April Instagram Book Challenge #2

Hey Everyone,

So today's post is a wrap up of how I did in another April Instagram Book Challenge that I did in the month of April. So in April, I did two challenge and so here is a summary of all the photos I posted for it. The second challenge I chose to do was created by @qbdthebookshop on Instagram. So in case you didn't see my posts each day, here are all the photos I posted with their captions.

"As well as the #celineandfarahapril16 challenge, I will also be participating in the #QBDchallenge by @qbdthebookshop :) This is the first time they are doing a challenge and I am excited to be apart of it. Let me know if you guys are gonna do it too? #aprilbookchallenge #bookstagram"

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Character Names

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about character names. There are some pretty awesome character names in books that I probably would have never thought about until I read the book. So this week's top 5 Wednesday list is just some of the great names I have come across. But before we get into the list, I have an important announcement to make about my blog for the month of June.

As I have said in a previous post, my work schedule has increased quite a lot lately which has been effecting my posts over the last month or so. This has been one of the reasons that I have brought down the number of days I post. Well for the month of June, things get just a little more crazy as I will be working up to 5 days a week for the next few weeks. So because of this increase of shifts, my posts will probably not be following the schedule. I will try every week to get out at least 2 posts but I am not too sure what days I will be able to put them up. So please be patient with me for the rest of the month and hopefully by next month, I will be able to go back to the regular schedule.

NOW ONTO THE POST!

5. Charlie From Perks Of Being A Wallflower By Stephen Chbosky

Despite the fact that the character wasn't that great, I still really liked his name. I don't know exactly what it is about it that I like but I really like the sound of it. It is such a fun name but can also sounds like an old school kind of name. I just really like it would definitely consider it as a name for a future child I may have.

Book Tag Thursday: Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's tag post is one that I saw Sasha over at A Book Utopia on YouTube do a while ago. I thought that it looked really interesting as it is all to do with sharing your own opinions of books that other people may disagree with. I have a lot of views of books that I have found a lot of people don't share and so I figured this tag is perfect for me to showcase some of them. This awesome tag was originally created by KaShawn over at The Book Archer on YouTube. Be sure to check out both Sasha's video and KaShawn's video of this tag as they are both pretty amazing. Now let's get into the tag!

1. A Popular Book or series that you didn't like.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover: I've talked about this before in the past but I really didn't like this book very much. I can see why people hype this book up but I really didn't enjoy reading it. There were some good aspects to it but overall it really wasn't my type of book. I definitely didn't realise what I was getting myself into when reading this book but I just wasn't a huge fan of the story or some of the characters.

Top 5 Wednesday: Book Theme Songs

Hey Everyone,

Today's all about songs that remind me of books when I hear them. Music and books can present stories, feelings and messages that people can relate to and learn from. I find this to be quite amazing and so I'm glad that this week I get to share with you all some songs, that when I listen to them, I am able to connect it with a book I have read. Let us get straight into it!

5. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl) By Nine Days 

(Eleanor & Park By Rainbow Rowell)

I feel like this song perfectly expresses the story of this book. To me this song is about a guy who loves a girl who is may not have everything and may be dealing with a lot of issues but still remains strong about the situation. Eleanor and Park was that kind of story for me as I saw this wonderful girl go through such hardships but still remained tough. Also Park still ends up falling for her despite all the differences they share. Such a perfect connection of song and book.

Mini Review Tuesday: May Wrap Up

Hey Everyone,

Today's review post is of all the books I read in the month of May. Now, I'm going to be honest with you in saying that I was in a massive reading slump in May and only managed to read a few little children's books. I have yet to finish a regular book but have now started reading a few books and will hopefully complete one of them in June. So let's get into the books I read in May.

Title: The Bad Guys: Episode 1
Author: Aaron Blabey
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25448261-the-bad-guys
Sentence Summary: The big bad wolf is tired of being seen as a bad guy and so he ventures out with some other "misunderstood" creatures to show that they are actually good.
Mini Review: I discovered this book at work when we first received it as a new release. A workmate and I thought it looked cute and started to flick through it and thought it was hilarious. I then decided to buy it and read it straight away. I re-read it this month as the newest book in the series came out at the beginning of the month. I absolutely loved this book and thought it was really funny. The story follows The big bad wolf who starts off the book explaining to the reader that he isn't as bad as the stories make him out to be. He then becomes determined to prove it by recruiting three other characters (Mr Snake, Mr Piranha and Mr Shark) who are also normally seen as bad guys and plans to go out and do something heroic. This is a great book for both children and adults as there is a little bit of humour for everyone within story. The text is also accompanied by awesome art work by Blabey who also writes and illustrates his own children's picture books. I really loved everything about this book despite how simple the story was. I could really tell that Blabey put in a lot of little details into the art and the dialogue which I found really entertaining. I highly recommend this book and will probably be reading the other two books that are currently out, really soon.
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars!

Updates Post: Where Have You Been?

Hey Everyone,

So if you follow my instagram, you may have seen that I failed to post on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You may have also noticed that I have had a lot of weeks lately where I miss a day or two. The reasons why this continues to occur varies as there has been some instances where I have been sick or I had an event on that day and hadn't been able to prepare anything but other times it's simply because I have been too tired. I have been really busy with work over those last few days that I seem to end up falling asleep whenever I try to write. I don't want to create posts that seem rushed or that I didn't really care and so as work may continue to be quite crazy over the next few months, I have decided to bring my posting schedule down to just 3 days.

