June 2018 Wrap-Up

Although I had half of the month to do whatever I wanted (summer break woohooo), I was very worried about my exam grades and whether I would graduate or not, so I didn’t read nearly as much as I had originally planned 😔

However, the books I did read were generally good, so that sort of makes up for it 😉

Books read: 4
Pages read: 1457
Favorite read of the month: Lies by T.M. Logan ♡

Lies by T.M. Logan 

This is a domestic thriller that, for once, follows a male main character who spends a lot of his time home with his kid.

Going into this, I never expected to like it as much as I did. And from reading the synopsis, I definitely did not expect the story would go that way – let alone the plot twist! Best read of the month, for sure 🙌🏼

You can check out more of my thoughts in my spoiler-free review.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

This Does Not Leave this House by Julie Coons

I believe this is the first non-fiction I’ve read thoroughly. I can’t stress enough how important Julie’s story is.

It’s a memoir in which the author tells us how she broke two different cycles of abuse – first, in her family, then in her marriage. It’s a book every adult should read, I’m sure it will have some effect on anyone that does pick it up – and it could potentially save someone by preventing them from getting caught up in a similar situation.

If you’d like to know more and read some quotes, you can read my full review here. Big thanks to the author for sending her book my way! ♡

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Ensina-me a Voar Sobre os Telhados by João Tordo 

As you can tell, this is a national novel, so I’ll be very brief (hasn’t been translated 😔).

This book had an interesting plot – there are two lines of narrative, about 100 years apart from one another. I liked the way they intertwined, but this was a weird story. Although I enjoyed it, I just wasn’t a fan of the story and all the philosophy that was thrown in there. I can’t stand philosophy to begin with 😩

Read my full (Portuguese) review here.

★★★☆☆ 3.5/5 stars

The House at Saltwater Point by Colleen Coble

I picked this one up because I remembered it’s going to be published very soon, and I like to review books right before they come out. I received it through Netgalley, and boy am I glad I requested it 🙌🏼

This is a mystery novel, but it has ROMANCE! What a wild concept, I know. But I’m pretty sure this is the first mystery novel I read that gives me that same feeling I get from reading YA contemporaries – pure joy. 💕 The romance is not the main subject though, and nothing romantic actually happens until about 80%, so if you’re not in it for the romance, you’ll still enjoy this one – the plot is very gripping!

Oh, and I have something new to add to my reviews now – I’m so excited!!

Doesn’t it look so pretty? I’m obsessed, I hope you like it as well!! 😍

If you’d like to know more of my thoughts, you can read my full review here.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

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So June was not my best month, but I am definitely planning to make up for it in July. I want to at least double the amount I read in June – Goodreads tells me I’m 14 books behind schedule, so I better shape up 😋

What have you been reading? Have you read any of these books? Let me know down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

 

May 2018 Wrap-Up

Although May was a rather long, busy and tiring month, I managed to read a lot so I am very proud of myself! In contrast, I wasn’t able to post much here and on Youtube – unfortunately, time is limited 😔

A couple of the books I read were by Portuguese authors (and they’re not translated) so I won’t talk about those two. However, if you’d like me to talk about the Portuguese literature I read in future wrap-ups, please let me know!

Books read: 6
Pages read: 1688
Favorite read of the month: The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blædel ♡

 

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

This is a novella that works are some sort of bridge between the ACOTAR trilogy and the next books in the series.

I read it the day it came out, so you can probably guess how excited I was about this release 😅

Although there isn’t much of a plot at all, I really enjoyed reading ACOFAS. I mostly read for the characters anyways, so I was very happy that character interaction was basically all this was!

You can check out more of my thoughts in my spoiler-free review (which also features a spoilery section for those of you who have read it!)

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

 

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blædel

This is one of my favorite crime books so far, no doubt – and definitely my favorite I’ve read by the author!

The Forgotten Girls is a rather disturbing and unpredictable story that involves an institution for people with mental illnesses. The children that were put in institutions like these were essentially forgotten by their families, hence the title.

I was hooked from the very beginning, as Blædel starts off with a stressful but captivating prologue, in which a woman is running through the woods, trying to escape from someone. Then, she is found dead and we follow detective Louise Rick as she investigates this murder.

