Library Lovers Tag

This tag was originally created by Josie over at PiandBooks. I wasn't tagged by anyone but I love the library so I'm going to do it anyway. (#rebel)

How often do you visit your local library?

I generally visit my local library once a week, and the bigger library in a nearby town every month. (although this varies depending on how much I read!)

Do you check out more books than you can read or just enough books?

I honestly have no idea. I borrow a certain amount of books and then I either read them or I don't. Sometimes I challenge myself by borrowing 5 or 6 books at once.

How old were you when you got your library card?

I've had a library card since I was born.

Do you go for the library looking for a specific book or not?

Again this varies. Usually I don't go looking for a specific book but if I'm reading a series then I know which book I'm looking for.

Do you use your library to check out DVDs or audio books?

In England I would check out audio books and DVDs but the Belgian libraries I live near don't have many English discs.

From what section do you borrow the most books?

Obviously it means YA or adult, but for me I'll have to say the English section.

What is your favourite part of using your local library?

Getting to see all the different books I might have not heard about otherwise.

Do you like using your local library? Have you done this tag? Please tell me in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Five fictional characters I'd love to be friends with

Everyone knows that book characters are the best people in the world. They are inspiring, kind, caring and all around awesome human beings. And we want to be best friends with all of them.

I have chosen five characters that I most want to be friends with, although honestly this list could have 20+ characters on it. As usual this list is in no particular order as I love them all equally.

1- The Golden Trio (Harry, Hermione and Ron)

So technically they are three people, but I feel like if you choose one you get the other two. Honestly I do feel like I am already friends with them because they have helped me through difficult times, and we grew up together.

2- Maisie Winters from Faceless: If you haven't read this book yet, go do  it  NOW! Faceless is my favourite book of 2017 and I love Maisie with all my heart. She is so lost for the majority of her book and I just want to hug her and tell her everything will be okay.

3- Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson Series: Percy is such a down-to-earth kid, even after everything he has gone through. He cares about his friends and will risk literally everything to go ave them. With Percy as my friend I wouldn't have to scared of anything ever again.

4- Jo March from Little Women: Jo is a feisty and fierce girl who stands up for she believes is right and doesn't let her gender stop her from being awesome. She is my favourite of the four sisters, although I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Beth. If we were friends we would be able to go on adventures together. 

5- Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter: I recently re-read Order of the Phoenix and fell in love with Luna. I never realised how much I connect with Luna but now that I've seen the connections I know I would love to be best friends with her.

*Bonus Character*: Klaus Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events: I would be able to talk to him about books which would be awesome!

Who would you have in your top five? Would you want anyone on my list to be your friend? Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass
Release Date: August 2, 2012
Pages: 404
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught. Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. 


Well this was an emotional roller coaster. I actually had to rewrite this review because my opinion of this book has changed since I first read it.

When I first finished this book I was annoyed at how different it was from the blurb. I expected an awesome young girl to go round killing people but I was given a girl who was in love with two people and pretended to be a Lady in the King's court. The lack of assassination is this book disappointed me because that was what I came for.

However I realised that Celaena was awesome without killing anyone. She helped her friends to get through the trials, she managed to build her strength up after suffering so much and she didn't put up with any complaining. She was charming when she had to be and deadly when she needed to be. Any obstacle that came up she avoided with grace and she was determined to win the competition. I also loved how realistic she was; she was a normal girl after all.

The writing style in this book was beautiful and emotion-provoking. Even though this is only the first book I have already fallen in love with all the 'good guys' and hate all the 'bad guys'. Sarah J. Mass manages to make you connect with anyone in such a successful way that I felt like I'd lost a group of friends when I closed the book. The world building was also incredible and made it easier to fall into. Although this book is a high fantasy, it was easy to get into and didn't have to typical high fantasy feel.

The main reason why I changed my mind about this book is that I can't stop thinking about it. I would be trying to go to sleep and suddenly my brain would start wondering what Celaena was going to do next. I seriously couldn't stop thinking about this book and what will happen next, which is always a good sign.

