Hi again! Two posts in a month?! I think I might be getting back into the swing of things with this blogging and YouTube malarky!
So to kick things off (sorta) I thought that it would be nice to just share a few bits and pieces about what I've been up to in my time off from the internet - I've made this sound like a job!
1. I completed 17 books in 2017.
Now, this doesn't sound like much, but for someone who went between two jobs, had a wedding to plan (albeit very slowly) and just life in general, I think this is pretty good going, as I always aim to try and complete one book a month.
2. Christmas in our first home together!
So if you follow my YouTube videos, or subscribe to my channel - firstly thank you so so much! - you will know that we had Christmas decorations up in our house from mid-November until about 8th January. I'm now over the Christmas hype and the tree will go up in December from now on! All kidding aside, we had a wonderful first Christmas actually living together, full of love, and in hindsight, it was a little bittersweet.
3. I bought a wedding dress!
I say I did, my parents did. Our wedding date is looming ever closer and the excitement is building slowly but surely.
4. I got a new job
I guess this should have been number 2, as it follows nicely from point number one, but one of the reasons my reading slowed right down again is because of my new job. Is it still a new job if you've been in the role 8 months?
I'm absolutely loving the job and really have been lucky with my colleague and team, they're all so wonderful and supportive of eachother!
5. I began reading again
So although technically I never stopped reading (if you see my Goodreads page you will know that I've been reading), it feels like forever since I picked up a book, read it, and then reviewed it almost straight away or in front of a camera. I definitely feel that right now I'm gradually getting back into reading, as I'm constantly carrying a book with me wherever I go, and I've got that feeling back of excitement and wanting to pick up a book and see where it goes.
-
Okay, I think that's enough for now, This post is something I've just sat and written, without giving any thought to it at all, just to see what I can come up with. Hopefully it's enough and will prompt me to write more posts like this one!
Rebecca x
Sunday 1 July 2018
Monday 18 June 2018
I guess I should explain myself.
Hi.
Long time no see. Longer than the time I took off YouTube. Sorry about that.
I've been taking more time away from my blog since the last post in November, I have had a lot going on in my personal life that meant not only did I not have a lot of time to write blog posts for you all, but I barely had time to read. Whilst I did continue to post videos, these were mainly bulk-filmed making them easier to film and then edit and upload where I could.
Now that I feel a little bit more "normal" after everything that went on between November and May, I am starting to get back into the swing of things in terms of videos and blog posts - I have a number of reviews to post considering I havent posted anything this year!
So far this year I've read:
Everless by Sara Holland
Saga Vol 2.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Wolf by wolf by Ryan Graudin
The Sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur
Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Aimi Kaufman
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
If you follow me on Instagram (username @rebeccareadsyt), you have no doubt seen my updates either on my story or in my posts, as I have been trying to stay "in the loop" with booktube and bookstagram as much as possible whilst having a break, but it's harder than it seems, particularly when I'm not reading as much!
Now that I'm reading more and being more active in general with social media, I'll hopefully be able to get some reviews up for the books I've read this year, as I definitely have some interesting opinions!
Speak to you all soon! x
Long time no see. Longer than the time I took off YouTube. Sorry about that.
I've been taking more time away from my blog since the last post in November, I have had a lot going on in my personal life that meant not only did I not have a lot of time to write blog posts for you all, but I barely had time to read. Whilst I did continue to post videos, these were mainly bulk-filmed making them easier to film and then edit and upload where I could.
Now that I feel a little bit more "normal" after everything that went on between November and May, I am starting to get back into the swing of things in terms of videos and blog posts - I have a number of reviews to post considering I havent posted anything this year!
So far this year I've read:
Everless by Sara Holland
Saga Vol 2.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Wolf by wolf by Ryan Graudin
The Sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur
Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Aimi Kaufman
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
If you follow me on Instagram (username @rebeccareadsyt), you have no doubt seen my updates either on my story or in my posts, as I have been trying to stay "in the loop" with booktube and bookstagram as much as possible whilst having a break, but it's harder than it seems, particularly when I'm not reading as much!