I also had the pleasure to meet the author last week, when she came to the 88th Book Fair in Lisbon to talk about the latest release and for a book signing. She is very funny and the absolute sweetest, and she signed all of the books I own by her 💕 It was my first time ever meeting an author, and I’m so glad she was the first! 😍

I can’t believe I actually met Sara Blædel, holy shit! Can you tell by my lunatic expression that I couldn’t believe it? 😂

If you’d like to know more, you can read my full review here.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

 

Smith by Sam B. Miller II

Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment, my first 2-star rating of the year. I was sent the ebook by the author, and I thought I would love it, but that wasn’t the case. I didn’t even finish it!

I found it rather childish, especially the 18-year-old main character, and the plot wasn’t for me at all. This isn’t a middle grade but definitely feels like one.

I love my ancient history, but Smith wasn’t at all my kind of read – which sucks because I was excited to read it 😔

Read my full DNF review here.

★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

 

And I Darken by Kiersten White

This is a book I had started over a year ago, but then I put it down and never resumed my reading – until now!

And I Darken is a historical fantasy read, set in the Ottoman Empire. The main character, Lada, is based on Vlad the Impaler.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this read – the plot, the writing and, especially, the characters. I really grew fond of the characters, especially the badass, smart women that we meet in the story.

There’s a sort-of-love-triangle kind of situation in this book, but oh my god is it well done!! Absolutely loved it, the romance in here is everything 💕

If you’d like to know more of my thoughts, you can read my full review here.

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 stars

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Overall, I’m very happy that I was able to read this much in May. My TBR pile was pretty hefty and, although I didn’t read all of the books on it, I managed to read basically the same amount, just different books from what I’d planned.

June is finals time, so I probably won’t read much until the middle of the month – but hopefully, I’ll make up for it in the second half 🤞🏼😋

What have you been reading? Have you read any of these books? Let me know down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

March 2018 Wrap-Up

I’d like to start by apologizing for my sort-of absense lately. I started a new project, a blog in Portuguese, and then school got in the way, so I haven’t been very active here. However, this is about to change because I have news to share with you, but I’ll tell you all about it in another post 😉

I know this wrap-up is a bit late, but I still wanted to write it to let you know what I read in March. It was a great reading month for me because I read 5 books for pleasure, and also did a bunch of reading for school. Alright, let’s get right to the books!

Books read: 5 (or 7?)
Pages read: around 1667
Favorite read of the month: O Diário Oculto de Nora Rute by Mário Zambujal ♡

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the fourth book in the Shatter Me series which, as you probably know by now, is one of my favorite series.

It took me a while to write a review for it (because of my overwhelming feelings) but, somehow, I managed to do it.

I think Tahereh really outdid herself with this book: the story took a very interesting turn, really important themes were addressed, and the character development was, in my opinion, really amazing – especially Juliette’s. Nothing brings me more joy than to see her turn into a bad ass bitch who is learning to love herself.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

 

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

Good Me, Bad Me is a debut psychological thriller novel. In it, we follow a girl whose mom is a serial killer. Throughout the book, we see how she deals with the fact that she has to testify against her own mother – since she is the only witness – and how she feels about the new life she has been forced to start.

I really, really loved this story, and I can’t wait until the author releases other books, because if she writes a debut like this, then I’m certain the following books will be absolutely brilliant!

Read my review here.

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 stars

 

Strange Medicine by Mike Russell

This little short story collection was sent to me by the author. It combines 8 different stories – all very bizarre surrealist.

Although this is not my kind of book or a genre I lean towards, I thought this was a nice, quick read. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s something original that deserves more attention than it gets!

If you’d like to know a bit about each story, you can check out my review, in which I provide a brief synopsis of each story!

★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

 

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

This is the sequel to You, a thriller that I absolutely loved, as you might remember from my review

Unfortunately, Hidden Bodies is not nearly as good as You, and I gave up on it. No point in reading a book you’re not enjoying, right?

★★☆☆☆ 2.5/5 stars

 

O Diário Oculto de Nora Rute by Mário Zambujal

This short little book is definitely going to be on my favorites list of the year.

It’s a national novel, and there’s no translation for it so, unfortunately, unless you speak Portuguese, you won’t be able to read it.

I absolutely loved and devoured this book, practically in one sitting (only had bathroom breaks 😄). It’s the story of Nora Rute, a 21-year-old girl living in 1969 Portugal. I really connected to this story because a) she’s also Portuguese, and the same age as me, and b) I wasn’t alive back then, but the book mentions a ton of things that I was told about by my grandparents.

