Persuasion is definitely a classic worth reading. It has a great balance of humour mixed with angst and regret. Austen questions the superficial ideas of the class system and also allows us to consider if we should be led by other people‘s advice. We follow Anne Elliot who has already had an experience that could be the focus but instead this novel shows what comes after and explores the idea of whether we should move on from the past.

I loved this book. It was beautiful, so imaginative and weird and wonderful. The characters were vivid and the writing was stunning. My criticism would be it moved too slowly in the middle and it needed something to keep interest going, and the ending wasn‘t quite enough to redeem it. I think the stakes needed to be higher; I didn‘t feel invested enough. It was very good, just not quite Daughter of Smoke and Bone good. Still worth reading.

#meetthelittens @maich
Thought this would be a bit of fun!
1. East Anglia, England
2. Jane Eyre
3. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy
4. Back to the Future
5. Sherlock
6. The Beatles
7. Blue
8. YA Fantasy or Historical Fiction (or classics)
9. I just finished at my school so I will be going to sixth form in September
10. Sadly, no

Some purchases today. I really REALLY want to read Middlemarch, but I am slightly terrified of not finishing it...

This book completely lived up to the expectations created by Illuminae and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and action.The amount of times I was shocked by a twist is unbelievable. The characters weren't replicas of the Illuminae characters-they were original and inspiring. They challenged their stereotypes and were all round awesome. All in all, please read this. It is incredible and unique, and I have high hopes for the final book.

This book is everything I hoped for and so so so much more. It is clearly cementing Laini Taylor as one of my favourite authors of all time, I can't get over how incredible all of her work is that I have read. ❤️

Overall this was a cute, heartwarming contemporary with some elements of computer coding, art and Indian culture. Dimple and Rishi‘s characters just contrast so beautifully together. This combined with themes of pursuing your dreams makes a delightful read, perfect to read in the summer. There are also some wonderful friendships and family relationships which add greater depth. It was slightly predictable, but I would without a doubt recommend it.

Really enjoying this! Maybe not as much as Cress and Winter but it's still really great!

This was so adorable! I loved the characters, and how they all had such realistic issues such as Lincoln not really knowing what direction to go in with his life. However, it wasn‘t perfect, it got quite slow in the middle so I think the pacing could have been better. It wasn't at the high standards of Eleanor and Park or Fangirl, but I would still recommend it if you are looking for something light and easy to go to during exams or whatever.

Current read, such a beautiful cover. I'm quite liking it so far, although after reading a few reviews I'm a bit sceptical of whether I will really enjoy it by the end.

Yet another book to add to my growing pile of 'books to read after exams are over'

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I found the characters to be boring, although I did like Feyre‘s passion for art and I liked Lucien. There were some problematic aspects involving Rhysand, and I also thought the pacing was off. There was a lot of telling and not showing and there should have been more diversity in this novel, that was definitely missing. However, I am interested enough to read ACOMAF, hopefully it is a step up from this one.

6 books I have obtained today- the top three lent to me, the bottom free I got second hand

Painted this plate, inspired by one of my favourite series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor!

This is a book everyone should read. It captures entire lives in single chapters, it provides a window into the slave trade and colonialism, covering 300 years of history, but also showing you how people lived that history, showing the ups and extremely low downs of this family‘s life and giving each name on the family tree a story and giving history a voice. READ IT! It is incredibly captivating and rewarding, it will stay with you for life.

Delivery! Thank you so much for the recs everyone, I can't wait to read this! And I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I have to admit, it looks stunning.

lol I love this filter although it is a bit over the top 😂
I'm being lent this series by my uncle, and they are actually US copies. My uncle bought them in the US when he was there for work (I live in the UK)
I was wondering, are all paperbacks in the US really floppy? Here in the UK they are way more stiff and don't naturally fall open, so I was surprised by the feel of these, and I was wondering if it was normal in the US.

Has anyone read any of these books? If so, which one should I get the soonest? I am planning to buy one of them, but I can't decide which one 😕

I am pretty sure this is taking top spot of the trilogy for me. I couldn‘t put it down, despite it being 600+ pages long I just raced through it. I loved the intensity of it, but there was also humour and everything was balanced so perfectly, there wasn‘t a dull page. Add writing dripping with beauty and gorgeousness and you have a winner. I will read anything Laini Taylor writes, she is incredible, and this series is for me now a firm favourite.

Just bought this beautiful edition of Anna Karenina from the gorgeous St Ives Booksellers! I can't wait to read this soon!

I'm loving this so much, I don't want the series to end!!

This was sooo disappointing. The characters were so one dimensional, all of the female characters relied entirely on men, and didn‘t show any capability of independence or intelligence, which is just wrong. The plot was very predictable, and a lot of details were blatantly copied from the Night Circus, one of my favourite books. And the writing was unbearable. Basically it fell flat for me, which was disappointing as I so thought I would love it.

I would definitely recommend this book! The amount of historical detail was incredible, and it was so original and imaginative. I loved the atmosphere, Regency England worked well with monsters and magic, and what was going on beneath the surface of the characters‘ reserved exteriors. There such a wide range of vocabulary used, the writing was a pleasure to read. However, it did get boring in parts, due to unneeded length.

My delivery arrived! I am unbelievably excited to read both of these! Sadly I am not liking Caraval AT ALL, so that makes me want to get to these even more!