By 3 days, I mean that I can guarantee at least 3 posts for you all each week but depending on my roster for the week, I may be able to write a few more. So here is the new blogging schedule:

Tuesday: Review Posts (Includes; Full Reviews, Mini Reviews, Series Reviews & Monthly Wrap Ups)

Wednesday: Top 5 Wednesday Posts

Thursday: Variety Posts (Includes; Tags, Instagram Wrap Ups, Book Hauls, etc)

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters You Defend

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about characters that I tend to defend when talking about particular books with other people. We are all guilty of doing it and I am no exception to this as everyone has characters that they love and that they hate which may be different to someone else's. So here are my top 5 characters that I always defend. Let's get into it.

5. Draco Malfoy From The Harry Potter Series By J.K. Rowling

Since finishing the series, I finally got more insight into Draco's life and story. Prior to this, I hated him purely based on his behaviour in the first couple movies. I now find myself actually defending his behaviour when other people tend to shut him down. It all kind of makes sense at the very end of the series. I'm not saying he was a great person but in the end you really see him turn around. (Photo: Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in the films)

Mini Review Tuesday: Graphic Novels III

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a collection of mini reviews for another three graphic novels I have read. So let's jump right into it.

Title: Copper
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Publication Year: 2010
Publisher: Graphix
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6928839-copper
Sentence Summary: Short tales of the adventures of a boy and his talking dog.
Mini Review: Kazu Kibuishi is a Genius! After reading the Amulet series I was looking for more Kazu Kibuishi because I really loved the story and art in that graphic novel series. I then found this gem in a book store and again fell absolutely in love. Copper is a comic strip series about a boy named Copper and his dog named Fred. It tells the story of all the adventures they go on together. It was incredible! The story-lines were simple and entertaining which I liked but also some of the stories had some great meanings to them which was really fantastic. In the end, the main thing that made me love this book was the extraordinary illustrations. I am just absolutely in love with them just as I was with his other series. They are so adorable but also had such amazing detail and connections to the stories through each of the images. This book was almost a 5 stars book for me but it was set up as a story per strip and so there was not much depth to each tale. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more of the comic strips for Kibuishi ever decides to create more.
Star Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

Wrap Up Saturday: April Instagram Book Challenge #1

Hey Everyone,

So today's post is a wrap up of how I did in the April Instagram Book Challenge. Just like last month, there are many different ones you can participate in and I actually participated in two fun challenges. Today I will just summarise one of the challenges I posted for. The first challenge I chose to do was created by @Celinereads and @foksha_1996 on Instagram. So in case you didn't see my posts each day, here are all the photos I posted with their captions.

"Hey Everyone, I am really enjoying these daily photo challenges and so I will be doing another one for April created by @celinereads and @foksha_1996 I can't wait to get into it. #celineandfarahapril16 #aprilbookchallenge #bookstagram"

Book Tag Friday: The Bookish Theatre Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's tag post is one that I saw Bekah over at Bekah AwesomeBookNut on YouTube do earlier this week. I thought that it looked like a lot of fun and figured why not do it for you guys today. I love musicals and so I think this is the perfect tag for me as I get to combine books with theatre shows. This awesome tag was originally created by Julia over at Novel Noise on YouTube. Be sure to check out both Bekah's video and Julia's video of this tag as they are both pretty awesome. Now let's get into the tag!

1. Spring Awakening

(Favourite translated book) 

The Strange Library By Haruki Murakami: Translated from Japanese, This was such a clever little novella about a boy who gets trapped in his local library. It was both creepy but also really creative story full of interesting text and illustrations that I will probably read over and over again for many more years to come.

Book Series I Need To Complete #2

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is the second part of a post that I made about a month ago that was all about book series that I need to complete. There are so many of them that here is just another handful of ones that I have failed to finish. I also plan to do one about the comic book series that I follow but today is just about general book series. Let's get straight into it.

Series Title: Anna And The French Kiss Companion Trilogy
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Number Of Books: 3
Series Status: Completed
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23525495-anna-and-the-french-kiss
Sentence Summary: Forced to attend a boarding school in Paris by her father, Anna now has to adjust to a new country as well as a new language when she would rather be back home in Atlanta with her best friend and almost boyfriend. That all changes when she meets the handsome and taken Etienne St. Clair who quickly becomes her new best friend. Stuck in a beautiful country with a charming new friend, what could possibly go wrong?
Books Read: 
- Book 1: Anna And The French Kiss (2010)
- Book 2: Lola And The Boy Next Door (2011)
Books Left: 
- Book 3: Isla And The Happily Ever After (2014)

Top 5 Wednesday: "Summer" Reads

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about summer reads. Now I'm going to be honest and say, I haven't read very many summery reads and the ones that I have read, I have mentioned before in previous posts. Not wanting to repeat titles again and again, I have decided to mix things up for this weeks top 5 post and list 5 books I want to read that has the word summer in the title. So without further ado, lets get into the list.

5. The Square Root of Summer By Harriet Reuter Hapgood 

This is a book that has just been release this month and I must say that I definitely sounds like a read that I will enjoy. I have been seeing it around and I absolutely love the cover, so I'm surprised I haven't picked up a copy yet. 

Review Tuesday: Amulet Book 1-3 By Kazu Kibuishi

Hey Everyone,

Today's review is of the graphic novel series, Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi. In honour of book seven being release only a couple of months ago, I figured now would be a great time to review each book for you all. So today, I will be reviewing the first 3 books in the series. I have however read up to book 6 and so another review will come out soon for the rest of the books that are out. Now let's get into the review.

