Tag Archives: book review

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Books read in July 2017

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Here are the books I read in July! I only managed four after the massive Outlander last month threw me off: 

 
I had wanted to read We Were Liars for ages and I love this special edition hardback copy. It’s a gripping YA read with a hyped twist and the storytelling is very original – worth picking up.

I also enjoyed Cathy Bramley’s cosy Plumberry School Of Comfort Food. It was a pure comfort read perfect for curling up with. 

I wasn’t 100% sold on Miss You as I didn’t really like the male lead in it. It has similar premise to One Day so I think I was subconsciously comparing the two, and I loved One Day, so maybe that’s why.

  
My favourite book this month was the wonderful Eligible which is modern twist on Pride and Prejudice. I actually don’t always enjoy updates of Austen but this one somehow kept the spirit and romance of the original but was completely contemporary and felt like a story in its own right too. I raced through it and would definitely recommend it!

What did you enjoy reading this month?

Victoria

xoxo 

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Books read in June 2017

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This post is later than I had planned because near the end of June I started to read Outlander and wow it’s a LONG book! But I decided to finish it and include in the June pile as I was really enjoying it. Now I’ll be reading less than usual in July – maybe I’ll pick the shortest books on the TBR pile though. 

So this month I read two proofs that were sent to me by publishers – Truth or Dare which was an enjoyable teen book about a girl and boy who start a truth or dare YouTube channel to raise funds for his sick brother. How To Stop Time was a clever and moving story of a man who has a condition that means he ages super slowly and how he has to hide his secret from the world. I really enjoyed this one and it’s going to be a film staring Benndict Cumberbatch which I think will be brill.

My next read was a bargain supermarket buy and was a moving women’s fiction story based on a real life singer who had cystic fibrosis called A Song For Tomorrow. 

  
But my choice for book of the month for June is Outlander. I’ve had this on my shelf for ages after buying it for £1 from a clearance box. I saw adverts for the TV series and thought it was about time I read it.

It’s a real romp of a book. Claire finds herself swept from 1940’s Scotland back in time to the 1700’s and has to try to survive in a time where superstition and violence run riot. It’s a massive book and it immediately transports you back in time and really evokes what life was like in the Highlands back then. Key to the story though is the romance Claire has with a young Scot called Jamie despite being married in her own time.

This book was a total guilty pleasure. Full of sex and violence, it’s no wonder it’s been such a best seller and I was completely drawn into Claire’s journey and swooned over Jamie with her. I will have to read the sequels and try the TV show too. 

What did you enjoy reading in June? Any recommends for me? Are you an Outlander fan?

Victoria

xoxo 

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Books read in May 2017

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This month I neglected my pile of non-fiction books and read five novels instead. Two were books that I’ve been meaning to read for years – The Secret Life of Bees and When God Was A Rabbit, which I read along with thriller I Found You, the YA story The One Memory of Flora Banks and the black comedy serial killer book Sweetpea so a diverse mix for sure! 

I love reading a mix of genres but I do have a big soft spot for coming-of-age stories so I knew that I’d enjoy The Secret Life Of Bees but my favourite read this month was this one:

  
When God Was A Rabbit is a quirky, moving and almost fairy-tale like coming-of-age novel about a brother and sister growing up in 70’s England. The first part is their childhood then we jump into their twenties and follow their story as adults. The book is both funny and sad and the voice of Elly pulled me in from the first page. I just loved this quirky family and their ups and downs and could have read about them until they were eighty. I will definitely pick up the author’s other books now. Definitely one for my top books list. 

What did you love reading this month?

Victoria

xoxo 

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Books read in March 2017

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I can’t believe March is over already and Spring is here. I turned 34 this month and I can’t believe that either. Sometimes time is a scary thing. It definitely scares me when I look at my pile of books to be read and how little time I have to get through them all! 

But here are the ones I managed to get through this month: 

  
I really enjoyed all the books I picked up this month. I continued trying to read more non-fiction with Lauren Graham’s book as I love The Gilmore Girls and her novel was really enjoyable. This book was pretty short and easy to get through. It was light hearted and she definitely comes across as someone you’d love to hang out with. I’m hoping she’s working on another novel.

With the fiction, I read my first Liane Moriarty novel. I know I’m behind on getting on that train! And as a massive fan of her Sookie novels, I picked up the first in another series by Charlaine Harris. Both are authors I’d read more from again in the future. 