Now that I'm reading more and being more active in general with social media, I'll hopefully be able to get some reviews up for the books I've read this year, as I definitely have some interesting opinions!
Speak to you all soon! x
Saturday 14 October 2017
BOOK THOUGHTS || Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
***
please note, this review may contain spoilers***
Summed
up in a sentence? "Strong
friendship, witchery, and an overwhelming sense of togetherness!”
SYNOPSIS
In
a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their
hands.
Young
witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After
clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch
bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.
Safi
must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to
discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must
keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires.
And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.
In
a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a
reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch
now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their
freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking
and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to
fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing
to get their hands on a Truthwitch
MY
OPINIONS
I
was a little apprehensive going into this novel as I had heard mixed
things, but I had no reason to be concerned. This book really
surpassed my expectations and blew me away! I absolutely loved the
friendship between Safi and Iseult, and the way they were portrayed
through the writing in this novel hit the spot. I felt myself getting
frustrated, upset, happy, angry and at one point I even cried over
their actions. If an author can make me feel this way, they have
definitely done their job.
The
storlyline kept me hooked and wanting more, I'm so excited to read
the second in the sereies when I can get my hands on it.
MY
RATING
Overall
I am giving this book an amazing four out of five stars. The
friendship, world building and storyline had me hooked, and I'm
really looking forward to the next adventure!
Saturday 7 October 2017
BOOK THOUGHTS || Vicious by V E Schwab
***
please note, this review may contain spoilers***
Summed
up in a sentence? "I
wish I'd picked this up sooner!”
SYNOPSIS
Victor
and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant,
lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each
other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in
adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events
reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions,
someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis
moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly
wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison,
determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young
girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile,
Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person
that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with
an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven
by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course
for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
MY
OPINIONS
This
is my first read from the much-loved author V E Schwab. After
following Victor and Eli, and actually loving them both (not even
sorry), I now know why everyone enjoys her writing so much. The novel
has you hooked from pretty much page one, leaving you constantly
wanting more. I found myself reading this quite quickly, and
completed this within a week on my commutes to work.
I
absolutely adored both Victor and Eli, even though they went from
being inseperable, to wanting to kill eachother. The difference
between them being that Eli will go out of his way to find
super-powered humans to kill, whereas Victor wants to find them to
ally.
The
scenes unfolded quickly, with detail and a storyline that kept me
wanting more. Naturally, when the book finished, I was devastated,
and just wanted more.
MY
RATING
Overall,
I am giving this book an amazing five out of five stars. I am
definitely going to re-read this in the near future, and hopefully
the rest of the novels I read by Schwab will follow suit,
Sunday 1 October 2017
BOOK REVIEW || On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher
***
please note, this review may contain spoilers***
Summed
up in a sentence? " A heartwarming tale of love, friendship and secrecy"
SYNOPSIS
Your
soul is too heavy to pass through this door, Leave the weight of the
world in the world from before.
Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes
away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It's
the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the
door of her own private heaven, she finds that she's become her
twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won't open.
Evie's soul must be light enough to pass through
so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For
Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have
weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to
reveal them before it's too late.
As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she
learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and
somehow, some way, she may also find her way back to the only man she
ever truly loved ...
MY
OPINIONS
After
following Carrie's YouTube, Twitter and Instagram feeds for some
time, I knew I wanted to read her first fiction novel. She's
previously published a non-fiction work called All I Know Now, which
was almost auto-biographical in providing advice for teens growing
up. When she released the news that she was going to be releasing
fiction novels, I knew I needed to get in on that. And I am so
pleased I did.
Evie
is such a loveable character, who we find at the beginning of the
novel struggling to understand why she, a dead woman, cannot get into
her 27 year old self's apartment. We learn at this point that she has
a couple of things weighing her down, which are preventing her
getting to her 'happy place', or her heaven, which is behind the door
of her old flat.
Carrie
has managed to create a story that warms the heart, and makes you
wish you could just squeeze her characters until everything is better
for them. I followed Evie as she relived her youth, and went through
each of the three secrets to try and reveal them before it was too
late. I laughed with her, cried with her and most of all, felt
relieved when things went her way.
