April Wrap Up

April was a pretty good reading month for me I managed to finish 7 books! I didn't finish anything after 14h April though and I'm currently in the midst of what feels like a pretty big book slump but I really enjoyed the majority of what I read.

The Winners Kiss (#3 The Winners Trilogy)

March 24th to April 3rd

5 Stars!

Full Review

Out of all the books I finished in April this was by far my favourite. I only came across this series last year and I read the first 2 fairly quickly. I don't tend to get really excited by new book releases even if I'm a fan of the series but I could not wait to get my hands on this one and it did not disappoint me!

Lola & The Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

April 3rd to April 5th

4 Stars

Full Review

After finishing The Winners Kiss I couldn't really face anything I would really need to focus on as my mind was still reeling. I read Anna & The French Kiss last year and remembered it was a nice fluffy read so I picked this one up knowing it wouldn't require much thought. I must say the book did frustrate me in a lot of places but I found Lola to be a bit more of a realistic teenager and a little more relatable as a person.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K Rowling

1st April to 9th April (Audible)

5 Stars.

This was a re-read for me as I made it a goal to re-read the last 4 books in the series this year. I listened to these and I thought it was a great way to quickly get through them. Stephen Fry's narration was fantastic too he gave the books so much more depth and character, he really brought it back to life!

A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman

7th April - 10th April (Audible)

3 Stars

Full Review

This was book was only okay for me. It was charming enough and funny enough to make it enjoyable but there wasn't really anything else in it that made it anything more than that for me. I probably wouldn't read this again but after seeing a few friends reading this on Goodreads I'm quite glad I gave it a chance even if it was only to feed my curiosity.

You - Caroline Kepnes

5th April - 10th April

4 Stars

Full Review

Even though this was not my favourite or least favourite book of the month it left me reeling so much it started the book slump I'm now in the midst of! I thought this book was really interesting not only because of the perspective it's written from but also because it really highlights how some people can be completely blind to their own messed up minds. I found the book a little frustrating in parts which is why it didn't get 5 stars and I thought that it dragged on a little too long with quite a few scenarios that could have been left out completely. Overall though I really liked this book and I'm still thinking about it weeks later.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas

11th to 13th April (Audible)

4 Stars

Full Review

As I was in beginnings of a book slump I thought it would be best to re-read this one. I really loved this book last year and I'm glad I re-read it before the next one comes out because I really needed to re-fresh myself on what had happened. I didn't enjoy it as much as the last time I read and so I marked it down to 4 stars but it was still pretty good. I'm really looking forward to the next book though as I'm quite interested in the Hades aspect of it, probably a result of binge watching Once Upon A Time this weekend.

Siege & Storm - Leigh Bardugo

Started & Finished 4th April (Audible)

3 Stars.

Full Review

I really think I'd have rated this higher if I hadn't listened to it. The narration grated on my quite a bit and I think that was a little hard to get passed at times. Overall the plot was pretty good but I have come to notice I'm falling out of love with YA fantasy a little bit as the plot lines a very predictable and this was no exception to that. I might finish the series, I haven't made my mind up yet but this didn't leave me rushing to buy the next one.

Top 5 Mothers/Maternal Figures - Top 5 Wednesday

 

5. Vera Sedge

Vera was a character who was quite fun for me to read about! She lives with her son and takes in a refugee during the second world war called Noel. Even though her reasons who taking Noel under her wing aren't exactly moral the development of their relationship is quite heart warming in places and it becomes clear she starts to really care for the boy as the book goes on.

4.Miss Honey

How wonderful would it be if the world had more Miss Honey's in it. She is the perfect maternal figure to me she see's something in Matilda not many others are willing to see and not only that but she encourages her and nurtures her. I loved this book as a kid and still do to this day and one of the main reasons for that is the relationship between them

3. Mrs Owens

I realise that I have only done maternal figures so far and haven't included any actual mothers as yet but I sometimes think that someone who cares when they don't "have to" are worth appreciating. The Graveyard Book was one of my favourite reads of 2015 and is up there as one of my favourite Gaiman books. The whole cast of characters is brilliant and even though Mrs Owen's isn't involved in a lot of the adventures when she is mentioned you can tell she loves him as if he were her own child.

2. Henryka 

She isn't a big part of the main chunk of the book but I really loved how motherly she was with Yael. As the book went along and in the tense moments I often found myself wondering how worried she must have been as if she was a real person. The way she is described and the way she acts just sounds like the person most of us would think about if asked to describe a great mother!

1. Molly Weasley.

Of course the top spot has to be given to Molly Weasley. Not only does she look after her own 7 children but she takes Harry and even Hermione under her wing, sends them Christmas presents, lets them stay over. I would love to have Molly Weasley as my mum even if she made me de-gnome the garden!

Introduction

Howdy, Hey and a Big Good Day,

I love to read and I love to write. Most evenings I can be found curled up on the sofa with a book or sat at my desk working on an idea for a novel. My cat, Sooty, is usually curled up with me nuzzling the book or tapping my keyboard.

This will be a place for me to post book reviews, opinions on various reading/bookish topics and discussions about writing and the processes of writing. I’ll be joining in with Top 5 Wednesday’s and I’ll probably post about things that aren’t book related occasionally too.

For now I just want to say welcome and feel free to comment on any future posts, I love a good discussion.

Much Love, Peace Out,

Kirsty & the Cat