Books that take up too much space on my shelf

Top Ten Tuesday: Longest Books I’ve Ever Read

I don't read long books very often, mainly because I love sitting down and reading a book in one sitting (although they do also intimidate me a little). Another problem I have with long books is the fact that I'm a chapter reader: I read one chapter, do some work, then read another chapter until I've done all my work. Longer books mean longer chapters and that just doesn't work for me.

HOWEVER, I have read a couple of long books in my life. Most of these books took me weeks to read and still intimidate me, even though I've read them. I still can't believe I've actually read them, and can't imagine ever reading them again.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

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Total page count: 4,911

This book series is famous for being incredibly long, with the longest book being 870 pages (Order of the Phoenix). Surprisingly enough this book is actually my favourite book of the entire series, even though it is the longest. And even though the series is 4,911 pages in total I've read it 5 times in my life. I guess that is just the magic of Harry Potter.

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer 

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Total page count: 629

The third, and arguably best, book in the Twilight series is actually a lot longer than I remembered. The book series was actually fairly good up until the fourth book, so I guess you could say that this book was Stephanie Meyer's last triumph. 

Dreams of Gods and Monster by Laini Taylor

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Total page count: 613

This series killed me. I read the entire thing in two weeks, which was far too fast I'll admit, but I couldn't put it down. I don't often read fantasy but this was entirely captivating. The funniest thing is that now I look at this and can only feel dread at how long it is. I don't know how long it would take me to read it now, but it is definitely going to be longer than two weeks!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufmann
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Total page count: 608

I didn't actually enjoy this book when I read it. I felt awful about disliking this book when everyone else was raving about it but I just couldn't get into the story. It was so long and the writing style was so different from what I'm used to that I ended up getting bored. I guess this is what happens when you go into a book with such high expectations.

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
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Total page count: 597

I will read literally any Rick Riordan no matter how long it is. I remember reading this book, putting it down, and wishing it was longer. It was over too fast and I wasn't prepared for the story to end. Maybe it is just Rick's utterly captivating writing style that kept me hooked, or maybe it is my total adoration for these book characters that kept me reading; either way I loved the story.

Hunger by Michael Grant
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Total page count: 590

I don't know whether I talk about this series enough on here but it my favourite series in the world. My first YA series and my first dystopian...anything. It is one of the only series I've read where I had to wait for the next book to be released before I could read it and it was absolute torture. Surprisingly the second book in this series was the longest, which (in my mind) makes no sense.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
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Total page count: 584

This book! This book! It may be long but it only takes one page to destroy you. I loved this book when I read it about 4 years ago, and ever since then I've wanted to re-read it. When you look at this book it really doesn't feel like it is almost 600 pages long, but I guess it has very thin pages that makes it this long.

What is  the longest book you've ever read? Which book on your shelf is the longest?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
Release Date: January 1,  1962
Pages: 211
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother are visited by a most disturbing stranger who is connected to Meg's father, who had been experimenting with a fifth dimension of time travel, when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their journey?


This classic is such a great introduction to the sci-fi genre. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy sci-fi I loved this story, and really enjoyed reading this story. It seems to go quite fast because of how short  it is, meaning you can fly through it.

To be honest, I don't know if I would have read this book if I wasn't so interested in the movie. It looked so interesting and peculiar that I knew I had to read the book as soon as possible. I didn't even realise it was so short; I thought it was going to be a 500-page classic that would send me to sleep. But this book did the opposite to me. It made me interested in the sci-fi worlds that people create, and the idea of time travel, so I'm glad it opened up my eyes to this genre.

The book did seem to drag on a bit, and I even considered DNF-ing it a couple of times. There just seemed to be a lot of talking and not a lot of doing anything. It wasn't until the last chapter or two that any action really happened, and even then it wasn't that dramatic. I guess it was more of an exploration of the sci-fi genre (considering when it was written) rather than a sci-fi book, but it did make it harder to get through. And the ending was so vague that I couldn't believe that was how it ended!It just sort of ended, like many books from that time do, with little to no explanation. It just...stopped.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and I'm super excited for the film (which has just come out!). However I did feel a little let down by the book, especially after how much everyone has been raving about it, so I'll have to see if I enjoy the film more!

