December 2018 Recap

Books read in previous months but reviewed in December:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. The Queen's Gambit - Jessie Mihalik (Read Twice) (Read in March & August, review coming soon)
2. Monstress, Vol 2: The Blood - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) (Read in May, review coming soon)
3. Her Cocky Doctors - Tara Crescent (Read in June, review coming soon)
4. The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang (Read in June, review coming soon)
5. Make Me Crave - Katee Robert (Read in July, review coming soon)
6. No Mercy - Sherrilyn Kenyon (Read in July, review coming soon)
7. Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox - Forthright (Read in August, review coming soon)
8. Three Trials - Kristy Cunning (Read in August, review coming soon)
9. Mirage - Somaiya Daud (Read in September, review coming soon)
10. In Bed With the Devil - Lorraine Heath (Read in September, review coming soon)
11. Leads & Lynxes - Rebecca Chastain (Read in September, I'll be rereading and reviewing this when it has been published)
12. A Whole New World - Liz Braswell (Read in October, review coming soon)
13. Beneath the Citadel - Destiny Soria (Read in October, review coming soon)
14. Saga: Volume 7 - Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Graphic Novel) (Read in November, review coming soon)
15. Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich (Read in November, review coming soon)
16. Third Grave Dead Ahead - Darynda Jones (Read in November, review coming soon)
17. The Archived - V.E. Schwab (Read in November, review coming soon)
18. Addict - Lexi Blake (Read in November, review coming soon)
19. Sinful - Katherine Hawthorn (Read in November, review coming soon)
20. All Systems Red - Martha Wells (Read in November, review coming soon)
21. Vengeful - V.E. Schwab (Read in November, review coming soon)
22. Tangled Webs - Anne Bishop (Read in November, review coming soon)
23. Sleeper - Lexi Blake (Read in November, review coming soon)
24. She Will Be My Goddess - Lexi Blake (Short Story) (Read in November, review coming soon)
25. Outcast - Lexi Blake (Read in November, review coming soon)
26. Star Wars: BB-8 Book & Model - Lucasfilm (Book and Model Kit) (Read in November, review coming soon)

Books read in December:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Sweep of the Blade - Ilona Andrews (I'll be rereading and reviewing this when it has been published)
2. Theirs Ever After - Katee Robert
3. Dry - Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman
4. And Thrice Again - Seanan McGuire (Short Story) (Review coming soon)
5. Conspiracy in Death - J.D. Robb
6. Prince of Dreams - Pippa DaCosta
7. Monstress, Vol 2: The Blood - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) (Read Twice)
8. Year One - Nora Roberts (Review coming soon)
9. Winnie-the-Pooh: Little Somethings & Smackerels for Food Lovers - A.A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard
10. Winnie-the-Pooh: Deep Thoughts & Ponderings for the Wise - A.A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard
11. Winnie-the-Pooh: Doubt & Disquiet for Worriers - A.A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard
12. Winnie-the-Pooh: Gloom & Doom for Pessimists - A.A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard
13. Unleashed - Donna Kauffman (Novella)
14. Nightchaser - Amanda Bouchet (Review coming soon)
15. The Rebels of Gold - Elise Kova (Review coming soon)
16. Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells - Donna Kauffman (Novella)
17. Naughty but Nice - Donna Kauffman (Novella)
18. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet - Darynda Jones (Review coming soon)
19. Sin & Magic - K.F. Breene (Review coming soon)
20. The Night Before Christmas - Clement C. Moore (Children's Book) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
21. Loyalty in Death - J.D. Robb
22. The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop (Review coming soon)
23. The Witch of the Prophecy - Victoria Jayne (Review posted on Goodreads)
24. Saga: Volume 7 - Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Graphic Novel) (Read Twice)
25. Saga: Volume 8 - Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Graphic Novel) (Review coming soon)
26. Saga: Volume 9 - Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Graphic Novel) (Review coming soon)
27. The Unbound - V.E. Schwab (Review coming soon)
28. Leave the Window Ope - V.E. Schwab (Short Story) (Review coming soon)
29. The Dark Vault - V.E. Schwab (Review coming soon)