I think this is definitely a book for the Portuguese since it represents our history, culture, and language in such a way that only we can understand. This really sucks because I’d love for you to be able to read it as well!

For my Portuguese followers: podem ler a minha review em português aqui! ♡

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

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Lastly, we have the Roman Classics. As I’ve probably mentioned, I’ve taking several Classical History/Culture classes, and this semester I’m taking Roman Culture. For that class, I have to read various pieces of work, and here are the ones I read (not entirely) in March:

Ab Vrbe Condita by Titus Livius

This is, essentially, a history book. It tells us, from Livius’s point of view and based on his knowledge and research, the story of Rome.

It goes all the way from before the founding, when Aeneas left Troy, to the days in which Livius lived – the Augustan period (1st century BC to 1st century AD).

I find it very fascinating to see how Livius had a critical approach to history, and how he explains different versions, and then tells you what he thinks really happened.

Metamorphoses by Ovid

This brilliant piece of literature is almost like a compilation of every Greek and Roman myth ever.

In this one, the narrative goes from the divine creation of the world all the way to Ovid’s days – also during Augustus’s ruling.

It’s kind of my Bible at the moment because I have to know all the myths for my midterms 😅

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As you can tell, I read quite a lot, and a lot of these were absolutely wonderful reads, so I’m really happy with how March went. Here’s hoping that April will be just as good! 🤞🏼

What have you been reading? Let me know all about your latest reads down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

February 2018 Wrap-Up

In addition to this being the shortest month of the year, I unfortunately got into a bit of slump in February. Because of this, I didn’t read much during February, which sucks. But hey, here’s to a better reading month in March!

Books read: 2
Pages read: 662
Favorite read of the month: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor ♡

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

This is a thriller book that has been highly anticipated and praised and is, in my opinion, totally worth the hype.

It’s deliciously twisted and fucked up, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The only thing I would change is the fact that I read a Portuguese translation, instead of the original text, and it was a rather poor translation. But since that has nothing to do with the book itself, I do not have one bad thing to say about The Chalk Man. It’s crazy to think that this is C. J. Tudor’s debut, as it is absolutely brilliant ♡

You can read a more thorough review in this post.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

 

The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner is a thriller/suspense kind of book that deals with family secrets.

I had heard great things about it, as it is one of Abby’s favorite books, so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment.

Usually, thrillers take me a few days or less to finish… this one, I started in November and finished in February, which already shows you how uninterested I was in picking this book back up. However, I did feel like picking it up one day during this month, and finished the last half of it in a day. I enjoyed the book and the story, but I did not love it, unfortunately.

Read my full review here.

★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

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I didn’t read much, as you can tell, and I am reaaaally hoping that March will be better, because I’m already 7 books behind schedule. Here’s hoping! 🤞🏼

What have you been reading? Let me know all about your February reads down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

January 2018 Wrap-Up

Can you believe it’s already February? What the hell??? I don’t wanna sound like a cliché, but where the hell is time going? It feels like New Years Eve was just a few days ago 😅

Alright, enough rambling… let’s get to the important stuff: what I read in January!!

Books read: 3
Pages read: 1057
Favorite read of the month: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen ♡

Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking

This book is a fantasy novel set in a sort of futuristic version of our world. It is packed with mythology from various cultures and all kinds of different creatures.

Our main character is a Valkyrie, which means she is assigned to kill immortals – well, not kill, but end their time on Earth. Most of the women in her family have been Valkyries, just like her. One day, some guy she doesn’t know comes into her apartment looking for someone, and from there a dangerous adventure begins.

I really enjoyed this story, more than I had anticipated, so I do think it’s worth giving it a try. I partnered up with St. Martin’s Press to do a giveaway – my first giveaway of the year!! -, which was awesome, so thank you to them for working with me once again ♡

Read my full review here

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

 

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

This is a domestic thriller that is sure to make an appearance on my favorite books list of this year. I had no idea this story would go where it went, and it was SO amazing.

Such a good mystery, plot, everything. And the ending, what!?? It had the most unexpected ending. I would never even think of it, so kudos to the authors for the great ending!