Omg thanks everyone! I can't believe this!!!

April tbr. Also on my tbr is Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and Homegoing by Yaa Gyssi which I have ordered, and should be arriving soon! Also Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which is on my kindle. I am being way over ambitious but it's the holidays so I might as well try. Even though I have tons of revision to do...

This novel was enjoyable and captivating. The characters and friendships were very strong, and I liked how Flora‘s voice was used to give an emotional impact and make us feel involved. The twists definitely kept it moving, and I couldn‘t put it down! However I do feel that the pacing was off, and also the repetition of events in Flora‘s mind could be better managed to make it less tedious to read about. Overall I enjoyed it, I would recommend it.

Literally two of my favourite albums EVER. This makes me so happy :)

Quite simply, this is a book everyone should read. I'm not going to write a review as I don't think I could do it justice, just go read it!! Also, as soon as I finished it, I just wanted to go back to the start and read it again, but sadly my tbr doesn't allow time for that :(

This book is so beautiful! Just started it yesterday, so far so good!

I think the whole book was kind of bland, the idea was there, it was the aspects that make you really care that were missing. I loved the concept, but I didn‘t feel connected or invested in it at all. There just wasn‘t enough depth to the characters. It bored me. I came very close to DNFing, but it picked up just enough for me to reach the end. I wouldn't recommend this. It fell flat, the premise was excellent but as a whole it didn‘t pay off.

This book was entirely absorbing thanks to the outstanding balance of all the different ingredients: fantasy, romance, humour, etc. set off with a spark of originality. It genuinely kept me turning pages and gripped me and pulled me into the streets of Prague to roam among monsters. The characters were a pleasure to read about and all in all this is one of the best YA fantasy books I have read, very highly recommended.

New books!!!! But I have a slight problem in that I'm buying books faster than I'm reading them... But I'm not complaining!

I think this book was nearly-flawless, portraying important issues, and I would recommend it to everyone. It is very important, a page-turner and an emotional rollercoaster. Lily is a pleasure to read about, an inspiration yet also relatable, not too perfect. The characters were all formed so well. I did have a problem with how predictable it was, a few instances in the first quarter, but overall I think it is outstanding, highly recommended.

I would say this is a must-read. This is because of the sheer originality of it and also how it just contains the essence of humanity and our thirst for survival. The book is just stunningly beautiful, each page organised to perfection, carrying the words to tell their story. It is simply artwork. Also, you won‘t want to stop reading! Full review at https://booksareallyouneed.wordpress.com

#bookmail so excited to read these new releases! I got the rose on the inside cover of Caraval, there are 4 different designs you could possibly get for the UK edition. I think this is such a cool idea!

New purchases :) I really enjoyed the throne of glass series (but I haven't read EOS yet) and I have heard such great things about these, especially ACOMAF. So excited to get stuck into this series 😊

READ THIS BOOK! Just do it! It‘s short, yet not lacking in depth. Atmospheric, dark, unexpected…I think I am just proving I cannot do this book justice. I haven‘t by any stretch of the imagination captured what is so great about this book, but it is better that I don‘t say anymore about it, the less you know before reading it the better. I will not waste any more of your time when you could be reading this book.

I am hesitant to recommend this one and I feel like I can‘t judge it without reading the whole trilogy and considering how well it sets up things. That is what I felt this book was for- setting up what is to come, and it didn‘t really stand out alone. The pacing was off, the love triangle I could bear, but it wasn‘t enough alone to carry my interest forward. However, the last quarter gave me a taste of what is to come- and it sounds good.

Bought these music biographies today. 👍🏻

Just started this one and also I got a new bookshelf! Using this one for YA books and then others will go in my old bookshelf. :)

Despite the few problems I had concerning the writing and some unrealistic decision making, this book was a page-turner, relatable and full of diverse, interesting, realistic characters. The journey Frances went on throughout was engaging and relatable and her and Aled‘s friendship was wonderful to read, the definite highlight of the novel. I would recommend this book, as long as you don‘t have much of a problem with a quite simple writing style.

This book is brilliant so far, Frances is such a wonderful character 👍🏻

#bookmail just arrived! This was only released few days ago, I hope to read it soon although that is unlikely seeing as I have an enormous tbr pile as well as a mountain of homework!

This is definitely a book that people should read. It sends vital messages about what matters in this world, and the power of events to change our outlooks on life. The characters really brought it to life, especially Mercy who was an inspiration, and who we could all learn something from about how to live life. The plot was slightly predictable, but this didn‘t detract too much from the book, and doesn‘t prevent it from getting 5 stars from me.

Will be starting this very soon, when I have finished Outrun the Moon. I can't wait to read it, it sounds like an outstanding book.

I love this book so far, probably more than Under a painted sky, but we shall see 😊

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an entertaining and original, yet nostalgic, journey back into Wonderland. However don‘t expect another Lunar Chronicles, because although this was good, it didn‘t quite reach the expectations that those books set. But it's still worth a read and I look forward to reading whatever Marissa Meyer releases next.

For the full review, see my blog set up today: https://booksareallyouneed.wordpress.com 😊

I'm loving Marissa Meyer's new book, it's just so much fun.

My Goodreads Old and New Classic challenge 2017 :) looking forward to reading these in the new year!