Other December Posts

1. Product Review: December Weasley Sweater Candle - Bookworm Candles & Crafts
2. Blog Tour: Outcast - Lexi Blake
3. Cover Reveal: The Weird Girls - Cecy Robson
4. Blog Tour: The Witch of the Prophecy - Victoria Jayne
5. Blog Tour: Theirs Ever After - Katee Robert
6. Event Report: Walker's YA Wonderland
7. Cover Reveal: Run to You - Lara Adrian
8. Merry Christmas!
9. Release Blitz: The Weird Girls - Cecy Robson

December Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA reads in December:

Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman (read my review here)

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C Moore (read my review here)

My top adult reads in December:

Prince of Dreams by Pippa DaCosta (read my review here)
Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb (read my review here)

Clockwise from top left: Neal Shusterman,
Zoe Marriott, Lauren James & Tom Pollock

December Events:

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to get invited to Walker's YA Wonderland blogger event and I had the chance to meet some fantastic authors (Zoe Marriott, Lauren James, Neal Shusterman & Tom Pollock) as well as find out about all the fab new books Walker have coming out early in 2019. 

I've already posted about this on my blog (you can read my event report here) but I wanted to thank Walker again for inviting me to such a great event!

My Challenge Updates:

Here are the 2018 challenges I took part in:
2018 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 200/200 - Complete
2018 British Books Challenge - Read 20/20 - Complete
2018 New Author Challenge - Read 20/20 - Complete
2018 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - Read 100/100 - Complete
2018 Contemporary Romance Challenge - Read 20/20 - Complete

Here are the 2019 challenges I've signed up for:
2019 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 0/200
2019 British Books Challenge - Read 0/20
2019 New Author Challenge - Read 0/20
2019 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - Read 0/100
2019 Contemporary Romance Challenge - Read 0/20

Event Report: Walker's YA Wonderland

Earlier this week I was really excited to be invited to the Walker YA Wonderland blogger event to meet some of their authors and find out all about some of the exciting books they have coming out in 2019. I always love Walker's events and this was no exception, we got to meet some fantastic authors and I'm so excited to start reading all the books I came home with!

Me with Lauren James

The first author we got to hear from was Lauren James who was talking about her upcoming book The Quiet at the End of the World, we actually had a sneaky early copy of this one in our goodie bags and I can't wait to read it. Lauren was inspired to write this story by the idea that eventually the human race is going to go extinct which means that at some point (hopefully in the distant future!) there will be a last living human. Just imagine being the one of the last few people alive and how knowing that would affect you.

I've been lucky enough to meet Lauren a few times now and I love how passionate she is about all things science but particularly women in science. All of her stories have some scientific basis behind them and at the event she was talking about physical evolution but also the way languages change and how difficult it can be to interpret messages left thousands of years ago. Imagine how we're going to warn people 10,000 years in the future to avoid the nuclear waste that we've buried today, will they even recognise the symbols we use for toxic waste?

About The Quiet at the End of the World:

How far would you go to save those you love? Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking and looking for treasure – until a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Now Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide what to sacrifice to save the whole human race...

Publishing in March 2019

Me with Zoe Marriott & Faye from A Daydreamer's Thoughts

The second author to speak was Zoe Marriott who was there to tell us all about The Hand, the Eye and the Heart, her upcoming novel inspired by Mulan and set in a fantasy world inspired by Chinese history, especially Tang Dynasty. Zoe wanted to be clear that it isn't a straight Mulan retelling but there are similarities with the character's journey. Zhilan is also gender fluid which I think is fantastic. You can read all about Zoe's inspiration for the story on her blog here.

I've been a huge fan of Zoe's books for years now so I'm ridiculously excited for this book and it was really cool to get to see the cover revealed for the first time at the event. Walker always put so much effort into their cover designs and you can really see that here!

About The Hand, the Eye and the Heart:

Zhilan was assigned female at birth. Despite a gift for illusions, they know they are destined to live out their life within the confines of the women’s quarter. But when civil war sets the empire aflame, Zhilan is determined save their disabled father from the battlefield. By taking his place. Surviving brutal army training as a boy – Zhi – is only the first challenge. In the glittering court of the Land of Dragons, love and betrayal are two sides of the same smile, and soon the fate of a nation rests on Zhi’s shoulders. But to win, they must decide where their heart truly belongs…

Publishing April 2019

Me with Tom Pollock

Next up was Tom Pollock who told us all about his upcoming novel Heartstream. It's not due to be published until next July and is so new that it doesn't have a cover or official blurb yet but it sounds like it's going to be a fab read.

