November Wrap-Up and December TBR

Hello all, I am actually doing this wrap-up really early into December and I am really happy about that. This months wrap-up is better than last months though so I am happy about that.

Here we go.

I am really happy with how much I read this month. I am still not there in terms of how much I want to read every month, but I have had an awful lot of assignments and deadlines at uni this week, so I have been trying to fit reading in between this.

1. Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

“Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed ‘America’s Fattest Teen’. But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready- for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret- he can’t recognise faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool-Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counselling, Libby and Jack are both angry, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world – theirs and yours.” 

RATING: ★★★★★ (Review)

I really enjoyed this book and I think it might be one of my favourites of 2016. It’s story is so touching and you are left feeling changed after reading the book.

2. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson (Audio Book)

“Before Sloane, Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, and she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend-someone who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list with thirteen bizarre tasks that Emily would never try. But what if they can lead her to Sloane?

Apple picking at night?Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn?Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger?Wait…what?

Getting through Sloane’s list will mean a lot of firsts, and with a whole summer ahead of her-and with the unexpected help of the handsome Frank Porter-who knows what she’ll find.

Go Skinny Dipping?Um…”

RATING: ★★★★☆ (Audio Book Review)

I had this book recommended to me by my Mum and decided to listen to the audio book. I loved it. It’s story has a mystery throughout and is just a great story about friendship.

3. You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris 

“On 13 November 2015, Antoine Leiris’s wife, Hélène, was killed, along with 88 other people at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris, when three men armed with guns and suicide bombs opened fire on the unsuspecting crowd at a rock concert. Three days later, Leiris, a young journalist, wrote an open letter on Facebook addressed to his wife’s killers. Leiris refused to be cowed or to let his 17-month-old son’s life be defined by Hélène’s murder. He refused to let the killers have their way. ‘For as long as he lives, this little boy will insult you with his happiness and freedom,’ he wrote. Instantly, that short Facebook post caught fire. It was shared over two hundred thousand times and was reported on all over the world. In his beautiful and moving defiance of the terrorists who had killed his wife, Leiris became an international hero to everyone searching desperately for a way to deal with the horror of the attacks.”

RATING: ★★★★★ (Review)

This book is extremely upsetting but is a book that needs to be read by everyone. It really opened my eyes on the world and put me into the shoes of someone who lost someone so close to them in a tragic event.

4. Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them – Original Screenplay by J.K Rowling

“When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…”

RATING: ★★★★★

I adored this book. I read the screenplay the day after watching the film so it was still fresh in my mind and it played out in my mind as I was reading. I will be posting a review on this book very soon.

5. Winter’s Snow by Carrie Hope Fletcher

“Evie Snow was the love of Vincent Winters’ life, and of every lifetime he would ever live, but they didn’t get the ending they wanted. He never stopped loving her though, and he never, ever, forgot about her.

Suddenly Vincent has the chance to right an old wrong and to finally prove himself worthy of Evie’s love – he just needs to get to her first.

As Vincent begins the journey of a lifetime, he learns more about life and love than he ever thought possible, and somehow, some way, he may also find his way back to the only woman he ever truly loved…” 

RATING: ★★★★★

I only finished this novella yesterday but I really enjoyed it. I wish it was longer. But I will be reviewing it soon.

That is it for books this month. I am quite proud of how much I read compared to last month. 

I am both proud and disappointed with how much I have posted this month.I wish I had more time to post on my blog. It is something that I love doing but with all the uni work I have had I have really struggled to post. I really hope that this month I have more of a chance to post when I finally get rid of all my assignments.

BOOK REVIEWS

Faceless by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (Audio Book)

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson (Audio Book)

You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris

DISCUSSIONS AND TAGS

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I have added to my TBR recently!

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters I used to Love but Don’t Anymore

Top 10 Tuesday: Light-Hearted Movies

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Publishers

Top Ten Tuesday: Things I am Thankful for

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Want to Re-Read

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Gifts

This month I have a few books I have to read to review. I also want to continue my re-reading of Harry Potter. And I have a lot of books l want to read over the Christmas Period, so here is a list of books I hope to read this month.

The Edge of Juniper by Lora Ricardson

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

All I Ever Wanted by Lucy Dillon

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

This is a long list for this month but I’ll try!

Wish me luck! I may struggle getting all this reading done by the end of the month but we shall find out in a month’s time What are your reading plans for this month?

Find me on Twitter @loisreadsbooks, on Facebook here, and on Goodreads here.

Until next time,