powisamy

Every year since 2015, I have had the Popsugar Reading Challenge to diversify my reading. Over the course of the last year, I would like to think that I have done this and looking at did a good job considering I have been so busy over the last year. Even though I did actually have a plan of a book to read for almost all of the prompts, I did just wing it for the latter half of the year. This was because I was just reading what I wanted to and because I was not really reading at all.  So let's see what I read this year... A book that’s published in 2021    Book I Want To Read: Gut Feelings by C. G. Moore Book I Actually Read: Gut Feelings by C.G. Moore An Afrofuturist book Book I Want To Read: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin  Book I Actually Read:  The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover  Book I Want To Read: Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green Book I Actually Read: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé A book by an auth

   * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: The Great Godden  Author: Meg Rossoff Publisher: Bloomsbury  Source: NetGalley ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: Everyone talks about falling in love like it’s the most miraculous, life-changing thing in the world. Something happens, they say, and you know … That’s what happened when I met Kit Godden. I looked into his eyes and I knew. Only everyone else knew too. Everyone else felt exactly the same way. This is the story of one family, one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes. In a holiday house by the sea, our watchful narrator sees everything, including many things they shouldn’t, as their brother and sisters, parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding. Enter two brothers – irresistible, charming, languidly sexy Kit and surly, silent Hugo. Suddenly there’s

For the last couple of years, I feel like this has become a reoccurring blog post but I want to talk about it now because I think something is actually happening in my reading life. My reading tastes are changing. I've felt it for a while. I haven't really been drawn to YA titles that much anymore especially contemporary. Being busy in my time, I have been really selective in the books that I pick up so for me: the shorter, the better. And when picking up shorter books, the less likely they are to be YA. The more I am exposed to more books, the more I get to read books that I connect to Some of the books that I have picked up have really surprised me because of how much I ended up enjoying them. I think as I grow older, I am looking for different stories, different experiences and different perspectives. These don't just fit the YA mould. I also have been really into different genres like horror and the occasional thriller which have not read from before and I'm interes

Earlier this year, I decided that I would review all of the books that I read. For the most part, I definitely have but over the last couple of months it has definitely gone to the wayside but that is because I have been so busy. I wanted to do it because I annoyed myself that I reviewed books years after I read them and I often couldn't remember the plot. Trust me this is still the case, but I have kind of run out of books that I need to review this year which is weird for me. My backlog is getting lower and as I am not reading as much, I genuinely think I might run out. This has never happened before. This is of course quite nice because I think that it creates feelings that are much better than remembering a book from two years ago. Thinking about it at the moment does definitely make it easier as it goes into my head on a computer screen and less memory space is always a good idea. I also do think that sometimes it does take the fun out of it though but there are a lot of benef

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: The Crossing Author: Manjeet Mann Publisher: Penguin  Source: NetGalley ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: The trailblazing new novel from the Carnegie Medal shortlisted author of Run, Rebel. Praise for Run, Rebel - a Guardian best book of 2020: A tightly crafted series of punchy, often heartbreaking narrative poems . . . Mann's brilliant, coruscating verse novel lays out the anatomy of Amber's revolution, and the tentative first flowerings of hope and change. Guardian A trailblazing new novel about two teenagers from opposite worlds; The Crossing is a profound story of hope, grief, and the very real tragedies of the refugee crisis. Natalie's world is falling apart. She's just lost her mum and her brother marches the streets of Dover full of hate and anger. Swimming is her only refuge. Sammy has fl

After the last couple of years, when I decided to bring back Blogmas, I wanted to do it again as it is safe to say that I was doing so well with the blog earlier in the year, but recently, well, I've been lacking. Also, it's that time of the year for wrap-ups and favourite books that I wanted to share with you all (whoever you are). As per usual, there is quite a lot, and I want to write and hype my favourite books of the year as I don't do that much anymore and I should because a lot of them are underhyped.  I think that this year has not been the one for anyone. It is safe to say that I have been swamped this year, after graduating from university, working and then starting two new jobs so blogging kind of went to the wayside. I have basically had no social life for the last seven months which has been tough but I have learnt so much. (I will say more about it in the coming days.) Due to the changes that have happened this year in my life, I have a lot of thoughts in my b

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: The Upper World Author: Femi Fadugba Publisher: Penguin Source: Bought Myself ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: Esso is running out of time and into trouble. After he is accidentally caught up in a gang war, he is haunted by a vision of a bullet fired in an alleyway with devastating consequences. A generation later, fifteen-year-old football prodigy Rhia is desperately searching for answers—and a catastrophic moment from the past holds the key to understanding the parents she never got to meet. Whether on the roads of South London or in the mysterious Upper World, Esso and Rhia''s fates must collide. And when they do, a race against the clock will become a race against time itself... Book Review: This book has been quite hyped up already before its release but also now that it has been released and for g