The story is set in the not too distant future where technology allows people to share their actual emotions online just like we currently share our thoughts and feelings via social media. Tom was inspired to write the story after watching vloggers and thinking about how they all create an online persona that their followers can relate to. The main character ends up becoming famous after sharing their emotions while their mother was dying but it all goes horribly wrong when they come home from the funeral to find someone inside their home holding a bomb! Heartstream sounds like it's going to be deliciously twisty & I can't wait to read it.

About Tom's last novel White Rabbit, Red Wolf (since I can't share a blurb or cover for for Hearstream yet):

A taut thriller about murder, maths and the mind. Peter Blankman is afraid of everything and must confront unimaginable terror when his mother is attacked.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a maths prodigy. He also suffers from severe panic attacks. Afraid of everything, he finds solace in the orderly and logical world of mathematics and in the love of his family: his scientist mum and his tough twin sister Bel, as well as Ingrid, his only friend. However, when his mother is found stabbed before an award ceremony and his sister is nowhere to be found, Pete is dragged into a world of espionage and violence where state and family secrets intertwine. Armed only with his extraordinary analytical skills, Peter may just discover that his biggest weakness is his greatest strength.

Neal Shusterman & me

Last but definitely not least was Neal Shusterman talking about his latest novel Dry (written with his son Jarrod) and also The Toll, the final book in the Arc of a Scythe trilogy which is due to publish next September. I absolutely LOVED Scythe (read my review) and Thunderhead (read my review) so I can't wait to get my hands on The Toll and the hints we were given about what to expect just made me even more excited about it! It looks like there have been all kinds of hints woven into the first book, right down to Scythe Goddard's name, and I can't wait to see how everything comes together in the finale.

Neal talked about how bored he was with YA dystopian stories at the time he was getting ready to start writing Scythe and how he wanted to do something completely different. The Arc of a Scythe trilogy was supposed to be about what would happen if everything went right in the world rather than if it all went horribly wrong but if we were able to cure diseases and make people practically immortal then it would cause all kinds of problems with overpopulation. Eventually that lead to the idea of the Scythes who were supposed to be unbiased and willing to do an awful job to keep society running smoothly, interestingly enough they were actually inspired by the Jedi!

About Dry:

When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

The drought – or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it – has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life – and the life of her brother – is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Dry is another fantastic book from Neal, cowritten with his son Jarrod, and you can read my review here.

After hearing all of the authors talk about their books, along with listening to some of the Walker editors and publicity team talking about other upcoming books (another highlight to watch out for is definitely On the Come Up by Angie Thomas due in February 2019!) we had time to mingle with the authors and other bloggers while getting our books signed and enjoying a few tasty nibbles.

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone at Walker for organising such a brilliant event and allowing me to tag along. The hardest part about coming home with so many fab books is trying to decide which one to read first but I'm particularly excited about the ones I've mentioned in this post so watch out for reviews coming as soon as I can!

Book Trailer: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe - Lauren James

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James released a couple of weeks ago and it's a book I've only heard great things about so I really need to find time to read it soon. I love stories set in space so I have a feeling this will be perfect for me! In the meantime I thought I'd share the book trailer with you here.

A romance set in space from the beloved author of The Next Together series

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. 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 is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit. 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...

