A-Z Bookish Survey Tag

Today we are doing the A-Z Bookish Survey tag created by the wonderful Perpetual Page Turner.

We tag whoever reads this and feel free to tag us to yours in the comments. So without further ado, here are our answers.

+ Author you've read the most books from + 

George R.R. Martin & J.K. Rowling

+ Best Sequel Ever + 

A Court of Mist and Fury (we both agree)

+ Currently reading +

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson & A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

+ Drink of Choice While Reading +

Cup of tea & smoothie/fruit juice

+ E-reader or physical book? +

Physical

+ Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Dated In High School + 

The Darkling (because he's such a little goth) & Gansey (even with his boat shoes)

+ Glad You Gave This Book A Chance +

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb & Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

+ Hidden Gem Book +

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma & Defiance by C.J. Redwine

+ Important Moment In Your Reading Life +

When I read The Hunger Games and rediscovered my love for reading & receiving a book from my grandmother before she passed away.

+ Just Finished +

This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

+ Kinds of Books You Won't Read +

Dull Romances & Non-Fiction

+ Longest Book You've Read +

ASOIAF series 

+ Major Book Hangover Because of +

A Court of Mist and Fury (yes, again)

+ Number of Bookcases You Own +

Three 

+ One Book You Have Read Multiple Times +

Throne of Glass by Sarah J.Maas & The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

+ Preferred Place To Read +

In bed (or on it)

+ Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read +

"It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on..." - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

&

"I do not want to be human. I want to be myself. They think I'm a lion, that I will chase them. I will not deny that I have lions in me. I am the monster in the wood. I have wonders in my house of sugar. I have parts of myself I do not yet understand.

I am not a Good Robot. To tell a story about a robot who wants to be human is a distraction. There is no difference. Alive is alive.

There is only one verb that matters: to be." - Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente

+ Reading Regret +

Not reviewing books on Goodreads sooner & deciding to stop reading for over two years

+ Series You Started And Need To Finish +

Shatter Me series

+ Three of Your All-Time Favourite Books +

A Court of Mist and Fury, Six of Crows and Deathless

&

The Book Thief, Vicious and The Nightingale 

+ Unapologetic Fangirl For +

Sarah J. Maas & The Raven Cycle

+ Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others +

Crooked Kingdom & Empire of Storms

+ Worst Bookish Habit +

Dog-earring my pages & my inability to DNF anything

+ X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book +

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

+ Your Latest Book Purchase +

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas & Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

+ Zzz-snatcher Book (last book that kept you up way too late) +

A Court of Mist and Fury (the answer to everything)

Ten Books Picked Up On A Whim

This week's Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the amazing The Broke and the Bookish is 'Top Ten Books Picked Up On A Whim.' We have combined some books that we bought without much knowledge of them but ended up loving. 

+ Becky's choices +

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas I picked up Throne of Glass at Waterstones on a whim, during one of the many times that I needed to get a second book for the buy one get one half price offer. I saw the cover, read the blurb and thought I’d maybe enjoy it a little bit, and that if nothing else, it’d at least be an interesting, light hearted read. I definitely didn’t expect it to be the start of one of my favourite series! The book follows the beginning of the story of Celaena, Adarlan’s best assassin, as she is released from her imprisonment in order to take part in a competition to become the crown’s royal assassin.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor Around the time that I really started getting into YA books, I got Daughter of Smoke and Bone for Christmas. Again, this series is now one of my all time favourites, so big thanks go to my Uncle for picking it up for me. It’s the story of Karou, a girl half of this world and half not, as she navigates the secrets surrounding her past and the monsters she works for.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir I genuinely don’t know how I ended up getting hold of An Ember in the Ashes. I’d heard nothing about it, never even heard of the title or author before, but it appeared on Amazon and I immediately bought it there and then just after reading the small synopsis. The book, set in a land inspired by Ancient Rome, follows Laia, a slave, and Elias, a soldier, and how their worlds collide.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh A beautiful, modern retelling of Arabian Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is the story of Shahrzad and Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. I downloaded the free Kindle sample of this, was immediately sucked into the story, and knew that I had to order a hardback of it straight away.

Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen This is the story of Kelsea, the young heir to the throne of a torn kingdom, trying to learn how to bring peace to the land as well as contending with the Red Queen of Mortmesne. This is another book that I stumbled across during a time when I had nothing to read and was looking for something simple that I could get through quickly and easily, and it turned out to be a really interesting story! I can’t wait for the third instalment of this series to come out later this year.

+ Angharad's choices +

Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

One of my all time favourite books 'Before I Die' was written by the same author so when I saw this in Waterstones, I automatically grabbed it without even reading the synopsis. I'm such a fan of Jenny Downham's writing style. Unbecoming tells the story of three generations of women and it deals with dementia, family and truth.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I know it's hard to believe that I picked up this book on a whim considering how much hype was surrounding it but, yep, I did. In my defence, it was before I had Goodreads and before I discovered Booktube so I was pretty much living under a rock. I had previously read the Grisha trilogy and although that series should have ended after the first book, I was still a fan of the world Leigh had created. Six of Crows tells the story of six misfits who come together to attempt a dangerous heist.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Yes, it may have the world's longest title and that's probably what drew me towards it in the book shop. The beautiful cover and promising synopsis was also a winner. This book tells the story of Aristotle and Dante as they develop an unlikely friendship and eventually fall in love.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

I bought this after seeing it in the same section as 'Dare Me' in the book shop. I have always been fascinated with the complexity of teenage girls and their friendships and the authors brave enough to delve into that world. This book follows the story of a group of friends that go on holiday but tragedy strikes when one girl is found brutally murdered. Anna, our protagonist and the victim's best friend, is framed for the crime but is everything as it seems?

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

I think this book is pretty much unknown in the book community so I had no knowledge of it until I was browsing the Crime Fiction section of Waterstones. I've grown up loving this genre and this book's blurb just drew me in. It tells the story of Ted and Lily, strangers who meet at an airport bar. After revealing secrets to one another, Ted reveals that he believes his wife is having an affair and he could kill her for what she's done. Without a beat, Lily wants to help plan the murder and so a dark plan is formed.

What are some books you picked up on a whim?

Let us know in the comments.

Reading Habits Tag

Today we are doing the Reading Habits Tag and we have got the idea from the wonderful Polished Page Turners. We tag everybody who reads this post and you can either do it on Youtube, Tumblr, Blog, Instagram etc. Let's share our habits!

Question 1: Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Becky - I mostly just read in my bedroom, but I'll read anywhere really! I think I've definitely sat on the kitchen counter to read a book in the past.

Angharad - I mostly read on my sofa and sometimes it's hard to find me because I'll be buried under blankets and pillows. I have read in the shower once.

Question 2: Bookmark or a random piece of paper?

B - I usually end up using a train ticket, as I catch them so often that I always have tickets on me.

A - HA! I rarely use bookmarks. I just always lose them. I've used plasters, tickets, tissues, receipts, ice lolly sticks, even a cushion at one point.

Question 3: Can you stop reading anytime you want or do you have to stop at a certain page, chapter, part, ect.?

B - I always try to stop at the end of a chapter, but if I can't do that, I have to at least stop on a page where a sentence ends at the bottom of the page and doesn't cut onto the next one - I imagine that that's just my OCD's though.

A - I have to get to the end of a chapter before I can put the book down. That can be annoying if I'm in a rush and the chapters are long but I can't stop at a random page.

Question 4: Do you eat or drink while reading?

B - I usually will since I'm always drinking something when I'm sat still - plus a pretty drink or snack is always a nice addition to a bookish photo!

A - I will always have a cup of tea whilst reading a book and I do snack but nothing too messy or that involves sticky fingers for obvious reasons. My dog put a mushroom on my book once. It was anarchy.

Question 5: Can you read while listening to music/watching TV?

