What I've Been Reading Recently- Summer Edition 2021| Carenza Bramwell

Summer is officially over. Autumn and spooky season are here. As summer is now over, it's time for me to share my wrap up for the last couple of months. Between July and August, I read 22 books. I'm really happy with the amount I'm reading at the moment as when I was finishing my degree, I didn't have as much time to read and that made me sad. I'm hoping for some more good reading months this autumn. 

July

This July I read 14 books! This is the most I have read in a very long time. This was because I was only holiday for ten days and I was staying with a friend and she lent me a lot of graphic novels to read. I am so happy with how much I read in July.

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

A reread from my read or go shelf, I'm still not sure why I'm continuing with the Red Queen series when I'm not really enjoying it. There's a part of me that wants to know how this series ends. I wasn't wowed by either of these short stories and since reading them, I have donated my copy to charity. It got a 3/5 stars from me. 

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo 

This was my first time reading a book in prose and it was an enjoyable experience. I know Elizabeth Acevedo is a beloved author in the book community and after owning this for almost a year, it was time to read it. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. While I enjoyed it, I struggled with the dual POV. I would read another book from Elizabeth in the future. I gave it 4/5 stars. 

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Another book that I had had on my TBR for quite some time and am glad that I read. I would class this as sci-fi, which is a genre I struggle with reading. I thought the premise was very original. I found it easy to read and for once didn't mind the first person perspective. I thought it was good, but I wasn't wowed by it. I am going to read the sequel. It got 3/5 stars from me. 

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

The Familiars is a contender for a favourite book of the year. Set in my home county, I adored this book. As it has a gothic, witchy undertone, I do wish I had read it in spooky season, but I'm glad I finally read it. I have a full, spoiler filled review, which you can read here. Stacey Halls has become an autobuy author and I am very excited to read her next book. I gave it 4/5 stars. 

Avatar the Last Airbender- The Search

The first book I borrowed from my friend. We're both big Avatar fans and I've been meaning to continue with the comics since last August, but life got in the way. This was probably my favourite of the three Avatar ones I've read. It answered a question that I had wanted to know about since I was a child. Loved the story and the art. It got 4/5 stars from me. 

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

This was one I actually recommended to my friend after seeing a lot of positive reviews and while I was staying with her, she lent it to me. This was the cutest graphic novel I have ever read. I love the Tea Dragons and want one of my own. It had great LGBT rep. I cannot wait to continue with this trilogy. An instant favourite. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

I had seen this floating around bookstagram for a while and bought it during one of my "I'm stressed about my degree" book buying binges. After a rocky start, this became an incredibly powerful read. It will make you feel a lot of things. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. If you are interested in feminist books or translated fiction, then I'd recommend this one. It got 4/5 stars from me. 

Avatar the Last Airbender- The Rift

We're now into a run of books that I borrowed from my friend. This was the other Avatar comic that I hadn't read. My main complaint was that I didn't like the direction it took one of the characters in. It didn't feel entirely in character for them. Aside from that, I enjoyed this one, just not as much as The Search. I gave it 4/5 stars.  

Legend of Korra- Turf Wars Part One-Three 

After finishing my friends Avatar comics, I then read her Legend of Korra ones. I read the three volumes of Turf Wars. This picks up where the show leaves off. I really liked the relationship that we see in this one. It was a strong story. It got 4/5 stars from me. 

Legend of Korra- Ruins of the Empire Part One-Three 

My final reads for July were the other three volumes in the Korra series. Compared to the other story, I didn't enjoy it as much. I can't go into too much detail as that would include spoilers. There was just something about this one that didn't quite work for me. I still enjoyed it. I gave it 4/5 stars. 

August

In August, I read 8 books. A lot of these were fantasy books as that was clearly what I was in the mood for. August actually ended up being the month where I read the most pages as I read a lot of big books. 

100 Nasty Women of History by Hannah Jewell

I actually started this in July but ended up finishing it in August. This is a non-fiction book about women from history. I have a lot of feelings about this book. Firstly, I really liked how diverse the women were in it. They were from different times, countries, races, religions, sexuality, classes. You name it, it was probably featured in this book. I had only heard of maybe ten of these women before, so it opened my eyes to a lot of amazing women. Now here are the things I didn't like about this book. Too much swearing, it ended up detracting from the points. A lot of anti-men and anti-British comments that just didn't sit right with me. All of this meant I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. I had wanted to love it, but the writing ended up being a bit off putting.  

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. It actually came out in May, but I decided to read it in August as it's set in August 1983. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible writer. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my favourite books. I loved Malibu Rising. I read over 200 pages in one day because I could not put it down. I am going to be writing a full review, which will come out later this month, because I need to share all my feelings on it. It got 4.5/5 stars from me. 

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

I then embarked on my reread of the Serpent and Dove series in preparation of the last book coming out. Having read this book three times, I now have some concrete feelings on this book. Asides from the pacing, I have no issues with this book. Lou and Reid are some of my favourite characters. What I wouldn't give to make this a TV show as I could see it being really good. You can read my review from 2019 (which does have spoilers) here. I've come to the conclusion that this is a 4.5/5 stars for me. 

Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin 

Blood and Honey is my least favourite in the series. There's just something about it that doesn't quite work for me. Out of the three, this took me the longest to read at almost a week. I still like it, but not as much as the books either side of it. I do like the dark tone and it reflects the events of book one. You can read my review from 2020 (again, this has spoilers) here. This reread made it a 3.5/5 stars for me. 

Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin 

While I didn't enjoy Blood and Honey as much, Gods and Monsters did not disappoint. The ending was everything I wanted. It went in interesting directions throughout. The character development was great. Lou and Reid are still icons. A full review will be coming very soon as I have so many things to say about this finale. I'll be having a sticky bun in Lou's honour. I of course gave this book 4.5/5 stars.  

Enchantée by Gita Trelease

This was a reread for me as I originally read it back in early 2019. I have it 4/5 stars then, but my reading tastes have changed a lot. I really liked the characters and the setting of the French Revolution, but I struggled to remain engaged with the plot. This could have done with being cut down as I got tired of reading the same scenes over and over. This time around I gave this 3/5 stars. 

Liberté by Gita Trelease

Having seen mixed reviews for the second book in this series, I was a bit unsure of how I would feel. A lot of what I had struggled with in the first book had been removed. The plot about the Lost Girls and Camille's leaflet was probably my favourite storyline. I did feel that there was too many storylines and at times I struggled to keep on top of what was happening. I really liked the characters and the setting again. I gave this 3.5/5 stars in the end.  

Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern 

My final read of the month was not one I had on my TBR, but was very enjoyable. I bought this during a recent book trip to Oxford. This is about a group of queer people hunting a vampire in Regency England. If that doesn't make you want to read it, I don't know what will. I found this very funny and silly. I adored the art style, the storyline and the humour. It was a wonderful graphic novel. I gave this 4/5 stars. 

So that concludes my wrap up for the summer. What books did you read this summer?? 

What I've Been Reading Recently- Summer Edition| Carenza Bramwell

 As we gradually shift from the bright blues of summer to the softer hues of autumn, it is time for me to share the books I read this summer. I managed to read a total of sixteen books over July and August. My reading has been staying pretty consistent, with my average amount of books read per month staying at eight.  

July 

As I mentioned, I've been reading roughly eight books a month and July was no exception. I read a lot of new releases as well as continuing to tackle my TBR pile.

The first book I read in July was The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant. I had heard good things about this book and it was supposed to be a fantastical retelling of Les Miserables. I have a weakness for stories set in France, specifically Paris. I saw that this was on offer on the Kindle store and bought it for a mere 99p. I'm glad I decided against buying it in physical format as I ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. I would say my main complaint is that the narrative jumped around too much for my liking and offered very little explanation as to why. I ended up being underwhelmed by this book and have no intentions of continuing the series. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

Next I read Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge. I picked this up three years ago as a World Book Day book as I knew Frances had won a Costa award for her other works. I enjoyed the first chapter and that was about it. I think this was aimed at someone a lot younger than me and I could see the appeal in why a younger audience would enjoy this. I struggled with staying engaged with it and was very glad when my time with it came to an end. I gave it 2/5 stars.  

Then I read a book I was really excited for, it was probably in my top three books for the year, and that was Loveless by Alice Oseman. Alice has become a favourite author of mine in the past year and I will order anything she writes. This is another one I have a full review of, which you can read here. It had amazing ace/aro rep and was another classic YA Contemporary from Alice. I did find it a bit repetitive at times, but apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I gave it 4/5 stars.  

An unexpected love of mine was the Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. I had bought this years ago and had decided to finally pick it up. It's about a Japanese man who adopts a cat from the streets and their lives together. It is told mostly from the perspective of the cat, which added a lot of humour to the book. It was a very easy, yet highly entertaining read. I believe there are plans for it to become a film at some point in the future. I gave it 4/5 stars.

A hyped up book that I decided to purchase was You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. I knew that this was a Black Girl LGBT+ Rom Com going in and if that doesn't get you to want to read it, then I don't know what would. I found it very funny and sweet. It was the perfect summer contemporary. My only complaint is a personal one and that it was written in first person. I generally struggle with first person, I just don't vibe well with it for some reason. Apart from that, it was a solid cute contemporary. I gave it 4/5 stars.

The next book I read has become a new favourite of mine. That is The Diviners by Libba Bray. Evie O'Neil is my new favourite female fictional character. I loved the setting and the mystery. I will say that it does take a while to get to the central plot but once you're there, then it gets really good. I also have a review for this one, which you can read here. I had the audiobook from before I cancelled my subscription and the audiobook was superb. I gave it 4.5/5 stars.

