Christmas TBR

As this year draws to a close and term is finishing - this week in fact - I'm planning what books I can read over the holiday that have nothing to do with university! Don't think I'm being a bad student, I've finished all my set texts for the term and don't get my new list until January - so my Christmas break with be filled with the books I've been ignoring for the last few months.

Physical:
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Artemis by Andy Weir
How Not To Disappear by Clare Furniss
The Savages by Matt Whyman
Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

Kindle:
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
The One We Fell in Love With by Paige Toon

Review books:
Genuine Fraud by E Lockhart
The Fandom by Anna Day

Now, I'm obviously not going to read all of them. I have two full weeks off from work - yay for term-time only contract! And three weeks off from university, although obviously I have essays to write, but I'm hoping to put a serious dent in my TBR before I have to ignore it again next term. 

Are there any books I've listed that you think I should put first? Or check out my TBR on Goodreads and let me know if I've missed anything incredible - which, let's be honest, I probably have but I can't read everything!

Mini-reviews: Murder on the Orient Express and The Big Sleep

Everyone knows Agatha Christie - the queen of crime fiction, and that is exactly why I'm reading Murder on the Orient Express, for the Crime part of my MA. This was my first Christie, and despite knowing the gist of what her stories entailed, it still surprised me. I really liked this, Poirot is a bit full of himself but a good detective - methodical and logical, especially in the face of a strange case like this. A lot of you have probably seen the movie by now (although I haven't) so the story, and maybe even the murder, isn't a surprise but I adored it. A very good introduction to Christie and the Golden Age of Detectives.

My tutor said in this week's seminar that Chandler is to American crime fiction that Christie is to British. And I can certainly see that! Admittedly, a lot went over my head, maybe that was just the way I read it, but I loved the old gang warfare, the guns and the racketeers - maybe not the way women are portrayed as basically sluts and/or things but Marlowe had a surprisingly strong moral compass (for a PI!). The plot itself is pretty convoluted, with a series of killings to cover up the previous secret, and two sisters who run around this town as if its their playground. A very different style of crime fiction to Christie but just as iconic.


As you can tell, I've been reading these as part of my course and so have been analysing them critically as literature in history, rather than just as a good story. I've been really enjoying reading these different types of stories, genres and styles I wouldn't normally pick up. Let me know if you like this classic crime sort of books or if you've watched/liked the Murder on the Orient Express movie!

Weekly Highlights: the 'November TBR' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

Just another little update for you, mostly just to say I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth, I'm still here - stressing about word counts and referencing and reading my books on time. 

University is going pretty well - I'm deep into essay-writing now, I've got two on the horizon and am frantically planning and writing and hoping it all makes sense! Because of my workload, I have had to quit one of my part-time jobs though, which was ridiculously sad. I've worked in this public library for a little over two years and I am sorry to have to leave but I could tell my brain was going to melt if I had to continue juggling two jobs and a masters.

On The Blog

One lonely post in October: October TBR and Life Update

Currently Reading

Collected Ghost Stories by MR James - some are better than others but for the most part I'm enjoying them. Definitely the right time of year for it!

On My Bookshelf

I got two books for my birthday in mid-October, which were both from my fiancee and both I asked for. They were: It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne, which I have already read and bloody loved, and The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord, which I am super excited for because I adore her books.

I also got a few ebooks, which I have no idea when I'm going to read but they are there just in case! Both from Netgalley, I received: Genuine Fraud by E Lockhart, and Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed. I'm really excited about both of them, and thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for sending them my way - just got to fit them in around all my uni reading!

November TBR

The uni books I'm studying this month, and still need to read, are: Murder of the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Then in December we will be studying Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith, Poppet by Mo Hayder and Broken Harbour by Tana French.

October TBR and Life Update

Let's just breeze past the fact that it's practically halfway through the month and I'm only just posting a TBR - I've been super busy, ok? My work/life/study balance has been turned upside down the past couple of weeks and everything has been hectic, I'm basically just working and sleeping. Hence the radio silence - I'm sorry!


Anyway, I started my masters at the beginning of October and since then, all I've read, and am planning on reading, is set texts. To recap, so far this month I have read: Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, After Supper Ghost Stories by Jerome K Jerome, A Flock of Shadows edited by Claire Houguez and Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock.