Series Title: Amulet
Author: Kazu Kibuishi
Illustrator: Kazu Kibuishi
Number of Books: 7 (Currently)
Series Summary: A children’s adventure series that follows the main character Emily Hayes (“Em” for short) as she embarks upon a magical journey through the world of Alledia. As Emily (with the company of her brother and mother) move into her late grandfather’s old house, she discovers a magical amulet whilst exploring and puts it on. Immediately her life is turned upside down as the family discovers that there is more to their grandfather than they thought. After her mother is brutally taken away by a strange creature, it is all up to Emily and brother, Navin to venture into a strange world to find and save her.

April Book Haul Part II (2016)

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is the rest of my April Book Haul. I was suppose to have this post up on Saturday but I unfortunately got ill. I'm still a bit sick but really wanted to have this post up for you guys today. So here is the rest of the books I got in the month of April.

NON-FICTION

Title: Cole's Funny Little Picture Book
Author: E.W. Cole
Publication Year: 2013
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Link: http://www.hardiegrant.com.au/books/books/book?isbn=9781742706283 (There is no Goodreads page for this book)
Short Summary: E.W. Cole was the owner of the famous Cole's Book Arcade in Melbourne which made him the first ever bookseller in Australia. In 1879 he published this book which compiled stories, puzzles and riddles. In this new edition, readers can now enjoy some of the great rhymes, poems, games and illustrations that appeared in the original book (which has now gone out of print). A book that has entertained families for more than a century, has now returned to fill more homes with happiness and laughter.

Book Tag Friday: The Book Calendar Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a tag that I found while searching the internet for a new book tag to do. I stumbled upon this one and thought that it sounded really interesting. This tag is called The Book Calendar Tag which I found on a blog called Debra's Book Cafe which is run by Debra. The original creator of this tag was MoMo from The Booktube Girl on Youtube. The idea of this blog is that there is a question for each month of the year which corresponds with a holiday. I thought it was really original and am excited to be doing it. Be sure to watch the original video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl3w41JnN20 and Also read Debra's post here: http://debrasbookcafe.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/the-calender-book-tag.html.

Let's get started!

January: New Years 

(Name a new release coming out this year that you are greatly anticipating.)

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling: I'm sure the whole world is anticipating this book right now and that includes me. When this book got announced, I wasn't overly thrilled because I hadn't read the books yet but I have now finally read them all and I just can't wait to get my hands on this new book. Definitely the book I'm most looking forward to getting.

QBD The Bookshop Blog II

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about the posts that I have had put up on the QBD Blog. A little over 2 months ago, I put up a post that included the links to all the reviews I have written for The QBD Blog and since then I have written a few more posts. So in case you missed any of my posts on Instagram about each review, Here they all are for you to view. Also if you would like to see the last post I made about the QBD Blog, you can find it at: http://louiseereads.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/qbd-bookshop-blog.html.

Be sure to visit the QBD blog in order to read all types of reviews from more avid readers: https://blog.qbd.com.au/

Let's jump into all the posts I have made since the last update.

Post Title: Louise’s TOP 5: DC Comic Trades

Title/s Included: 
- Birds of Prey Volume One: Trouble In Mind by Duane Swierczynski & Jesus Saiz
- Batman Volume Three: Death Of The Family by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
- Secret Origins: Volume One by Various Authors & Artists
- Batgirl Volume One: The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone & Ardian Syaf
- Suicide Squad Volume 1: Kicked In The Teeth by Adam Glass & Various Artists

QBD Link: https://blog.qbd.com.au/2016/04/26/louises-top-5-dc-comic-trades/

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters You Are Most Like

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about characters that I share traits with. We have all read a book and felt like we connected with one of the characters as they reminded us of ourselves. That is what this week's Top 5 list is about. Here is the 5 characters, I feel that I am most like. Let's get into it.

5. Min From "Why We Broke Up" By Daniel Handler 

Despite that fact I didn't like this book, I was still able to relate to Min in some ways. It is quite obvious that she was a sentimental type of person as she kept a lot of little mementos to represent the special times that she and Ed shared. I too do this type of thing but not exclusively to relationships. I love to keep things such as tickets from movies and name cards from weddings as they mean something to me. I too keep them in a box and some times go through it to reminisce. This is a very similar thing that Min does.

Review Tuesday: The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a review of a book that I read last year. I had heard so many good things about this book and the author that I'm surprised that I didn't pick up the book earlier. This book is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman who is an award winning author.

So let's just jump straight in the review.

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell (Illustrator)
First Publication Year: 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6687860-the-graveyard-book
Plot Summary: When someone known as "the man Jack" murders a family one evening, he realises that there still one member of the family he has yet to attend to. The little one year old had coincidently wondered out of their cot and out of the house, just in time to escape the criminal. Ending up in a nearby graveyard, he is found by ghosts that live there and they decide to raise him to protect him from 'The man Jack." As the little boy grows up, he begins to discover more about the world outside the graveyard but the real question is who is "The man Jack" and why did he kill this boy's family?

Wrap Up Saturday: April Wrap Up

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a wrap up of the books I read in April! Before we get into the post, I would just like to mention that I have decided to make a change to the type of posts I will be making on Saturdays. I have noticed over the last couple of months, that at the beginning of each month I end up writing a lot of wrap up posts on Thursdays. I have some new ideas for future posts that I want to put up on Thursdays and so I have decided to dedicated Saturdays to my wrap up posts. These posts will include monthly wrap ups, instagram challenges and book hauls. As a result, I have also decided to combine the mini review posts with the full reviews on Tuesdays. I hope you guys enjoy this new arrangement. Book blogging is still really new to me and so I am still testing things out but I am loving it so far. Now let's get into the wrap up!

