Monday Highlights #17

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Sunday Post 30th July 2017

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it or click the title to go to the review.

I put this post together late Wednesday because we're currently in London for YALC - so it's not the most up to date post ever! But we will have a HUGE haul for next week. An embarrassingly huge haul. I have zero self control so put me in a convention entirely filled with books? You can guarantee I go mad! 

Last Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #16
• 24 in 48 Wrap Up
• Wednesday Catch-Up

Books We Got This Week:

Achilles by Greg Boose: Received via Netgalley. This looks like there may be some survival elements which always excites me! 

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody: This came in this month's Fairy Loot and I am very excited to read it! It's one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year!

Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller: Received via Netgalley. I've honestly forgotten what this one is about sometime between requesting it and getting approved (does that happen to anyone else or am I just awful?) but it has a gorgeous cover!

Reading Update:

Tiny Pretty Things/Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton: 5 stars, These were possibly the most Slytherin books I have ever read. Every single character was morally dubious and did awful things. And I loved all of them. All of them. I already want to re-read these!

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy: 4 stars, There was a great build up to this book. At first I thought it was rather slow but then as it went on it got more and more intense until the end which was insane. It had its faults but overall I did enjoy it.

Next Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #17
• YALC Wrap Up
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Clare's July Wrap Up & August TBR
• Friday Reads
• Ann's July Wrap Up & August TBR

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading. 

Friday Reads 28th July 2017

Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice and Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader. The idea is to share a sentence or so from the first page and the 56th page of the book you are currently reading!

Book Beginning:

"Early one morning in late March, Pia forced my hand."

Friday 56:

"He dropped his head back and opened his mouth to catch some raindrops, then repeated himself with exaggerated movements: "I SAW FROG."

I have only just started this but I'm hopeful! I've been really into thrillers recently and anything compared to The Descent HAS to go on my TBR immediately! So far I'm not really sure what to expect! I like the first quote but the 56 is a little baffling? I chose the first sentence on the page to minimise risk of spoilers but have just confused myself!!

The blurb says it's "A high-stakes drama set against the harsh beauty of the Maine wilderness, charting the journey of four friends as they fight to survive the aftermath of a white water rafting accident, The River at Night is a nonstop and unforgettable thriller." Which definitely sounds awesome!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading. 

Wednesday Catch-Up 26th July 2017

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? You can click any of the images to go to the Goodreads page for that book!

Currently Reading:

I am about to start The River at Night which has been compared to The Descent (one of my all time favourite horror movies) so I have some pretty high hopes for this! I am about four stories in to Because You Love to Hate Me and I am so far really enjoying it! 

Recently Finished:

We both took part in the 24in48 readathon this weekend which is why my recently finished is so insane! I'm too tired/lazy to give a summary of each book I read (there were twelve. Twelve.) but my absolute favourites were Moxie and Tiny Pretty Things. The latter by the way may be the most Slytherin book I have ever read. Everything else was varying levels of excellence there were no real disappointments.

Planning to Read Next:

Next up I want to read The Informant, The Mourner and The Killer. Which are the first three books in the series - there may be more or there may not I'm actually not sure. But these do look incredible and I am excited for them!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

#24in48 Wrap Up

We had SUCH a good time with this read-a-thon and thank you to so many people who were supportive and encouraging and of course to the host for running it! Special shout-out to our friends Vera and Ruz @ Regal Critiques who did the read-a-thon alongside us - without their encouragement there's no telling how we would have done!!

Ann:

Time Read: 24 hours and 15 minutes

Favourite Book: Moxie closely followed by Alchemists of Loom

Least Favourite: Liked them all

Clare:

Time Read: 24 hours and 1 minute

Favourite Book(s): Moxie, After the Fire, Tiny Pretty Things

Least Favourite(s): See What I Have Done, The First Days

Link up to Monday Highlights 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Monday Highlights #16

The idea is to just link your favourite blog post from the past week (for example a post you're very proud of or just had a lot of fun making) and then I, and hopefully others, can discover new blogs to follow and interact with and discover more posts from blogs we may already follow!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.

Sunday Post 23rd July 2017

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it or click the title to go to the review.

Last Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #15
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Favourite Books of 2017 (So Far)
• Friday Reads: Final Girls by Riley Sager
• #24in48 TBR

Books We Got This Week:

Clare:

The Pleasures of Passion by Sabrina Jeffries: I'm a big fan of Jeffries' romances and this is her new one which was released this month. Many thanks to Headline for sending me a review copy!

