ABC Book Challenge → B

I recently came across the ABC Book Challenge over on The Bibliophagist, and I just thought it would be cool to give it a go! Each week you showcase books with titles that correspond to a specific letter - you include books that are memorable to you and books that are still on your to-be-read pile. It's a great chance to look through what you've read over the years. 

▷B◁

Now onto the letter B...

♡♡ Memorable/Favourite Books → B ♡♡

✿ Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver ✿

Before I Fall has a special place in my heart and it really left a strong impression on me. The book was thought provoking and powerful, and I continue to recommend it to people looking for a good YA read. I recently watched the film adaptation and loved how they portrayed the story - Zoey Deutch played Sam so well.

✿ Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines #1) ✿ 

I absolutely adored Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, and when Bloodlines came out, I remember being over the moon. The book did not disappoint!

✿ The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder #1) ✿ 

Violet's power to sense dead bodies really pulled me into the story, and I loved the unravelling of the mystery/crime. I read up to the third book in the series but never had the chance to read the last instalment.

✿ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ✿ 

The Book Thief was probably one of the biggest books I've ever read (and normally I don't go for big books). The narrator had me entranced from the beginning to the end, and I came to be truly invested in Markus Zusak's characters.

♡♡ Books on my TBR pile → B ♡♡

✿ Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson ✿ 

My love for Julianne Donaldson's Edenbrooke (my review) is the reason I've had Blackmoore on my TBR pile. Every now and then I'm in the mood for some historical fiction, so maybe I'll come round to picking up Blackmoore during that time.

✿ Broken Things by Lauren Oliver ✿

Since Lauren Oliver's Delirium series and standalone Before I Fall, both of which I loved, I haven't found another book by Lauren Oliver that has captured me in the same way. Broken Things sounds intriguing so I would like to give it a chance.

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters You'd Want at Friendsgiving

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Thoughts on Tomes. You can join in by heading over to the Top 5 Wednesday group on Goodreads where you can finding the weekly topics!

Characters You'd Want at Friendsgiving

✩ 1. Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson) ✩

Lisbeth is awesome and complex. I'm not sure if she would do much talking during friendsgiving but I can imagine her strong presence/aura filling up a room. With her cool investigative/detective skills, I'm sure she would have all the guests figured out right from the beginning.

✩ 2. Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead) ✩

I always loved Rose's sarcasm and sass so I think she would be a great addition. I feel like Rose would be the life of the party!

✩ 3. Stevie Bell (Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson) ✩

Stevie would be our other detective at friendsgiving alongside Lisbeth. You never know when you're going to need a detective! I would probably steer clear from playing any guessing games or 'solve the mystery' type puzzles cause I'm sure Stevie or Lisbeth would win those.

✩ 4. Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) ✩

I can imagine that Elizabeth would be great at carrying a conversation. Weirdly I think her and Rose would get along.

✩ 5. Charlie (Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky) ✩

I just feel like it'd be nice to have Charlie over at friendsgiving!

I had a lot of fun tackling this topic! I can't wait to read everyone else's picks. 

Quick Share: Podcast Episodes To Check Out - Mr Darcy's Earnings? Changing Prisons?

Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well!

I've recently been enjoying a number of podcasts, and there are some episodes I just quickly wanted to share with you all.

1. How rich was Jane Austen's Mr Darcy? 

This podcast episode is presented by BBC Radio 4 More or Less and is only about 8 minutes long so
it will be a quick listen. It puts into perspective how much Mr Darcy would be earning in today's money. The figures that they revealed left me in shock, it was far from what I had been expecting.

You can listen to the podcast episode on this link here, or type into your podcast app 'More or Less Mr Darcy' and it should come up.

I would love to know if anyone else is as shocked as I am about the figures!

2. How to make prisons more humane.

This podcast episode is presented by Future Perfect and is about 23 minutes long. It would be ideal to
listen to during your commute to work/school or while you're doing some chores around the house.

