June Wrap Up – Books I’ve Read This Month

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

Now that uni’s over for summer, I’ve found time to rekindle my love for reading. One of my June Goals was to read more and this was by far the best reading month I’ve had in a while. This year, I’m also making more of an effort to reach for books across all genres from my bookshelf. Consequently, throughout June I tried reading a diversity of books and even discovered a couple of favourites.

I’ve devoured 5 books this month and wasn’t disappointed by any. Read on to find out what I’ve delved into this month:

After You – Jojo Moyes

“You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.”

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that it brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await. 

I was somewhat nervous about picking up this sequel.

After finally giving in to the hype and falling in love with its predecessor ‘Me Before You’, I wasn’t sure as to how the story could possibly continue. But, I read it, and, I loved it.

The characters in this book series are so charming and loveable.  Lou’s family continue to add light comedy to the novel which is what I crave in a cosy read. They argue over Waitrose birthday cakes and unshaven armpits, yeah you heard that right.

While there were times in the novel where I wanted to reach through the pages, grab Louisa by the shoulders and tell her to go to New York already, the ending was perfect. Overall, this was such a fun, easy read.

The third and final instalment, ‘Still Me’, is at the top of TBR! 4 stars!

I have another review here

Goodreads

The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…

This was my second 5-star rating of the year and that says a lot in itself about how much I loved this book.

The Hobbit is the epitome of the fantasy genre; Tolkien has created a world of dwarfs, goblins, dragons, wizards and what a world it is. He takes us on a journey with Baggins in which I felt as if I were right there with him as he fought spiders in Mirkwood and slid on the ring as he faced Smaug.

It was about halfway through reading this book when I had a sort of light bulb moment and realised that the fantasy genre is truly up there as one of my favourites. Tolkien proves that this genre has no limits, and his ability to transport the reader into a whole new world is fascinating. 5 stars!

Goodreads

Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi

“I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain”

Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

If I could rate this more than 5 stars I would. This fantasy novel is worth every bit of hype it has received so far and will without a doubt continue receiving.

Despite being such a large novel, I didn’t find myself getting bored once – from the outset, we have an action-packed, fast-paced adventure to restore magic in Orïsha before it is wiped out once and for all. What’s more, Adeyemi’s prose is beautiful. She creates such a vibrant world and a unique magic system, it would be hard for someone not to fall in love with her writing.

I don’t think I have a single negative thing to say about this book; intriguing characters, unexpected twists and turns, moments which made me well up while others made me laugh out loud. There was one thing, the cliffhanger is pure evil. I need the second book now. Overall this was such an amazing read and I have no doubts that Children of Blood and Bone will be one of my favourite of 2018. 5 stars!

I have a full review here

Goodreads

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman

“If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn’t spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.”

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled existence. Except, sometimes, everything…

I feel like everyone and their dog has been talking about this book, and I’m not surprised. Just a few pages into this story I knew I had found a character who will stay with me forever. Eleanor Oliphant is socially clueless, has low self-esteem and couldn’t be any less fine.

This is a funny yet sad story. Eleanor’s attempts to be normal and blend in with society are undeniably hilarious, but Honeyman weaves these moments into a serious, traumatic issue. Everyone finds her odd, her coworkers talk about her behind her back, and it isn’t until she stumbles upon the new IT guy Raymond, that she finally reaches the path which will lead her away from darkness.

The whole story is heartwarming. It was charming to watch her form new friendships and overcome her traumatic past. I couldn’t recommend this book more! 4.5 stars!