February Wrap Up…

Welcome to my February Wrap Up. I have had a pretty bad reading month, finishing 2 books (0 books off my TBR). I also received 4 ARC’s this month, and I continued my new goal of reading 1 Shakespeare play, as well as The Voyage Of The Beagle and The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin.

I have reviews up or coming up for these books so as usual this is just going to be a brief run down on each book I read.

Without further ado, let’s get into my February Wrap Up:

Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah: This wasn’t this book i thought it was going to be but I still really enjoyed it. The story was interesting, the characters were relatable and the writing was amazing. I am very glad that I read this book, even if it wasn’t what I had originally expected it to be.

Desire Lines by Felicity Volk: This book was truly epic. Reading this book was like listening to someones life story. With both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments, the reader is taken on a truly emotional journey. I laughed and I cried whilst reading this book, but more importantly, I didn’t want it to end.

Shakespeare: I read 1 Shakespeare play in February. I read the following Shakespeare Play This Month:

Love’s Labour’s Lost

The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin: I read the following chapters this month:

Chapter 2: Variation Under Nature

Chapter 3: Struggle For Existence

Chapter 4: Natural Selection

That’s it for my February Wrap Up. I hope you all had a great reading month. Let me know what you guys read this month in the comments section.

Until my March Wrap Up…

Happy Reading…

❤ Gem

Desire Lines by Felicity Volk

‘Arctic Circle, 2012. On a lightless day at the end of the polar winter, landscape architect Evie Waddell finds herself exhuming the past as she buries Australian seeds in a frozen mountain vault – insurance against catastrophe.

Molong, 1953. Catastrophe is all seven-year-old Paddy O’Connor has known. Shipped from institutional care in London to an Australian farm school, his world is a shadowy place where lies scaffold fragile truths and painful memories. To Paddy’s south in Canberra, young Evie is safe in her family’s embrace, yet soon learns there are some paths from which you can’t turn back; impulses and threats that she only half understands but seems to have known forever.

Blue Mountains, 1962. From their first meeting as teenagers at a country market, Paddy and Evie grow a compulsive, unconventional love that spans decades, taking them in directions neither could have foreseen.’

This book was epic.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. This epic story spans decades and takes the reader on a truly wonderful journey though love, lies and loss.

The characters is this book were so utterly human; faults and all. I was able to see each characters reasons and thinking as they made their way through the years. Their emotions changed as they did, and their decisions became easier to understand as the story progressed. This made for a wonderful and believable reading experience.

Felicity Volk has done an amazing job with this book. I was completely overwhelmed; in the best possible way by this story. The tenderness and passion that radiated off the pages was breathtaking. Each time I picked this book up I felt like I was going home.

This is definitely a book that will stay with you long after the final page.

Desire Lines by Felicity Volk is a truly spectacular read.

The Cookies Book Tag

Welcome one and all to another Wacky Wednesday post. Today I am partaking in The Cookies Book Tag. I hope you all enjoy this quick little tag.

So without further ado, lets jump straight in:

Chocolate Chip:
A classic book that you love or really enjoyed

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Thin Mints:
A fandom that you really want to ‘join’ and/or a hyped-up book you want to read

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

Shortbread:
An author you can’t get enough of

Stephen King

Samoas/Caramel DeLites:
An emotional rollercoaster

The Song Of Us by J.D. Barrett

Oreos:
A book whose cover was better than the story, or vice versa, where the story was better than the cover

If Birds Fly Back by Carlie Sorosiak

Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties:
A book that wasn’t what you expected

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Snickerdoodles:
A book you may never stop re-reading/loving

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Bonus:
Gingerbread:

A book you love to read in the holiday season

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and My Very Special Christmas Adventure

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Well that’s it for me. I hope you guys enjoyed this tag. As usual, hit me up with your answers in the comment section.

Until next time…

Happy Reading…

❤ Gem

King Richard The Second by William Shakespeare

‘In the presence of King Richard, Henry Bolingbroke (who would eventually be Henry IV) accuses Thomas Mowbray (Duke of Norfolk) of embezzling crown funds and of plotting the death of his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. They will not be reconciled and are about to fight, but Richard stops the combat before it can begin.’