Title: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publication Year: 2007
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22037483-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows
Sentence Summary: The epic conclusion to the Harry Potter series, where Harry has his final battle with his number one enemy.
Mini Review: This was a great last book to this fantastic series. I was kind of hoping to finish this book in March with the rest of the series but unfortunately didn't get it done in time. This series turned out to be way more than what I expected it to be and as a result, I ended up loving it more than I ever thought I would. I really enjoyed this last book as there was a great amount of adventure as well as action and mystery as we reached the final battle. Though I did know quite a few things that were going to happen in the end, I did still quite enjoy the book and still got surprised on many things that I hadn't already been told about. There were still a great deal of twists and turns in this final instalment, despite me knowing some of the bigger events. I will say though, that the only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because I did find some of the beginning moments to be quite slow. Other than that, this was great and was quite a satisfying conclusion to this series. J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer and story teller and I am excited for the new Harry Potter type books that are due to come out this year. It was definitely a great time to finally read the series.
Star Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

Book Tag Friday: How I Read Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's second post is a tag I found while googling for a new tag to do. This tag is called the How I Read tag and I found it through Ashley at Climb The Stacks on Youtube. I'm not too sure who the original creator was, so if you do know, please let me know in the comments. This tag is all about how I read and this should be an interesting tag to answer. If you would like to see Ashley's answers you can view them at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMXTWolCVe4. Lets get into it!

1. How do you find out about new books to read?

I normally find out about new books through work (I work in a book store) or through people on goodreads & youtube. It is so dangerous watching book hauls at the end of every month as I hear about new books that sound great and so my TBR grows longer. 

2. How did you get into reading?

I'm not too sure, when I was younger I loved to read and would read whatever I could find. For as long as I've known, I have been into reading but I think it has only been over the last few years that I've really been into it and tried to read more each month.

Book Tag Friday: The McFLY Book Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a tag that I'm so happy to have found. So as many people know, I love the UK band McFLY and last week they had announced that they are going back on tour in the UK. Even though I won't be seeing them, I am still really excited that they are performing again after a couple of year of being McBusted rather than just McFLY. So in honour of this exciting news, I found this book tag all about McFLY songs that was inspired by the Taylor Swift book tag. The original creator of this tag was a youtuber named Juh Claro. Her video is in Portuguese and so I have translated the questions or have altered them to what I think she was trying to say. If you would like to watch the original video, you can view it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvr6pyhy2Cw. Let's get right into it!

1. All About You 

(A book with a sweet romance)

Billy And Me by Giovanna Fletcher: I think that it's only fair that I pick one of Giovanna Fletcher's books for this question as this song was actually written for her by the lead singer of the band (Her husband), Tom Fletcher. I really did find the romance in this book to be really sweet minus all the drama that took place. They were a cute couple and I'm so excited for the sequel that comes out this year. 

April Book Haul Part I (2016)

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is the first part of my April book haul! If you follow my instagram, you might of seen an image I posted of all the books I got in April. There is quite a few of them and so I decided to split the whole haul up into two posts. This first post will contain all of the fiction books and the next post (which will be out next Thursday) will be the rest of the books. Let's get straight into it!

FICTION:

Title: Second Life
Author: S.J. Watson
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Text Publishing
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24835900-second-life
Short Summary: A psychological thriller about the impacts of living a double life. Julia is determined to find out the truth about what happened to her sister and why she was killed but how far will she go in order to get to the bottom of things? Is she willing to lose everything for what she wants?

Top 5 Wednesday: Authors You'd Want To Meet

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about authors I would love to meet, but more specifically authors I would like to meet who will be at Book Expo America (BEA) or Bookcon this year. These two events are two of the biggest book conventions in the world that take place in the US. Unfortunately I won't be going to either of them as I live in Australia but never the less, these are the top 5 authors I would of liked to have seen if I were attending. Let's get into it!

5. Jenny Han 

(Book Con)

Author of some well know contemporary series which include "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Trilogy and the "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" Duology. To be honest, I have yet to read any of her books but they are titles that I really want to get to because I just know I will enjoy them. I would love to meet her as I would love to learn more about her. I've heard great things about her books as well as her as a person through people online and so I'm sure she would be super nice. I also follow her instagram and love it. 

Review Tuesday: Batman Vol 1-3 By Scott Snyder

Hey Everyone,

Today's review is of another DC comic series that I have started but have yet to finish. The Scott Snyder run of the Batman series is one that I have been following for about a year now and in 2015, I was able to read the first 3 volumes as well as volume 5. I hope to catch up and read the rest of the volumes soon but for now I will just review the three volumes for you guys today.

Let's get into it!

Series Title: Batman (Batman Vol. II)
Author: Scott Snyder
Illustrator/s: Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
Number of Books: 8 (Currently)
Series Summary: A new era of adventures and missions of the Dark knight as he comes face to face with both old and new enemies who want to take him down and claim the Gotham city as their own. Accompanied by not only his side kick, Robin but by his whole Bat-Family that include Batgirl and Nightwing, Can Batman protect his city as well as maintain his positive social image as Bruce Wayne?


