Happy Bank Holiday 😊
Today, I thought I’d have some fun and share a few of the best, or most relatable, book memes which I’ve seen online this month!
I think my favourite is either the second or third – I can’t choose! Which one is your favourite?
– Elanor 🙂
Credit for all images used goes to their original creator.
Good morning!
I’ve seen a lot of other book bloggers sharing posts of their favourite book memes and I always enjoy reading them. I shared a few of my favourites a while back and I thought it would be fun to share some more!
I think the second one is my favourite! Which is your favourite?
– Elanor 🙂
Credit for all images goes to their original creator.
What a month November has been in terms of reading! I managed to clear down my TBR and had a great time doing so.
In November, I read 9 books:
1. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
This book was completely not what I expected it to be, but I really enjoyed it. At parts it was sad, at parts it was inspirational; it was a real emotional rollercoaster.
Rating: 4 Stars
2. Flambards by K. M. Peyton
For some reason, I’ve been putting off reading this book for a year. When I finally picked it up, I read it in less than twenty four hours; I absolutely loved it! The characters were interesting and I really liked the plot. I couldn’t put it down!
Rating: 5 Stars
3. The Edge Of The Cloud by K. M. Peyton
This is book two in the Flambards series. I really enjoyed the continuation of the story from book one and how different this book was in terms of how Will and Christina lived. However, this book definitely made me more emotional than the first.
Rating: 4 Stars
4. Flambards In Summer by K. M. Peyton
I thought book two was emotional… I was crying before I even reached chapter three in this book! That aside, I really enjoyed this book; I liked the development of the characters and enjoyed the plot. I can easily see how this book was the original end of the trilogy, so I was curious as to how the next book followed on.
Rating: 4 Stars
5. Flambards Divided by K. M. Peyton
I was so sad to read this, knowing it was the last book in the series; I didn’t want it to end! While I enjoyed this book, it was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. I felt like this book rounded off the characters’ stories nicely (although I would love a fifth book in the series) and was a nice end to the series.
Rating: 4 Stars
6. Wilde Like Me by Louise Pentland
It’s taken me a good long while to get around to reading this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions, but I loved the characters and the plot!
Rating: 4 Stars
7. Swimming Lessons by Lili Reinhart
I don’t read an awful lot of poetry anymore, but this was a lovely collection. Some resonated with me more than others and I already know that there will be some which I read over and over again.
Rating: 4 Stars
8. Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
I’ve read several of Holly Bourne’s books and am yet to read one that I haven’t enjoyed. This book dealt with mental health conditions including OCD and anxiety. While parts were hard to read and I went through a fair rollercoaster of emotions while reading, I really enjoyed this book.
Rating: 4 Stars
9. How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne
I absolutely loved this book! The setting made me want to go on holiday. I loved finding out more about Amber’s past and seeing the relationship between her and her Mum. One of the best things about this book was the truly perfect ending…
Rating: 5 Stars
– Elanor 🙂
Last night, I bought a copy of Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman for only 99p! I’ve wanted to read this book (graphic novel) for a while now, so I was very excited to read it…so excited in fact, that I read it in my lunch break at work.
The blurb is as follows:
“Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore, and he’s sort of got a boyfriend, even if he’s kind of mean and only wants to meet up in secret.
Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him. That is, until the start of January, in which Nick and Charlie are placed in the same form group and made to sit together.
They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…”
Overall, this was such a lovely read; I really enjoyed it! The characters were likeable and the story was really cute.
I was pretty surprised by how easy it was to read it as an ebook. It is only the second graphic novel that I’ve read, but I wasn’t sure if it would be ‘ruined’ somewhat by reading as an ebook…thankfully, I was wrong and it wasn’t any different to reading a physical book.
The only thing I disliked about the book was THE CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!! I’ll definitely have to read volume two!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I waited months to read this book and it was well worth the wait! It actually turned out to be my first five-star rated read of 2020!
The blurb of the book is as follows:
“Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. But with obsessive boyfriends, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, it seems this flatshare is more complicated than expected…“
I was almost certain that this was a book that I would love and I’m so pleased that it didn’t let me down. From chapter one, I was hooked; I couldn’t wait to find out more about Tiffy and Leon and I was curious as to where the story would go because it was so unlike any other book I’ve read.