For the rest of the month, I'm going to be studying (and therefore reading): Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker and Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell. Then I've got to get started on the first ones of November, which is The Face in the Glass by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Collected Ghost Stories by MR James.


This is turning into a super fun-filled blog post!


Right, life update: like I said, I feel like I'm ever so slightly drowning in books and reading prep and essay planning. Why did I think going back to university was a good idea? Oh yeah, because I love books, even when the enormous pile of them next to my bed is trying to kill me!


All I wanted to say was I am still around, just a heck of a lot less! I hope you can understand that my studies have to take priority and even though I miss you all so much, just everything online really, I barely have time to take a breath!


Let me know what you're reading this month, what exciting books you're looking forward to, and if you could study anything what would it be? (Oh and can anyone guess what subject/genre I'm studying?)

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down. 

I have to say I only picked this up because I really like Perkins' writing style and characters. Obviously it's very different from her other books and I'm not sure it quite hit the mark. I liked it, it's not my usual genre, but even I could tell it was standard high school slasher. Oh, and I do have to mention definite trigger warnings for gore, as well as severe hazing/mentions of suicide. 

Makani was a decent protagonist - her Hawaiian culture was very important to her and very obviously out of place in her new home. She had been shipped over by divorcing parents to her grandmother's, partly so she wasn't involved in the separation and partly so she could have a new start after some horrible incident at her old school. This was mentioned a lot and left me speculating more and more bizarre things that could have happened, but when it was finally revealed - yes it was horrific - it was a little bit of a let down. Her love interest, Olly, was the typical tortured, shy goth boy but he got some very good development and he really was quite sweet. 

Overall I liked it, but didn't always feel like a horror story - the crimes were gruesome and there was, for the most part, that sense of someone looking over your shoulder. But it was also very character driven and a surprising amount of romance - which I like in a story but I can understand why others didn't appreciate it. 

Published 26th September 2017 by Dutton Books for Young People. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nichols

Through rallies and marches, in polite drawing rooms and freezing prison cells and the poverty-stricken slums of the East End, three courageous young women join the fight for the vote.

Evelyn is seventeen, and though she is rich and clever, she may never be allowed to follow her older brother to university. Enraged that she is expected to marry her childhood sweetheart rather than be educated, she joins the Suffragettes, and vows to pay the ultimate price for women's freedom.

May is fifteen, and already sworn to the cause, though she and her fellow Suffragists refuse violence. When she meets Nell, a girl who's grown up in hardship, she sees a kindred spirit. Together and in love, the two girls start to dream of a world where all kinds of women have their place.

But the fight for freedom will challenge Evelyn, May and Nell more than they ever could believe. As war looms, just how much are they willing to sacrifice?

Evelyn, May and Nell come from very different backgrounds and have different ideals, but all are impressed with the Suffrage movement, all desperate to change what it means to be a woman. As these three move about their lives, grow up and fall in love, they come to realise that their childish ideals of a perfect world require a bit more hard work. 

It was incredibly clever and informative without being too imposing - it gave a very good impression of what life was actually like in the 1910's, not knowing the significance of larger events, just going about daily life. As a bit of a history nerd, I adored reading about their lives, how each family worked and lived a slightly different way but all wanted a better life. 

I fell in love with all of them, and especially appreciated how each young woman encompassed a different value of the Suffragettes. Nell, used to wearing her brother's hand-me-downs, was hard working and tough and wanted what was best for her large family. When she meets May, their differences seem hardly important and they fall head over heels - which was not only adorable but so unique in a historical fiction, I nearly cried! It was just May and her mother, both Quakers and pacifists, who have differing opinions to the rest of the country when war is declared. Evelyn is determined to have the same opportunities as her older brother and wants to study at university, whereas her parents want her to marry. 

As I said, they might be different women on the outside but all three just wanted a world that treated them fairly. It was just fascinating to read about women with their feet on the ground, as it were, in the midst of the Suffrage movement and the first year of the Great War. Definitely a new favourite and one I will be happily recommending. 

Published 7th September 2017 by Anderson. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Top Ten Books on my Autumn TBR

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish.