Title: Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15798376-batman-vol-1
Review: I went through a huge comic book kick throughout 2015 and that’s when I finally got into DC Comics. I actually started off by reading the fifth volume of the series as I was looking for a book that specifically had the Riddler in it and the salesman recommended for me to read number five and said I wouldn’t need to read the prior books. After finishing that book, I was completely hooked and wanted to start the series from the very beginning. This volume was definitely a good start for the new batman story as it builds the world and the story surrounding Batman. It was perfect for someone like me who knew very little about the previous Batman books as it explained what needed to be explained during scenes and so it all made perfect sense. It is quite obvious that this was the first book of the series as it wasn’t anything extraordinary but it did leave the story in an exciting position at the end. At times it did get boring but I tried to not let it get to me as I know it was just mainly made to give a taste of what was yet to come in the next volume. One thing that I did really like in particular was the art work/style as I felt it fit perfectly with the story and the atmosphere it was trying to establish. This was a great way to start off my Batman obsession but can definitely say that the plot does get better with each volume.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars!

Instagram Book Challenge: April Potter Challenge

Hey Everyone,

Sorry there weren't any posts for the last few days and thank you everyone for being very understanding. I was going to post three catch up posts today but have decided to just make double posts on Friday and Saturday this week. In the meantime, here is one catch up post that I was suppose to put up last Thursday. I've been meaning to do this challenge all month and so I'm glad I finally got a chance to do it today. So for the last few months, I have been participating in a lot of bookstagram challenges but there was one in particular that caught my eye in the middle of last month (April).

#Potterreadingchallenge is a monthly challenge that was created by Sally over at The.Booklovers.Guide on Instagram. The cool thing about this challenge is that it is all about Harry Potter, which is what I've been obsessed with for the couple months. Unfortunately, I only just discovered this challenge around the middle of April and felt it would be pointless to start from there. So I have decided to do a full blog post, completing all the questions and simply just answering them like a regular book tag.

There are 30 prompts and so let's get started!

1. Your House

Hufflepuff: As soon as I finished reading the books, I took the Pottermore Sorting Test as well as a few other sorting quizzes online and I got Hufflepuff as a result for all of them. I read the description and I must say that I fits me perfectly. (Photo: Hufflepuff crest from Pottermore)

2. Favourite Magical Creature

Phoenixes: I loved reading about Fawkes and the powers that a Phoenix has. It seems like they would be a loyal and helpful companion.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Mothers/Maternal Figures

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about books that have great mothers or other maternal figures. I love to read books that involve families and with mother's day just around the corner, now would be a great chance to share some of my favourite fictional mother figures. I have learnt through reading that a woman doesn't need to be your own mother in order to be a maternal figure for you and it has been wonderful to watch these type of relationships blossom. So let's get into it!

5. Elsie “Ella” Foxx

(Will & Whit By Laura Lee Gulledge)

Ella Foxx is the aunt of Will and becomes her guardian when her sister and brother in law (Will's parents) die in an accident. I chose her as one of my favourites as she is quite a fun and easy going personality but she also really looks out for Will. She tries her best to make Will feel better and encourages her to go out and have fun when she knows Will is feeling down or scared. 

Review Tuesday: Saga Vol. 1 By Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Hey Everyone,

Today's review is of a comic trade that is very popular and one that I read at the end of 2014. Saga is a well known comic series that has gotten great reviews all over the internet. I have quite a few things to say about this first volume of the series and so I thought I would a full review for you all this week. Let's get into it!

Title: Saga - Volume One
Author: Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
First Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: Image Comics
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15704307-saga-volume-1
Plot Summary: Described as "Star Wars" meets "Game Of Thrones", Saga follows the story of Alana and Marko who meet as soldiers on opposite sides of an enormous galactic war. Though the two come from feuding homes, they still manage to fall in love. Now targeted by their own people to stop them from running away together, the star-crossed lovers with their newly born child are determined to start a fresh new life away their dangerous world. 

Mini Review Saturday: Parody Picture Books

Hey Everyone,

Today's review post is a collection of a different type of book that I have yet to review. I love to read some short books every now and again especially when I need to take a break from bigger reads. The type of books I normally pick up in between book is usually either a graphic novel or humour books. So today I'll be reviewing a few humour books, specifically picture books that are parodies of children books. Let's get into it!

Title: We're Going On A Bar Hunt

Author: Josie Lloyd, Emlyn Rees & Gillian Johnson (Illustrator)

Publication Year: 2013

Publisher: Constable

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18660771-we-re-going-on-a-bar-hunt

Sentence Summary: Parents book a babysitter and go bar jumping in this parody of the children's book, 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt".

Mini Review: This was actually the first parody book I've read that was a take on a picture book and I thought that it was okay. I've read the original book "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" a bunch of times especially when I used to work in Child Care and so I am very familiar with the story. I felt like this book was trying a little too hard to be similar to that story and so at times I lost it's humour. In saying this, the book was still quite entertaining at times. I did find myself laughing at some language they used to describe the bars or the drinks they drank. Even as someone who doesn't drink very often, I was still able to appreciate that aspect of the book. Another thing that I actually didn't enjoy about this book was the art work. Though it was creative with a style that made the illustrations look like recycled materials, I wasn't able to enjoy it as it wasn't really my type of styler. I also was expecting to see similar art in the book that was used in the original story as it would of made the story funnier. Overall, it was an okay parody book that I will still talk about to people but it wasn't what I was expecting for a parody of popular children's book. 

Star Rating: 3/5 Stars!

Book Tag Friday: Taylor Swift Book Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a tag that I saw a lot of booktubers doing in 2014. One video in particular that I really enjoyed watching was Kat's from Katytastic on Youtube. The tag connects two things that I love, Books and Taylor Swift and so I knew I had to do it. This tag was originally created by Sarah-Jane from The Book Life on Youtube, so please be sure to check out both Sarah-Jane's video as well as Kat's Video. Side note: I will be doing Kat's version as she added a couple of awesome questions.