The episode gives you a lot of food for thought by exploring the current US prison system. It presents the stark contrast between the prisons in Norway with that in the US, and opens your eyes to how certain changes to prisons can have a positive impact. Recently I've read quite a few articles regarding the issues faced by UK prisons, which in turn really highlighted the importance of what is being discussed in this podcast episode.

If you are interested in the prison system and ways to potentially bring changes to it, I would highly recommend this episode, or if you just want to learn something new this episode will definitely deliver. You can listen on this link here, or type the title of the episode into your podcast app.

Have you been listening to anything interesting lately, I would love to know!

ABC Book Challenge → A

I recently came across the ABC Book Challenge over on The Bibliophagist, and I just thought it would be cool to give it a go! Each week you showcase books with titles that correspond to a specific letter - you include books that are memorable to you and books that are still on your to-be-read pile. It's a great chance to look through what you've read over the years. 

▷A◁
So here we go, starting with the letter A...

♡♡ Memorable/Favourite Books → A ♡♡

It was quite a struggle for me to find memorable/favourites beginning with the letter A, I was hoping this would be one of the easier letters!

● Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly ●

I loved how fast paced and action packed the book was, and I read it during a time there were a lot of great book releases focussed on angels/fallen angels. I remember being completely invested in the main characters Willow and Alex. Sadly, I discontinued the series after reading the second book which just wasn't as good as the first one.

● Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen ●

Definitely one of my favourite Sarah Dessen books!

● Altered by Jennifer Rush ●

Altered was a book that came highly recommended by a friend and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The premise of Altered was really interesting, and again I would say the action in the book made me fall in love with it.

♡♡ Books on my TBR pile → A ♡♡

● Angelfall by Susan Ee ●

Angelfall has received a lot of love over the years, so I've been super curious to find out why everyone loves it!

● Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery ●

I have wanted to read Anne of Green Gables for what feels like FOREVER.

● An Assassin's Guide to Love and Treason by Virginia Boecker ●

This book was released last month and I was totally intrigued by the summary. It sounds like it'll be a a fun historical read with a twist.

Have you read any of the books above? Is there any books on my TBR list that you would recommend?

Review: Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan

Title: Persuading Annie

Author: Melissa Nathan
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date: August 17th 2004
Page count: 352
Buy The Book: Amazon | Book Depository
Rating: 2.5/5

Synopsis

After years as a sweet, good-natured pushover, Annie Markham has had to face up to three hard truths: You've got to be tough to succeed in business and romance. Sometimes your meddling loved ones are right about your worthless, no-good boyfriend being worthless and no good. The only reliable thing about men is that they're totally unreliable. Okay, she's been persuaded. So now, seven years after wisely and abruptly dumping the "love of her life," Jake Mead, things should be going better for Annie Markham, right? Unfortunately, her life's going nowhere, her family's going mental, and the family business is heading straight down the tubes. Could it get worse? Of course! Jake's back, Annie's getting ready for bankruptcy, and no one's ready for Christmas ... let alone a happy New Year. And no amount of persuasion will ever convince Annie that magic does happen and dreams do come true, not even at the stroke of midnight on December 31 at New York's Plaza Hotel ... will it? [Goodreads]

My Thoughts

I really wanted to love this book. It's a modern adaptation of 'Persuasion' which is one of my favourite Jane Austen books, and on top of that I remember enjoying Melissa Nathan's other book called 'The Nanny'. Unfortunately, 'Persuading Annie' didn't live up to my expectations. 

The pace of the book was quite fast which really appealed to me. I fear that if the pace of the book had been slower, I may not have been able to finish it. 

For me, the main reason I could not enjoy 'Persuading Annie' was because of the characters. I can't remember a single character that I liked, they were all very much on the unlikeable scale including Annie and Jack. Because the book is an adaptation, the reader already has an idea of the plot line, so in this case I think it becomes really important to work on the characters and make sure the reader will be invested in them. 