I enjoyed this play.

Richard II, was written around 1595, and is the first play in Shakespeare’s four play series that chronicles the rise of the house of Lancaster to the British throne. Richard II, set around 1398, follows the fall from power of the last king of the house of Plantagenet, Richard II, and his successor, the first Lancaster king, Henry IV.

Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s “history” plays. Scholars believe the play was probably composed around 1595, and certainly no later than 1597. The play has captivated audiences through the centuries, even though it is considered inferior to Shakespeare’s other history plays.

The play’s qualities are really interesting. It is highly stylized, in contrast to the “Henry” plays that follow it. In this play Shakespeare makes use of metaphors; like the comparisons of England to a garden, and of its king to a lion or to the sun. It also opens up complex themes such as the nature of kingship and identity.

King Richard The Second by William Shakespeare is the perfect play to start you on your journey through Shakespeare’s history plays.

Uni Update 4!

With University starting up next week, I though it was time for another Uni Update.

New Year, New Subjects. Whilst I am excited to get back into Uni, I am also a little nervous about what this semester will bring.

I have taken a small step out of my comfort zone in relation to what I will be studying, so that is playing on my mind.

I also don’t have any preparation to do. Now this may sound like a good thing, but I like to keep busy before I actually have to get to the studying part. This semester I have no pre-reading and no books I need to buy. Which means I am just sitting here waiting to start with nothing to distract me from my worries.

I know I was nervous starting Uni last year, and that once I started I really enjoyed it, so I am hoping that the same thing will happen this year.

Maybe the fact that it has been a long break has me on edge as well.

All I don know is that I am ready to get to work. I have everything I need and I am sort of back on a good routine, so there is nothing left for me to do.

I just need to try and be patient for the next few days.

Even though I am nervous, I am also incredibly excited to see what this semester will bring.

I am planning on doing some more Uni Updates over the next few months, and hopefully I will be more confident once my classes are underway.

Until my next update…

Happy Reading!

~>GEM<~

 

 

Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton

‘Meet Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog. Together they are the Famous Five. Join the adventure!

In their second adventure, the Famous Five find a thief at Kirrin Cottage. They think they know who it is, but need to prove it. Where can they find evidence? Will the discovery of a very old map and very unusual hiding place help them get to the bottom of this mystery and uncover the true culprit?’

I loved this book.

I have really enjoyed re reading my Enid Blyton classics and I was over the moon when I picked up another Famous Five book. The Famous Five and The Secret Seven books were my absolute favourites as a child. Reading them now as an adult is pure nostalgia.

I love the innocence of these stories and the fact that the children don’t need the Internet, TV and computer games to have fun and fill in their days. It is a simpler time where imagination ruled and they was fun to be had everywhere if you were willing to find it.

I adored the mystery and adventure of this book. Doesnt every child dream about finding secret maps having an adventure with your siblings and cousins. I can imagine how awesome it would have been as a child to find a secret passage way in my house. I would have had months of fun with it.

I love the relationships between the children. Even when they are angry or disappointed in one other they are still kind and don’t become nasty towards each other. I also loved getting to see how the relationships had grown between the first book and this one.

Reading this book as an adult makes you truly appreciate how wonderful Enid Blyton was. I completely understand why her books are classics. I honestly believe anyone and everyone would have a great time reading this book.

The Famous Five: Five Go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton is a must read for all young readers and readers that are young at heart.

The Olympic Book Tag

Welcome one and all to another Wacky Wednesday post. Today I am partaking in The Olympic Book Tag. I hope you all enjoy this quick little tag.