Now let's get started!

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 

(Pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.)

If I Stay By Gayle Forman: This was a hard one but I ended up choosing this book purely because I did enjoy it but in the end it just wasn't very satisfying. I gave this book still a pretty decent rating but mainly based on other aspects of the book like the writing. I don't hate this book but it is one that I was loving but ended up not feeling great about. 

6 Authors I Have Yet To Read!

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about authors. I only discovered booktube, bookstagram and goodreads over the last couple years and I must say that since then I have been introduced to so many authors that I had never previously heard of. Though I've tried to have at least read one book of some of the more popular authors I have heard of, I have still so many more that I have failed to check out. Here is a list of six authors (as well as the main book of theirs that I want to read) that I am kicking myself for still not reading. So in no particular order, let's get started!

1. Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour: I heard about Morgan Matson when her last book, Since You've Been Gone had just been released. There was talk about her and the book everywhere and I looked up what other books she had written. This one has gotten a lot of positive reviews and the story sounded perfect for me as I love a good contemporary. I really need to read this book as soon as I can because I just know that I'm going to enjoy it.

Top 5 Wednesday: Book You're Intimidated By

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about books that intimidate me. There is a lot of books and series that are pretty daunting to me and so I usually put off reading them for as long as possible. I normally get intimidated by the size of a book more than the story itself. An example of this was that I was really afraid to read Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix because its 800 pages long but I eventually had to read it to progress the series. This is just one reason as to why some books intimidate me more than others. So here are my top five books that I am intimidated by. Let's get started!

5. More Than This By Patrick Ness

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18158411-more-than-this)

I have yet to read a Patrick Ness book but I've heard amazing things about this one. What intimidated me is not only is it almost 500 pages long (which too me is big) but also it seems to have a complex plot that many reviewers say is better to experience than be told. I really want to read this but I am more hesitant to pick it up because I have no idea what I'll be getting myself into. I hear that is really creative and beautifully executed but I'm too afraid to start it. 

Review Tuesday: Batgirl Vol. 1-3 By Gail Simone

Hey Everyone, 

Today's review is a DC comic series that I have started but have yet to finish. The Gail Simone run of Batgirl is one that I have been wanting to read for a while and last year I was able to read the first 3 volumes. I hope to read the rest of the volumes that are available soon and so far now I will just review these volumes. 

Let's get into it!

Series Title: Batgirl (Batgirl Vol. IV)
Author: Gail Simone
Illustrator: Various Artists
Number of Books: 5
Series Summary: After being bound to a wheel chair for three years from the brutal attack by the Joker ("The Killing Joke"), Barbara Gordon is back on her feet and she is ready to take on the world as Batgirl. Taking on Gotham City along side the rest of the Bat family, Barbara faces villains of all sorts to keep her town safe but those aren't her only problems. As she tries to keep her other life hidden from her family especially her father, Jim Gordon the well regarded commissioner, Has Barbara bitten off more than she can chew? Is she ready to push passed her past demons to do her duty? 

Mini Review Saturday: DC Comics

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a collection of reviews of some DC comic trades that I have read. I like to pick up comics every now and again as I find them to be great fillers in between books I'm reading. I especially love reading about Batman because it is such a crazy world to be sucked into. So let us get right into the reviews!

Title: Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

Author: Paul Dini & Joe Quinones

Publication Year: 2014

Publisher: DC Comics

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23278621-black-canary-and-zatanna

Sentence Summary: Two unlikely heroines; Black Canary and Zatanna, join forces to defeat a supernatural enemy.

Mini Review: I was very excited to read this standalone graphic novel since its release but personally I was a little bit disappointed. I was first introduced to Zatanna in the Complete Hush story arc and Black Canary in Birds of Prey series and absolutely loved them. Since I was so interested in these characters, I went on to do some research to discover they had a short story together. This was music to my ears as I was ready to learn more about them. The plot in this book, unfortunately fell a bit flat for me as it started off quite interesting but as the story progressed I began to lose interest in the plot and was simply continuing to finish the story. I think I would have liked it more if there was more build up and detail in the events that were taking place as things tended to move quite quickly and were pretty brief. Looking at this book from a different angle, I really enjoyed reading about these two strong heroines again as I got to see them in a different setting and learn more about their abilities which was really fascinating. I also really loved the art was it was so colour filled but had a nice simplicity to it. Overall, if DC decides to write more graphic novels along this plot, I don't think I would continue to read them as it didn't grip me enough but I am still very much intrigued by Black Canary and Zatanna separately and so I would be interested in checking out other arcs they may be involved with.

Star Rating: 3/5 Stars!

Book Tag Friday: The Bedtime Book Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a tag I found on another book blog called "My Little Book Blog" which is called The Bedtime Book Tag. I was stuck on what tag to do today and stumbled upon this one which I thought looked pretty cool. If you would like to see the "My Little Book Blog" post that inspired this post, the link is: https://mylittlebookblog.com/2015/11/27/the-bedtime-book-tag/. So lets get straight into it.

1. What Book Kept You Up All Night Reading?

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: I read this book in two days and read the majority on the second day. I refused to sleep until I finished it and honestly it was totally worth it.

Book Series I Need To Complete #1

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about the series that I have started but have yet to complete. There are a few of them that I have started that still have books coming out but there is also a whole lot of series that have sequels already published that I have yet to catch up on. This post will be a list of 6 of these series and because there are so many of them, I will be doing more posts (like this one) with more series over the next few months. Also I will not be going into too much detail about them to keep the post short. Let's get into it!

