24in48 Wrap-up

Last weekend was the 24in48 readathon where over a 48 hour period you try and read a total of 24 hours. I read for around 12.5 hours which I'm happy with. I finished 2 books:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K.Rowling (audiobook)
• Sylvia Plath Selected Poems
• I also read A Door in the Wall by H.G. Wells and started A Slip under the Microscope. 
• I Started Chamber of Secrets also.

I could have read more but toward the end of Sunday I was feeling a bit off and didn't feel like reading so I didn't force it.  But I enjoyed most of the books I read (I'm not a massive fan of poetry I'll be honest) and read a total of 410 pages :)

Did you take part? If so how did you do?
Speak soon,
Jade xx

Library Haul

So lately I've been going to my library a bit more and I thought I would share with you what I have been borrowing. The physical books are all poetry that I needed to read for summer prep work for English lit. and those are:

• Seeing Stars, Simon Armitage
• Rapture, Carol Ann Duffy
• Sylvia Plath, Selected Poems

I've been a member of my library for many, many years now; to the point where my card has a teddy on it (which I love) but I recently found that they work with something called Overdrive which allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks online. I really like this especially since I can't always get into town and I am loving audiobooks right now but they are super expensive so borrowing is brilliant! Definitely check to see if your library has this option. The audiobooks I currently have are:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K.Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.k.Rowling (on hold)

You may notice a theme... After seeing they had all the Harry Potters on audiobook I thought, "What the heck, why not marathon the whole series?" And I am SO GLAD I did, I forgot how brilliant these books were! Do you go to your library often? I'm volunteering this year for the little one's summer reading challenge so will be there even more :)

Speak soon,

Jade xx

The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, Anne by Catherine Reef- review

The Brontë sisters are among the most beloved writers of all time, best known for their classic nineteenth-century novels Jane Eyre (Charlotte), Wuthering Heights (Emily), and Agnes Grey (Anne). In this sometimes heartbreaking young adult biography, Catherine Reef explores the turbulent lives of these literary siblings and the oppressive times in which they lived. Brontë fans will also revel in the insights into their favorite novels, the plethora of poetry, and the outstanding collection of more than sixty black-and-white archival images. A powerful testimony to the life of the mind.

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I've got Emily's and Anne's books ready waiting so when I was looking for an ebook from my library for bout of books this seemed like a good choice to find out more about the Bronte sisters. It was also quite refreshing to read a non-fiction as this is something I rarely read.

The thing I liked about about this was that it wasn't just bare facts in a list, it told the story of their lives and their family and friends. It wasn't bland but emotive. I was quite a quick and easy read yet it had some analysis of the sister's writing; this was a downside too though because it can very easily spoil you when it explains the plot of each novel (which I must admit I found a little silly). The one biggish problem I had with this book is that I found it patronising, I don't if that's because it is written for a younger audience than me but I found the tone in which Reef would describe things to be how you would talk to a small child, so the writing style could of been  better in my opinion but the content was very interesting. I gave this 3 stars.

Speak soon,
Jade xx

24in48 Readathon TBR

I'm sorry if you're getting overloaded a little by readathons on this blog at the mo but apparently summer is readathon season and I find them very difficult to pass up :) 

11th-12th July is the 24in48 Readathon. The idea is that you read for 24hrs during a 48hr period- you know allowing sleeping and eating :) Go to 24in48.com to find out everything you need to know and to sign up. It is a pretty relaxed readathon starting Saturday morning and ending Sunday night so I've got 2 books I would like to read. 

1. A Slip under the Microscope by H.G.Wells. This is only 55 pages so I figured it was perfect. I've been meaning to read H.G.Wells for so long too!
2. Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher this is a bit longer than the other but I'm super excited about it so I'm sure I can get it finished.

