to start writing next month.

I also have a new direction for two of my characters, which makes this about the hundredth new direction some part of my WIP has gone in. Slowly, little by little, I am recognizing less and less of my WIP from the idea I had last November when I started NaNo but that’s part of the fun of writing right?

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Life in General

Love, Simon was released in the UK at the beginning of April, so of course I rushed to the cinema to see it. Yes, it was as amazing as everyone has been saying it is, yes, I have already pre-ordered the DVD so I can watch it all over again, and yes, I would highly recommend it to everyone who hasn’t already seen it.

I also went to the midnight showing of Avengers: Infinity War with my friend the day it was released. It was an incredible film, but also shocking, heartbreaking, terrifying. I loved it, but why do we have to wait a whole year for the next one to be released?!

At the end of the month I went to Oxford for the day with my mum. We explored the city and saw some of the locations they filmed parts of the Harry Potter movies in, which was kind of exciting. Oxford is beautiful, and it also gave me another location for my Reading Around the World feature, so you have that to look forwards to at some point in the future.

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Sometimes when you’re having a bad month and feeling a little down the only answer is to buy books, which is what I ended up doing in April.

Books

• Renegades by Marissa Meyer
• Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
• Defy the World by Claudia Gray
• Circe by Madeline Miller

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There are some incredible books being released in May, and two I really really can’t wait for are Legendary by Stephanie Garber and A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. However the release of the latter means I need to try and get around to The Assassin’s Blade and Tower of Dawn, which have been sitting on my bookshelves unread now for longer than I care to admit.

I think May is going to end up being a quiet month for me. I don’t have a lot of plans and most of my money is going towards my big holiday this year which is coming up in June (not long to go now). So don’t expect a jam-packed May Recap from me at the end of next month.

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I hope everyone else had a good April, and I hope you all have an even better May as well.

Are you surprised by how quickly this year has gone so far (how is May here already?!) or do you have exciting plans for the summer coming up that mean you want the year to go by even quicker? Let me know what book you brought this month, has anyone else read Circe yet?

Happy reading!

March 2018 Recap

Where is spring? Does anyone know because it sure as hell isn’t here in England.

After the insane weather we had at the end of February and March I cannot wait for summer and for the warmer weather to finally arrive, but will it ever arrive, who knows at this point? Another month has been and gone; and I officially started my new job, read and re-read some incredible books, and overall just had a pretty decent month.

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Books I Read

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Four stars
Check out my review here.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – Five stars

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian – Four stars

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid – Four stars

The Empress by S.J. Kincaid – Currently reading

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I am officially behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Maybe 125 books was too ambitious. I’d fallen behind on my blogging and my reviewing so this month I let my reading fall in the wayside while I caught up. Still it’s only the end of March, I still have nine months to go to get back on track and now I’m caught up on my blogging I can catch up on reading again.

The best book I picked up in February was – and this will come as no surprise considering how excited I was for its release during my February Recap post – Obsidio. It lived up to the hype I created for it in my head and had me on the edge of my seat. There was plenty from all my favourite characters, especially AIDAN, and all in all it was a perfect ending to the series.

The worst book I picked up this month was also Obsidio, because as amazing as it was the fact that it’s been released and I’ve read it means one of my all-time favourite series is now over. I have nothing left to come from the world or the characters I loved so much, there is nothing more Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff will be writing for this series.

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My WIP

Am I on track to start re-writing my WIP now it’s nearly April? No. Am I going to start re-writing my WIP now it’s nearly April? Yes.

I’ve discovered that on its own planning and researching aren’t strengths of mine. The main reason is that my WIP changes so often once I start writing it, I go off on so many tangents, that half of my outlines and research notes are never used.

I have a solid-ish plan for the first ten chapters – which includes a plot outline and chapter-by-chapter breakdown, character names, world building notes, and plenty of aesthetics. After that, for chapter eleven onwards, I’m going to see where my story takes me and plan as I write. Based on the work I did for NaNo last November that’s where my strengths lie; editing and researching as I go along.

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Life in General

There was a Winnie-the-Pooh exhibition at the V&A, and the second I saw it advertised I knew I had to go. Alongside Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland it was the Winnie-the-Pooh stories that defined my early childhood. The exhibition was amazing, going through the history of the author and his inspiration for the books, and how the stories have been developed throughout the years.

Every year I go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, and this year was no exception. No matter how many times I’ve been (and it’s been quite a few times now) there’s always something I love seeing and there’s nothing quite like seeing the doors open onto the Great Hall at the very beginning of the tour.

I finally got around to seeing The Greatest Showman at the cinema, better late than never right? It was just as amazing as everyone told me it was, and the second I left the cinema I was on Amazon buying the soundtrack and pre-ordering the DVD.

