The Game | Creative Writing

 

Thursday 23rd February 2017 

5 Mini Book Reviews

In an effort to talk more about the books I've been reading & loving, I thought I'd put a little spin on my usual book review style. I like to write long, in-depth reviews because I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on a lot of things but it steadily grew more daunting to write them - especially if they were for a book I've really loved. I try my best to think critically and logically about books when I review them as I'm a v emotional person and sometimes my emotions cloud my judgement, but that meant that I wasn't ever talking about the books that really moved me. Today I thought I'd challenge myself to write tiny reviews of the books I've read so far this year - using 100 words or less.

New To The Shelves 04

I haven't posted a book haul in a good ol' while and that's literally because I haven't bought books in ages. I went through an awful reading slump last year and I can feel my taste in books evolving (which I'll touch on in another post if you'd like?) which has meant more books have been leaving my shelves than joining them - until recently, when I bought five books within the space of about a week. Today I thought I'd share them with you, along with some DVDs I've also added to my collection! Yay!

23 Books I Read In 2016

{ B l o g m a s :: day twenty-three }

2016 was a pretty mediocre reading year for me. I spoke a lot about the reasons why I'd fallen out of love with reading way back in my 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge update last year and the points I listed have only magnified this year. I did read a few really good books, though, and although I haven't completed my reading challenge for 2016 I'm pretty happy with the amount I have read. And I mean, there's still a little time left in this year. Maybe I'll read two books between now and then!

Bookcase Tour 2016

{ B l o g m a s :: day sixteen }

I posted my first bookcase tour last Summer but it's changed multiple times since then! I used to have a three-shelved bookcase made from warm-toned wood which didn't suit me, my books or my décor style at all so I've since invested in two white bookcases from Ikea. A Billy bookcase replaced the one from my old post & I also got this tall bookcase that I've placed up against the side of my wardrobe. I did used to store my contemporary books on the Billy bookcase but I swapped them over to the bigger one recently because I needed the space! I've gotten rid of a ton of books recently and I've only kept my real favourites which all fit on it perfectly.

Fictional Women Who Inspire Me

{ B l o g m a s :: day six }

Whenever I'm having a particularly hard time I tend to run head first into my favourite fictional worlds for a lil bit of escapism, but also for inspiration. I love that by reading or watching a story, you can see not only the problem but the cause, struggles and resolution. I find comfort in seeing exactly how a character has overcome something and how their life carries on afterwards. Today I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite fictional women and the ways they inspire me. (Lil warning: this post will contain spoilers.)

Christmas Gift Guide: Gifts for Harry Potter Fans

I'm really into Harry Potter again at the moment (scratch that, aren't I always?) and I feel the releases of The Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts have also re-ignited the spark in a lot of other people across the word. Today I thought I'd share some gifts perfect for the budding wizard in your life ~

On Self-Love and My New House Colours



Something I feel at least 90% of my generation has in common is Harry Potter. We grew up with the books and the films, and experienced Hogwarts as Harry himself was experiencing it. The youngest among us had a chapter read to us at bedtime by our parents, whilst the oldest devoured each book as they came alone. There's something so innocently magical about Harry Potter and the way wizarding life wove its way into our mundane. I especially take it more seriously than I arguably should, but I'm not embarrassed or ashamed by it.

I was intending for this post to be quite light-hearted but as I reached the final paragraph I felt a surge of sadness, relief and liberation. I'd thought my journey of self-love and self-exploration was going quite well, on the surface at least. I indulge in self-care often and tend to my anxiety every day. But I think that mental health aside I have a long way to go in terms of truly loving who I am and honestly wanting the best for myself, and bizarrely enough something as little (although big to me) as changing Hogwarts Houses has sparked something that I've been in need of for a long time.  

Book Unhaul



Following the impulsive yet almighty purge of my bedroom, I shared with you my updated cruelty-free makeup collection and explained a little bit about items I've kept and gotten rid of, and I figured it was about time I did the same with my book collection. I donated a lot of books to charity shops - an entire black bag full, in fact - and my bookshelves look and feel a whole lot better because of it. I even have some gaps to fill now! Some of the books I donated are shown in the photo above but a lot of them aren't because I didn't have the idea to photograph them before I bundled them into the car.

New To The Shelves 03



 Hihi! Welcome to my second book haul of 2016. It's been a while since I bought a bunch of books in a short space of time - I've generally been picking them up here and there whenever I've come across one I like the look of - but recently I had a little splurge on Amazon (and an even smaller one in Tesco) and thought I'd share it with ya.