I do think there are some people that would enjoy this book, especially if you pick it up as a lighthearted and quick read, but it just didn't work for me. 

If anyone who is looking to read a good Jane Austen 'Persuasion' adaptation, one of my favourites would have to be 'For Darkness Shows the Stars' by Diana Peterfreund!

Quotes/Moments

"You have a choice. A life of lonely regret or happiness with some pain along the way. You choose."

I'd like to think the choice would be kind of easy?! 

What I Am Currently Reading #6

I am currently reading:

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Right now I'm at the 40% mark and I already love how fun and silly the book is including all the twists to history they've added. The humour is right up my street! 

The other day I was reading the book while I was on the tube, and there were a few parts that were really funny but I had to bite my tongue so not to laugh out loud on a tube carriage packed with people. 

Does anyone else think that it can be kind of difficult to fully enjoy a funny book out in public?

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Update: Hi again!

Hi again!

I hope you are all doing well 😊.

I can't believe that it's been about a year since my last post. Time flies far too quickly!

A lot has happened in the 11-12 months I have been away. In July I graduated from university and ended a 3-year chapter of my life. It still feels surreal that it's over!

With the end of my university/student life came the stress of finding a graduate job (life loves throwing lemons at you), so the past few months have been filled with intense job searching, applications and interviews. I am very happy to say that the crazy job hunting rollercoaster has now ended and I've managed to secure a job in the field I've always wanted to work in 💓. I start my new job in a few weeks so I have some time to relax. I am both excited and nervous about this next step, and I'm hoping things will go well.

Recently I've had a lot more time to read and I've been enjoying it so much! My current 'to-be-read' pile is a little outdated so I want to find some new releases to add to my list. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to know.

This blog has a really special place in my heart which is why I always find myself back on here. I hope I can give it some love over the next few months and just take it from there.

Lots of love,

- The Wild Reader

What I Am Currently Reading #5

October was a very busy and intense month, and I definitely don't see November being any less so! With the weather becoming colder, it is tempting to just curl up under the covers with a book or spend the evenings watching TV shows. But I think I will have to put that on hold till I've caught up with my studies and made big progress with my dissertation. I've been managing to get some reading done on my tube rides to university and during my lunch breaks but it does mean it is taking me much longer to finish a book!

I am currently reading: 

Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan

The only other Melissa Nathan book I've read is 'The Nanny' and I do remember actually enjoying it so I did have some high hopes for this one. The book is written in third person which actually caught me by surprise as I was expecting to be reading from Annie's point of view. The plot is moving along very fast so I am intrigued to find out how the ending will play out. 

Synopsis

What is everyone currently reading? Is the weather getting colder where you live?

Book Blogger Hop - (October 13th - 19th) #10

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

This Week's Question:

Who is your favorite horror/suspense author and why? (submitted by Kitty @ Vicarious Bookworm)

My Answer:

I don't tend to read many books that are horror or suspense these days, but growing up I read A LOT of R. L. Stine books and they were definitely horror and suspense! Books from the Fear Street and Goosebumps series would have to be some of my favourites by him, and more importantly they did a great job at scaring my younger self. I remember not being able to predict the ending most of the time, they always seemed to take me by surprise - or that just might be because my younger self was not smart enough to figure it out!

Since there are about 54 books in the Fear Street series - here are some that I've read and would recommend! (They are all very quick reads too)

The Confession

This was the first book that I read
from the Fear Street series - definitely
got me hooked!

GOODREADS

Secret Admirer

GOODREADS

Killer's Kiss

GOODREADS

Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Title: I've Got Your Number
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Bantam Press
Publication date: February 14th 2012
Page count: 433
Buy The Book: Amazon | Book Depository
Rating: 4/5








Synopsis

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life. [Goodreads]

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this one, definitely more than Can You Keep a Secret? Much of what I felt and thought about Can You Keep a Secret? can be applied to I've Got Your Number.