Series Title: White Rabbit Chronicles 

Author: Gena Showalter

Number Of Books: 4

Series Status: Completed

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18749067-alice-in-zombieland

Sentence Summary: Alice Bell has her world turned upside down when she discovers that her apparently insane father was telling the truth, that monsters do exist.

Books Read: 

- Book 1: Alice In Zombieland (2012)

- Book 2: Through The Zombie Glass (2013)

Books Left: 

- Book 3: Queen Of Zombie Hearts (2014)

- Book 4: A Mad Zombie Party (2015)

Top 5 Wednesday: Books with "Hard" Topics

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about books that contain hard hitting topics such as mental illness, abuse, discrimination, etc. I've read a few really good books that deal with difficult subjects in such a great way. So here are a few titles that I really liked, that I actually got a greater respect for because of how well they projected these topics. Let's get into it!

5. So Much To Tell by John Marsden

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12526815-so-much-to-tell-you)

One of my favourite books from back when I was in school. I really enjoyed reading this book as a school text as I felt like it had a very important message. The story is told through the diary of a 14 year old girl who chooses not to speak. After a traumatic incident that occured at home, Marina is now in a boarding school where her parents sent her to "get better". It is such a touching story that I feel is really eye opening and that does have a slight shock factor. 

Review Tuesday: Billy And Me By Giovanna Fletcher

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a review of a couple of books I read in March last year. In honour of the reveal (last month) of the cover for the sequel, "Always In Love" the books I will be reviewing today are "Billy and Me" as well as the novella sequel, "Christmas With Billy and Me" by Giovanna Fletcher. Let's get right into it.

Title: Billy And Me
Author: Giovanna Fletcher
First Publication Year: 2013
Publisher: Penguin UK
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16112830-billy-and-me
Plot Summary: Sophie May was just an average young woman living in a little village with her mum and working in the local teashop but that was until she met Billy. After a film starts production in Sophie's little town, she meets the well known young actor Billy and instantly the two fall for each other. Will their relationship be able survive in the spotlight? How will Sophie cope with her life being made public?

Mini Review Saturday: Non-Fiction Books

 Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to start by saying thank you to you all for understanding that I couldn't get this post done in time for yesterday but I'm glad I was able to post it today for you all. Today's mini review compilation are reviews of some of the non-fiction books that I have read over the last few years. So let's dive right into it!

Title: The Alphabet of the Human Heart: The A to Zen of Life
Author: Matthew Johnstone & James Kerr
Publication Year: 2009
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8101382-the-alphabet-of-the-human-heart
Sentence Summary: An A to Z look at the good and bad things in life and ways to push through the trials to remain positive.
Mini Review: I actually discovered this book at work as I was cleaning up the self-help section. I was immediately drawn the cover and as I started flipping through it, I found it was a very interesting type of self help book. At the time that I finally decided to read it, I was in a bit of a reading slump due to certain things that were happening in my life at that moment. I really needed something to pick me up and this book was a great help. Filled with beautiful illustrations that express both the positive and negative feelings, I began to feel inspired and guided towards what I need to do next. The format of the book is also quite amazing as one half of the book is the positive side and then you flip the book over to read the negative side. This format was great as they both ended on the same note to show that everything is connected which was interesting to see. It is quite a short book with little text but once I finished, I did feel much better than I did when I started it which was just what I needed at the time of reading it. I have now read a few of Matthew Johnstone's books and have enjoyed that but I must say that this one would definitely have to be my favourite so far. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a little pick me up as It did help me a lot.
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars!

Book Tag Friday: New York Times "By The Book" Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today I will be doing New York Times "By The Book" Tag. I stumbled upon this tag through Max over at WellDoneBooks on YouTube. He is a booktuber I follow and when I saw him do this tag, I thought it looked like a lot of fun. This tag was originally created by Marie Berg (who is another book tuber). Be sure to check out both the original video and Max's video to see their answers to this questions. They are both awesome Booktubers and I highly recommend checking them out.

So let us begin the tag!

1. What book is on your night stand now?

My side table actually holds some of my favourite graphic novels as well as some that didn't fit anywhere else. Besides those, it also holds my TBR books which includes Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and The Hogwarts Library by J.K Rowling.

March Instagram Book Challenge

Hey Everyone,

So today's post is a wrap up of how I did in the March Instagram Book Challenge. Just like last month, there are many different ones you can participate in but the one I chose to do was created by @Celinereads, @Alittlebookworld and @booknerd_reads on Instagram. So in case you didn't see my posts each day, here are all the photos I posted with their captions.


"Hey Everyone, I had a lot of fun doing the #celineandsethfebruary16 challenge and so I decided I'm going to be doing it again in March with the #celineannajillmarch16 challenge by @celinereads and a couple other bookstagramers. I'm excited to do it again next month :) #bookstagram #marchbookchallenge #funtimes"

Top 5 Wednesday: Rainy Day Reads

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about the perfect books to read during a rainy day. On those type of days I love to read books that are simple, light and quick. I find that by reading these type of book it helps me relax and get my mind off the terrible weather. Here are just some books that I might pick up during a rainy day. Let's get started!

5. Maybe Someday By Colleen Hoover

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24445517-maybe-someday)

A wonderful love story between two different people who overcome barriers and bond over something they both love, Music. This is a perfect read for the rainy days as it is both a easy read as well as a serious one. It is a beautiful book that makes me happy when I read it.