  
Behind Her Eyes has had a lot of hype online particularly because of its ending so I was intrigued to read it. It was a page turner for sure and kept me guessing right up to the end where the twist gives you a lot to talk about to others who’ve read it! I don’t give anything away don’t worry but let me know if you’ve read it and what you thought.

My favourite of the pile this month was this book:

  
I’ve followed Holly online for ages now and this has sat on my self for an embarrassingly long time. It’s a brilliant YA novel about friendship and feminism and at its heart a girl who’s struggling to get to grips with OCD. It’s very honest and I loved the three girls at the heart of it. There are two more books in the series which I’m looking forward to reading.

I probably don’t read as much YA now as I think I overdosed on it, particularly on the fantasy side, but I’m really happy I picked this one up finally!

What books have you enjoyed this month?

Victoria

xoxo 

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Books read in February 2017

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First of all – happy World Book Day everyone! A perfect day to look back on the books I read in February I think.

  

It wasn’t a bumper book month for me. I was concentrating on editing my own book but I managed to read three novels and one non-fiction – a humorous self-help guide. 
  
My favourite of the books I read is this little gem. It’s not released until May but a proof arrived at work and I’m so happy it did!

  

I don’t want to talk too much about it as it’s one of those books that you should just read and fall in love with but essentially it’s about a woman called Eleanor who lives a lonely life in Scotland and how she comes to terms with her past and opens up her heart finally. It’s almost a coming of age novel although she’s grown up. 

It’s funny in places and so moving in others and I had tears in my eyes at the end. It’s really original especially Eleanor’s voice and I hope it finds lots of readers when it’s published.

What book did you love this month?

Victoria 

xoxo 

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Books read January – June 2016

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Last year I listed all the books I read each month and picked my favourite but this year I’ve failed miserably to keep track on here what I’ve read! So, instead I’m going to look back at the books I’ve read in the first half of the year and will do the same in December so I’ll still have a list of my favourite twelve books by the end of the year.

Here are the books I’ve read from January to June …

   
    
    
   

 And here are the six that stood out to me the most: 

    
I loved Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic last year so thought it was about time I read this one! I really enjoyed it, her style is accessible and the story is inspiring and she is definitely one of my favourite non-fiction writers.

    
This is a short and unusual novel told from Lucy’s point of view as she ends up in hospital and attempts to heal her relationship with her mother. It drew me in and I think it’s one I’d revisit as there’s so much to think about.

    
This is a gorgeous hardback and an absorbing Victorian novel that is rich in detail and brilliantly written. 

    
I really loved The Muse – set across two timelines London in the 1960’s and Spain during The Civil War it follows two women and is really compelling with wonderfully drawn characters and lots of twists and turns.

    
I have been meaning to read this for a long time – it’s a modern classic about three women in the works of celebrity. It’s almost like reading a long gossip column, a delicious guilty pleasure. 

    
I had to pick a YA book as well. I love Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series and this first book on her new series is an interesting mix of Elizabethian and frontier worlds and as the author wheats does, the world is flipped on its head by the leading lady. Lots of fun.

What books have you loved so far this year? Hit us with your recommendations in the comments!!

Victoria

xoxo 

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2015 – a year in books

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For the first time in 2015 I decided to list all the books I read each month and pick my favourite one. It was really interesting keeping track of what I was reading and has provided me a list of my twelve favourite books of the year.

  
Looking at the twelve confirms that I enjoy a wide range of books and this has definitely become more the case since working at Waterstones as I choose books I never would have picked up before. 

  
My favourite books are ones that I enjoyed but also ones that inspired me or ones I had a strong emotional reaction too. Some were easy to pick but some months I loved all the books I read so it was a harder task.

I enjoyed the challenge though and it’s really interesting to see look back at the twelve books that made the biggest impact on me in 2015.

  
I don’t tend to read a lot of non-fiction but I loved both WILD and BIG MAGIC this year so I will definitely be looking out for more in 2016.

In terms of fiction I think the two books that I’m still thinking about the most are A LITTLE LIFE and STATION ELEVEN. 

So now I need to decide whether to write about the books I’m reading each month in 2016. What do you guys think? And what books stood out for you in 2015?

Victoria

xoxo