As I prepare to start my masters - by the way, have I mentioned I'm doing a masters? ;) - my TBR has basically gone out the window as I have to prioritise my university books. So this week's top ten will be split in two, for uni and for pleasure.

University:
1 - Zofloya by Charlotte Dacre
2 - Poppet by Mo Hayder
3 - Sherlock Holmes, the Collected Short Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
4 - Collected Ghost Stories by MR James
5 - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

I recently got the set text list so I'm shopping for all the books I need and these are just a few of them, some of which I've already got.

Pleasure:
1 - Now I Rise by Kiersten White
Sequel to And I Darken, and the only reason I haven't picked it up sooner is I'm a little intimated by the dense text!

2 - Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel 
Picked up at Yalc and it sounds lovely, I'm imagining something like Jandy Nelson's books.

3 - Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Something to dip in and out of, might make me feel better when I'm tired from studying.

4 - Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
After hearing all about this at Yalc, I'm really excited by this girl power story.

5 - Can I Speak To Someone In Charge? by Emily Clarkson
This was a spur of the moment find in the library this past weekend - I haven't heard of it before but it sounds clever and funny.

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony planet of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up - they know that Earth's settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun.

When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth's robotic mech warriors, she realizes that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis' salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her - even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He's a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. If she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?

Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth's various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer - both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world's fate, and Abel's. 

Space plots generally confuse me, even as much as I like them - whole planets, not necessarily relating to Earth, having their own histories and societal places can be bloody confusing, especially when in this story, Earth was the mother-ship of a ring of planets and one of them wanted out. That's where Noemi comes in - she is a soldier on Genesis, the planet desperately fighting for independence, and when she comes across Abel's ship, she commandeers it and him to help her fight. 

The characters and the romance is what sold this for me; robots who can think and feel and love are like my kryptonite and Abel was just so damn adorable I couldn't stand it. Noemi and Abel are thrown together in what is possibly the most horrible circumstances, but as Abel has information that could help save Noemi's planet, she is willing to overlook the fact that he is a killing machine. They literally have to traverse the galaxy to hunt down parts to build... a thing that would blow up... another thing like a star-gate... yeah, this is where the details just went over my head! Point is, adventure and hilarity ensues, as well as bonding and super cute kissy moments, until Noemi is able to return home with hope.

All in all, a great sci-fi adventure, with some astrophysics stuff that passed me by, but really great characters and fantastic writing. 

Published 6th April 2017 by Hot Key Books.

A Few Books That I Struggled To Read (To Start With)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish.

I rarely DNF books, not just because all the books I read are amazing but mostly because I'm quite picky over what I pick up in the first place. This week's theme is books you had a hard time with, so I'm going with a few books that I struggled with but ended up enjoying.

1 - The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins
I've only just finished this one, which is why it's top of the list. I technically should have read this at university but I didn't have enough time, and also I didn't write any essays on it so I didn't bother. Terrible, I know. But now that I'm about to start my masters (AHHH!!) I need to re-programme my brain into the Victorian-Gothic language. Anyway, the book itself is ridiculously long, over 600 pages, and in tiny font, so it did take me about two weeks to finish. But the story was really good, and I ended up really invested!

2 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Please don't hate me! I really wanted to like this, and I did, but I forget every time now much of a chore some Austen language is to read, it's just so long! It helped that I already knew the story and I'm glad I've read the original, but it took me a while.

3 - The Island by Olivia Levez
This was a review book so I had no idea what it was about apart from it sounded interesting. And it was, the story was incredible and very moving, but it's written in this... almost stream of conscious narrative, flitting back and forth between present and past, which took me a while to find the rhythm but it suited the protagonist so well. 

4 - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I knew I would love this one, or at least it sounded right up my street, but I wasn't quite prepared for the slow story and the confusion over what had happened. Took a little while to get into it, especially to understand Merricat, but really liked it. 

5 - Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Yet another classic that I couldn't quite get my head around! This time, it was more that I wasn't expecting the story to span so many years, it really did follow the three women's lives in the Big Apple.