There were also a couple of details about a character that made me feel kind of freaked out because they were exactly the same in my life. I mention them in my review if you’re interested.

I have a hard time expressing myself when I really love a book, so I’m sorry if this is all over the place 😅 You can read my full review here for a more detailed and cohesive text.

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

This is a post-WW3 dystopian novel – pretty much the only dystopian novel I ever loved, which is saying a lot!

I really loved the characters, especially Jeremiah 😋 You know me, cute boys are my weakness 😂 But on a serious note, the characters felt real in this one, and the way they acted made sense considering their past experiences.

The world is also pretty interesting, and I asked the author about it and how she came up with it, so if you’d like to know, be sure to check out my review + Q&A with Bethany here.

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I didn’t read a lot this month and I’m already 3 books behind on my goal, but I’ll get there!! Hopefully, I can get my shit together and bring my TBR down 🤞🏼

What have you been reading? Let me know all about your January reads down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

December 2017 Wrap-Up

This is coming a bit late – sorry about that – but better late than never, right? 😛

Books read: 3
Pages read: 512
Favorite read of the month: Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson ♡

Here are the books I read…

Medea by Euripides

This is a Greek tragedy that focuses on a woman, Medea, whose husband has left her for another woman. Medea is sort of a witch, and she finds the “perfect” way to get her revenge, which, as you can probably guess, is absolutely horrible.

no rating

 

 

 

Lysistrata by Aristophanes

This was my first time reading a Greek comedy, and I must say it was pretty great. Some of the jokes will go unnoticed if you’re not familiarized with the Athenian society of the 5th century B.C., but I’d say the majority is rather universal, and you are sure to get a laugh – if only at the ridiculous dialogue.

This is a story in which women take charge, in order to stop the war – the Peloponnesian war. Their plan, which Lysistrata, the main character, came up with, is to refuse to have sex. Aristophane’s humor is expressed through satire and ridicule scenarios for the time. For a Classical Culture student, this is a delicious read.

I’ve heard people say this is a feminist play… I don’t know where they got that idea because this is literally the epitome of misogyny lol

no rating

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

This was my last read of 2017 and, although it wasn’t the best book ever, I really enjoyed it.

In Her Every Fear, we follow Kate, who moves into her cousin’s apartment in Boston. Next thing you know, there’s been a murder in the apartment next to hers, and we’re thrown into a murder investigation.

There are several points of view, from all the different people involved, which gives you great insight as to what led to the stuff that happened. We have a particularly fucked up character, whom you will hate, but is actually fascinating to read about.

This was my first Peter Swanson read, but certainly won’t be the last – especially considering all the amazing reviews of his other book, The Kind Worth Killing.

You can read my full, spoiler-free review for it here.

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Well, that sure was a short wrap-up 😀 Hopefully January will be better, I want to read a lot more this year!

What have you been reading? Let me know all about your last reads down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

My Year in Review: 2017

So I’ve been seeing these posts everywhere, and I wanted to be cool so I’m jumping on the bandwagon 😀 No but seriously, these posts are very nice because a) you get to relive your whole year and b) your readers can have a quick glance at everything that went down throughout the year. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

I had set my reading goal to 30 books, and I am very happy that I surpassed it. 38 books is pretty good for someone who has only recently started reading, and never went over 30 books in a year. So I’m very happy about that, and I want to keep increasing this number as the years go by ♡

I am generally a fan of big books, and that’s what I tend to read the most. However, this year I took a few literature classes, for which I was required to read a lot of Greek plays. As you might know, plays are rather short in general, so a lot of my 2017 reads are like under 50 pages. Very unusual for me, but I must say I do enjoy a short read from time to time!

Do you see what I mean when I talk about how underhyped The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash is!? God, how is this even possible that only 200-something people rated it on Goodreads? If I could I would give everyone a copy of this book, honestly.

Four stars is quite an awesome average, I’m very happy that I read so many books that I loved. 2017 was a very good reading year for me, and I hope 2018 will be just as good – hopefully even better!

