May Wrap Up…

Welcome to my May Wrap Up. I have had a pretty good reading month, finishing 7 books (0 books off my TBR). I also received 2 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 May Wrap Up:

The World Of David Walliams Book Of Stuff by David Walliams: An entire book about David Walliams’ books? Yes please. I had some genuine laugh out loud moment whilst reading this book and I can see middle grade reading have hours of fun doing all the puzzles and games. A must have for all David Walliams fans.

Come And Play With Us! by Annie Kubler and Caroline Formby: I really enjoyed this sweet little book. I loved the message it is sending and I loved the feeling I got when reading it. This book is a must have for all young children and their families.

Boogie Bear by David Walliams: This book was wonderful I am a huge fan of the amazing collaboration between David Walliams and Tony Ross, so this book was one I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. I loved every single page and I loved the message that was told by this wonderful little book.

All About Eeyore by Andrew Grey: I adored this book. Eeyore is by far my favourite Winnie-the-Pooh character, so to have a book that is all about Eeyore is a dream come true. I loved the stories in this book but I loved the illustrations more. A must have book for all fans of Eeyore.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner: I adored this book. I was hooked from the very first page. I loved the story, the characters and the writing. This book touched my soul in a way that I wasn’t expecting. I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this book. I will be re-reading this book many times in the future.

Slime by David Walliams: This book was fantastic. I am a huge fan of David Walliams books so I have high hope for this one, and it didn’t disappoint. I had some genuine laugh out loud moments and I started and finished the book with a massive grin on my face. A must have book for all middle grade readers.

Thomas The Tank Engine: The Classic Collection by The Rev .W. Awdry: This book was absolutely beautiful. Filled with wonderful illustrations that perfectly compliment the wonderful stories. I loved getting to read about Thomas and his friends, it was a real nostalgia read for me. A beautiful book to have on the bookshelf.

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

Twelfth Night; Or, What You Will

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

Chapter 11: Geographical Distribution

Chapter 12: Geographical Distribution – Continued

Chapter 13: Mutual Affinities Of Organic Beings: Morphology: Embryology: Rudimentary Organs

That’s it for my May 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 June Wrap Up…

Happy Reading…

❤ Gem

All About Eeyore by Andrew Grey

‘This book about Eeyore is the perfect introduction to Pooh Bear’s gloomiest friend. Share a story, read a rhyme and learn lots of interesting facts about this grey and melancholy fellow.

If you want to find out about the much-loved character Eeyore from the classic Winnie-the-Pooh series, then this is the book for you.’

I adored this book.

I am a massive Eeyore fan. He is my favourite character from the Winnie-the-Pooh series, so I was beyond excited to get my hands on this book. Thankfully it not only lived up to my expectations, but utterly surpassed them.

I loved every single page of this book. The stories feature, the interesting facts, but especially the beautiful illustrations.

The illustrations were utter perfection. They were both fresh and familiar. I think I spent longer looking at the illustration then I did reading the actual content of the book.

Andrew Grey has done a fantastic job with this book. It’s not just the illustrations that were perfect; although they made the book in my opinion, the layout of this book was also wonderful. It was easy to follow as well as eye catching and had a really great flow to it.

As this is a children’s book, there wasn’t a whole lot of writing in it; which really didn’t bother me. The stories that were included were all about Eeyore; but they did feature the other much loved residents of A Hundred Acre Wood. Winnie-the-Pooh, Christoper Robin, Piglet and Owl all make an appearance in this book.

I know that this book is just one in a set; there are also books for Pooh, Tigger and Piglet, but I am unsure when I will get around to buying the rest of this collection. I have the entire collection of Winnie-the-Pooh books already, so All About Eeyore is enough for me right now.

All About Eeyore by Andrew Grey was utter perfection. An absolute must have book.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Tag…

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

So without further ado, lets jump straight in:

Katara and Sokka: Best sibling relationship.

The Weasley’s – The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Yue: Favorite star-crossed lovers.

Juliet and Dawsey – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Blood Bending: A book with a disturbing/unsettling concept.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.

Toph – A character who’s strength surprised you/or surprised the other characters in the book.

Millie Michalchuk – Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.

Kioshi Warriors: Best warrior character.