Weekly Highlights: the 'September TBR' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

I am both happy and sad that it's September already - on one hand, I handle autumn weather much better than summer, but on the other, it means my term-time job is starting again. But I do have some exciting news: at the end of the month, I will be starting my masters! So lots more work and almost certainly less time online and on the blog, but I will not disappear, I promise. 

On The Blog

A few of my favourite posts of the month:
Review of A Change Is Gonna Come
Review of The Gender Games by Juno Dawson
Review of Tell It To The Moon by Siobhan Curham
Review of True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
Review of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
Review of Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

Currently Reading

I am still plodding through The Woman in White, which is to get my brain back into classic literature mode for my MA. I've also just started the audio book of Order of the Phoenix. 

On My Bookshelf

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
She will become a legend but first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning...

Diana is desperate to prove herself to her warrior sisters. But when the opportunity comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law to save a mere mortal, Alia Keralis. With this single heroic act, Diana may have just doomed the world.

Alia is a Warbringer - a descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies, mortal and divine, determined to destroy or possess the Warbringer.

To save the world, they must stand side by side against the tide of war.

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
Emmett Atwater isn't just leaving Detroit; he's leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family. 

Forever. 

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden--a planet that Babel has kept hidden--where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. 

But Babel's ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won't forever compromise what it means to be human.

These two I received in August's Illumicrate, which was brilliant, as per usual! I hadn't heard of Nyxia but it sounds like a really cool space adventure, and of course Wonder Woman I am super excited for!

Invictus by Ryan Graudin
Time flies when you're plundering history.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past. 

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nichols
Through rallies and marches, in polite drawing rooms and freezing prison cells and the poverty-stricken slums of the East End, three courageous young women join the fight for the vote.

Evelyn is seventeen, and though she is rich and clever, she may never be allowed to follow her older brother to university. Enraged that she is expected to marry her childhood sweetheart rather than be educated, she joins the Suffragettes, and vows to pay the ultimate price for women's freedom.

May is fifteen, and already sworn to the cause, though she and her fellow Suffragists refuse violence. When she meets Nell, a girl who's grown up in hardship, she sees a kindred spirit. Together and in love, the two girls start to dream of a world where all kinds of women have their place.

But the fight for freedom will challenge Evelyn, May and Nell more than they ever could believe. As war looms, just how much are they willing to sacrifice?

Both of these are from Netgalley, so thank you Anderson and Orion! I was vaguely aware of them but found out about them at Yalc so couldn't wait to snatch them up!

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a terrible surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she may be falling in love with a murderer.

Shazi discovers that the villainous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. It's up to her to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her high school teachers who think the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv's mum was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates Moxie, a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond and spread the Moxie message. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realises that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

And finally, these two were in kindle sale, 99p each, and I've heard great things about both of them, so no brainer! I'm more excited about Moxie, really, but hoping to read both as soon as possible. 

September TBR

Two review books: Invictus and Things A Bright Girl Can Do. Apart from that, my TBR is pretty open. Well, until I get my MA reading list, that is!

If You Could See Me Now by Keris Stainton

Izzy Harris should have it all – but her boyfriend has been ignoring her for months, she’s been overlooked for a promotion, and the owner of her local coffee shop pervs on her every time she has a craving for a salted caramel muffin.

Then her life is unexpectedly turned upside down.

Izzy dumps her oblivious boyfriend, and leaps on the chance to win a big pitch at work. Needing to work closely with gorgeous colleague Alex is an added perk…

But then her best friend has her heart broken, the pitch is way more complicated than expected, and Alex is keeping secrets. Does Izzy have what it takes to help her friend, save her career and get the guy?

Izzy was incredibly easy to relate to; she was funny and smart but used to be being downtrodden, mostly by her mother and by her boyfriend. So when she suddenly wakes up invisible, she is both shocked beyond belief and also surprisingly freed: no longer does she have to worry about how she looks, about walking around alone at night, about being perfectly presented for work or for men.

I adored her friendship with Tash. This was a proper girl friendship with none of that secretly tearing each other down, they perfectly balanced each other out, one with noise and the other with quiet support - they were also very funny together, especially when Izzy is first discovered and Tash full out panics! 