Moving away from 4 star books, my next read was Girl, Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust. Again, I had heard good things about it, particularly the LGBT+ rep. In the end I had mixed feelings about this book. I felt it could have been shorter as it dragged out the story quite a bit. I enjoyed the first section of this book, but I struggled with the middle and ending. I had wanted to really enjoy this but it ended up falling flat for me. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

My final read of July was The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutowski. Back in the day, I had heard amazing things about this book, especially about the political side of it. What I read, I found dull and unenjoyable. Nothing happened in this book. I didn't care for either of the main characters. I just found it disappointing. I gave it 3/5 stars.

August

August is my favourite month of the year as it is my birthday month. I also had quite a good reading month too, which made August an even better month. I managed to read eight books in August.

The first one is actually one I started in July but finished in August and that was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I know there is lots of controversy around Rainbow at the moment, due to some accusations of racism in her book Eleanor&Park. I have decided to donate all of the books of hers that I own as I have come to the conclusion I'm not a big fan of her work and I don't want to support someone like that. Carry On is a well loved book, but personally I had a lot of issues with it. My main one was you could tell it was written by an American author trying to make it sound authentically British. I also found the characters very annoying and didn't care for the plot. I've seen a lot of descriptions of it being a "knock off Harry Potter", which I agree with to some extent. This did start as fan-fiction from one of her other books, so I don't know why it became an actual book. It was not for me in the end, so I gave it 3/5 stars.

I then jumped back into The Diviners series, by reading Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray. This is the second book in the series. While I still enjoyed it, Lair of Dreams suffered from second book slump syndrome and was not as engaging as the first book. I did love reading more from Henry, who has become another favourite character of mine. I didn't like the introduction of a love square. The romance felt kinda unnecessary. The mystery was not as engaging as the first book as well. I have a full review of this book, which you can read here. I gave it 4/5 stars. 

A quick read for me was the script for In Bruges by Martin McDonagh. Martin is one of my favourite screenwriters and In Bruges is a family favourite film. I've watched about six times in the last year, so I finally decided to read the script for it. There were some bits that were different from the film, but apart from that it was an easy and fun read. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Next I read Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. Laini is one of my favourite authors, I adore the Strange the Dreamer duology. I had actually read the first book in this series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, over two years ago. I decided to finally continue with this series. I think leaving such a big gap between books was a mistake. I struggled to understand the world and the plot, but Laini's writing is so beautiful it makes up for that. I was glad to be back in that world, but the two year gap between instalments was a bit confusing. I should have probably reread the first book, but I really wanted to finish this series. I gave it 4/5 stars. 

Once again, I jumped back to the Diviners with Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray, the third book in this series. For a series I loved so much, I found with each book I enjoyed it less and less. I had major issues with a certain element of this book, which I will be writing about in my review of this book. Again, I didn't care for the mystery as much. But I adore these characters and the setting so much. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Another Alice Oseman book I read was the newly released paperback for Nick and Charlie, a Solitaire novella. While I found this a cute and easy read, it was filled with far too much drama for my liking. It was also fairly predictable. I did read this in one sitting, which was nice. I love Alice, so I gave this 4/5 stars.

I finally finished the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, by reading the final book, Dreams of Gods and Monsters. Now that I was back in this world, I had a grasp on what was happening. I really enjoyed the first part, but ended up struggling quite a bit with the second half. Laini is a great writer and I really admire her writing style. I'm glad that I've finally finished this series, even if it did take me over two years. I gave it 4/5 stars.

My final read for August was a slightly unsual one and that was The Promise: An Avatar the Last Airbender Comic bind-up. I recently rewatched ATLA for the first time in many years and fell head over heels in love with it again. I had been meaning to pick the comics up for a while, so I treated myself to one. I found it enjoyable. It takes place after the series has ended, so I won't go into details about the plot as to avoid spoilers. I will say that it felt a bit filler-esque and was setting it up for the next comic book. I gave it 4/5 stars.

That concludes my wrap up for July and August. I'm really happy with all the books I've been reading lately.

Carenza :) x 

August Wrap Up| CarenzaOnBooks

It's official, we only have a quarter of the year left. Where did the year go? And that means it's time for my monthly wrap up. In August, I read 6 books, which I am happy with. I did reread four books as a part of a reread I'm doing.

The first four books I read where books 2 to 5 in the Harry Potter series. I decided to start rereading the series in July and am currently over halfway through Half-Blood Prince. I am planning on reviewing the series once I've completed my reread and have them posted back to back in one week. Each time I reread this series, I fall a bit more in love. Order of the Phoenix is still my favourite, but Prisoner of Azkaban is still a close second. I did start reading these in the physical format, but I then switched to audiobook. Stephen Fry is the perfect narrator for this series and I could listen to him reading the Harry Potter series back to back.

The other two books I read where scripts. The first being Angels in America by Tony Kushner. I love this play with all my heart and I read this in a day. It made me so inspired to write and I want to go see it again. If you enjoy reading scripts, then you should check this out.

The other script I read was the script for Dear Evan Hansen. I listened to the soundtrack for DEH and it's now one of my go to musicals. It has such a powerful meaning and it was interesting reading the dialogue in between the songs.

And that concludes my August wrap-up. I'm hoping to reach my reading challenge goal by the end of the year and maybe go beyond it.
Carenza x