Sum it up Sunday is a feature post we are going to trial for the closing Sundays of each month. In these posts we’ll detail various things that have excited or upset us over that month. If you’d like to join us in our summing up, please feel free! Just please, provide a link back to our blog. Thank you.
Stats for the month:
Paein:
Books Read: 13! (12 audiobooks…)
Avg Rating: 4.4 Voodoos
Pages Read: Books total 4,069 but as some were dramatised audio books I’ve taken off 100 pages each which makes it 3,369
Books Bought / Received: 7 plus 2 surprises
Ms4Tune:
Books Read: oooh 2. (I thought I’d only managed 1.)
Avg Rating: 4 Voodoos
Pages Read: 858
Books Bought / Received: 9 (6 actual books and 3 kindle books)
What are you reading right now?
Paein:
The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross I just couldn’t wait any more! And I’m listening to The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman
Ms4Tune:
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins I had planned to have read this by the end of March but at least I’ve actually started it (otherwise I had promised I’d give it away…phew, just kept it)
What was your favourite book this month?
Paein:
Pride and Prejudice is a favourite and actually I listened to it twice, but I didn’t count the second time.
Also The Shadow in the North surprised me as I liked it more than I remember,
but NEW book wise it has to be City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Ms4Tune:
Hmm I think Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton. As I have read the previous two books I felt more invested in this story than The Polar Bear Explorer Club but that was entertaining too.
What was your least favourite book this month?
Paein:
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It was so different! I mentioned it lots in my review I’m sure, but I liked the idea of the show much more. Also the narrator wasn’t my favourite.
Ms4Tune:
On the bases that I only read too my least favourite must be The Polar Bear Explorer Club by Alex Bell.
Seems a bit unfair as I actually really enjoyed it. ( And honestly who wouldn’t enjoy a childrens book with unicorns and fairys and a kick ass ice princess!)
What do you want to read next?
Paein:
I need to read the whole ACOTAR series this month. But I’ve also been recommended Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, so that will be my next Audible download.
Ms4Tune:
Once I’ve finished Isla I want to read The Woman in the Window by A J Finn as a friend wants to borrow it. But I’d also quite like to read something fun like a Terry Pratchett… (I feel I’m only thinking about these as I have recently given them a new home on the new shelves my husband put up in the bedroom and I can’t stop looking at them!)
What books did you collect this month?
Paein:
Pre-Order:
The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
Bought:
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Book Boxes:
Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury
Netgalley:
Prophecy of Darkness by Michelle Bryan & Michelle Lynn
Lost Gods by Micah Yongo
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
Ms4Tune:
So I may have spent too long on instagram this month and bought books that I’ve been seeing a lot of…
Kindle:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle
Shadowblack by Sebastien de Castrell
Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
Physical Books:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Children of Blood and Bone By Tomi Adeyemi
Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
and two surprises which I will explain in the Rant and Rave section.
From the Library:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Saffer
What books are you hoping to collect next month?
Paein:
I have no pre-orders next month. I have ordered the Illumicrate box with the ACOTAR short stories book though! And then whatever other books I get in my boxes
Ms4Tune:
Nothing if I can behave myself as it’s my birthday next month 
How are your challenges going?
Paein:
Netgalley Challenge: 1. The City of Brass
Finishing the Series Challenge: 0
Book Box Challenge: 1! The City of Brass again! It was an ARC from last year
Reviews: I’m pretty much there – I do have a pending Throwback though but I haven’t finished all the books. I am one book ahead of what I’ve written about though….
Ms4Tune:
Netgalley Challenge : 0
Finishing the Series Challenge : 1 (finally!)
Book Box Challenge: 0
The Unread Shelf Project 2018 : 0 although I at least started one!
Reviews: 1 (but it was a netgalley one so I feel a bit better about that)
I Bought It So I Must Read It: (I’m now up to 20 books bought and I’ve only read 2 of them… at this rate I will totally fail this year.
Any rants or raves?
Anything to boast or even just chat about?
Paein:
They’re making ACOTAR into a film?! I really need to read the whole series this Easter!!
I’ve got through a crazy amount of audiobooks this month because I’ve been clearing out and organising our cupboard/storeroom at work. The room is being given new life and so needs some organisation and it would have been pretty boring without the books. That’s also partly why they’re mostly re-reads too as they don’t require as much attention! I haven’t finished yet – and I’ve begun to do the same at home so I might just burn through a few more before I’m done.
Ms4Tune:
So as I previously said I have spent a lot of time on instagram recently and I’ve found a lot of really cool book things to follow…
Firstly I found Blind Date With A Book which is an online store. The idea is that you can’t judge it by reviews, it’s cover or its author cos you don’t know what it is until you unwrap it. I’ve seen a few of these ideas online but never seen any that I could buy.
I still haven’t unwrapped these because (as my husband annoyingly pointed out) if I open it then I will judge it so I’m waiting to open then when I want to read either
1. Darkest Secrets, Fantasy, Thriller, Twisted, Rather Vulgar
2. Spoof, Romance, Adventure, Fantastical, Hilarious
(I’m dying a little inside not knowing but I need to wait till I have some free time… I hope I’m not disappointed)
Secondly, I finally ordered these beautiful book covers from MelvisMakes on Etsy. They’re gorgeous, so beautifully made and so perfect. I got a medium and a small cover. The medium held Hero at the Fall with plenty of room (just for size guidance).