We get to know Alex as Izzy sneaks around the office, invisible, trying to get paperwork and information so she can work from home. After a mildly-paralysing moment of fear in the store room, Alex does discover Izzy and agrees to help her. Alex was really sweet - I know I use that word a lot when describing the romantic lead, but in this case, he really was! An intern at Izzy's office, Alex is also used to being overlooked but has big plans to finally settle down in London.

All in all, this was both incredibly funny and also rather smart. As Izzy gets used to being invisible, she has some fun with it, protecting Tash in the dark from drunk men and playing the poltergeist to her ex-boyfriend, which leads me to the brilliant social comment on men's attitudes to women and their "right" to catcall and grope in the streets. Izzy grows wonderfully through this weird experience and gains that all-important confidence to answer back to idiots in the street and in the office. 

Published 4th August 2017 by Bookotoure.

Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas

Ollie and Moritz might never meet, but their friendship knows no bounds. Their letters carry on as Ollie embarks on his first road trip away from the woods--no easy feat for a boy allergic to electricity--and Moritz decides which new school would best suit an eyeless boy who prefers to be alone.

Along the way they meet other teens like them, other products of strange science who lead seemingly normal lives in ways Ollie and Moritz never imagined possible: A boy who jokes about his atypical skeleton; an aspiring actress who hides a strange deformity; a track star whose abnormal heart propels her to victory. Suddenly the future feels wide open for two former hermits. But even as Ollie and Moritz dare to enjoy life, they can't escape their past, which threatens to destroy any progress they've made. Can these boys ever find their place in a world that might never understand them?

Warning: spoilers for book one Because You'll Never Meet Me.

As they are both pushing out of the boxes they were stuck in before, Ollie and Moritz are learning about the world and their place in it. And they both struggled with it. Poor Ollie was over-sensitised by practically everything and was like a puppy in his excitable-ness! But he couldn't adapt magically like he thought he was going to, and of course he felt like he had abandoned his mum. As for Moritz, he was taking a huge leap of faith by transferring to an arts school and who does he bump into but Molly - the girl with two mouths who tried to drown him!

Speaking of, we meet more of the "blunderkids", the poor kids that had been experimented on - like Bridget with her removable heart, and Arthur with super-fragile bones. They all had different experiences and had taken different things from them; for example, Arthur was quite like Ollie in that he didn't fear the world, he just wanted to be part of it. 

And back to Molly, turns out she and Moritz had more in common than they thought: they both were hiding behind masks to never betray their fear. Moritz of course had his goggles and Molly her bravado, but when things go wrong, they go spectacularly wrong. 

All in all, this book broke my heart and painstakingly pieced it back together again; Ollie and Moritz showed that our differences make us better and we are stronger for having friends to rely on, and pull us back from the brink if necessary. 

Published 9th February 2017 by Bloomsbury.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . . 

Romy was born in space and has only ever known the inside of her ship - the only contact she has with other people is the delayed messages from her counsellor back on Earth and sometimes an update from NASA. That is until she gets a strange message about world politics back on Earth and then nothing makes sense. There is another ship catching up with her, with better technology, and Romy is communicating with J, the ship's only inhabitant. Finally having someone new to talk to, Romy is understandably excited and nervous about meeting J for the first time. That is, until she realises something about his messages...

I adored this, I literally flew through it! The story was incredible, not just on a sci-fi/ exploration of space level, but also dealing with growing up, isolation, and what it means to be human and a hero. Romy was one tough cookie; at just 17, she has lost her family and her crew, and is now solely responsible for getting her ship to Earth's next planet/project. And yet she was still so normal - she read and wrote fanfiction, she loved to binge-watch TV, and she liked to bake. I fell in love with Romy almost immediately, she was utterly adorable and very easy to relate to, even though her homework had slightly more dangerous consequences if she didn't learn it!

I won't talk much about what happens with J, I want it to be a surprise. One note though: I really loved it. Romy got her chance to prove herself and be her own hero. All in all, a spectacular book packed with everything from space travel and learning astrophysics to first love and trusting yourself to stand for what you believe in.

Published 7th September 2017 by Walker.

True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, four bossy sisters and a needy cat must also have want of her one true love. Or is it?