Poppy Wyatt was a lot of fun but also wild when it came to making decisions - there were moments where I wanted to tell Poppy to stop and think, but honestly I have realised that is part of the fun and rollercoaster ride you go through when you read a Sophie Kinsella book.

I really like how Poppy's character contrasted with Sam's personality but how they actually complemented each other really well. Sam is definitely a swoon-worthy character too and I absolutely adored the texts between the two. Also, Poppy's dislike of confrontations and her tendency to put herself second to everyone else are struggles that many could understand and relate to, which in my case made her more likeable.

Sophie Kinsella knows how to make me laugh especially with all the crazy things that end up happening in the book, it would have to be one of the main reasons I decided to read another one of her books - I was sure that it would leave a smile on my face, and it definitely did.

Favourite Quotes/Moments

"I have a special announcement to make!" I exclaim, hurrying after them. "I am a singing telegram! I bear a message from all Mr Yamasaki's many fans."

The singing telegram scene had me laughing out loud for ages, I couldn't believe what was happening, definitely was not expecting it! 

"But sometimes you have to be brave. Sometimes you have to show people what's important in life." 

#LifeLesson right there

"Lover? I don't know. I don't know if she loves me. I don't know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see."

This totally made me melt, no question about that. 

Book Blogger Hop - (October 6th - 12th) #9

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

This Week's Question:

Both Bram Stoker's Dracula and Marry Shelley's Frankenstein are considered classics. Have you ever read either of them? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

My Answer:

I haven't read either book, but they have both come highly recommended to me from friends. For a long time I avoided reading classics, only quite recently I've started to pick them up, and I've even been enjoying them (sometimes I can't believe what I've been missing out on!)

I think part of the reason I avoided classics for so long would be because of the fact many of them were books that were assigned to read at school and for exams, and in some way that took the fun out of reading classics for me. But thankfully that has changed, and I no longer shy away from reading them, so I will definitely be checking out Dracula or Frankenstein - at this moment in time I am swaying towards Frankenstein!

Books Plus Thoughts #3 - All Things Kasie West - The Fill-In Boyfriend + The Distance Between Us

Every now and again I binge on Young Adult contemporary romance - this happens most often during summer or after I've finished reading a heartbreaking, sad or intense book. Both the Kasie West books in this post I read back-to-back, and both are lighthearted reads. 

1. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Summary: When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley. The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Rating: ★★★★

This one I really enjoyed! It was 100% cute and swoon worthy as well as very much uncomplicated. It is likely that you will close the book with a big smile on your face. Gia doesn't start off as a very likeable character but by the end she sheds some of her immaturity. This is definitely a book to pick up after you've finished some heavy/intense reads. The ending was rather abrupt but I found that to be the case for this book as well as Kasie West's other standalone The Distance Between Us.


GOODREADS

Favourite/Memorable Quotes:

“We rarely find a depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul.”

“Well, if you're a mess then I'm a natural disaster."

"The cutest natural disaster I've ever seen.”

2. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company. She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Rating: ★★★

I did not love The Distance Between Us as much as I did The Fill-In Boyfriend. With this one I had a harder time connecting with both the characters Caymen and Xander. But otherwise it was another really cute read and I was cheering them both on the whole way! Again I felt the ending was really abrupt and slightly rushed - there was a lot more I wanted to find out especially with regards to the revelations that were made near the end.

GOODREADS

Favourite/Memorable Quotes:

“I wonder why some people seem to be born knowing what they want to do with their lives and others - mostly me - have no idea.”

“This is me facing failure. This is me putting everything on the line even though I know I might lose. And I'm terrified. But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk.” 