EVERY BOOK I READ IN 2017

Click the title to read my review

1. Virgin by Radhika Sanghani – 4/5 stars
2. The Iliad by Homer
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5 stars
4. Estrella Distante by Roberto Bolaño – 2/5 stars
5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5 stars
6. The Odyssey by Homer
7. The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence – 3/5 stars
8. The Trojan Women by Euripides
9. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5 stars
10. Alcestis by Euripides
11. Always and Forever, Lara Jean – 4/5 stars
12. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
13. The Oresteia by Aeschylus
14. Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi – 4.5/5 stars
15. The Aeneid by Virgil
16. Saga: Volume I by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples – 4/5 stars
17. The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash by Candace Ganger – 4.5/5 stars
18. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins – 4/5 stars
19. Literally by Lucy Keating – 3/5 stars
20. Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews – 3/5 stars
21. The One that Got Away by Melissa Pimentel – 3/5 stars
22. Me and You by Niccolò Ammaniti – 4/5 stars
23. I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin – 3/5 stars
24. The Lost Woman by Sara Blædel – 4/5 stars
25. The Trust by Ronald H. Balson – 4/5 stars
26. You by Caroline Kepnes – 5/5 stars
27. The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn – 4/5 stars
28. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – 4/5 stars
29. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5 stars
30. Educating Rita by Willy Russell – 4/5 stars
31. Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell – 5/5 stars
32. Atonement by Ian McEwan – 4/5 stars
33. The Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus
34. 1922 by Stephen King – 4/5 stars
35. Antigone by Sophocles
36. Medea by Euripides
37. Lysistrata by Aristophanes
38. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson – 4/5 stars

How was 2017 for you? Let me know in the comments!

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Thank you so much for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

November 2017 Wrap-Up

As December is upon us, in today’s post I bring you my reading wrap-up for November. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here… this year has gone by waaaaay too fast.

November was quite a fantastic reading month for me, I’m very proud of myself!! Not only did I read a lot of books, but all of the books I read were fantastic 4+ star reads, so I couldn’t ask for a better month of November.

I have posted reviews for most of these books, so I won’t go into too much detail about those. I’ll link you to my review, though, so you can read all about them – spoiler-free, of course!

Books read: 8 (I know!!! I can’t believe this number ♡)
Pages read: 1690
Favorite read of the month: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas ♡

Here are all of the books I read…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This is the first book in Maas’s Throne of Glass series, which I am now obsessed with. I read this book in about a day, so that already tells you something 😀

I really, really loved this book, way more than I expected – but still not more than the ACOTAR books!

This is pretty much the epitome of YA tropes, but listen: it’s so addicting, you will not want to put it down – at least not after page 80 or so, I was hooked by then! You can read my full review here.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

This is the second book in the Throne of Glass series, and it’s waaay better than the first book!

There is character development, there is good romance, there is badassery. I mean, what more could you want in a sequel? This book is absolutely amazing, just as I had been told it would be haha I remember someone told me on Instagram that it was the best sequel ever. I might say so, if I hadn’t read ACOMAF, which you know is my favorite book of all time ♡

Read my spoiler-free review here.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Educating Rita by Willy Russell

I had to read this play for my English C2 class and, surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. I usually don’t expect to like the books I’m required to read, but this semester my readings for school have been pretty damn good.

In Educating Rita, we follow Rita, a 26-year-old woman who has decided to take an Open University course, in an attempt to get the education she never got when she was younger, and Frank, who is her tutor.

I don’t want to go into too much detail, since this is a play, so it is quite short and easy to spoil. Just know that this will be a delightful 2-hour read (well, that depends on your reading speed, of course), and that you will laugh a lot with the things Rita says. Oh, and get ready for a Liverpool accent in written format – it’s great! – and the typical self-loathing British humor, which I live for.

In case you’re interested, you can read the play and watch the movie right after. The movie is actually very well done. I loved it, everything was just as I imagined – and some things were even improved in the movie by the author, who also wrote the screenplay.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

This is a tiny little book that contains two previously-published short stories: Midnights, and Kindred Spirits.

Both of these stories are delightful and sweet YA romances, and they are very quick reads that you will breeze through.

Honestly, this book is worth it just because of the beautiful edition, which includes illustrations – which the stories didn’t have before – and the glittery cover. Also, it’s on sale on BookDepository, so you might want to take advantage!

I go into detail on each of them in my review, which you can check out right here.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Atonement by Ian McEwan

This is another required read for English, and it was quite a surprise. I never expected to enjoy Atonement as much as I did. It is truly a brilliant book, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how well-written and well-thought-out it is.