Verity Love – Jane Austen fangirl, manager of London’s first romance-only bookshop Happy Ever, and an introvert in a world of extroverts – is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and quite happy hiding in the office and lying to her friends about her fictional boyfriend Peter, whose presence is very useful for getting her out of social events.

But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity’s life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

Because ‘Peter’ is actually Johnny, and he too could use a fictional girlfriend. So against her better judgement and because she can't stand sitting on the sad singles table, Verity and Johnny decide to partner up for a summer season of weddings, big number birthdays and garden parties, culminating in her sister’s Big Fat Wedding.

And by the end of the summer, there’s a bad case of heartache that even Verity’s beloved Pride And Prejudice might not be able to cure…

This is the sequel/companion novel to The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts, this time following the story of Verity, the extremely introverted but none the less lovely manager at the bookshop. It has long been Verity's practice to have a made-up boyfriend to get friends and family off her back, but when Verity's sister and friend follow her, expecting to see the fictional Peter, Verity panics and grabs Johnny.

Over the course of the summer, Verity and Johnny act as each other's plus-ones to social events, being introduced as friends but letting people think what they may - and thus getting them off their backs about sending them on blind dates.

It was so much fun getting to know Verity - all we really saw of her in book one was the shy, quiet and sweet woman who didn't like to get drunk and make out with random guys. But here, we could see how her past influenced her decisions, especially in her social and love life.

Then there was Johnny. He told Verity right off not to fall in love with him because he was in love with someone else. Bit presumptuous but whatever, consider Verity warned. But what Verity didn't know was who he was in love with and why they couldn't be together, and boy was it dramatic! I won't spoil anything but who it turned out to be was clever and hilarious and allowed for some funny and cringey moments. 

Never the less, it was sweet and heart warming to see Verity and Johnny grow closer and begin to trust each other, not just with awkward social situations, but like when Johnny wanted to get out of his unhealthy relationship.

The whole story was equal parts hilarious and adorable, it was the perfect British summer romp and even though they hit several bumps along the way, I'm very glad Verity and Johnny could get over themselves and learn to love again. 

Published 10th August 2017 by Harper. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tell It To The Moon by Siobhan Curham

To make a dream come true, tell it to the moon! Tell It to the Moon continues the story of Moonlight Dreamers Amber, Maali, Sky and Rose, who are not like everyone else and don't want to be: becoming friends gives them the courage to be themselves. After failing to find her surrogate mother, Amber is left unsure of who she is and what she wants to do; Maali's spiritual faith is tested when her father becomes ill; Sky, previously home-schooled, struggles to adapt to the pressures of the school system; and after having found the courage to come out, Rose begins to pursue her dream of becoming a patissier. Once again the four girls band together to help one another overcome their individual challenges and fulfill their dreams in this fabulous and heart-warming celebration of friendship.

This takes place a few months after book one and each of the Moonlight Dreamers have something new to overcome. Amber is feeling unsure of her identity after her surrogate mother doesn't want to see her; Sky is going to school for the first time in years and understandably cannot deal with the rigidity of her day; Maali's dad is ill and her faith is failing her; and Rose has realised something about her sexuality. 

The girls have come back a bit more mature and grown than last time we saw them - as they get older and have to start thinking about the future, they are all realising new dreams to aim for, whether that be to understand where they came from, like Amber, or work hard towards their career, like Rose.

Like the first book, I loved and greatly appreciated the message of friendship and supporting each other in your dreams. For example, when Rose is worried how the girls will take her coming out news, they surprise her by being loving and opening and happy that she can be true to herself. And they all support Maali when her dad's in the hospital, Sky even battling her fear as she hasn't been in a hospital since her mum died.

I adored this story as much as the first one, it was just so uplifting. Even though all of the girls have been through a little bit of hell, in one way or another, they all support and take care of each other and come out the other end better than ever. 

Published 3rd August 2017 by Walker. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Gender Games by Juno Dawson

'It's a boy!' or 'It's a girl!' are the first words almost all of us hear when we enter the world. Before our names, before we have likes and dislikes - before we, or anyone else, has any idea who we are. And two years ago, as Juno Dawson went to tell her mother she was (and actually, always had been) a woman, she started to realise just how wrong we've been getting it.