Overall I think I enjoyed this book. As annoyed as I got throughout the story, I did fly through it and couldn't put it down. Obviously I'll be reading Crown of Midnight to find out what happens next, and see if there is more assassination! 

July TBR!

This July is going to be a little crazy for me. I get back from on England on the first then have a week until I leave to go to France. I'll then be France for a week(!) camping, so I'm going to be AFK for a while. Then I'll get back and have to start packing again to be ready to go to boarding school!

The one good thing about this month is that the journey to France is 9 hours long so I'll have a good 18 hours to read books. I was only able to find one readathon to take part in this month, and I've even changed the rules a little bit! If you've found (or created!) any interesting readathons please let me know in the comments!

Apart from the Harry Potter Readathon that I've been taking part in, I'm also going to be joining in with the Fairy-A-Thon this month. I've changed a couple of the challenges to try and help my reach my goal of only having 100 books on my TBR by the end of the year, but I've stuck to the fairy tale theme.

On to the books!

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 
4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer 
5. Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P. L Travers 
6. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
7. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
8. Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes
9. The Heir by Kiera Cass
10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern  

I'm feeling ambitious this month; not only am I reading 10 books, I'll also be knocking 7 books off my TBR! Look out for reviews on all these books on here and also over on Goodreads (where I am always open to chat). 

If you've read any of these books, please let me know your thoughts down below!

And until next time, keep reading!

June Book Haul!

I finally reined in my book buying spree this month and only bought 4 books this whole month! Even better I read 10 books this month, so I'm cutting my TBR list down (very slowly!).

Countless by Karen Gregory

When Hedda discovers she is pregnant, she doesn’t believe she could ever look after a baby. The numbers just don’t add up. She is young, and still in the grip of an eating disorder that controls every aspect of how she goes about her daily life. She’s even given her eating disorder a name – Nia. But as the days tick by, Hedda comes to a decision: she and Nia will call a truce, just until the baby is born. 17 weeks, 119 days, 357 meals. She can do it, if she takes it one day at a time.

I honestly know nothing else about this book, but the concept sounds so different from anything else I've read.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

I'm on a French-high right now (I just in love with everything French), and I adored If I stay so naturally I had to pick up this book. Also look at this cover!

One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus

Five students walk into detention. Only four leave alive.

Everyone has secrets, right?

If that doesn't get you excited I don't know what will. It has a Breakfast Club vibe, except  more mysterious. There are five different people who fit into the different cliques but are forced to go into detention together. Also the pages are blood red!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Everyone knows the plot so I won't put it here. These new editions are absolutely beautiful, and I love every single version. Of course I had to choose the Hufflepuff edition because of house pride! Another thing I loved was the  fact that there were three adjectives on the covers to describe each house.

I will mention that I got this Hufflepuff hardcover from Waitrose for only £7! ($9.22 | €8)

After buying these books I actually received 3 more books from my school library. These books were completely free but I'm still going to share them with you!

It has to be you by Sarah Webb

Welcome to modern life and love in tiny Burnaby, Ireland, where three very different women with big dreams, the closest of friends, are about to discover that"happily ever after" could be only a heartbeat-or a heartbreak-away.

Sometimes you just need a guilty pleasure book to read whilst curled up under a warm blanket with a cup of tea. Due to the large amount of days I've had like this I've run out of books to read, so this is for my next treat-myself day.

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson

Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion. The staff and the family are sure there is something not quite right about their new maid - but she soon wins them over with her warmth and dedication.

As some of you may know I love historical fiction so when I found out my school was throwing this book out I knew I had to save it. 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realises just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king and take fate into her own hands.

Hey look. More historical fiction!

Have you read any of these books? Or do you want to read any of these books? Did you buy more books than me this month? Let me know in the comments!

And until next time, keep reading!

