The Weekly Epilogue…see what I’ve read this week!

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Welcome to The Weekly Epilogue! Hope you all had a good week?

And I’m back in the game, the reading game that is! I’m happy to announce my 9 day reading slump is over! It feels so good to be back to the old me!

We are getting ready for my son to go to camp, it’s only 3 days but he is still so little to me that I don’t want him to go! He is really looking forward to it though. I booked the days off work so I can read!

I’m participating in OWNtober and have picked out 6 books to read but I am secretly hoping I can knock it out the park and read more….but don’t want to count my chickens and all that!

I’m also going to try a readathon which starts Friday to Sunday, Off the Grid readathon….wish me luck!

BOOKS I READ

  • Wildcard by Marie Lu
  • Claiming the Enemy by Jamie Begley
  • The Lost Sisters by Holly Black
  • Forgetting Me by Crystal Spears

WHAT I’M CURRENTLY READING

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

WHAT I WANT TO READ NEXT

Dangerous Exes by Rachel Van Dyken

How was your reading week?

What books did you read?

Fairyloot Unboxing: September Starcrossed Swoons *spoilers*

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September 2018 Fairyloot Unboxing

Starcrossed Swoons

‘Do you love your books with starcrossed lovers? Characters that make you swoon? Rich tales and lush descriptions?’

This month’s box was full to the brim of goodness! Lets dive straight in!

  • Bella and Edward (Twilight) candle by Nerd Poured Candles. Smells delish, I love a candle especially on Autumn evenings!
  • Prythian Shoelace by Fictiontea Designs. It features all the courts from A Court of Thorns and Roses (Winter House here!!)
  • Constellation Notebook designed by Read at Midnight. Now I don’t know about you, but stationery is always, always welcome!
  • A Dreamer Apron designed by Literary Life Co and has a quote from Strange the Dreamer on it. I’m just about to make my Christmas cake so this came at just the right time!
  • A Love Rune Enamel pin by Fictiontea Designs from Shadowhunters and has pride of place on my book sleeve.
  • Angelic Fire Candle Matches by Fictiontea Designs. Just what’s needed for my candle collection!
  • A Mal and Alina (Grishaverse) body butter from Little Heart Gifts. It’s in the shape of a heart and is stargazer lily scented. I put some on my hands and it smelt divine and my skin was so soft!
  • Swoonworthy postcards designed by Taratjah. It includes artwork from ACOTAR, Strange the Dreamer, The Dark Artifices and The Star Touched Queen.

THE BOOK!


Mirage by Somaiya Daud

An exclusive cover ✔

Sprayed edges ✔

Signed by the author ✔

A girls survival depends on being the perfect body double for a cruel princess. Can’t wait to dive in!

Loved this month’s box!

Do you get Fairyloot?

Do you get any book subscription boxes?

Owntober…..I’m taking the plunge!

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I’m doing another challenge in October!

Owntober!

The lovely Kathy at Books and Munches created this challenge……to read your own books in October! You can see her post here.

Rules

◊ Post a blog post / tweet / whatever saying you’ll be joining me in my battle against the ever-growing physical TBR-piles and ping back to this post.

◊ Share your list of all the books you own and then decide which ones you’re going to read first.

I know it says to share a list of books you own but I didn’t want to scare myself with that (!) so instead, here are the books I want to read for Owntober.

  • Vicious by VE Schwab
  • Vengeful by VE Schwab
  • Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas
  • Nightblood by Elly Blake
  • Cinder by Marissa Meyer
  • Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

I’ll come back at the end of the month to let you know how I got on!

Are you doing Owntober?

Confession post (and your opinion is required!)

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I needed to do this post to shame myself more than anything! To get it all down in print and shock myself.

My confession: I get book subscription boxes and don’t hardly read the books.

It’s true! Well I have read some. But not that many.

I let them pile up and then I say to myself, ‘I’m going to read 1 a month’. Then I say ‘no, 2 a month so I can catch up’. Then I think ‘oooh how about a catch up month’. And then it never happens.

So I decided to make a list of all the books I haven’t read. And I need your help.

Which ones are must reads?

Which ones should I donate to the charity shop (at least something good will come out of it for someone!)

Here is the list:

  • Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton
  • The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
  • Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
  • Furyborn by Claire Legrand
  • Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
  • State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury
  • Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

 

If you have read any of these please, please let me know which ones are must reads!

Also, surely I cant be the only person who does this? Do you do this? Make me feel better!

Review: Catwoman by Sarah J Maas

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This was a no brainer for me, my favourite villain and one of my favourite authors….

Here is the blurb (which I am sure you all know, late to the party again!):

When the Bat’s away, the Cat will play. It’s time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

 

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

‘Every good criminal in Gotham has a call sign. Let’s add this one to the mix. Catwoman. Has a nice ring to it.’

Catwoman is my fave baddie ever. I needed this book!

