September 2016 Book Haul & Reading List Wrap Up

September had been a great reading month for me. I have found some great book to buy and read and have loved all of them. I even reached and finished reading my 40^th book for this year! YAY ME! At the beginning of September I took my sister along to the #YaFanFest which was being held by Allen & Unwin. It was a great night out and we got to hear from some great writers including Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. It also increased my TBR pile. I also went to the Sydney University Book Fair which was on a weekend and in the city with my mother and sister. There weren’t that many great books there, but I still managed to grab four books to add to my overgrown library. I also got my first paying job and am loving it.

So here is a list of books I brought, and read this month:

READ:

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley –

http://www.booktopia.com.au/words-in-deep-blue-cath-crowley/prod9781742612386.html

I love this book so much. It is a poetic beauty that any book lover/ book nerd needs to read immediately. If you are a fan of second hand book shops, than you are going to love this book. It is a simple love letter to books and words all at the same time. My book review will be coming out shortly.

The Easy Way Out by Steven Amsterdam –

http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-easy-way-out-steven-amsterdam/prod9780733636271.html

This was a hard book to read. It is about a nurse who helps the dying, die. It is easy to read but a hard book to swallow as it talks a lot about death and different perspectives and problems with it. If you like books that make you think, than you are going to love this book. My book review will be coming out in October.

Black Rock White City by A.S. Patric –

http://www.booktopia.com.au/black-rock-white-city-a-s-patric/prod9781921924835.html

This book won the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award. That is the main reason I picked up this book as I wanted to see why it was picked to win. You need to read it to understand. The writer’s knowledge of emotions and pain is extraordinary. If you like books that make you wonder about your life, than this is the book for you. My book review will be coming out in October.

The Dress by Jane L. Rosen –

http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-dress-jane-l-rosen/prod9781780895895.html

I brought this book because I wanted something light and easy to read that wouldn’t make me question my own life. I am a huge fan of The Devil Wears Prada and even though this book is nothing like it, it resembles it, with its fashion talk. There is one dress, and I wish I could get one of them and it changes the lives of a handful of people in the book. It is funny, quirky and a great read if you like rom-coms. My book review will be coming out in October.

Run by Kody Keplinger –

http://www.booktopia.com.au/run-kody-keplinger/prod9781444932706.html

It’s no secret that Kody Keplinger is a great writer. If you have read The Duff than you are going to love this, and if you have seen the movie too. With a two characters change in point of views throughout the book, it feels like you are reading two books at once. If you like Thelma and Lousies kind of adventurous books, than you will like this one. My book review will be coming out in October.

The Secret Recipe for Second Chances by JD. Barrett –

Who doesn’t love a book that makes you hungry? I know I do. An Aussie born and bred writer talking about suburbs I know and have been to is the best kind of book to read. It talks about food and there are even recipes within the chapters, there is a love story, and even a reoccurring ghost in there too. If you like Aussie books, than you are going to love this book too. My book review will be out in October.

BROUGHT:

By Your Side by Jason Carrasco –

I brought this book from the Sydney University Book Fair. I started reading it, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wasn’t in the mood to read about more death. I think I might go back to it one day though.

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano –

I also brought this book from the Sydney University Book Fair. I haven’t read it yet, and I don’t think I will until my TBR is finished. It is one of those books I have heard about when studying and I knew I wanted a copy of it for my collection.

Some of my best friends are writers, but I wouldn’t want my daughter to marry one by Robert Turner –

I loved the title of this book and couldn’t not buy it at the Sydney University Book Fair. It is in my collection now and maybe one day I will get to it.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue –

I just brought this book to read after The Secret Recipe for Second Chances and I can’t wait to get stuck into it. I read Room earlier this year and I just loved it. I think Donoghue’s writing is amazing and she is definitely an automatic author buy from now on.

GIVEN:

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee –

Was given to me by its publisher Harper Collins. I started to read it, but then its text was too small for my eyes and I couldn’t keep going with it. It sounds like a great book and I am making my sister read it and hopefully we can review it together.

• #YAFANFEST16 proof  by Allen & Unwin
• With Malace by Elieen Cook
• The Perfectionist by Sara Shepard
• V for Violet by Alison Rattle
• Bullet Catcher by Joaquin Lowe –

All of these 5 books are on my TBR to read when I can. My sister has been going through them though so I might see if I can get her to write some reviews for them.

I also won 4 books from Mills & Boon by watching an episode of The Bachelorette and on Twitter at the same time and entered a Dymocks Books Twitter competition. The book have the boys on the cover from the photoshoot they did in the episode. The books are pretty cool. (You can see a picture of them on my Instagram).

So as you can see I have had a pretty good reading month. Unlike last month, which was an awful reading month.

So the statistics for this month = brought 10 books, read 6 books, added 5 to my TBR and 3 to my book collection.