Wicked Grind by J.K. Jenner: Another review book from Headline (actually all four of these are so I stop repeating myself). I don't know much about this book but it sounds fun and sexy.

Kiss My Boots by Harper Sloan: This looks romantic and perfect for either Summer or Autumn!

Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury: Again this just sounds incredible! I'm feeling a very romance-y mood coming on soon so these will be perfect.

The Freedom Broker by K.J. Howe: Thank you to Headline again for this one! If a romance mood is right around the corner - thrillers are firmly where my head is at right now and this sounds exciting and action packed and I'm excited!

Final Girls by Riley Sager: I love the cover of this one and the story was also a great one! I did kind of see the ending coming but in that best possible "YES I wanted this to happen" kind of way!

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn: Kate Quinn is one of my all time favourite historical fiction authors and she has written in a variety of eras and been amazing at all of them so I'm very excited for this!

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: I've been recommended this a few times lately and it's a super short read so I am hoping I get to read it soon!

The Power by Naomi Alderman: I've been wanting to read this ever since it was released and somehow just never picked it up! But is sounds so thought provoking and epic!

Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton: The sequel to Tiny Pretty Things (which I have yet to read) hoping to read them back to back now!

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy: Secret societies fascinate me and this also involves REVENGE. This book basically sounds like Clare-Kryptonite and I cannot wait!

Caloric by Tricia Barr: Received via Netgalley, this involves a girl with a dark secret and a dungeon and a secret society so I am already so ready for this. It will be released in October!

Reading Update:

The Himalayan Summer by Louise Brown: 4 stars, Even better than her first book! The characters weren't hugely likable but they were super compelling and the setting was very unique. 
Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon: 4.5 stars, This was just everything I was hoping it would be. I'm a big fan of musicals so my hopes were sky high (this is based on Brigadoon which if you haven't watched you should!) and I loved that it really set its own unique spin on things. The two main characters were incredible and I loved their friendship. I was less involved in the romance if I'm honest but I was on board by the end and I can't wait to continue the series!
Final Girls by Riley Sager: 4 stars, As I mentioned above this was a really good read! I'm not sure its the "best book of 2017" or the best thriller I've ever read but I was hooked from beginning to end and loved the main character even with all her many flaws!
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt: 3.5 stars, Anything Lizzie Borden will always hook me. I greatly enjoyed this and loved the different perspectives we got. My favourite Lizzie Borden fiction is The Lizzie Borden Chronicles TV show though. Although to be fair it is my favourite show of all time so the competition is pretty fierce.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr: 4 stars, This book has received some fairly mixed reviews so I was a little nervous going in. But it made me very emotional. I did hate Drake. Like full on hate him. Which is fine because you can hate him and still be on board with the plot. I loved the relationship between Flora and her brother and wish there had been more of it. And I really feel like Emily Barr did an excellent job of portraying the struggle of someone who is simultaneously ten years old and seventeen and all the vulnerabilities and yearning for independence that come with that.

Girlhood by Cat Clarke: 4 stars, I really liked this one as well. This is a very girl-dominated book and I loved the friendships, ups and downs, and the support and hurt that friends can cause each other. As a thriller this wasn't hugely "thrilling" but as a character-driven story with some very tense moments it excelled.

After the Fire by Will Hill: 5 stars, Honestly so surprised by this book! I was intrigued when it was added to the Zoella Book Club picks because I hadn't seen it around much before but I think I may be a little fanatical about it now. I kind of just loved every page and already want to re-read it. It's a very unique book. 

Letters to the Lost by Bridget Kemmerer: 4 stars, My favourite thing about this book was that the romance never felt like the sole focus. It was there, and it was cute and angsty and all the things you want from a YA romance but there was a lot of focus on families and friendship and handling grief and guilt as well.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu: 5 stars, Just OMG so amazing! This isn't properly released until September but if you live in the UK you can find a copy at WHSmith and I STRONGLY advise you to! Definitely one of my favourite books of the year (possibly of ever).

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater: 3 stars, Kind of amusing and I liked the goriness of the zombie fighting and the main friendship but found that outside of the main four (Katie, Jenni, Jason who is Jenni's step-son and of course Jack the dog) I wasn't hugely interested in anyone else. Which made them a bit expendable to me. So it's fun but not emotionally that affecting. 

Next Week on the Blog:

• Monday Highlights #16
• 24 in 48 Wrap Up
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• August Releases
• Friday Reads
• Fairy Loot Unboxing

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.