JANUARY | READING WRAP UP

How did this happen? I honestly cannot believe that it’s now already February???? I do have to admit though, January seemed like it wouldn’t end! It became a sort of safety bubble – because I knew that come to the end of January, I had to get my ish together and actually be productive with my time. That being said, I have read my fair share of published novels, and perhaps too many fanfics. According to GoodReads, this month I was able to read 10 books! Not as many as I was hoping, but between going on holiday and my grandmother being in hospital, I think 10 is a fair number! So here we go:

 

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson

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Emily Dickinson would have to be one of my favourite poets of all time. She writes with such creativity, such raw honesty and power that I am constantly blown away. She does not care about whether the topics she chooses to write about are not those a ‘lady’ should care for, and I find that so spectacularly legendary.

 

A Feminist Manifesto For Education by Miriam E. David

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What a fantastic, well-thought out, educational and informative study. Miriam E. David really delves into the inner core of gender discrimination, domestic violence and how the education sector can really push forth significant change to the mechanisms of sexism and patriarchal oppression. I highly recommend educators, youth/social workers and individuals who work in the medical/mental health field to devour this book and learn such significant and fundamental lessons, especially in order to orchestrate change for our society.

 

I Am Justice by Diana Muñoz Stewart

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I would highlight this book as an Avengers meets the Expendables meets the legend of the Amazonians, in a no-holds-bar explosion celebrating female strength and conviction. This book was such a surprise. Not only did it have a diverse cast of completely different and equally incredible women, it also conveyed the struggles of deep emotional pain and the pressure of psychological trauma and loss. It can be quite easy to ignore the emotional nuances with action-filled novels, but ‘I Am Justice’ does not disappoint in this regard. More so, the emotional pain gives credence to character strength and conviction to act and do better for themselves or for the women of the world. ‘I am Justice’ is an excellent, fiery and feisty novel that marks the beginning of a brand new series called ‘Band of Sisters’ teeming with courageous female protagonists that will no doubt, be as fast-paced, thrilling and romantic as ‘I am Justice’. You can read my full-length review of I am Justice here.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

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This would have to be one of my all-time favourite YA novels ever. I loved it so much I tattooed Pergite Si Audetis on my body.

Kaufman and Spooner are an incredible writing team, and the writing of this novel is impeccable. The characters, the universe, the conspiracy, and the action, are intricately written with a universe that is multi-faceted, unique and slightly dystopian. The reader is dropped into a universe where Earth is dying, people are fleeing their cities because of lack of resources, and space exploration as one of the only possible ways for humans to continue to exist. With space exploration comes the prospect of space or planet colonisation, if it is found that Earth cannot at all handle human life. Unearthed tells the story of Amelia Radcliffe and Jules Addison, in the aftermath of the International Alliance (IA) intercepting and decoding an alien transmission thought to have been long-ago extinct. As a result, raiders like Amelia and academics like Jules, bombard the planet Gaia as stealthily as possible in order to either get the treasure to gain money or, in the case of Jules, figure out the meaning of the secret message in the alien transmission and what it might mean for the future of Earth. I have written a full-length review here for you to read!

 

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined To Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies, Nia LaCour, Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi, and Julie Murphy.

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This was an anthology of too-adorable-for-words short stories that honestly, touched parts of my heart. It was diverse, emotional and poignant; and many of the short stories deserve their own full-length novel. Same-sex couples, transgendered characters and POC characters, are always incredible to read as there are too little of such voices in the YA genre. They were feel-good, creative and adorable reads and I urge everyone to read it.

 

Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren

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Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren is a revenge-based fiction novel that focuses on finding absolution through murder. Published by Creative Edge Publishing LLC in November 2017, McFarren brings the forth a story that is both sensual and mysterious with a strong female lead, Mariko Mitsui, who works as an assassin for the infamous Zakua-kai Yakuza family to seek forgiveness of her past actions. As this book is the fourth in McFarren’s Twisted series, there is a depth of knowledge that I believe readers need to know before delving into this book, as there are relationships, murders and past events that are all intertwined which aim to intensify the mystery and the suspense which coalesces within the narrative plotline of Twisted Threads.

I honestly did not enjoy this book. It was a complete disappointment, and you can read my full-length review here, to find out why.

 

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

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Another book that I was disappointed in. I won’t go into too much detail, as my full-length review of this book will go live tomorrow. But let’s just say that the premise sounds promising and utterly thrilling, but the execution could have been better.

 

Something In Between by Melissa de la Cruz

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This book has been on my shelves for two years, I believe. It literally took me this long to find the motivation to read this book. I have no idea why I was so reluctant to read it, but I am glad I did. At its core, It was a powerful read, with such a fundamental message of human rights and the emotional and legal impact of being labelled an ‘alien’ in the country that has your utmost loyalty and love. However, I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 because I felt as though the entire premise of Jasmine fighting for her family to stay in America with legal visas, was completely pushed to the side in order for the romance to develop. Majority of the book was romance, making out, relationship drama, romance, making out, relationship drama, lawyer meeting, relationship drama etc. The romance became the core of the story, and that was a let-down. Overall, it was a good read! Absolutely breezed through it in two days.

 

How To Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather

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I read this book, and now it is one of my all-time favourite novels. This was a masterpiece, and it shocked and surprised me with how much I adored it. I am constantly talking about how amazing this book was. You can read my full-length review here, for more of me ranting about how good this book was!

 

Me and Mr Booker by Cory Taylor

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I don’t even want to talk about this book, that is how much I disliked it. It was a waste of time. It was absolutely lacklustre and missed the mark entirely – it was not sexy, it was not moving, it was not compelling; it was mediocre at best, it was paedophilia and statutory rape masked as a ‘coming of age’ novel. It was not raw, it was ridiculous. I am forcing myself to write the review of this book, so it should be up either the end of this week or next week. It was horrendous.

 

And that’s all folks! I thought this year, I would try to post monthly wrap-ups as there are heaps of books I don’t write full-length reviews, so I thought this could be a fantastic idea! Let me know about some of the books you read this month!

 

Till tomorrow, lovelies! Happy reading!

Allie

xx