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Pages: 380
Rating: 💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life and lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counsellor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.

This book was a fun contemporary book and I'm glad it was one of my first reads of the year. Sure, it had some problems but I did enjoy reading it.

My main problem with this book is that I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. When something bad happened to one of them I just went "Okay then" instead of truly empathise with them. Alongside that, I did not enjoy reading from Lucy's point of view. I found her whiny and dramatic, something I highly doubt a girl of her age would be (not to that level anyway). I understood that yes, her mum had cancer, but the fact that she didn't put any effort into the camp and it wasn't until hot boy starts liking her that she really wanted to stay. It just...irked me.

Apart from that, this book was enjoyable. I loved reading about the teens and what they got up to over the summer. Going to camp has always fascinated me, so this book was a brilliant learning experience me. I loved the amount of freedom they all seemed to have, being allowed to go do whatever they wanted on their days off. I especially loved their Friday meet-ups, with the one good thing and one bad thing that happened that week. It was such a beautiful way to get to know each of the characters, and discover what made them happy and sad.

The LGBTQ+ representation in this book was subtle, but it was there. I don't know much about the community that was represented (trying not to spoil anything here!) so I can't really judge how accurate the representation was, but I felt that it was dealt with well. There was no point where the character's position was shoved in the your face or used just as a plot device. It was quite nice to read about, especially in a book where religion obviously plays a major role. So, yes...very pleased.

Overall I think this book was enjoyable but nothing special. (no offence, Emery Lord). It was fun to read but now I've finished it I won't think about about again (unless I'm forced to).  If you're looking for a light-hearted summer contemporary to read, give this book a try. It is a nice book and put me in a good mood for the start of the year.

Hyped books that deserved the hype

I am rarely disappointed by hyped books because I usually only read the ones that I know I will like. Either that, or I wait until the hype has died down and then decide if I want to read it. So for the most part every single hyped book that I've read deserved the hype it got (apart from Me before You). 

I've managed to cut my list of hyped books down to the 8 best books that I think deserved the hype that they got because they were absolutely incredible. Here we go!

1- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2- Cinder by Marissa Meyer

3- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

4- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

5- The Selection by Kiera Cass

6- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

7- Uglies by Scott Westerfield

8- Turtles all the Way Down by John Green

Which hyped books do you think deserve the hype? Are any of them on my list?

Let me know in the comments below.

And until next time, keep reading!

One by Sarah Crossan

One by Sarah Crossan
Release Date: August 27, 2015
Pages: 430
Rating: 💜💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Grace and Tippi are twins – conjoined twins. 
And their lives are about to change.No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world – a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love? And how will they cope with a life-changing desicion that looms on the horizon?


This book destroyed me. I read it on a road trip and cried for about 15 minutes. It actually broke me. (until I read another book and got over it)

One is written entirely in verse, which is very different from any other books I've read before. I had read Sarah Crossan's books before, but I didn't enjoy them as much as this one. The verse added a beautiful edge to a dramatic and tear-inducing story. I loved that each poem (verse? section? I have no idea) had a title that blended into what was being said. Each title added something different to the story and added yet another twist to this book.

The book was slightly predictable. Two (or one?) teenage girls going to school for the first time? What will happen if they fall in love? Will they want to be together forever? There is only really one story-line that this book (or any book) about conjoined twins could have followed, so I never felt entirely surprised by the way the plot was progressing.

None of the other characters in this book had a fully fleshed out personality, but that actually wasn't a problem because Sarah Crossan makes you so invested into the twins' story. However, we did see that the twins weren't the only people with problems; the dad was an alcoholic, the mother was laid off work and the older sister was anorexic. They were a dysfunctional family together and it was amazing.