B - Yep! I generally don't find it a problem unless I'm really not getting into the book. If a book's immersive enough, I could read it whilst people were screaming at me - I just wouldn't hear it if I'm lost in a story.

A - Nope, nope and more nope. I need complete silence. My only exception is train journeys, I can handle some background noise.

Question 6: One book at a time, or several at once?

B - I try to just read one at a time, but I usually end up reading two at once - either one new book and one that I'm rereading, or two that I couldn't wait to read. I'm usually reading one on my iPad and another paperback at the same time, too!

A - It depends on the book. If I'm immersed in one, then I'll struggle to put that down to read something else. However, if I'm rereading or just casually reading certain books, then I can switch easily between them.

Question 7: Reading at home or everywhere?

B - I will read anywhere. I definitely get most of my reading done at home though, or during long train or bus rides. I also read a lot of eBooks during classes but no one needs to mention that...

A - Like I said above, I need quiet environments to read in so it's difficult for me to read outside of the house. If I do, parks and beaches are the way to go.

Question 8: Reading out loud or silently in your head?

B - Silently! I could never understand why people prefer reading out loud - my husband much prefers it and it confuses me so much!

A - From the moment I learned how to read, I have read silently in my head. Even when I've had to read out loud to young family members, it has been torture. I just think it's one of those magical human abilities, to read silently and construct the worlds in our heads.

Question 9: Do you read ahead or skip pages?

B - I try not to but sometimes I'll skip or skim a chapter if I'm reading a multiple POV book and I don't like the character whose chapter I'm up to.

A - I don't. Sometimes when the story is being too slow, I do need to resist the urge to jump forward but I just know that I'll probably miss something crucial to the plot so I just grit my teeth and read through.

Question 10: Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

B - I'd love to keep my spines looking nice and new, but since I mostly read paperbacks they usually end up breaking at least a little! I try my best though.

A - I think it's kind of difficult not to, especially as Becky said, with paperbacks. I do find satisfaction in seeing a broken spine on my shelf, just brings back memories of reading that book. However, I have never and will never, bend a book back completely *shivers*

Question 11: Do you write in books?

B - No! This is a pet hate of mine. I used to write or draw in my books all the time and I'm so annoyed at my younger self for it when I look through my old books - especially when I tried and failed to draw little cartoonish versions of the characters. I've recently started sticking post its in my books though and I find this to be much more tidy and efficient - plus I can remove them whenever I want, which I can't do with pen marks!

A - I go through different stages of marking up a book. I have written in them in the past but only with pencil or I've underlined certain parts. I've had my dog-ear stage and I still occasionally do that but my most recently discovery is marking with Post-it notes. I would definitely recommend it as you can use different colours for different characters etc. And it doesn't damage your book at all!

What are your reading habits?

Let us know in the comments!

Weekly Feature

This week's feature is for Cait (otherwise known as Paper Fury)

She is a successful blog runner, book writer and book reviewer. If it wasn't for her beautiful, original and frankly hilarious blog, ours probably wouldn't have been created. She inspires other bloggers by sharing how to get comments, she discusses important topics and reveals her writing process.

If that wasn't enough, she also runs a Society6 shop full of beautiful prints, mugs, iPhone and much more and an Etsy store full of her amazing origami pieces. Can you say multi-talented or what?

If you are looking for someone who can write amazing stories (involving dragons!), read an excessive amount of books and will make you want to cover your walls in her beautiful prints, then Paper Fury is the one for you.

Her Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads  

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

~~

"All I'm saying is there are rules." Rachel's face has gone chalky. Her voice is soft and quavers a little, as if she's desperate to convince us of something. She stares into her plate, afraid to look at me. "You don't get wasted. You don't take off your top. You don't flirt with raging drunks." She leans in and grips the edge of the table, lowering her voice. "You don't dress like a slut. You have to play by the rules. If you don't, this is what happens."