It is a historical fiction, which I am not the biggest fan of, and yet I essentially devoured it in one weekend. It’s quite an immersive story, and it’s a very emotional and, at times, shocking read. Mind you, this takes place in the years prior to WW2, and during the war as well, so you can imagine the kind of thing that McEwan describes.

It broke my little heart into a million pieces, which is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, I didn’t feel like that was an acceptable ending – I might change it one day though, I find myself reflecting on it quite often, and each time I feel like it deserves more. I’m not sure, though…

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

The Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus

This is a Greek tragedy from the 5th century B.C., which focuses on the conflict between Eteocles and Polynices, sons of Oedipus. What I’ll be saying next is probably a spoiler if you don’t know much about Greek mythology.

As you might have heard, Oedipus killed his father and married [and had children with] his mother. When he was exiled, he failed to decide which of his sons would be his successor to the throne, so they decided to rule in alternate years.

Eteocles went first, and then decided to be an asshole and not let Polynices rule when the time came. In response, Polynices, who had married the daughter of the king of Argos, attacked his own city, Thebes, along with six other men, with the help of his “father-in-law”. Thebes is often described as having seven doors, so there are seven warriors, one for each. What we see in the play is basically, from the point of view of the city of Thebes, a description of the men that Polynices brings with him, and a description of the ones Eteocles chooses to fight each one, followed by the terrible result of this battle, which I won’t spoil.

I don’t like to rate classics, so there will be no star rating for this one.

1922 by Stephen King

This is a short story that follows a man, Wilfred, who is writing his confession to a crime he committed in 1922.

He tells us everything that happened in detail: what he did, why he did it, and how he did it.

It’s a horror story, so there are scary scenes and gory descriptions, but it’s very well-written. It’s also historical fiction, as you can tell by the title, and Stephen King did a great job with the setting.

It has recently been adapted into a movie, which I also loved. You can read all of my thoughts on both of them in my review.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Antigone by Sophocles

Another Greek tragedy, which is thematically related to the previous one. Also from the 5th century B.C.

This one focuses on Antigone, who is Eteocles and Polynices’s sister. Spoilers for the previous play ahead.

After their uncle, who is now the king of Thebes, buries Eteocles and gives him a proper funeral, but forbids the city to mourn or bury Polynices (because he had attacked his own city), Antigone, who loves both of her brothers, doesn’t accept this. She considers divine law and the gods’ will to be way superior to a human’s orders, and so she gives him the proper treatment, not letting him die inglorious.

From this, a series of shitty things unravel, and you want to throw the book across the room. It’s totally worth it, though, and Antigone is one courageous motherfucker, let me tell you. What a heroine!

Again, no rating. However, I might write a post dedicated to all the Greek/Roman classics I’ve read, and order them by preference. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see that!

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Well, that took a while didn’t it? 😀 I’m very happy with November, I don’t think I’ve ever read this much in one month… Hopefully I’ll be able to read this much every month in 2018 😛

What have you been reading? Let me know all about your last reads down in the comments! ♡

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

October Wrap Up & November TBR

Hi loves! Since November is upon us (this year is going by waaaay to fast), it is time to tell you all about the books I read in October, and the ones I plan to read in November.

I only read two books in October, because school has been taking all my time. However, they were both great books, so I’m happy about it. Quality over quantity, am I right?

The first book I read was You by Caroline Kepnes. I absolutely LOVED this book, and devoured it in no time.

The story is so gripping, and the main character is so well thought-out that I didn’t want to do anything else besides read the whole thing.

You can read more of my thoughts in the review I wrote.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Afterwards, I decided to pick up The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn.

This was quite the disturbing read, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. The story is very unusual – at least I had never heard of anything like it – and the atmosphere is SO creepy. Ahlborn’s writing is very good, I could picture everything clearly in my head.

There is also a review up for this book, which you can find here.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

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As of today, I have already finished three books. I didn’t have a set TBR for November, but I decided to pick up Throne of Glass on a whim, and now I can’t stop reading this series. I’m currently making my way into book three, Heir of Fire. I have also read a play for my English class, called Educating Rita.
If you’re interested in my thoughts, I have already posted my reviews for Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.

I have a feeling I will have all of Sarah J. Maas’s books read by the end of November!