The characters of Tiffy and Leon were amazing: I instantly wanted to be best friends with them both, although I also feel that everyone needs best friends like Gerty, Mo and Rachel in their lives!
I was so hooked by the book that I was reading it at every possible opportunity: before work, after work, any chance I got to finish another chapter and find out a bit more (I have never been so thankful for short chapters).
I have read some negative reviews of this book and honestly, each to their own, but personally, I absolutely adored it! I could gush on about it for pages and pages but that would take up far too much time (both mine in writing it and your’s in reading it).
If you’re looking for a fun, quirky read (&/ romance), I would definitely recommend this book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
First Impressions Friday is a weekly book meme created by J. W. Martin, in which you talk about a book which you have just started. Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little further. Based on this sampling, give a few first impressions and a prediction of what you’ll think by the end of the book!
Yesterday, I started reading The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, which is a book I’ve been dying to get round to for months now.
I’m currently a few chapters in and so far, I’m really enjoying it! I’ve read some mixed reviews on the book but I’m only seeing the positives at the minute.
Up until now, this has been a really fun read, which is exactly what I need right now, so I’m hoping that it will continue! I’ve found that I quite like both of the main characters, Tiffy and Leon, and I’m looking forward to seeing where their story going to go.
The blurb of this book is as follows:
“Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time. But with obsessive boyfriends, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, it seems this flatshare is more complicated than expected…”
Have you read The Flatshare? What did you think of it?
– Elanor 🙂
The other day, I saw a post by Pretty Purple Polka Dots, in which they took a reading speed test.
It looked pretty fun, so I also took the test, which you can find here.
The test asks you to read a page of text (at your normal reading speed) and answer three questions to check that you’ve read it.
It then calculates your reading speed and compares it to the national average (it’s an American company).
According to the test, I read 524 words per minute, which is a lot more than I expected!
You can then click through and see how quickly you would be able to read some famous novels if you kept reading at this speed. For example, if I kept reading at this speed I could finish reading:
I must admit, I’m not entirely convinced by some of these, particularly the War and Peace one, so I may have to test these out at some point!
If you take the test, comment your reading speed down below!
– Elanor 🙂
Last night, I finished reading Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens, which I’ve wanted to read for a while.
The book is the second in the Murder Most Unladylike series, of which I had previously read the first and third books.
The blurb of the book is as follows:
“Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for her birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t about Daisy at all. (Naturally, Daisy is furious).
Then one of their guests falls seriously, mysteriously, fatally ill – and everything points to poison.
Suddenly, Fallingford feels like a very dangerous place to be. And when someone close to Daisy looks suspicious, the girls must reveal the truth…no matter the consequences.”
This book was a really fun read!
It’s definitely aimed at younger readers (the age on the back of the book is 9+), but I think it would be enjoyed by people of all ages. The book has a feel of one of Enid Blyton’s school stories, but with a bit of an Agatha Christie twist, which I loved as they are two of my favourite authors. I didn’t work out who the murderer was, but I had a lot of fun trying (and failing) to work it out!
My Rating:
I can’t believe that the first month of 2020 is already almost over!
This month I’ve only listened to one audiobook but I plan on listening to more throughout the year.
In January I listened to the following audiobook:
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
I really enjoyed this one – it may be one of my favourite Agatha Raisin stories to date! I wasn’t a fan of Mrs Fortune, who was a new character this book; she actually made me liked Agatha more!
As usual, I really did not have a clue who the murderer was but, surprisingly, I actually sort of sympathised with them once it was revealed who they were…
– Elanor 🙂
Based on the books due to be released this year, 2020 is going to be a good year for reading!
Here are the books I’m most looking forward to being released in 2020:
1. Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
This was originally meant to be released in November and I was very disappointed when the release was pushed back. It’s now due to be published on 3rd March 2020.
2. A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy!!! This is due to be released on 19th May 2020 and is one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year!
3. One Of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus
This is the sequel to One Of Us Is Lying and I can’t wait to read it! It’s released this week and I can’t wait for my copy to arrive!
4. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
This is the sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder which I read last year. It’s due to be released on 30th April 2020.
5. Eve Of Man: Book Two by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
The second book in the Eve Of Man trilogy (at the time of writing this post, the cover still hadn’t been revealed). The book is due to be released on 28th May 2020.
Which books are you most looking forward to this year?
– Elanor
Reading At Teatime 