The Crown by Kiera Cass



Title: The Crown

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: YA Dystopian

Length: 279 pages

 

Published: 3rd May 2016

 

Aw guyssssss. I so wanted to like this book! I mentioned in my review of The Heir that I was a bit hesitant to read the two final additions to The Selection series as sequels are never as good as the original book and unfortunately this theory manifested into reality when I read The Crown. I quite liked The Heir - although I didn't love it as much as I did the first three Selection books - but I really struggled through The Crown.

Goodreads Reading Challenge Update

We've officially stepped into the second half of 2016 and although that is terrifying and baffling, it is also the perfect time to reflect on my 2016 Goals and any other little challenges I set myself at the beginning of the year. One of these challenges happens to be my Goodreads Reading Challenge and today I thought I'd share my progress with ya!

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

 

Title: Finding Audrey

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 286 pages

Published: 9th June 2015

I first heard about Finding Audrey when I was on holiday this time last year. My dad had the TV on in the background whilst we were getting ready to go out and Sophie Kinsella was on a programme (something on the BBC idk)  talking about her new book, which focused on a girl named Audrey that had anxiety. I instantly bookmarked it in my mind but then I realised it was only out in hardcover (and you guys know I hate those) so I pushed it from my mind and didn't really think about it again. Until recently when I saw that the paperback had been released and picked it up in Tesco! 

My Self-Care Book Collection

It's no secret that I love books, but what is surprising is the amount of time I'm investing into books that aren't fiction - and how rapidly my collection of non-fiction lifestyle-y books is growing. I've always found comfort in reading and I connect with written quotes a lot better than I do a verbal lecture. I think it's the writer in me that just has this passion for words and the ability to appreciate them on a deeper level. A lot of these books, I feel, are also replacing the need for emotional creativity that stopped for me when I left art therapy and I also find a lot of comfort in that, too. SO without further ado, allow me to walk you through my self-care book collection.

Seed by Lisa Heathfield

Title: Seed

Author: Lisa Heathfield

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 335 pages

Published: 10th March 2015

Series: First book in a duo

2016 has actually been an okay year, book-wise. I mean, I'm 44% complete with my GoodReads reading challenge already so that's pretty good going, right? I've read some great books so far but without a doubt the best one I've read so far has been Seed by Lisa Heathfield.

Mini Spring Book Haul



Hihi! I have a little book haul for you all today. It's been so long since I've bought a lot of books at one time - in fact since Christmas I've only bought two other books aside from these five. It's very exciting to be adding new books to my shelf, though, and I'm even more excited about it because I genuinely can't wait to read all of these!

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill

Title: Asking For It

Author: Louise O'Neill

Genre: YA Contemporary (New Adult IMO)

Length: 344 Pages

Published: 3rd September 2015

 

I have to admit that I went into this book feeling a little nervous. Only Ever Yours had left me an insecure, sobbing, anxious wreck and I wasn't sure what emotional damage Asking For It was going to cause. As it turned out, it was a very difficult read. Especially the second half of the book, which begins one year after That Night. But before we get to that, let's go back to the beginning.

The Heir by Kiera Cass

 

Title: The Heir

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 342 pages

Published: 5th May 2015

Series: Fourth book in The Selection series.

 

*This review contains spoilers for The Selection, The Elite and The One*

 



When I found out that Kiera Cass was planning on releasing another two books in addition to the Selection trilogy, I was dreading it. Not to mention when I discovered that the main character of these books was America's daughter. I'm not usually a fan of books like that - I read The Selection because of America and Maxon and if they weren't the main focus of these next books then why would I enjoy them? As it turned out, I really enjoyed The Heir - a lot more than I expected to!

Top 6 Books of 2015



2015 was an epic year of reading for me. I smashed my Goodreads reading challenge and although I may have swayed from my 2015 Reading Challenge in one way, I did read a ton of new books this year, despite the fact that I endured several reading slumps. I'm a creature of habit and I'm so guilty of re-reading books more often than picking up new ones, but during 2015 I feel I managed to kick this terrible trait. Just a little bit. If you'd like to know exactly what books I read this year, then feel free to click on over to my Goodreads profile, where you can find a full list! Why not add me as a friend whilst you're there? ;) But, for now, allow me to introduce you to my Top 6 Books of 2015!

My True Love Gave To Me by Various Authors

BLOGMAS DAY NINE.

 

Title: My True Love Gave To Me

Author: Various authors.

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 320 pages

Published: 1st October 2014
 



I had to include a Christmassy book review somewhere in Blogmas didn't I?! And what an adorable book it is. I'm sure we all know by now that I'm a particularly disloyal reader, and am always dropping books from my reading routine in favour of new ones. One of the most recent additions into my rotation has been My True Love Gave To Me, which is a collection of festive short stories written by a bunch of different authors. It's been nice to flit between this and the two other books I've been reading. Some of the authors featured include Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, Matt De La Pena, Gayle Forman and Stephanie Perkins, who also acted as editor.