Gender isn't just screwing over trans people, it's messing with everyone. From little girls who think they can't be doctors to teenagers who come to expect street harassment. From exclusionist feminists to 'alt-right' young men. From men who can't cry to the women who think they shouldn't. As her body gets in line with her mind, Juno tells not only her own story, but the story of everyone who is shaped by society's expectations of gender - and what we can do about it.

Featuring insights from well-known gender, feminist and trans activists including Rebecca Root, Laura Bates, Gemma Cairney, Anthony Anaxagorou, Hannah Witton, Alaska Thunderfuck and many more, The Gender Games is a frank, witty and powerful manifesto for a world where what's in your head is more important than what's between your legs.

Part autobiography, part social commentary, Juno writes like we're having a chat over a cup of tea - frank, funny and rude. She looks at all aspects of gender at all stages of life, from first toys through to puberty and experimenting at university, and shows how it screws us up at every turn - limiting our choices, making us victims for bullies, and making us doubt ourselves.

Juno spends a lot of book analysing the media, especially the token female in TV shows and the "strong female character" that is only popular because of physical strength, a typically male attribute. Having grown up in the 90's, Juno had different role models, namely the Spice Girls (as she mentions often). But now, teenagers have a worrying amount of pressure online, from instagram-famous people looking polished and perfect. Many, Juno included, would think that these filtered and cropped photos are something to aspire to, no matter what, and that can be a source to great mental and physical upheaval. Alongside to social commentary of the lack of diverse role models, Juno links all this to her teenage ambition to be famous, for no other reason than "it looked like a lot of fun". 

One of my favourite chapters was where Juno discusses sex and the promiscuity of gay men, having been one and definitely living up to the stereotype! Juno also talks about the concept of virginity and the social construct that is "slut"; as men can sleep around but women apparently can't, this is another way that gender messes with our perceptions of self-worth and sexuality. As a feminist, but also a cis-woman, this chapter, along with "why men need feminism too", meant a lot and also explained a lot about gender stereotypes and different perspectives of how assumptions can harm all genders.

I completely loved this book. Parts might have been a bit uncomfortable or crude, but it was a very funny and clever dissection of how modern society's gender notions whether consciously or not - and how it damages us. Things like male entitlement, segregation in PE lessons (and apparently gendered sport, like rugby and netball) to feminism and diversity in the media, Juno tackled a lot while still remaining funny, clear, a little self-deprecating, and non-judgemental. She makes it clear she can only speak from her own experiences and many others might have different ones, but everyone can learn a little something from her (even if it's just how much she loves the Spice Girls!).

Published 1st June 2017 by Two Roads.

All About Mia by Lisa Williamson

One family, three sisters.
GRACE, the oldest: straight-A student.
AUDREY, the youngest: future Olympic swimming champion.
And MIA, the mess in the middle.

Mia is wild and daring, great with hair and selfies, and the undisputed leader of her friends – not attributes appreciated by her parents or teachers.
When Grace makes a shock announcement, Mia hopes that her now-not-so-perfect sister will get into the trouble she deserves.
But instead, it is Mia whose life spirals out of control – boozing, boys and bad behaviour – and she starts to realise that her attempts to make it All About Mia might put at risk the very things she loves the most. 


Mia is the middle child and used to being ignored for her sisters' much better accomplishments - Grace, the eldest, is perfect in every way and A-plus student and set to go to Oxford; Audrey is a champion swimmer and is training for the Olympics. But when Grace comes home suddenly, and pregnant, Mia (and I) find it hilarious and a serious upset to the the natural order.

Mia was such a refreshing character - surprisingly unlikable and yet relatable. I can clearly remember feeling like she did when I was in sixth form, like you had no idea where you wanted to go in life, having no plan and no passion to guide you. She also likes to take the stereotype of teenage angst and turns it up to 11 - when she acts out, she really acts out! 

The shock of Grace acting less than perfect changes their family dynamic and Mia is quick to fill in the void with insane behaviour. Although the Campbell-Richardson's were anything but normal, they were a great family. The parents were trying their hardest to do right by all of their girls and might have struggled with Mia but as it turns out, all three of them sometimes feel excluded from "happy families". 