October is my birthday month, and I am hoping to get a few more because of that. I have already worked out which books I am going to buy and read for October. Look at me I am already organised for the next month.

Remember to follow me on here for more bookish updates, on my twitter for my thoughts and on Instagram to see what I am doing.

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15 Insanely Useful Diagrams For Book Lovers

Buzzfeed, where would I be without you. They have such fun and quirky articles that I love and love sharing with you all. Here is another one, I thought you would all like to see.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mallorymcinnis/charts-for-people-who-love-to-read?utm_term=.nw8KX8xnD&bffbbooks#.bqJymdBzv

Don’t tell me you don’t love it?

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Tip Tuesday

Book Review for ‘The Boundless Sublime’ by Lili Wilkinson

The Boundless Sublime / Lili Wilkinson / 2016 / Allen & Unwin / ISBN 9781760113360 / 336 Pages / Young Adult

Ruby Jane Galbraith is empty. Her family has been torn apart and it’s all her fault. The only thing that makes sense to her is Fox – a gentle new friend who is wise, soulful and clever, yet oddly naïve about the ways of the world. He understands what she’s going through and he offers her a chance to find peace. Fox belongs to a group called the Institute of the Boundless Sublime – and spending time with Fox means spending more and more time with his ‘family’. Soon Ruby is drawn into what she discovers is a terrifying, secretive community that is far from the ideal world she expected. Can she find the courage to leave? Is there any way she can save Fox too? And is there ever an escape from the far-reaching influence of the Institute of the Boundless Sublime?

Blues and Books

When you’re having a crappy day, sometimes all you need is a new book and a special treat.

Stick around. . . 

23 YA books that, without A doubt, you’ll want to read this fall

So earlier this week, a post from Buzzfeed made the rounds with a list of the top 23 Young Adult books to read this fall, or as I like to call it, Spring.

Some of you have already seen the list, some of you might not have, well I am going to post it here for you all to either look at it again, or see it for the first time. If you are a YA fanatic like myself, than you will probably look at this list a few times to get every book title written down, so you don’t miss out on any of them.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/ya-books-that-without-a-doubt-you-should-read-this-fall?utm_term=.liOobl7x4#.po2OQydpb

I specifically can’t wait for Girls Like Me by Lola St. Vil, The Odds Of Lightning by Jocelyn Davis, Going Geek by Charlotte Huang, Something In Between by Melissa De La Cruz, The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon, The Graces Laure Eve.

What are you guys excited for?

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Book Review for ‘The Diet Starts on Monday’ by Tamar Chnorhokain

Title – The Diet Starts On Monday

Author – Tamar Chnorhokian

2014 / Writing and Society Research Centre of UWS / 9780992488611 / 198 Pages / Young Adult

http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-diet-starts-on-monday-tamar-chnorhokian/prod9780992488611.html

Zara Hagopian is size 22. She has a secret crush on the hottest boy in school, Pablo Fernandez, who has a skinny girlfriend named Holly. Zara hangs out with her best friends Carmelina and Max. They go window shopping in Parramatta and drink hot chocolate in Stockland Mall. Zara learns some of life’s hard lessons when she puts these friendships on the line and goes on a diet to win the boy of her dreams.

Writing Inspiration Tuesday (Tip Tuesday)

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Book Review for ‘Hack In A Flak Jacket’ by Peter Stefanovic

Title – Hack in a Flak Jacket

Author – Peter Stefanovic

2016 / Hachette Australia / ISBN 9780733635687 / 290 Pages / Biography

http://www.booktopia.com.au/hack-in-a-flak-jacket-no-more-signed-copies–peter-stefanovic/prod9780733635687.html

For almost ten years Peter Stefanovic was Channel Nine’s foreign correspondent in Europe, the US, Africa, and Middle East. During that time he witnessed more than his fair share of death and destruction and carried the burden of those images – all while putting his own personal safety very much in the firing line. From flak jackets to tuxedoes. From the funerals of world leaders and icons, to war zones and natural disasters. This is a thrilling account of a life lived on camera, delivering the news wherever it happens, whatever the risk.

Book Review for ‘Daughters of the Bride’ by Susan Mallery

Title – Daughters of the Bride

Author – Susan Mallery

2016 / Harlequin Mira / ISBN 9781489210418 / 400 Pages / Adult Fiction / Romance

http://www.booktopia.com.au/daughters-of-the-bride-susan-mallery/prod9781489210418.html

As the awkward misfit, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing – keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning her mother’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her – and how she views herself – forever. When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes – in front of her mum, sister, for crying out loud – he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should this free spirit say ‘I do’ even is she’s not sure she does? Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As her mum’s wedding day dawns near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide is she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily-ever-after.

My August/ September TBR (which seems to be growing)

In August I read 4 books.

You can find out which books they were by clicking right here, or scrolling down a little bit.

Last month I started 2 individual books that I didn’t finish and are now on the top of my TBR pile, but there are still a few more on the list.

