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.
What are you reading right now?
Paein:
I’m reading the Greatcoat series – still!
Ms4Tune:
I’m giving Ransom Riggs another shot and continuing the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series
with Hollow City.
(The benefits of a library card!)
What was your favourite book this month?
Paein:
The List by Siobhan Vivian which really surprised me. It was well written and well thought out and not my usual book at all!
Ms4Tune:
No 5 star reads this month but the best of the rest has to be Jennifer Estep’s Black Blade’s books. I read Dark Heart of Magic and Bright Blaze of Magic this month and thoroughly enjoyed them! Great little Trilogy for any YA Urban Fantasy lover! Also worth a mention was Cecelia Ahern’s Flawed. I was really impressed by her writing. Quite an entertaining start to this dystopian series.
What was your least favourite book this month?
Paein:
Apparently Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins. I felt it suffered from middle-book syndrome (far worse than middle child syndrome!) it seemed like it almost just filler.
Ms4Tune:
Urgh sorry Sarah Brennan but I really didn’t understand Tell the Wind and Fire. It was my least favourite book this month because of its confusing storyline and odd world. Still think it was a clever idea though, just executed oddly.
What do you want to read next?
Paein:
The Wrath and the Dawn series by Renee Ahdieh
Ms4Tune:
I’m aiming to finish the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children’s Trilogy so Library of Souls is next on my list.
Netgalley Review wise I have: Wild Swans, Wolf By Wolf, End of the World Running Club and Every Exquisite Thing all up next. Quite a nice mix of genres I think. VERY EXCITED!
What books are you hoping to collect next month?
Paein:
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. Book two of A Court of Thorns and Roses and finally some questions will possibly be given answers!
Ms4Tune:
I’ve been waiting for MAY I can not wait for these two beauties to fall through my letter box.
The 5th Wave and Warrior Witch!
How are your challenges going?
Paein:
Haha. Well, you could argue I completed another series, so I guess it’s not a complete loss. I’ve had a bad month. I have no idea where the time has gone….
Ms4Tune:
The Popsugar Challenge – Not doing to badly, I’ve crossed off another 3. I’m running out of easy ones now though so I suspect this will start getting harder.
The Series Completion Challenge – YAY! Finally got off the starting blocks with Jennifer Estep’s Black Blades series and with Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, The Malediction Series and The 5th Wave series all on my agenda for this month I should be on a roll soon!.
Anything you’re going to try and do more of next month?
Paein:
Read! This month I’ve just been exhausted and I’ve favoured the less challenging watching option to the reading option. I considered finally looking at my audio books, but I was too worried I’d lose my place too easily. (Carried over: clear my Netgalley list and Organise!)
Ms4Tune: 1. Right I really need to get some library books off my shelves and back to the library. The pile is getting a little ridiculous.
2. I want to continue finishing some series now that I’ve started!
3. And I would like to read some adult fiction. I seem to have got stuck reading all YA books recently and my brain is going a little mushy. (No offence YA books you’re great too I just need something a bit more challenging).
4. I’d love to be over half way through my Popsugar challenge.
Did you complete this month’s targets?
Paein:
haha! No! Not even cancelling Lady Renegades! I completely forgot. I also discovered – when reading back – that I struggled in March too, though not on the same scale. But you could also argue I haven’t pre-ordered any more sequels to unread books so maybe I have completed that one? The Netgalley list clear and the organising one’s I’ll carry over so I’ll add them to this months.
Ms4Tune:
So I managed to finish one library book which is a start and I finished one series too!
I think this is the first time I’ve completed any targets so YAY go me!
And while I didn’t read any GREAT books I did read some REALLY GOOD ones so I’m happy with that too!
Any rants or raves?
Anything to boast about?
Paein:
I started to stick up my Happy Hello book buddies and I think I have a problem…
Shouldn’t have an issue finding a bookmark any more!
Also at work I’m lucky enough to be participating in an art session the was given permission to paint murals on the wall in the book area. We have Mr and Mrs Twit, the monkeys and the rolly polly bird from The Twits and the tardis – hopefully a 3D Dementor will be completed soon and one super long wall that is Narnian! Honestly, painting on the wall is ridiculously therapeutic – as is colouring in and crochet. I recommend all three. haha!
Ms4Tune:
This month has been so fun. Here are some of the highlights:
It was my birthday this month. And I got some amazing things. Here are some photos of my favourite things.
(Below: The Owl and The PussyCat Mugs, Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Mosdesto, Some Happy Hello Books, My New Paperwhite and cover, and the most awesome owl basket that Paein made me out of twine! Seriously she’s amazing!)
I received my first delivery from Prudence and the Crow. Below is a sneak peak photo but if you want to see everything then you can find my unwrap HERE
I went to see Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre in London! OMG it was amazing. We had the best seats, right in the middle four rows from the front! The songs are incredible and I love the Angels! I’ve always loved the film but the musical… oh my… it was FANTASTIC! I would definitely recommend it to everyone! If you have the chance GO-GO-GO!!!
Last weeks TTT had me so envious. There are so many great bookish delights out there! But it was Rhodak from Strupag’s list that tipped me over the edge! All her wonderful photos resulted in me signing up for the book box subscription Illumicrate. Oops… It’s £29.99 a quarter with free delivery in the UK. The next send out is MAY so I don’t have to wait long to see what wonderful things I will receive. Watch this space to see what I get!
I also got approved for ARCs of I Am Darken by Kiersten White and The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker. Both of which I’ve been eyeing up forever and I can’t believe I get to read them sooner than I expected! EEEKK!