I adored this story; it was funny and embarrassing and sometimes awful but so very real as Mia crashes through life and learns what her next steps should be as well as finding her true place in the family.  

Published 2nd February 2017 by David Fickling Books.

A Change Is Gonna Come by Mary Bello, et al

Featuring top Young Adult authors alongside a host of exciting new talent, this anthology of stories and poetry from BAME writers on the theme of change is a long-overdue addition to the YA scene. Contributors include Tanya Byrne, Inua Ellams, Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence, Ayisha Malik, Irfan Master, Musa Okwonga and Nikesh Shukla.

Plus introducing four fresh new voices in YA fiction: Mary Bello, Aisha Bushby, Yasmin Rahman and Phoebe Roy.

I always find it difficult to review an anthology, because there are lots of little stories in these pages and all of them were incredible. 

Not only did this introduce me to lots of great new authors, it also spanned a range of very different types of stories, from fantasy to contemporary, romance to poems and everything in between. I really enjoyed all of them, with girls learning about refugees, finding first love and acceptance, overcoming anxiety and battling friends about racism, all the stories covered change and how scary it is sometimes.

Like I said, there were lots of different topics discussed, not just race and diversity - things like OCD and anxiety, empathy, love and being true to yourself. I think this whole anthology is incredibly important to see different stories, different experiences in print, and what it means to want change, whatever scale it's in. 

Published 10th August 2017 by Stripes Publishing. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Weekly Highlights: the 'August TBR' edition

Weekly Highlights is a feature borrowed from Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts, where I get to highlight my posts of the week, show you my new books and talk about bookish things!

God, August already? That means summer's half way over! It's been a pretty amazing summer so far, with days out and of course comic con last weekend! Coming up for August is more of the same as I get ready for the new term at work. 

On The Blog

Review of When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 

Review of The Crash by Lisa Drakeford

Review of City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C Anderson

Review of Freshers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

Review of The Girls Guide to Summer by Sarah Mlynowski
Interview with Siobhan Curham
Review of The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas

Currently Reading

At time of writing, I'm reading Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, which was recommended by Alyce. Although a difficult subject, especially the history section, I'm really enjoying it.

On My Bookshelf

Tell It to the Moon by Siobhan Curham

To make a dream come true, tell it to the moon! Tell It to the Moon continues the story of Moonlight Dreamers Amber, Maali, Sky and Rose, who are not like everyone else and don't want to be: becoming friends gives them the courage to be themselves. After failing to find her surrogate mother, Amber is left unsure of who she is and what she wants to do; Maali's spiritual faith is tested when her father becomes ill; Sky, previously home-schooled, struggles to adapt to the pressures of the school system; and after having found the courage to come out, Rose begins to pursue her dream of becoming a patissier. Once again the four girls band together to help one another overcome their individual challenges and fulfill their dreams in this fabulous and heart-warming celebration of friendship.

I've already read this, it came out this week and I couldn't wait! The sequel to The Moonlight Dreamers, we follow the four girls as they encounter more drama and need each other to lean on. Thank you Walker, my review will be up soon!

The Fandom by Anna Day

Cosplay ready, Violet and her friends are at Comic-Con.

They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands ...

A fast-paced, genre-flipping YA fantasy adventure from a brand new author, writing in homage to the best YA fiction.

Ahh, I am beyond excited for this! Cosplay, nerdy things and sudden magical lands - yes please! Thank you Chicken House!

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.
 
International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

Although so different from her other books, I'm really looking forward to this creepy thriller - thank you Macmillan and Netgalley!

I also got The House of Secrets by Sarra Manning and The One We Fell In Love With by Paige Toon, because they were on offer and sounded awesome. Links to Goodreads.

And then: behold my yalc haul! I think I did pretty well: I didn't go overboard (learning from my mistake last year when I broke my shoulder muscles!) and I also got some great books! I've already read The Loneliest Girl, sped through it actually, and am planning on reading the rest sooner rather than later.

August TBR

At time of writing, I don't have any review books to read urgently, so my TBR is pretty open - which I am very happy with! As I said, I am very excited for the books I got at yalc so those are probably going to be first up. Any ideas of what I should read next?