MY
RATING
Overall,
I am rating this book 4.5 out of five stars. I absolutely adored this
book, and cannot wait to get my hands on her second novel! Definitely
a must-read for fans of YA romance, or possibly even contemporary
fans!
Sunday 24 September 2017
BOOK THOUGHTS || The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer
***
please note, this review may contain spoilers***
Summed
up in a sentence? "Gripping,
almost too close to home, an excellent creation”
SYNOPSIS
They
wanted the same things. Death - and an audience.
Eve
Singer makes her living from death. As a TV crime reporter, she'll go
to any length to get the latest scoop.
But
when a twisted serial killer starts using her to gain the publicity
he craves, Eve must decide how far she's willing to go - and how
close she'll let him get . . .
MY
OPINIONS
This
book had me constantly worrying that it was going to end too soon!
The characters, particularly our main character, Eve, are very easy
to either love or hate. They've been developed in such a way that you
find each individual character suited to their own category fairly
soon into the novel. Typically, this is something easily loathed by
myself. However, in this instance, I found it brilliant to have a
stereotypical thought about a character, as it kept me guessing as to
who the real killer was.
The
way the author goes between Eve's story and the killers' allows us to
see two very different methods of thinking. On the one hand, we have
Eve, who would pretty much do anything to secure her job and continue
reporting, even if it means putting friendships and relationships on
the line. But on the other hand, we have the killer, who has a
systematic plan in place for each of the murders he wants to have
published on the news. These contrasting methods kept me intrigued in
the way the novel was going to go, and constantly hoping that Eve
would catch up with the killer, and kinda secretly hoping that she
didn't, so I could have the mystery for just a little bit longer.
MY
RATING
Overall,
I'm rating this book 5 out of 5 stars, I absolutely adored this novel
and the flow of the story was easy to keep up with. I felt I could
understand Eve's character and her development was well carried out.
She was incredibly relatable as a character, which is what was needed
with the development of the story in my eyes. I'll definitely re-read
this one soon!
Sunday 2 July 2017
BOOK THOUGHTS || Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
***
please note, this review may contain spoilers***
Summed
up in a sentence? "Another
dark yet enticing novel in the Strike series!”
SYNOPSIS
Cormoran
Strike is back, with his assistant Robin Ellacott, in a mystery based
around soldiers returning from war.
When a mysterious
package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover
that it contains a woman’s severed leg.
Her boss, private
detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed.
There are four people from his past who he thinks could be
responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of
sustained and unspeakable brutality.
With the police focusing
on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the
perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and
delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as
more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of
them…
Career of Evil is the third in the series featuring
private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A
mystery and also a story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in
their personal and professional lives.
MY
OPINIONS
With
this being the third in a series, I knew what to expect in regards to
character development and the running of the novel. However, I was
not expecting what I actually got! I was expecting nitty gritty, and
a troublesome relationship between Strike and Robin, but what I got
instead was actually so much more!
First
of all, can I just point out that there is some scenes that are kind
of graphic. As in, severed leg, missing body parts kind of graphic.
At some points I didnt want to continue, but the graphic parts were
swift and were infrequent enough to not put me off too much.
Jumping
between Strike, Robin and the culprit was a technique well carried
out by Galbraith, as it allowed us to see just what was going through
each characters head. This is particularly helpful when trying to
build a profile for the killer as well.
One
of the things that stood out to me was Robins character development.
Throughout this book we see her struggle to come to terms with her
relationship, and the fact that it feels to her like it is no longer
worth it. This is something I really felt made Robin more relatable
as a character, as she has previously been seen as someone who tends
to have it pretty good (in my eyes anyway).
Personally
I love the series and the development of the characters over the
series. I would love to see Robin get with Strike but that is
definitely off the cards after Career of Evil, which is a little sad,
but the prospect would always have been unrealistic anyway!
MY
RATING
Overall
I am giving this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only reason it wasnt a
5 star rating is because some aspects of the novel were a bit too
graphic for me. However, this didnt put me off in the end, as these
bits were infrequent enough to work through.
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