Here is my current and up to date TBR pile:

August 2016 Book Haul & Reading List Wrap Up

This month has been a very weird reading month for me. I haven’t been able to settle on a book long enough to finish it properly. I think I have started three or four different books this month and haven’t started them yet. I hate it when this happens, and it seems to come right when I have the biggest TBR pile to read. It’s like a curse and I’m not a fan of it. I’m sure some of you out there suffer from reading slumps from time to time, I know I do, I think this is the 2^nd or 3^rd one I have had this year already. I don’t know if there is a proper remedy for it, I usually read comic books when this happens but I haven’t had the time to go out and buy any. I have managed to read a few books this month, but I definitely brought more than I read.

Book Review – Humble Pie by Gordon Ramsey

Humble Pie / Gordon Ramsey / 2006 / HarperCollins / ISBN 9780007229673 / 284 Pages / Memoir / Cooking Biography

http://www.booktopia.com.au/humble-pie-gordon-ramsay/prod9780007229680.html

Everyone thinks they know Gordon Ramsey: rude, loud, pathologically driven, and stubborn as hell. But this is his real story.

Review –

I am a huge fan of autobiographies and have recently found a few good cooking biographies, and that it great because it combines my love of food with words. I have always been a fan of Gordon Ramsey, I mean who isn’t really? I have also wanted to know about him and his life because he really doesn’t share a lot. So when I found this book at the LifeLine Book Sale I went to I knew I had to get it and read it.

Gordon Ramsey is a great writer, I really mean it. If you have ever seen him on television, than you should know this, he writes just like he talks and it’s pretty cool how fluently and well he does that. This book Humble Pie is a great book for two reasons, you get to know Gordon Ramsey for more than he is on television, and you also get to read about him and learn about his life before and during his cooking career.

There are many things to consider when you read this book and the main one is that you can’t be offended every time you read the word F**# in the book. The book isn’t chronologically written either, so you might get confused as to when which restaurant opened when and what in his personal life happened when. I think because Ramsey wrote the book in predetermined sections/chapters, the book couldn’t really flow on chronologically. Ramseys passion for food shines through when he talks about it. There isn’t a lot about it written throughout the book and that’s a shame, but it is well done when it is done.

If you like cooking shows or cooks or even Gordon Ramsey and want to know the man behind the façade, than you need to read this book.

I give this book 4.0 out of 5 booky stars!

You can get a copy of this book here:

Booktopia

Angus & Robertson Bookworld

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Book Review – The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling

The Loneliness of Distant Beings / Kate Ling / 2016 / Hodder and Stoughton / ISBN 9781510200166 / 358 Pages / Young Adult

http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-loneliness-of-distant-beings-kate-ling/prod9781510200166.html

Even though she knows it’s impossible, Seren longs to have the sunshine on her skin. It’s something she feels she needs to stay sane. But when you’re hurtling through space at thousands of kilometres an hour, sometimes you have to accept there are things you cannot change. Except that the arrival of Dom in her life changes everything in ways she can barely comprehend. He becomes the sun for her, and she can’t help but stay in his orbit. To lose him would be like losing herself…In the dark, can a heart still hope?

 

Review –

 

This book is about a girl who is struggling with her reality, her reality being stuck on a spaceship for the rest of her life. A reality she just can’t come to grasps with just like her mother. With a forced marriage and a job that means nothing to her forced upon her to carry out for the next two years Seren is in turmoil – mentally, not able to find a way out. But then she finds Dom, a guitar playing, smooth talking guy with all the right access cards. But to be with Dom, Seren is breaking the law, a law punishable by death. With time running out on her secret rendezvous with Dom, Seren doesn’t know what to do and people are growing increasingly worried about her mental health. With nothing else to lose, Seren and her friends not only take their lives into their own hands, but they also discover a whole new world.

I love this book. I wasn’t sure about it for the first few pages because I didn’t really know what was going on and had no idea what was mean to be happening. But then my gosh did it pick up. Before I knew it I was in a space ship on a journey with no end date of return in sight. I immediately needed to know what was going to happen to the ship and to Seren and how the two were going to get along. I knew it wasn’t going to be a great relationship, but I had no idea how extreme all of it was going to be in the end.

I love the writing, I love the concept, I love the story, I love Seren and her ambition to fight against the system when she knows it is not right and isn’t scared to speak for herself even if people are just going to call her crazy and lock her up. The best bit of the book was definitely at the end, the mission, the escape, the end of the journey for Seren and Dom and a few others. It wasn’t what I was expecting, it wasn’t how I thought it would end and I am glad about that.

If you like books about teenagers falling in love with the wrong person, about space, about Earth, about dreams wishes and wants and fighting a corrupt system, then this is the book for you to read. Go out and read it now and the nice book cover is a bonus.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 booky stars!

You can get a copy of this book here:

Booktopia

Angus & Robertson Book World

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