Five brilliant booktubers

As many book lovers will know it isn't just about reading books. It's also about the online community, the friends you make, the Goodreads groups you join and the youtubers you watch. Today I thought I'd share with you my top five favourite booktubers. These aren't in any particular order because I love them all equally.

*All the links lead to the channels so you can binge watch their videos*

1- Booksplosion (Kat, Christine and Jesse)

Honestly, if you don't know who these people are you have either a) never been on YouTube (in which case, how?!) or b) have never been to the booktube side of the internet (in which case, go there now!). These people are possibly the biggest booktubers there are and have even formed a book club together. I grouped them together because they are the modern Golden Trio and it leaves space for other booktubers I love!

2- Go with flick (Felicity)

I only discovered Felicity this year but I have fallen in love with her channel. She is calm and gentle and has an almost motherly tone to her that makes me feel safe. I especially love watching her book hauls, and her editing is absolutely hilarious. Each video is unique and special in its own way, and there is a new adventure around ever corner.

3- EmmmaBooks (Emma)

Emma is another big youtuber who I've only just discovered. I love how honest and happy she is and it is honestly just like having a big sister. She talks about more diverse books and doesn't always stick to the more popular books. And I don't think you'll find a person who loves TMI more than Emma!

4- A Clockwork Reader (Hannah)

The main reason why I watch Hannah's videos is because she also recommends the best books. My favourite video is the Hogwarts House recommendations that she recently uploaded and I've actually found some of my new favourite books from these videos. I also love how truthful she is; if she doesn't like a popular book, she won't shy away from that opinion.

5- A Dash of Ash (Ashley)

I mostly watch Ashley when I want a pick-me up or to find out about a brand new tag. Although she doesn't do hundreds of tags, the ones she does do are high quality and entertaining. I also love her book hauls because she always seems so excited about every book she buys.

Who are on your top 5 booktuber list? Do you watch any of the people on my list? Please let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

Cell 7 by Kerry Brewery

Cell 7 by Kerry Drewery

Release Date: September 20, 2016

Pages: 384

Rating: 💜💜💜

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository
An adored celebrity has been killed. Sixteen-year-old Martha Honeydew was found holding a gun, standing over the body. The general public will decide whether Martha is innocent or guilty by viewing daily episodes of the hugely popular show Death is Justice, the only show that gives the power of life and death decisions - all for the price of a phone call. Martha has admitted to the crime. But is reality sometimes more complicated than what we are shown on TV?

I read this book as part of the Emmie's B-day Readathon to complete the challenge of reading a book that has been on my TBR for over 6 months.

This book was...interesting. I enjoyed it, that's for sure, but I spent the book being confused. It lived up to my expectations plot-wise, but it fell short on the writing style.

The premise of this book is exciting and captivating. It immediately caught my eye when I read the tagline 'Behind bars. For your entertainment'. I thought of a reality TV show, or a crime show, where people are captivated by the plot of this show. And I wasn't let down. In fact it may have exceeded my expectations, the plot pulling me along and not letting me put down the book.

The characters were fine. They weren't compelling, I didn't connect with any of them and I wasn't too upset by anything that happened to them. Obviously they had their own charms but I wasn't in love with them. Martha wasn't the strong protagonist I was expecting her to be, but the spent entirety of her sections whining about the person she loves.

The writing style was very different from any other book I've read, which was actually quite refreshing. There were around five or six different points of view, each POV being added as we met new characters. As the book was split up into seven days we get to see the plot and writing style develop over this time. The other interesting thing about this book is that we get to see is the TV show that is influencing everyone's vote. It was really cool to see this kind of script side of the book as we can see the tension to slowly builds as Martha's case gets more complicated.

I feel pretty neutral about this book; I didn't fall head over heels in love with it but I didn't hate it. I f you want to give this book a try than go for it! However I don't think I'll recommend it to people who like fast-paced books, because about 3/4 of this book is just people sitting around and talking.