If you are going to take part make sure you sign up via the 24in48 HQ and let me know what you plan on reading!

speak soon,

Jade xx 

Read-O-Rama Wrap-up

Hello! Last week was the Read-o-Rama readathon, which I did take part in even though I didn't interact on social media as I have been during others, but I just didn't feel like it so I took a step back from it this week. I didn't stick to my TBR but who cares! I finished 4 books and completed most of the challenges which I'm happy about :)

• Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This I read for school and it also fitted for the "RAMA in the title/author" & this was an ebook. That was 96pgs. 
• The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot. I listened to this on audiobook so it fits that challenge and I'm also counting it for the "middle grade" though I'm not sure if it is technically is. This 1 was 283pgs, 
• Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. This I  believe is a re-read, I know I've read most of it before but never all the through in one go. The book I read it from is also blue so that's another challenge ticked off. Again 283 pgs. 
• Lastly I finished The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan. Easily my favourite book from this week and my fantasy book. This is 293pgs.

So overall the I only missed the 7 book challenge which I wasn't expecting to complete anyway and I enjoyed everything I read too. My total page count for the week was 955! 

Speak soon,

Jade xx

Book Haul #10

Today is my 10th book haul, we have made it to double figures! Which is not surprising considering my book buying habits! I have brought these over the past couple of months here and there, most of them I got to treat myself as I have a job now and I can't very well save the 1st money I ever earn I have to spend on myself and congratulate myself :)

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, there has been too much talk of this book for it not to catch my eye and when it involves Beauty and the Beast I kind of have to buy it :) It is a retelling of the fairytale with fey!
• Ages ago I got If I stay by Gayle Forman but I don't think I ever hauled it so here it is :)
• The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. I love these films and I didn't know they were books until I heard of the new 1 coming out so I figured I would give this ago so I picked this up in audiobook form.
• Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher. I found this I early and was so excited, this will be my 1st book of Gi's and I can't wait, this 1 is very high up on my to read list.
• The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan, The only thing I really know if this book is that the world has flooded and there is some kind of circus. I am looking forward to this book a lot and have a really good feeling about it.
• I also picked up another of Penguin's Little Black Classics- A Slip under the Microscope by H.G.Wells. I've had War of the Worlds for ages and I thought this my wet my appetite a little.
• Charles Dickens, Complete Ghost Stories. I saw this in my local independent bookshop for £2.99 and well, you can't go wrong with a little Dickens. 
• Lastly I got the new Project Austen book, Emma by Alexander McCall Smith. I am currently in the middle of the original Emma so once I've finished that I'll get on to this :)  

I'm excited about all these and planning on reading them soon, so look out for reviews and things :)
Speak soon,
Jade xx

June Wrap-up

Hello lovelies! Today I'm bring you my June wrap-up (which means we are halfway through year!) I read a total of 6 books this month and started quite a few too which I am very happy with :)

• Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen. This was my 3rd/4th time reading this and I seem to adore it more with each read! 5 stars.
• Tape, Steven Camden. This book follows a girl in 2013 and a boy in 1993 who are linked by cassette tapes and so much more. Both are going through a tough time and the way this two storylines link is simply beautiful. 4 stars.
•  Lord Arthur Saville's Crime, Oscar Wilde. This is another 1 of Penguins' little black classics and it is about Arthur who has his palm read and it told he will kill someone. He reaction isn't quite what you would expect. I liked this but I just found so odd. 2.5 stars.
• The Guest Cat, Takashi Hiraide. This is a very short, very poetic story about a couple living in a guest house on an estate and there is a cat that makes itself at there. This was very well written but I found it so tedious and  boring! I wasn't my cup of tea unfortunately. 1 star.
• Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (inc. The Bottle Imp) Robert Louis Stevenson. This "Shilling Shocker" as it was coined back when it was published was very interesting and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The Bottle Imp which is in the back of my edition was my favourite, I thought I had predicted how it was going to end but I was presently surprised. 3 stars.
• Assassin's Blade, Sarah J Maas. This is a collection of short stories that serve as a prequel to Throne of Glass which I love. However I didn't find this as enjoyable or gripping as Throne of Glass. For starters yes, they are short stories but it is more like a novel split into part sand missing bit, there is an overarching storyline. Also I found the mission a little uncomfortable and knowing what came at the end found it very difficult to read. Having said that I like knowing more about the world now. I would recommend this to fans of the series but don't start with this 1. 3 stars.

So a bit of a mixed bag this month, I also started reading a number of others:

• The Gracekeepers, Kirsty Logan
• A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
• Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw

What was your favourite read in June?

Speak soon,

Jade xx