Augrey Rose – Stalking Jack The Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco.

Zuko: Best redemption arc.

Maryanne – Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer.

Iroh: Wisest character.

Lucy – The River Home by Hannah Richell.

Azula: Best downfall.

Lewis – Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah.

Appa: Favorite fictional animal.

Mr Percival – Storm Boy by Colin Thiele.

Avatar state: A stubborn character.

Isabelle – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

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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

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

”Hope can sometimes be just enough.’

It’s only a few months since the war ended but the little village of Chawton is about to be hit by another devastating blow. The heart of the community, the Chawton estate, and site of Jane Austen’s cherished former home, is in danger of being sold to the highest bidder.

Eight villagers are brought together by their love for the famous author’s novels, to create THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY. As new friendships form and the pain of the past begins to heal, surely they can find a way to preserve Austen’s legacy before it is too late?

And there may even be a few unexpected surprises along the way…’

I absolutely adored this book.

As a recent fan of Jane Austen, I was excited to get my hands on this book. I went into this book with high hopes, and it not only lived up to them, it well and truly surpassed them.

It is a beautiful thing when a book touches your soul, and that is exactly what this book did. It was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. With love and loss radiating off the pages, I loved how uplifting and hopeful this book made me feel.

I really connected to the characters in this book. The were fresh yet had the feeling of long lost friends that I had missed spending time with. With different personalities on display, there is a character for everyone in this book.

One of my favourite things about this book was the way Jane Austen facts and history a woven into the story-line. I loved learning more about Jane Austen and I loved that it came naturally within the story and wasn’t just dumped onto the reader.

Natalie Jenner has done a fantastic job with this book. The characters are real and relatable, the story was amazing and the writing was absolutely beautiful with a real cinematic quality to it. As a debut author, I am very excited to see what Natalie Jenner comes out with next.

The Jane Austen Society is a must read for everyone.

Uni Update 7!

It’s that time again… Uni Update!

I finally got my result back for my second assessment, I passed. I actually did better then I thought I would so I am very happy about that.

Since my last Uni Update, I have completed and submitted my final assessment for this trimester. Now I am once again just waiting for my results.

I have completed all of my course work for this unit, so I am getting a little bit of a break whilst I wait for this trimester to end and the next to start.

I have already chosen and enrolled in my next course; Thinking Ethically. I am excited to get into a new subject.

As I said in my previous Uni Update, I liked Image, Text and Culture; but I didn’t love it. I found parts of it boring and that made it difficult for me to get excited about doing the work.

I am hoping I will be more interested in next trimesters work. I am excited to see what Thinking Ethically has in store for me.

I guess we will see how things are working out in my next Uni Update.

~>GEM<~

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

‘Black Beauty’s story, as told by himself, is the fascinating tale of the life of a horse a hundred years ago, when horses were a part of daily life.

Although his early colt-hood is happy, Black Beauty later tastes the bitterness of cruel handlers and indifferent masters as he passes from hand to hand, progressing from the country to London and back again.’

I have mixed feelings about this book.

For some reason I went into this book thinking it was a middle grade classic, so I was shocked by the darkness and the suffering in this book; it is definitely not for the overly sensitive reader. I came to realise fairly quickly that this is more of a young adult read then a middle grade read.

I was excited by the fact that the story is told from the viewpoint of the horse, but for some reason I just couldn’t love this book. I think it is because I felt at times, like I was reading a horse ownership for dummies manual instead of a novel.

While the book is short, it did take me a bit to get into it but once i sat down to read, it didn’t take me long to get through it.

I didn’t have any issues with the actual writing. It was beautifully and took on a real gentle quality towards the end of the story which I really enjoyed. I felt like all of the best this about this book came towards the end.

The gentle writing, was accompanied by some beautiful moments of empathy and comfort which did help to alleviate some of the darker moments from earlier in the story.

I am glad that I read this book, and I understand why it is a classic. I would just be careful about allowing someone too young to read this story.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a classic book that you wont regret reading.

The Hamilton Book Tag…

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

So without further ado, lets jump straight in:

The Wizarding World – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

America – The Selection series by Kiera Cass.

Donatella Dragna – Caraval series by Stephanie Garber.

