Wrap Up: October 2016

October was a bit of a rough month for me. I was in a bit of a reading slump for most of the month because I had a lot going on outside of blogging. I had a lot of assignments to mark and that sucked the life out of me. I also did a bit of travelling as well, which was quite draining. I went away for a weekend for a friend’s wedding, and I also went to Brisbane to visit my coblogger, Jeann @ Happy Indulgence. It was a lot of fun but it didn’t leave me a lot of time for reading.

I ended up reading a lot of new adult books this month to get me back into reading and to stay on track with my Goodreads reading challenge. I completed my goal of 150 books last month, and decided to increase it to 200 books. Ever since then I’ve been 1-3 books behind but hopefully I’ll be able to catch up soon. I’ll need to get ahead of schedule soon though since I’ll be travelling for two weeks in November and won’t have much time to read. Enough chatter.

Books are listed in the order that I read them and reviews are linked.

1. Swarm – Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan & Deborah Biancotti 

Swarm is the second book in the Zeroes trilogy and I inhaled it because it was so fast-paced and action-packed. It continues the story of our group of six Zeroes extremely well and ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you crying for more.

2. Nothing Tastes As Good – Claire Hennessey 

I love a good issue book and this novel explores body image and eating disorders. It has a very interested concept and I thought it was executed well. I did have some concerns about the first half of the book – there were some things that made me feel very uncomfortable- but all of these concerns were addressed by the end of the book. I do have to say though that it could be triggering for some people, so proceed with care.

3. Replica – Lauren Oliver 

This was a really interesting read and I have to admit that I was initially interested in this book because of the two books in one format. This is a sci-fi novel that can be read in 4 different ways. I switched perspectives after every chapter, which made for a unique reading experience. I’ve never had to read with two bookmarks before. But looking beyond this cool format, I really enjoyed the story too. I loved how the perspectives worked together and that the story was fast-paced and thrilling.

4. When the Moon was Ours – Anna-Marie McLemore 

I absolutely loved Anna-Marie McLemore’s debut novel, The Weight of Feathers, and this book was just as good. It has magical realism, racial diversity and sexual diversity. I fell in love with the story and the relationships in the book. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the month.

5. Odd and the Frost Giants – Neil Gaiman 

I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and packaging of this book. It’s an interesting middle grade story that has Norse mythology elements. The edition that I read had illustrations by Chris Riddell and they were absolutely stunning. Each page also had some beautiful silver accents. I was in love!

6. An Improper Bride – Nadia Lee 

An Improper Bride is the sequel to An Improper Deal second part of Annabelle and Elliot’s story. I’ve had issues with Nadia Lee’s recent books because she’s been splitting up her books into multiple parts and releasing them separately. But since I’d already started the first part of this story, An Improper Deal, I decided to pick up An Improper Bride to finish it off… Only to find out that this isn’t the end of the story. There’s a part three! I think I’ll be quitting Nadia Lee after I read that last part when it’s released. I just can’t agree with authors releasing what is one story in multiple parts in order to rake in the cash.

7. Phantom Limbs – Paula Garner 

I love a good book about grief and Phantom Limbs explores the theme in a light-hearted but impactful manner. It has a great balance of grief, romance and friendship and I enjoyed the plot and the relationships immensely.If you’re looking for a serious read that won’t leave you feeling dark and heavy,  this is the one for you.

8. The Year We Fell Down – Sarina Bowen 

I saw a recommendations list on Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse‘s blog this month and this book was on it. I don’t read a lot of new adult books but Deanna said she really loved this series so I picked it up. I highly enjoyed The Year We Fell Down because it had two characters with physical disabilities and I’ve never read that in a new adult novel before. I also really liked the romance in the book and the side characters as well.

9. Blood for Blood – Ryan Graudin 

Blood for Blood was one of my most anticipated books this year. I loooooved Wolf by Wolf last year and I couldn’t wait to pick up this sequel. It was everything that I wanted and more. While it wasn’t as fast-paced as Wolf by Wolf or the prequel novella, Iron to Iron, I really liked the plot of it and all of the twists and turns that it took. My heart was completely broken by the end of the book but it was so completely worth it.

10. Everyone We’ve Been – Sarah Everett 

This book has a stunning cover and a plot that is pretty amazing too. It’s about first love and identity and I’d recommend it if you’ve watched and enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At times, there were a few  too many similarities but I did enjoy what the characters brought to the story.

11. The Year We Hid Away – Sarina Bowen 

This is the second novel in The Ivy Years series. it can be read as a standalone though. I really enjoyed the plot and the romance in this book. I liked that the characters came from different walks of life and I appreciated that the author tried to incorporate different issues into this book.

12. Blonde Date – Sarina Bowen 

Blonde Date is #2.5 in The Ivy Years series. This is a novella about two side characters from The Year We Hid Away. I thought their romance was really adorable and it was a light and fun read.

13. The Understatement of the Year – Sarina Bowen 

This is book 3 of The Ivy Years and probably my favourite one of the series. It features a LGBT relationship and is a coming out story. I don’t really have the words to describe why I enjoyed it so much but I really connected with the two main characters and their personal stories.

14. Rat Queens, Vol 1: Sass & Sorcery – Kurtis J. Wiebe & Roc Upchurch 

I really enjoyed the humour and the action in Rat Queens. It was really sassy and funny and I loved the four main characters that make up the Rat Queens. The plot was enjoyable and the art style was beautiful. It wasn’t the best graphic novel that I’ve ever read but I enjoyed it enough to want to pick up the next volume.

15. The Shameless Hour – Sarina Bowen 

The Shameless Hour is the fourth book in The Ivy Years series. Again, this one can be read as a standalone. This novel explores slut-shaming and I appreciated what the author was trying to do. I liked the main  characters and enjoyed their romance a lot. It wasn’t my favourite of the series but the writing was very addictive.

16. The Fifteenth Minute – Sarina Bowen 

This is the last novel in The Ivy Years. I liked the characters in this book but wasn’t as big of a fan of the plot as I was of the other installments. I still enjoyed it immensely though and liked how relatable the characters were.

17. Rookie Move – Sarina Bowen 

This is the first book in a spin-off series to The Ivy Years. It features a second chance romance, which is one of my favourite romantic tropes! This novel follows a side character that has appeared in multiple books in The Ivy Years and I enjoyed finally being able to read his story.

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Thank you for reading. I’m on a semi-hiatus right now but I have a small giveaway running in this post.