Visit Lauren James's website for more information

June 2016 Recap

Books read in previous months but reviewed in June:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Their Fractured Light - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner (Read in January, reviewed in June)
2. Ice Planet Barbarians - Ruby Dixon (Read in February, reviewed in June)
3. Morning Star - Pierce Brown (Read in February, reviewed in June)
4. The Dark Days Club - Alison Goodman (Read in February, reviewed in June)
5. The Shadow Queen - C.J. Redwine (Read in March, reviewed in June)
6. Bound to Danger - Katie Reus (Read in March, reviewed in June)
7. Hollywood Dirt - Alessandra Torre (Read in March, reviewed in June)
8. The Hostage Bargain - Annika Martin (Read in March, reviewed in June)
9. Wickedly Wonderful - Deborah Blake (Read in March, reviewed in June)
10. Begging for It - Lilah Pace (Read in March, reviewed in June)
11. Owl and the City of Angels - Kristi Charish (Read in March, reviewed in June)
12. Allegiance of Honour - Nalini Singh (Read in April, review coming soon)
13. Flamecaster - Cinda Williams Chima (Read in April, reviewed in June)
14. Hot Six - Janet Evanovich (Read in May, reviewed in June)
15. Shadowed Blade - J.C. Daniels (Read in May, reviewed in June)
16. Violet Tendencies - Jay Wells (Novella) (Read in May, reviewed in June)

Books read in June:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Green-Eyed Demon - Jaye Wells
2. The Fires of Heaven - Robert Jordan
3. Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - Paul Krueger
4. Magic Strikes - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book before posting my review)
5. The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh (Review coming soon)
6. Magic Mourns - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book before posting my review)
7. Chaos Rises - Pippa DaCosta
8. The Loneliness of Distant Beings - Kate Ling
9. Poison or Protect - Gail Carriger (Novella)
10. Stripped Bear - Kate Baxter (Novella) (Review coming soon)
11. Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison (Review coming soon)
12. Inseverable - Cecy Robson
13. Secret of the Gargoyles - Rebecca Chastain
14. Blood Shadows - Lindsay J. Pryor (Review coming soon)
15. Magic Bleeds - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book before posting my review)
16. Magic Dreams - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book before posting my review)
17. Hard Ever After - Laura Kaye (Novella) (Review coming soon)
18. Glory In Death - J.D. Robb (Review coming soon)
19. Ride Hard - Laura Kaye (Review coming soon)
20. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich (Review coming soon)

Other June Posts:

1. Cover Reveal: Shadows on the Moon - Zoe Marriott
2. Guest Post: Strong Female Characters by Paul Krueger (Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge Blog Tour)
3. Spotlight: Inseverable - Cecy Robson (Excerpt, Guest Post + Giveaway)
4. Cover Reveal: Archangel's Heart - Nalini Singh
5. Spotlight: Secret of the Gargoyles (+ Giveaway)
6. Favourite Romance Beach Reads
7. Movie Review: The Choice - Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks (+ UK Giveaway for 3 copies of the DVD)

June Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA reads in June:

I actually read the first two of these months ago and they're fantastic books but I've only just got around to posting my reviews I had to include them here.

Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (read my review here)

Morning Star by Pierce Brown (read my review here)

Secret of the Gargoyles by Rebecca Chastain (read my review here)

My top NA read in June:

Inseverable by Cecy Robson (read my review here)

My top adult reads in June:

Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre (read my review here)
Chaos Rises by Pippa DaCosta (read my review here)

June Events:

I've been pretty hopeless at writing up events recently so I've decided to start mentioning them in my monthly wrap up posts so they at least get a little attention!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to Walker's offices for their Ink Slingers Summer Picnic. We spent a brilliant morning talking about lots of exciting upcoming books they have lined up for us, eating cake and chatting with three of their authors: Siobhan Curham, Zoe Marriott, and Lauren James. All three authors have books coming out soon: The Moonlight Dreamers, Barefoot on the Wind (which is one of my most longed for releases of the year!) and The Last Beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the author's talk about their newest books and getting to chat with them as well as meeting some of the new Walker publicity team. They have lots of exciting things planned for us so you definitely need to keep an eye out for their new releases!

Siobhan Curham, Zoe Marriott, and Lauren James

Thanks so much to everyone at Walker Books for inviting me and being so enthusiastic about working with bloggers! I came away with lots of exciting books to read so keep an eye out for reviews over the next few months :o)

My Challenge Updates:

These are the challenges I've signed up for in 2016:

2016 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 116/200
2016 British Books Challenge - Read 18/50
2016 New Author Challenge - Read 25/50
2016 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - 53/100
2016 Contemporary Romance Challenge - 12/20
2016 Romantic Suspense Challenge - 8/20