The Wicked Witch of The West – The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

The Land Of Stories series by Chris Colfer.

Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer.

The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.

Lara Jean and Peter – All The Boys I’ve Loved before series by Jenny Han.

Rose and Dimitri – All fight scenes – The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.

Millionaire Mountain Climber by Laura Boon.

The Stalking Jack The Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco.

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs.

Remus Lupin – The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.

Isabelle and Gäetan – The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

Secrets Between Friends by Fiona Palmer.

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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

Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

‘As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthberts send her back to to the orphanage? Anne knows she’s not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she’ll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anyone else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special—a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.’

I loved this book.

I remember reading this book as a child and absolutely loving it. I felt just like Anne and she helped me to look at the world differently. One of the things I loved most about Anne as a character, both as a child and now as an adult, was that she wasn’t perfect. She makes mistakes and is able to learn from them.

Reading this book as an adult made for a wonderful, nostalgic reading experience. I found myself admiring different aspect of Anne’s personality now that I am older and a little wiser. The thing that really struck me was how bold and confident Anne was in making friendships. Seeing her desire and drive to build friendships made me want to be a kid again.

I honestly adored this book. I loved all of the characters, the beautiful, poetic writing and the wonderful, heartwarming story. This is definitely one of my all time favourite books and I plan on re reading it many times in the future.

Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a must read for everyone.

100 Books To Read Before You Die!

A few posts ago I made a list of 100 Movies to see before you die. Today I have decided to share the 100 Books To Read Before You Die list. I have highlighted the books I have read as well as making them bold. I will only being checking off the books, I will not be going into any detail about them.

So let’s jump it.

1. 1984 by George Orwell

2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

5. The Aleph and Other Stories by Jorge Luis Borges

6. Animal Farm by George Orwell

7. Aesop’s Fables by Aesop

8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

10. Anne of the Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

11. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

12. Beloved by Toni Morrison

13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

14. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

15. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

16. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

17. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

18. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

19. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

20. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

21. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

22. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

23. The Collected Tales of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe

24. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

25. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

26. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

27. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

28. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

29. The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

30. Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Lu Xun

31. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

32. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

33. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

34. Dracula by Bram Stoker

35. Emma by Jane Austen

36. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

37. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

38. The Giver by Lois Lowry

39. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

40. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

41. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

42. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

43. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

44. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

45. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

46. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

47. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

48. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

49. Here’s to You, Jesusa! by Elena Poniatowska

50. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

51. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

52. Holes by Louis Sachar

53. Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar

54. The Iliad by Homer

55. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

56. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

57. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

58. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

59. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

60. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

61. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

62. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

63. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

64. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

65. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

66. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

67. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

68. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

69. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

70. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

71. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

72. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

73. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

74. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

75. One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Unknown

76. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

77. Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

78. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

79. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

80. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

81. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

82. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

83. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

84. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

85. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

86. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata

87. The Stranger by Albert Camus

88. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

89. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

90. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

91. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

92. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

93. Ulysses by James Joyce

94. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

95. Watership Down by Richard Adams

96. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

97. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

98. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

99. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

100. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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Let me know which of these books you have read and if there are books you think I should read that aren’t on this list. If you want to know my thoughts on any of these books please hit me up in the comment section.

That’s it from me.

~>GEM<~

Sword of Destiny Book by Andrzej Sapkowski

‘Geralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety.

In this collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection The Last Wish, join Geralt as he battles monsters, demons and prejudices alike . . .’

I really enjoyed this book.

This is the second collection of Witcher stories that I have read, and I loved it. I will admit that I liked the first collection a little better than this one, but that is just my personal preference to the different stories.

I love that I am getting an introduction to the world and the characters of the Witcher series before I actually get into the full series. I am loving meeting each of the characters; even though I would have trouble pronouncing their names, I am also loving getting to visit different places in each individual story.

I think that starting the series with a collection of short stories was a great idea. I am not sure if I have ever seen this happen before, usually to short story collections come towards the end of a series, but I really think having a taster to a series with a short story collection gets the reader interested without bombarding them with information dumps that usually happen in the first book of a series.

I am very excited to jump into the final short story collection that I have before I start on the actual Witcher series.

Sword Of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski is a must read for all Witcher fans.