TW: RAPE

Angharad's thoughts -

This novel was truly heartbreaking.
I feel like it wouldn't be right to mark this as anything but five stars. It is a book that doesn't make you focus on punctuation or grammar etc, but more the story itself.
This novel is based on a true story and we follow Kate Weston who after attending a party, wakes up with no memory of its events. However, four people from Kate's school are arrested over charges of sexual assault and child pornography. What is heartbreaking is that the victim, Stacey, is not believed and pretty much the whole town rallies around to support the assaulters. 

"Will be boys’ is what people say to excuse guys when they do something awful.” 

So many times during reading this book, I wanted to scream and cry and tear my hair out. It deals with sexism, rape culture, slut-shaming, feminism and the vicious web of social media. Stacey became an outcast all because she was brave enough to speak out and because Kate dared to believe the victim, she too was cast aside by everyone she knew. This is happening every day in our world and as the author states at the start of the book, 'And for every "Stacey" whose story was never told.'

It is an important read, an eye-opening read. It will make you angry and heartbroken but it will also make you realise how important this topic is.

"Not being able to say no isn't the same as saying yes."

Becky's thoughts -

I've literally just finished reading this and I don't know whether to cry or scream. I literally sat down and read the entire book in one sitting and under three hours, it was just that powerful. 

What We Saw follows the story of Kate, who recently attended a party, left early, and over the next few days discovers that an old friend of hers who was also at the party has filed allegations of rape and assault against four boys from their school. Stacey, the victim, immediately has her claims dismissed by the entirety of the small town that the girls live in. Only Kate bothers to give her the benefit of the doubt and question what truly happened at the party. 

Lindsey sits up and looks at me, her eyes are bright, but clear—quickened by the rage that fills her voice. “You heard Rachel’s ‘rules.’ If you learn what we learn here—that Dooney and all those guys are entitled to tell you if you’re pretty or not, that it’s up to you to make sure you don’t give boys a reason to hurt you? Then you don’t think it was a crime. You think what happened to Stacey was fair game. It was boys being boys. Just a trashy girl learning the hard way what can happen when she drinks too much and wears a short skirt.”

What's truly heartbreaking about this book is that it's based on a true story, and not only that, but reflects the stories of so many rape victims throughout history. Stacey is called all sorts of names intended to be derogatory, and no one will even bother to listen to her side of the story. It is such a relevant book in todays culture - besides dealing with issues of rape, assault and consent, it also looks at negative views of feminism and slut shaming. Stacey is called a whore and a slut after going to the police with her allegations, and when a feminist group threaten to post information on the case online, they're immediately bombarded with derogatory comments relating to their views. 

“Why does everybody say ‘feminist’ that way?” 

“What way?” 

“The way Dooney kept saying ‘herpes’ after health class last year. Like it’s this terrible, unspeakable thing.”

I just literally don't know how to express how much this book has impacted me already. It definitely wasn't the most brilliant book I've read in terms of writing style etc (although some of the literary techniques that the author used were brilliant - I especially loved the use of some modern lyrics that sounded rather disturbing when mixed with the subject matter being fitted in between pieces of dialogue) or even in the plot (as I found a lot of it to be quite predictable), but the content and issues it deals with are just so important that it still definitely deserves the 5 stars I've given it. What We Saw is definitely a must read.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Based on a true story, 'Burial Rites' tells the story of the last days of Agnes, a woman charged with the murder of her former master. Upon waiting execution, Agnes is sent to live with a family on an isolated farm in Iceland. At first, her only friend is Tóti, a priest she has chosen to be her spiritual guardian. We follow her story as she goes from being feared to understood and the truth that is eventually unsurfaced.