So without further ado, lets jump straight in:

OPENING CEREMONY

A book you loved from the first page

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

CYCLING

Favourite road trip book

Saving You by Charlotte Nash

TRIATHLON

A book with a good love triangle

The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart

HANDBALL

A book you didn’t really ‘get’

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

A book set in the summer

The Crossroads by Pamela Cook

FENCING

A book with a lot of fighting/bloodshed

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King

GYMNASTICS

A book with a lot of plot twists

The Sharp Edge of a Snowflake by Sif Sigmarsdottir

SWIMMING

A book that made you sob

Mama’s Boy by Dustin Lance Black

GOLF

A slow paced book

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

TRAMPOLINE

A childhood favourite

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

EQUESTRIAN

A book featuring Animal(s)

Adventures Of A Young Naturalist by David Attenborough

HURDLES

A book you struggled to finish

Cape May by Chip Cheek

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

A book with a great friendship

The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

BONUS

A book that actually featured an Olympic Sport

Millionaire Mountain Climber by Laura Book (Winter Olympic Sports)

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Well that’s it for me. I hope you guys enjoyed this tag. As usual, hit me up with your answers in the comment section.

Until next time…

Happy Reading…

❤ Gem

Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah

‘All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.

Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn’t mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn’t seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn’t want to see her today, or ever again.

But she can’t resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora and her children Thomas and Emily step out of the car. Except… There’s something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. As Beth would have expected. It’s the children. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then.

They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt – Beth hears Flora call them by their names – but they haven’t changed at all.

They are no taller, no older… Why haven’t they grown?

This book was interesting.

I will admit I went into this book believing it was going to be more along the lines of a Science Fiction novel and not a detective novel, so I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

In saying that, once I got over my personal disappointment, I actually enjoyed this book.

The slow burn of the drama and the slow release of details made for a really intriguing reading experience.

Sophie Hannah has done a fantastic job with the writing in this book. It was dramatic yet still grounded in human emotion.

This book may not have been what i thought it was going to be but I am very glad that I read it.

Haven’t The Grown by Sophie Hannah is a solid read.

Routine!

I need help!

My routine is missing in action.

Since just before Christmas I haven’t have a routine. Which was fine because it was holidays, so I didn’t care about what time I was going to be or waking up, or about how much I was getting done in the day.

I was then on Holiday’s pretty much the whole of January, so there was no routine happening then.

Now that I am back to reality, I need to get back into my routine. But that has not been easy.

I have been able to sleep, laying for hours before actually falling asleep, this in turn means I am sleeping in and not getting much don’t during the day.

I haven’t even been reading very much. I have only read five book, two Shakespeare plays and six chapters on The Origin of Species this year. That is well below what I usually read.

With University starting back up the first week of March, I really need to get back into my routine or I am going to get snowed when my University work comes in.

I am trying to get back to normal, but for some reason it is just not happening.

I guess I will have to keep trying and hope that I am back on track by the end of the month.

~>GEM<~

Holiday Adventures by Enid Blyton

‘From sand castles at the beach to enchanted ice-creams, step into the summer with these delightful characters. Adventure, fun and magic can all be found on holiday with Enid Blyton, who has been delighting readers for more than seventy years.’

The stories previously appeared in magazines and anthologies from the 40s and 60s. This collection contains the original texts and is unillustrated. The collection contains:

At Seaside Cottage
The Magic Ice Cream
Wagger Goes to the Show
A Surprise for Jimmy
The Twins Get in a Fix
The Enchanted Cloak
Adventure Up a Tree
John’s Hanky
The Magic Watering Can
Peppermint Rock
The Donkey on the Sands
In the Middle of the Night
A Bit of Blue Sky
The Smugglers’ Caves

I was a bit disappointed with this book.

I was really excited by the idea of this book. A collection of Enid Blyton’s short stories all set around Holiday Adventures. Who wouldn’t be excited by that. Unfortunately it was a little lackluster. Dont get me wrong some of the stories were wonderful, but overall I was disappointed.

I was also disappointed by the fact that this collection wasnt illustrated. I always love seeing the little illustrations that go along with Enid Blyton’s stories and I was sad that I didn’t get them in this book.

On a positive note; I was able to put this book down after each individual story without worrying about forgetting what had happened. I can see this as being a massive positive for young readers. They could read one story each night before bed.

I also enjoyed getting to read about some of my favourite characters again. As I have been making my way through Enid Blyton’s books, I have come to love certain characters, and getting to read about them again in this book was wonderful.

Holiday Adventures by Enid Blyton is the perfect book for young readers to read before bed, a story a night keeps the doctor away. Isnt that a saying? If not, it should be.