Other notable things that happened this month were that I started my new job – so I was very busy at work this month – brought a new car, and started baking again – unfortunately there are no photos to share with you yet, but come next month’s recap there will be pictures I can share of the yummy things I’ve made.

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More books were brought in March, and while not all of those books have been read yet I actually think my buying habits were pretty well controlled this month.

Books

• The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
• The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
• The Empress by S.J. Kincaid

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Platform 9 3/4

• Hufflepuff notebook
• Hufflepuff socks
• Ticket to Hogwarts
• Hufflepuff lanyard
• Hedwig keychain

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Harry Potter Studio Tour

• Newt Scamander scarf
• Exploding Bonbons
• Chocolate wand

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Fairy Loot

• State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury

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Book wise I don’t think there’s much I’m desperately excited for being released in April, Leah on the Offbeat being the one exception to that statement. We also have the Love, Simon movie coming out in the UK next month so I’ll be able to see the movie and read Becky Albertalli’s new release all in the same month. I am definitely going to get around to Children of Blood and Bone, but other than that my TBR list is a mystery for me(the life and trials of a mood reader).

There is nothing worthy of noting here that I have planned for April, asides from a few birthdays coming up (so I need to get present shopping). However this may be a good thing because it gives me a chance to catch up on reading and get to grips with re-writing my WIP; wish me luck.

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I hope everyone else had a good March, and I hope you all have an even better April as well.

Let me know what books you’ve read during the third month of the year, and if you’re holding out hope for warmer weather to arrive soon? Is April a quiet month for you like it seems to be for me, and what do people who’ve seen it think of the Love, Simon movie, no spoilers please?

Happy reading!

February 2018 Recap

(Let’s all pretend I’m posting this recap at the end of February rather than the beginning of March).

It’s cliché I know, I even started my first recap of the year with this, but where has the month gone?! February is the shortest month of the year and this year I could really tell because I’m struggling to think of what I did with myself over the last twenty-eight days. It was a bit of a mixed month for me, but overall there was more good than bad.

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Books I Read

Wires and Nerve: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer – Four stars
Check out my review here.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton – Five stars

Tales from Sand and Sea by Alwyn Hamilton – Four stars

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – Five stars
Check out my review here.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner – Four stars

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray – Five stars

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green – Four stars

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – Five stars

Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor – Five stars

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Again (as of the end of February at least) I’m on track to complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 125 by the end of the year. However I’m thinking of lowering it. I don’t know if I can reach my goal and the thought of falling behind is giving me low-key anxiety issues. I’d rather lower my challenge to an amount I know I can read but still try to 125 books.

The best book I picked up in February was really hard to narrow down. Last month I bemoaned how long it took me to finally have a five star read but this month there were a couple of outstanding and incredible books I got through. I think I’m going to have to go for Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This was a re-read for me but it was just as magical and enchanting the second time around as the first.

The worst book I picked up this month was again another really hard choice because all the books I picked up were good. Tales from Sand and Sea was good, don’t get me wrong, but as a collection of short stories from the Rebel of the Sands trilogy I didn’t really have any expectations for it and all in all it was kind of forgettable compared to the other books I picked up.

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My WIP

To everyone out there who knows how much of an epic procrastinator I am it’s probably going to come as no surprise when I say I’m still a little behind compared to where I wanted to be on my WIP. My original plan was to start writing in March but currently I am only halfway into my plan/research stages (it was the naming of my characters which has thrown me off schedule).

Now my plan is to finish my plot outline, finish naming all my characters (God help me), and finish expanding my world before starting the actual re-write of my WIP in April. Just in time for Camp NaNoWriMo (do you see what I did there).

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Life in General

I splurged and had afternoon tea with my best friend in London. We’d waited months for a table for Cutter & Squidge’s Genie’s Cave Afternoon Tea to open up, but let me tell you it was well worth the wait. The food was incredible and we are definitely going back there again, they do different themes every few months and come summer there’s going to be something new.

I also made it to the Harry Potter History of Magic exhibition at the British Library, something else I’d waited months for. It was amazing, there was a different room for each class Harry had at Hogwarts filled with historical and cultural facts that J.K. Rowling had used to create the world.

The Beast from the East (God I hate that name) hit the UK, and then Storm Emma came along afterwards bringing snow, snow, and even more snow to the UK. I know other countries out there have it worse than what we’ve had in the UK, but we’re a country that’s never prepared for extremes in weather, and it’s been horrible. It’s March and there’s supposed to be blossom on the trees but we still have snow on the ground.

Sorry, rant over.