Becky's thoughts -
It isn't often that I read crime fiction, but the idea of a Scandinavian crime novel based on a true story definitely appealed to me. I'm currently in Iceland, and chose to read Burial Rites leading up to and during my trip here to see the full perspective of the book, and I'm so glad I did! Burial Rites gives a lot of interesting cultural facts about Iceland, and being immersed in that culture definitely made me read this book in a different light. I was immediately drawn in to Agnes's story and the mysteries surrounding it that were unfolded as the book went on. The narrative didn't move too fast which perfectly built up the tension as you got closer towards the end, and the letters and records (all from real archives from the events) at the beginning of each chapter really helped to keep the facts straight, as well as inform you what was happening outside of Kornsà, where Agnes was staying. I loved how Agnes's story was told through her telling it to the priest sent to absolve her before her execution, rather than the book beginning at the crime scene - it really helped to develop Agnes as a character, as well as developing her relationships with the priest and the family she was staying with. The ending was sudden, perfect, and heartbreaking all at once. I also really enjoyed the section at the end of the book in which Hannah Kent explains how she discovered Agnes and her story. The conversations she describes having with Icelandic locals who believed Agnes to be a witch or an evil woman really showed how awful the unfair prejudices against her were during her sentencing. I really did enjoy this book and would thoroughly recommend it - just be prepared to have your heart broken.

Angharad's thoughts -

Right, this book? Wow.

Upon starting it, realising that it was based on a true story (and a story I wasn't aware of), I automatically became 10x more fascinated. I haven't read a lot of books based in Iceland so diving into a new country and learning new traditions was truly an amazing experience (especially with the help sheet at the start.) I like that the author included actual documents taken from the event and included them throughout the book. Not only does it add authenticity, but it also allows you to have knowledge of old Icelandic beliefs.

I loved Agnes as a character and knowing her fate from the start really allowed you to connect to her and the fear she must have surely felt. Seeing her relationship with the family grow was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking and I love that Agnes chose to reveal different parts of her past to different people. I like how everything moved slowly but surely to the end which yep, tore my heart out. 

I like how the end was recorded (as a fact rather than fiction) because it made it all the more real. It's one of those novels that although you know what is going to happen, you still wish it didn't. Following Agnes as she went from being feared and hated to eventually respected and understood was so important and needed to happen in order for you to feel empathy at the end of the book.

I would definitely recommend this. It's informative, heartbreaking and an atmospheric read.

Angharad's Top 5 Favourite Books

In no particular order:

1. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater 

“She wasn't interested in telling other people's futures. She was interested in going out and finding her own.” 

This is one of those series that no matter how much hype it has, I will never stop loving. It actually involves Welsh history! Every person in this book is my child. Gansey especially. It is interesting and funny and beautiful. No romance is cliche, the friendships are so important and it just makes me happy to feel at home in Henrietta and Cabeswater and Monmouth Manufacturing. Please read it and SAVEGANSEYSK16!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” 

This book will change your life. No kidding. It will. It makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about humanity and love and friendship and freedom. Having it narrated by Death and having it take place during an awful time in our history and yet still showing the humour and compassion that humans are capable of is so important.

3. Before I Die by Jenny Downham

"I realise that life is made up of a series of moments, each one a journey to the end.” 

This book, despite breaking my heart and staying with me for years later, has sentimental value to me. Not pictured is the amount of dog-eared pages and notes I have littered it with. It was the last gift my grandmother ever got me. It's poetic and heartbreaking and really will make you happy to be alive.

4. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
"Slowly, very slowly, he sat up, and as he did so he felt more alive, and more aware of his own living body than ever before. Why had he never appreciated what a miracle he was, brain and nerve and bounding heart?"

Pretty obvious choice but I couldn't do this list without including the books that made me the reader (and probably person) that I am today. This series taught me about happiness, bravery, hope. It made me appreciate the importance of family and friends. Most importantly, it taught me that happiness is possible even in the darkest of times. I will always be thankful.

5. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.” 

I think even if this book had an awful plot (which it doesn't), it would still be one of my favourites just for the beautiful writing. Every sentence is quote-worthy. It will break your heart but it will also make you smile and will teach you a few things. It even has a few amazing photographs on the pages. It is truly mesmerising.