This book put a spotlight on a subject that I wouldn't have thought very much about otherwise. The best thing was it that Crossan didn't depict the twins as monsters or freaks, but as normal human beings with dreams and hopes and thoughts. Both of the girls were their own individual person, even though they share their bottom half, which I think is really important to remember. They are their own person, even when they share so much.

I loved this book; it was one of the best books I read in 2017. It was so powerful and inspiring, reading about these twins who still go out and do things. It was a unique read, and one that will stick with me for a long time.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell
Release Date: June 8, 1949
Page: 326
Rating:💜💜💜💜💜
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston befriends Julia, they begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Big Brother will not tolerate dissent - even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101...


It took me four long years to finally get past the first chapter of this book and complete 1984. To be quite honest I was considering DNF-ing this book when I started it but I persevered and finally finished it. And I'm so glad I did.

This book is unsettling and horrifying; the sort of story you pray would never come true. In this world there are no happy endings, no chances for hope and no places you can go to escape. But the scariest part of this story is how relevant it is, even now. This novel was written almost 70 years go yet it is still terrifying to readers today. There is still a chance that this world could become a reality, not in post-war Britain but in modern day Britain. And that is the most terrifying idea ever.

Many people complain about the characters and how bland they are but I think that adds to the story. None of the characters were very exciting or different; they were all just ordinary people who work a 9-5 job and live by the rules. Winston was one of the blandest characters I've ever read about but that blandness was what made him so special. It was the fact that there was no desire in him to change society, that there was nothing special about him which made for a very interesting protagonist.

None of the characters were fully evil or pure either, which was a nice change from some books these days. There was never a moment in the book where you could make a list of good and bad characters because they were all morally grey. Even our 'hero', Winston, is a little evil in the story and it was great to read about.

My only problem with this book, and the reason why it took me so long to pick it up, was the fact that George Orwell creates a new language for his characters to talk in and even uses it write some of the description. It was a little confusing trying to understand the 'Newspeak' as Orwell called it, but it didn't take too much away from the story.

 I enjoyed this book, if enjoyed is the right word. It made me think about society nowadays, and how scary it is that I can see similarities between this dystopian world and our world today. I would recommend that everyone reads this book so that you can see just how scarily similar our world is to a dystopian world, and that maybe we should change something about society. 

I can't travel so I live through these books instead

This post was inspired by the Top Ten Tuesday prompt: Books That Awaken The Travel Bug In Me

I love the idea of travelling the world once I live school. I want to pack up my bags and fly to all the countries in the world before I settle down in life. I'm like one of those characters who would go visit random things (like the biggest hole, which is just a giant pit) just because I want to visit somewhere interesting.

Unfortunately I live in the most boring village in England with very few transport links and very little to do (we literally just have a Co-op and Costa in the village I live. Not even a bookshop!) The thing that keeps me going is reading books where people travel and have fun, instead of sitting in their cupboards writing blog posts. 

Paper Towns by John Green

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Road trip books always get me excited to travel. There is something about reading books where the characters are enjoying themselves on the road, going to bizarre and quirky places until they finally find themselves. I love it! 

Destination: Thailand by Katy Collins

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A book about travelling to Thailand is obviously going to awakening some sort of travelling urge inside of me, but this book did it to a whole other level. There was something about _ as a character that made you relate to her struggles and feel more immersed in the story. Now I have to go backpacking around Thailand!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
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This whole series makes me wants to travel the world, but Lola is my favourite book of the series so I put this one on the list. Every place the characters visit is described perfectly and with so much colour and life that you just want to pack up and go there.

Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor
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Although this book is a fantasy it takes place in Prague, which is a town I've always wanted to visit. The little coffee shop where Karou hangs out and the streets she walks down sound so pretty that I want to teleport there right now.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
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One of my favourite things that YA books are doing at the moment is giving the main character a list of things to do (like in All the Bright Places). I love scavenger hunts, and reading about people travelling round the USA on a massive scavenger hunt inspires me to do one of my own.

Which books inspire the travel bug inside you? Are anyone of them on this list?
Let me know in the comments below!

And until next time, keep reading!