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After January I seem to have hit the other extreme in book hauls and didn’t buy much in February, but wait until you see the books that will be in my March haul.

Books

• Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
• Harry Potter: A History of Magic by British Library

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Fairy Loot

• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

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OBSIDIO! OBSIDIO! OBSIDIO!

Can anyone guess what book I’m excited for this month? There are some incredible March releases but Obsidio is at the top of my every list, as soon as I have it in my hands I’ll be getting started on it. I’m also planning more re-reading; I want to finish the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and in preparation for Obsidio I’m going to be picking up Illuminae and Gemina again as well.

I start my new job on Monday (I am both nervous and excited) so it may be a bit of a struggle at first juggling my increased workload with blogging but I have faith in my time management skills. I hope to end March on track when it comes to blogging and ready to start the re-write of my WIP.

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I hope everyone else had a good February, and I hope you all have an even better March as well.

Let me know what books you’ve read during the second month of the year, and if you’ve found yourself wondering where this month has gone? Does anyone have any big plans for March, they don’t have to be blogging or reading plans, and who else is beyond excited for the release of Obsidio?

Happy reading!

January 2018 Recap

I’m going to try something new for my monthly recaps; instead of talking about the books I reviewed each month I’m going to feature the books I read, there will be an update on how my WIP is going, and some snapshots of my life in general.

I feel like I start most of my recaps this way, and I know a few other people have for this past month, but January is now finished so I have to put in this post my usual ‘how is January already over’ question. Seriously though, where did the last month go, does anyone know? Overall January was a great month for me, but more about that a little later in my recap.

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Books I Read

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert – Four stars
Check out my review here.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr – Two stars
Check out my review here.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr – Two stars
Check out my review here.

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven – Four stars

Furyborn by Claire Legrand – Four stars

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman – Four stars

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – Three stars

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown – Five stars

The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman – Four stars

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman – Five stars

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So far I’m on track to complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 125 by the end of the year. I’m hoping I manage to keep my current reading pace going, because I feel like at one point this year I am going to fall behind a little.

The best book I picked up in January was, no surprise, Iron Gold. It was my first five star reading of the year and while it wasn’t as good as Morning Star it was a brilliant addition to my favourite series. I’m very excited that we’re getting the next book in the Red Rising Saga later this year because I can’t wait to see where things go for Darrow next.

The worst book I picked up in January was The Truth and Lies of Ella Black. There were so many plot points in the story that made no sense, I hated the main character, and the relationship in this book was the worst case of insta-love I’ve ever read. The only thing I can say I enjoyed about The Truth and Lies of Ella Black was the setting.

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My WIP

So I fell a little behind when it comes to my WIP in January. I had planned to focus on research and re-planning everything, but I started off with naming my characters (all of my characters, because I have a tendency to call some of them UMC or UFC (Unnamed Male/Female Character)) and that turned out to be a big mistake.

I’m still hoping to start writing in March, it just means I need to get a lot more planning done in February. I’ve put the naming of my characters asides for one moment to focus on world building which is much more fun.

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Life in General

At the end of last month (you may have noticed I went on a mini unplanned and unannounced hiatus) I went to Romania with my friend. We travelled through Bucharest, Brasov and all the way up to Bâlea Lake. We saw Bran Castle, Peles Castle, and froze most of our toes off staying overnight in the Ice Hotel. All in all a great way to start off the year.

I went to launch party for the release of Alwyn Hamilton’s Hero at the Fall. I haven’t managed to get around to reading the book yet (I was flying to Romania the very next day) but it’s high on my to-read list for February.

I got promoted at work! I mentioned in my end of year recap that I’d gone for a new job and I found out at the end of the month (the same day as the Hero at the Fall launch party) that I was successful and I was being promoted.

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Christmas money from December means I brought a lot of books this month, I just couldn’t resist.

Books

• Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
• Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
• Shadowblack by Sebastien De Castell
• Wires and Nerve Volume 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
• Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan
• Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

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Meraki Candles

• Antari

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Fairy Loot

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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There’s not a lot being released this month; so my reading goals are going to be on getting around to some of the books I brought last month but haven’t picked up yet before my highly anticipated March releases are out. High on my list are Hero at the Fall and The Bear and the Nightingale, I also need to finish my reread of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

I want to try and end February being on track to complete my Goodreads Reading Challenge, and as well as blogging I need to research my WIP like I’ve never researched anything before and I want to start baking again.

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I hope everyone else had a good January, and I hope you all have an even better February as well.

Let me know what books you’ve read during the first month of the year, and if you’ve been anywhere on holiday yet? Does anyone have any big plans, reading or otherwise, for February? And if anyone has advise on naming characters in their WIPs please share it with me.

Happy reading!