 

Book Blogger Hop - (September 29th - October 5th) #8

Book Blogger Hop

This Week's Question:

Have you ever slept with a favorite, beloved book under your pillow, or cradled in your arms? (submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books)

My Answer:

I've never really fallen asleep with a book under my pillow or in my arms. There has been nights where I have stayed up very late just to finish a good book. But when I finish the book I make sure to put it away on top of the desk beside my bed. I think it would be rather uncomfortable for me to sleep with a book under my pillow. However I do remember a few years ago, falling asleep while reading (it was due to exhaustion on my part and the book being rather boring), though by the morning the book had ended up on the floor beside my bed. Other than that, the answer to the question is very much no. 😊

What I Am Currently Reading #4

This week I am officially back at university, which means lectures, dissertations, and lots of time spent in the lab. This usually goes hand in hand with a decline in the amount of time I can spend reading. However, I will try and make sure that there is not a drastic decline as there has been in previous years. Fingers crossed I can keep to it. 💪 

I am currently reading:

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I recently received this book as a gift from a friend 😊. Ever since I read the synopsis of the book on Goodreads I had been hoping to get myself a copy. Right now, I am only 22 pages in but I can already tell how this book will be pulling at my heartstrings.

Synopsis

What is everyone currently reading?

6 Authors I Loved As A Teen 💖

There were certain authors during my teen years, in particular between the ages of 13 to 16, who left a deep impression on my reading journey. I remember days spent searching the shelves of the school and local library looking for their books, and even eagerly waiting to exchange the books with my friends. Also I would love to find out which authors left an impact on you growing up! 

I've listed the authors in no particular order:

1. Meg Cabot

• I absolutely adored Meg Cabot as a teen!
• Her books were always so much fun.
• 100% addictive.
• I don't remember disliking any of her books at that age.
• The Princess Diaries books have a special place in my heart. 💓
• Another favourite would have to be the Airhead series.
• Unfortunately the last Meg Cabot book I read was Abandon back in 2012, and I hadn't loved it as much as I had hoped I would.
• I would love to see Meg Cabot releasing some new standalones or a new series!

I just had to add in a Princess Diaries gif 😊

2. L. J. Smith

• L. J. Smith was the reason I fell in love with Paranormal/Vampire books.
• The Vampire Diaries series was one of my first loves, this even includes the TV show. However, just as the books in the series progressively lost their charm on me, the TV show did too.
• The Night World books were amazing from what I can remember, but just like anyone else who was a fan of The Night World books, I've lost count of the number of years that I have waited for the final book in the series. Although it is probably time to accept that it will likely never be published. 

3. Richelle Mead

• This list makes it quite obvious that I read A LOT of YA paranormal books in my teens. 
• Richelle Mead is another author that made me love the genre. 
• Rose from Vampire Academy is still one of my favourite badass female characters in YA.

4. Lauren Oliver

• Lauren Oliver's books were some of the first reviews I posted on this blog. 
• Both the Delirium series and Before I Fall are books that I think of very dearly - beautifully written!
• Anytime someone wants YA book recommendations and they are new to the genre, I always recommend them either of the two.
• Much like all the authors on this list, I have not read any of her recent books.

5. Ally Carter

• Funny story about how I obtained my first Ally Carter book:
• I had went along to my local library in search of the first book in the Gallagher Girls series called 'I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You'.
• I had checked the shelves but had no success. One of my friends suggested I ask the librarian to check on the system, and find out if the book was out on loan. 
• The super awkward teenage me walks up to the librarian and I tell him there's a book I'm looking for. He asks me the name of the book, and in that moment it dawns on me...
• I hesitate, start to feel my cheeks heat up, and somehow I manage to mumble to him 'I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You' - I never thought a book title could possibly embarrass me as much as this one did! 😭😭😭
• I remember the librarian giving me an amused look, and then handing me paper and pen to write the title down. I still remember the day very vividly. 
• Putting all that aside, Ally Carter's books were always so action packed and definitely page-turners.

6. Sarah Dessen

• Sarah Dessen books were among the first contemporary YA books I'd ever read.
• Heartwarming.
• Never failed to make me smile.

💓

That is the end of my list, but there are definitely many more authors that I really appreciated and liked while I was growing up. I hope I didn't ramble on for too long. 😊