I didn’t know anything really about Batwing so reading this was like an education!

It was dramatic, maybe a bit dragged out in places but the secondary characters are amazing! In fact, Harley Quinn is my fave villian next to Catwoman. But a new contender entered the ring (for my heart!)….Poison Ivy. Like Batwing, I hadn’t known much about her before but she was just so endearing!

Not my fave in this series but a good read, Sarah captured Gotham brilliantly!

Throne of Glass Readalong…..

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TOG

I stalk the Sarah J Maas page on Facebook quite regularly and when this was posted I knew I had to join.

Whilst I have read all the ACO books, I hadn’t read this series. I had the books but just hadn’t got round to the reading them….so this was the perfect opportunity!

I am up to schedule and have read:

  • Throne of Glass
  • Crown of Midnight
  • Heir of Fire
  • Queen of Shadows (just started though!)

I am really hoping I can keep up with the schedule, you know, too many books, too little time (!) as I want to jump into Kingdom of Ash once its released.

Have you read this series?

Are you joining in with this readalong?

Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

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Wow oh wow, oh wow!

I’m going to make a bold statement…….this is my favourite book of the year so far!

IT.WAS.EVERYTHING.   EVERYTHING!!!!!

Here is the blurb:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

 

CJR THE BRIT REVIEW

The blurb really made me smile so I knew I needed this and to simply put it, this is hilarious. Genius. Beautiful.

Hazel is just a scream! She actually made me out of breath reading her!!! In her words,
‘I tend to be too chatty, too silly, too exuberant, too random, too eager. Too Hazel-y.” I was worried she might grate on me but she didn’t, she was just so genuine that I loved her.

And Josh, his dry wit had me smirking. Their friendship, their love, just them! ‘We have nowhere to go but up.’

I picked it up to read a few chapters before bed and I nearly finished in 1 sitting (a girl’s got to sleep!) But I had a smile on my face from start to finish.

You need this book in your life. It is one hell of a pick me up!

Fairyloot Unboxing: August 2018 *SPOILERS AHEAD*

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August 2018

Theme: Mutinous Pirates

Avast ye bookworms!

I was so excited about this box! I had a guess at the book and I was right! Have been dying to read this!

Anyway…..contents:

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‘Why is the rum gone’ water bottle by KDP Letters. Possibly my favourite swag item in the box!! And it came with a cloth holder so I can carry it around!

Prince Elian Candle by Nerd Poured Candles. I loved To Kill a Kingdom and this just smells delish!

A Pirate Wax Seal….I’m not really sure what I’ll do with this but I’m going to grab the instructions and have a play around!

Sweat Peat Sugar Scrub Soap by Geeky Clean……can’t have a dirty pirate!!!

‘Impossible’ hanging flag by Reverie and Ink. I love the idea of this but it has a spelling error but Fairyloot are going to replace it!

A Pirate Magnet by Miss Phi. This has a quote from Daughter of the Pirate King (loved that book) and now has pride of place on my fridge!

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo sampler/poster. I’m in 2 minds about reading this. I hate reading bits of books when I know I haven’t got the rest to read!!!!!

 

Book of the Month

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These Rebel Waves by Sarah Raasch

I so wanted this book and it has sprayed pages and is signed by the author. I LOVE it!

 

Do you get any book boxes?

Do you get Fairyloot?

What was your favourite item?

Link to your post in comments!

Duet Review: This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet by VE Schwab

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Monsters of Verity Duet by VE Schwab

This Savage Song #1

Our Dark Duet #2

Ok so I am totally late to the party (again!) but I am so glad I picked these up, so refreshingly different and I LOVED them!

I wont bore you with the blurbs as I am sure you have either read or know what the books are about (if you haven’t check them out here and here.)

 

THIS SAVAGE SONG

Unputdownable <—— love this word, and it’s so apt for this book!

So I’ve never read this author before and decided to jump in with this duet…..omg I’ve been missing out!

August and Kate were fabulous in their own ways although August was my total fave out of the duo.

I don’t really know what to say, I don’t want to say anything about the plot but I will say it’s weird for me, a book with no romance, I can’t remember the last time I read a book with no love interests, totally refreshing!

‘I read somewhere, that people are made of stardust.
Really?
Maybe that’s what you’re made of. Just like us.
And despite everything, August smiled.’

And that ending. My eyes were popping out my head!

 

OUR DARK DUET

This book pick a up a few months after Our Savage Song and we find August and Kate kicking but (yes changed for my review!) separately……but their lives intertwine again when a new monster shows up…..

Whilst I didn’t love this as much as Savage Song, I still liked it, it was creepy and dark and had me hooked.

And that ending, just explosive! It didn’t conform to what people probably expected and it broke my heart but, oh my god, a fantastic conclusion to the duet!

 

Have you read?

What were your thoughts?