However, there are some other books I’d like to pick up this month. Reading the same series might put me in a slump, so I think it’s a good idea to mix some other books in there. Here are my picks:

Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell

A new Rainbow Rowell book?? Fuck me UUUUP!!

I had no idea this was even coming out until I saw it on BookDepository – and immediately ordered it, of course.
Also, it’s a hardcover with illustrations, and it’s on sale for like 35% off, so I had to get it!

If you’d like to take advantage of the sale, you can click here to buy it with free worldwide shipping.

The Bat by Jo Nesbø 

This is the first book to a series I really want to start. From what I’ve gathered, it’s a thriller that follows a detective, which means I’ll probably love it.

I’ve been on a thriller kick lately, so I really want to get to this one soon! Along with a ton of other thrillers

Bricked In by Max Wannow

This book was sent to me by the author, and I am very intrigued about it.

I have no clue what it’s about, but out of the three books he’s released, he recommended that I start with this one. And isn’t this cover absolutely stunning?? I love it soooo much!

It’s relatively short, too, so I’m hoping I can read it this month!

If you’re interested, check Max’s Goodreads profile here.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

I am about a quarter of the way into this one, and I really want to finish it by the end of November.

The illustrated version is absolutely gorgeous, by the way. I’m in love!!

My plan is to read the rest of the series during Christmas break. I think Harry Potter is best read at Christmas time, don’t you agree?

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

This is sequel to You by Caroline Kepnes, which I absolutely LOVED. You can read my review here.

I started it soon after I finished You, but still haven’t finished it. It’s not as good and gripping as the first one, so my interest has, unfortunately, gone down.

However, I really want to finish it, because it’s not like it’s a bad book, I’m just a bit disappointed because of my high expectations…

Atonement by Ian McEwan 

This is one of the books I have to read for school, and I actually should have already started it – oops!

I’m hoping I’ll be able to read it though, and I reaaaally hope it reads quickly. Nothing worse than reading because you’re obligated, instead of reading for fun.

I don’t know much about this story, but I’ll hopefully tell you all about it in my November wrap up post!

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Here’s my Goodreads challenge at the moment. I’m pretty proud of it, and I might bring it up to 40 if I hit my goal soon, which I hope I’ll be able to do!!

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What about you, what have you been reading? Do you see any of your favorites in this post? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡

Wrap Up: September 2017

As we’re a few days into October, it is finally time to write about the books I read in September. I don’t know about you, but September is always the busiest month for me – school started, I worked at my school for the first half of the month, and all the while I had driving lessons. Result: not much time left for reading or blogging.

However, I did manage to read three books in their entirety and start two others. Let me tell you all about them…

Firstly, I read I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin. I also hosted a giveaway for it – congratulations to Maia for winning a copy!

This book is definitely your typical summer contemporary – it’s a light, fluffy read -, but there are a couple important topics the authors did a great job at representing.

You can read more about this book in my review.

★★★☆☆ 3.5/5 stars

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Next, I read The Lost Woman by Sara Blædel, my first Nordic Noir book!

I quite enjoyed this one, I thought the plot was bold and intelligent, as well as the solving of the case. I had a tiny problem with the pace at the end, but other than that I thought it was a very nice book.

You can read my review here.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

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Lastly, I read The Trust by Ronald H. Balson, which is a mystery book revolving around a murder.

The story is set in 20th century Ireland, and the author makes the political and social issues intertwine the the plot in a clever way.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this one, but it definitely was a pleasant surprise.

Read more detailed thoughts in my review.

★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Books started in September

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: I was very excited to get started with this series, since the second book just came out, and I read about 30 pages of it. However, I stopped reading anything at all for a while, and my interest in this book died down a bit.

For now, I’m putting it aside, but I’ll definitely pick it back up when I feel like reading it!

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You by Caroline Kepnes: I started this one on the 30th of September, on the drive down to Alentejo with my family. I could not put it down for the life of me, and I only stopped at 65% when I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

I have since posted my review, but I won’t talk much about it in this post, since I did finish it in October, not September.

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Those are all the books I managed to read in September. On such a busy month, I’m very happy with three books, especially considering they were all 3+ star reads!

Books read: 3.5
Pages read: 1275
Favorite book: The Lost Woman
Goodreads challenge update: 25/30 books

What books did you read in September? Let me know in the comments below ♡

Thank you so much for reading,
I’ll see you in my next post ♡