* I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title:   An Absolutely Remarkable Thing & A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour Author: Hank Green Publisher: Trapeze  Source: Netgalley/Bought Myself ( Bookshop UK  |  Hive  |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: In his wildly entertaining debut novel, Hank Green—cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow—spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she’s part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined. The Carls just appeared.   Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, A

 This is the final review from my backlog and for good reason because this book made me question a lot of things. Probably the perfect and not so perfect book for someone who has always thought about their sexuality.  I think that is the thing, this book is based on the premise that Katie Heaney discovered that she likes women and is a lesbian in her late 20s after she thought she was straight. It also deconstructs the idea that women often find themselves coming out at a later age due to the stigma of the word lesbian and identifying as such.  As a person who has not thought they were straight since they were 17 this is not something that I have ignored. I remember potentially liking someone at school when I was 17 after she got a haircut. I just brushed it off though because I couldn't fancy a girl.  At the same time though I thought I fancied boys. (I no longer think I fancy boys.) This all changed when thought I quite liked the idea of living with a woman in a co-habit relation

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: Here is the Beehive Author: Sarah Crossan Publisher: Bloomsbury Source: NetGalley ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: A brilliantly original debut about a love affair cut short, and how lonely it is to live inside a secret -- for fans of Sally Rooney, Sheila Heti, and Ottessa Moshfegh. Ana Kelly can deal with death. As an estate lawyer, an unfortunate part of her day-to-day is phone calls from the next of kin informing her that one of her clients has died. But nothing could have prepared Ana for the call from Rebecca Taylor, explaining in a strangely calm tone that her husband Connor was killed in an accident. Ana had been having an affair with Connor for three years, keeping their love secret in hotel rooms, weekends away, and swiftly deleted text messages. Though consuming, they hide their love well, and nobody

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: Punching The Air Author: Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam  Publisher: HarperCollins Source: NetGalley ( Bookshop UK |  Hive  |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: The story that I thought was my life didn’t start on the day I was born Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. The story that I think will be my life starts today Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his s

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: Counting Stars Author: Keris Stainton Publisher: Hot Key Books Source: Netgalley ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: Big city, big dreams, no money, no problem... Six 'friends', one flat, big dreams... what could go wrong? When eighteen-year-old Anna leaves school and moves to Liverpool, she feels like her life is finally beginning. She's landed her dream job at a theatre, and she's moving into an exciting (if not slightly run-down) flat on a buzzing street lined with shops, bars, and buskers. Best of all, her new flatmates are kind, welcoming and a lot of fun - what more could she ask for? But although her new life is fun, it's also a little overwhelming. Anna's job quickly falls through, and then she realises that although her new friends are great, they're also a little mixed-up... an

  * I am reviewing this book which I was gifted for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. * Title: The Bookshop Girl Author: Chloe Coles Publisher: Hot Key Books Source: Netgalley  ( Bookshop UK |  Hive |  Goodreads  |  Storygraph ) Book Summary: A hilarious tale of female friendship, bookshops and fighting for a cause - perfect for fans of Holly Bourne and Louise Rennison. Bennett's Bookshop has always been a haven for sixteen-year-old Paige Turner. It's a place where she can escape from her sleepy hometown, hang out with her best friend, Holly, and also earn some money. But, like so many bookshops, Bennett's has become a 'casualty of the high street' - it's strapped for cash and going to be torn down. Paige is determined to save it but mobilising a small town like Greysworth is no mean feat. Time is ticking - but that's not the only problem Paige has. How is she going to fend off the attractions of beautiful fel

So everyone loves this tag on Youtube and I have done it a couple of times before so I  thought that I would give it a go again this year! Also, I keep telling myself that I should do it! Although I'm a bit late as it is now July and I haven't been reading regularly because I have been a bit burnt out, I am still reading and those books deserve attention! This tag was created by ReadLikeWildFire (now Chami although the original video is no longer available for both) and  Ely Jayne . Let's get started... 1. Best book you've read this year so far? The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune I have to admit that my reading has been a bit average this year, so even though it is one of the first books I read this year, The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune is one of my favourites. I loved the comedy and the relationships and lots of the twists that took place. The sequel has just been released and I will definitely be getting to it soon! 2. Best sequel you've read this year so far Hea