Review Tuesday: Falling Into Place By Amy Zhang

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a review of a book that I mentioned in my March wrap up on Saturday since it was one of the first books I read last month. I have a lot of feeling about it and so I wanted to do a more depth review of it rather than just a simple on in my wrap up. This book is Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang who is a debut author. So let's just jump straight in the review.

Title: Falling Into Place

Author: Amy Zhang

First Publication Year: 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Link: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22103884-falling-into-place

Plot Summary: It was late one afternoon after school when Liz Emerson drives her car off the road. After such careful thought, her plan was to die instantly and make it look like an accident rather than a suicide. But there was one thing Liz never could understand that she failed to take into account, which was Newton’s laws of motion that she has been learning in physics class. So now instead of dying on impact, she lies in hospital in a deep coma with a voice telling her to "Stay Alive". Will Liz wake up? Will anyone notice that it wasn't an accident?

Mini Review Saturday: March Wrap Up (2016)

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a compilation of reviews of all the books I read in the month of March. I feel like I had a good reading month as I was able to read more books in March than I normally have in the past. I managed to finish 8 books with only 3 of them being ebooks although I didn't get a chance to read any graphic novels this month as a couple of the books I read were pretty long. So without further ado lets get into the books I completed this month.

Title: Chat (Cyber Series: Book One)
Author: Nan McCarthy
Publication Year: 2014 (Originally 1996)
Publisher: Rainwater Press
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22006627-chat
Sentence Summary: The year is 1995, Bev (a hard working editor) meets Max (an advertising copywriter) in an online chat/forum after Max asks her for advice on being an editor but despite Bev's persistence to keep things professional, Why is it that Max seems to be forming feelings for her?
Mini Review: This was the first book I read in the month of March and it was one that I discovered on Playster that I thought sounded interesting. The book recalls the tale of two people who meet online back in the time when the internet was still a fresh thing in the world. The story is completely told through the emails and chat messages that these two characters exchange between in each other. I love reading books in this style but didn't entirely have high hopes for this book as I was simply just looking for something to start the month with and I really wanted to read something that was told in this format. I must say I am glad I didn't have high expectations for it as it wasn't really a special story. In general it was a pretty basic story of an unlikely friendship with the one of them wanting more than that. It was a very quick read as it was only a short ebook and so there wasn't a lot going on within the plot. Also I didn't find the characters to be very interesting either. I couldn't connect with them on any level and thus I didn't really feel for them as they expressed their own personal stories. Overall it was simply an okay read but is not something that I would necessarily recommend to people.
Star Rating: 2.5/5 Stars!

Book Tag Friday: The Book Heart Tag

Hey Everyone,

Today I will be doing The Book Heart Tag which was particularly made for Valentines day but I felt like doing it this week for you guys. I stumbled upon this tag as I was going through my subscription feed and saw Lindsey (over at Lindsey Rey on Youtube) do it and thought it looked fun. This tag however was originally created by Booktubers, Sanne at Booksandquills and Jean at Bookishthoughts Be sure to check out both the original video and Lindsey's video to see their answers to this questions. They are all amazing Booktubers and highly recommend checking them out.

So let's get started!

1. Who is your favourite literary couple?

Landon Carter & Jamie Sullivan (A Walk Too Remember by Nicholas Sparks): I have read a lot of contemporary novels and have seen a lot of really good literary couples but these two would definitely be my favourite. They are just completely perfect with each other (Photo on the right is Mandy Moore and Shane West playing these characters in the movie adaptation).

March Book Haul (2016)

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is my March book haul! This month I got a lot of books despite my current book buying ban (which I admit is going badly). So without further ado here are all the exciting books I got in the month of March.

FICTION:

Title: Girl Online On Tour
Author: Zoe Sugg
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Puffin Books
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26781912-girl-online-on-tour
Short Summary: The sequel to Girl Online by the same author. Penny is just an ordinary girl with one secret, she is a mysterious blogger by the name of GirlOnline. Using this secret identity, Penny writes about her personal problems involving family, friends and school. As her parents move her away to New York City, Penny meets Noah who might have the ability to expose her. In this sequel, we follow Penny as she embarks on a tour journey following the events of the first book.

Top 5 Wednesday: Least Favourite Book In Your Favourite Series

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is all about some of my favourite series. People normally talk about what they liked the most of their favourite series but this post has a bit of a twist. Today I will be sharing with you all, my top 5 least favourite book from those series. There is a quite a few series that I love but the ones in this list will not be my absolute favourite ones but simply the ones that I could think of where there was one book that I clearly liked less than the rest. So let's get started!

5. Legend By Marie Lu (Book 1 in the Legend Trilogy)

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17258061-legend)

This series is my absolute favourite series which I can say no wrong about. If I had to choose which book I least liked, It would be the first book but it's not what you think. This is a bit of a cheat answer but I found that the first book was an amazing introduction and that the series only got better with each book. So out of the three books, this was the one that I liked least.

Review Tuesday: Love Is The Higher Law By David Levithan

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is a review of a book that read almost 2 years ago but one that I really love. This book is Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan who is a very well known author. So let's just jump straight in the review.

Title: Love Is The Higher Law
Author: David Levithan
First Publication Year: 2009
Publisher: Ember
Goodreads Link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5982447-love-is-the-higher-law
Plot Summary: It was the event that shook the whole world and it took place on September 11, 2001. Claire is in her junior classroom in high school when it happens and remembers that all she needed to do was look for her younger brother. Her class mate, Peter was at a record store near the disaster when he should of been at school. Jasper is a college student had slept in that morning and missed class but was woken up to calls from his parents seeing if he's okay. Three different teens, in three different places but whose lives intertwine after the 9/11 attacks.