The Girly Geek

The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge WRAP UP + GIVEAWAY

2017-01-02T13:58:00.000+11:00

Hello friends! It's been a while, hasn't it? (The reason for my falling off the face of the earth this year is a discussion for another day, lol.)

The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge had an excellent start this year, and I was so thrilled with the massive number of you who showed interest in this silly little game I conjured up. With the introduction of the exciting new Mystery Missions, the challenge gained more popularity than I had ever expected. It was so exhilarating to have this fun little group of people to discuss books with.

I must admit that as the year passed, I almost completely neglected the challenge. It wasn't my plan to stop blogging this year, but it seems life had plans of its own. It's been a big year for me, and my life has been completely turned upside down. It's not an excuse, but an explanation. Because of this, I was unable to release the final two Mystery Missions as planned. So I am leaving their contents to your discretion. You can use them as free spaces or whatever your heart may desire. Consider it a free pass as a payment for my negligence.

I myself, only read 44 books this year. And completed a total of roughly 21 squares. While it may not seem like a whole lot, considering how busy I've been this year, I'm quite surprised I managed more than 15. How much did you get to cross off? I'm very curious to see who has completed the most tasks. If you have any photos of your cards, you can tweet or instagram them using the hashtag #201gBookishBingoChallenge, or leave a comment below! Go on, brag about how you beat me!

As promised, here is the giveaway!
And yes, it is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck with the entries!!

As for the future of the challenge, as much as I love hosting this challenge, and the amount of joy, pride and new friends it has brought me, I am unsure of whether or not the challenge will be continuing on into 2017. At the moment, I'm working on a draft of the card, but I'm not sure if I will be publishing it. If enough of you are interested then I guess I will, but for now I'm undecided. Let me know what you think!

Thank you all once again for your ongoing support and involvement in the challenge. I wish you all a Happy New year filled with love and light. Oh, and happy reading!

2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge Wrap up will be posted tomorrow! 2.1.17

2017-01-01T14:08:00.001+11:00

Sorry for the delay!

Mystery Mission Reveal #3 // The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge!

2016-09-04T16:47:00.000+10:00

Hey guys! I know I've been MIA for quite some months now, but I'm back with the third mystery mission reveal. I know it's very late, so I won't make you wait any longer.. here it is..

This idea was inspired my my fascination with royalty, both in real life and in fiction. There's just something about the throne that throws the stakes up a little higher. It's thrilling. This challenge can include anything from a rich fantasy novel, to the Princess Diaries!

I know I'm still behind with releasing these missions but I promise they'll be coming out soon. Thanks for your patience and enjoy the challenge.

Happy reading,

Mystery Mission #2 Reveal // The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge

2016-04-29T13:19:00.001+10:00

Hello again, friends! The time has come (once again) for me to reveal the latest Mystery Mission of the 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge. In case you missed the first reveal, you can see that one here.

So, you wanna see it?

Okay. Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Here it comes!!

WOOOO! So yes, this challenge is to read a book translated from another language. This challenge is actually reminiscent of one that was included in last year's card, but I never got to complete it myself either. Also, shout out to the user 'writer..' in the GoodReads group who suggested a similar concept that reminded me of this!

Whether it is a book translated to English, or you're reading something Translated from English to learn a new language, it counts!

I think this mission is by far one of my favourite concepts. After all, reading is largely centred on a love of language. It's always fascinated me that through hundreds of differing languages a single story can be conveyed to thousands of people. I really do believe that stories and the emotions they express are universal, so it'd be really interesting to witness it in action. I'm not sure if I've read any books of this category in the past, but I'm thrilled to get to do so in the future. I think for my book I'm going to go with Ruby Red by Kiersten Gier, which was originally written in German.

What do you think about this challenge? What will you be reading?

P.S. yes, I'm still on hiatus for now! At this point in time I'm not sure when I'll be able to resume blogging regularly, but I'm optimistic!

Let's discuss: Do you listen to music while you read?

2016-02-24T16:00:00.000+11:00

We daydreamers often find comfort in the loving embrace of both music and reading, but for as long as I can remember, there has been a debate over whether the two result in a delightful immersive experience, or create an absolute catastrophe.

It all comes down to the individual daydreamer, after all, it is purely subjective. I always see fellow book lovers discussing the topic over twitter, and though I've personally questioned it myself, it wasn't until I sat down to write this post that I really came to learn my own capabilities in this area of expertise.

Most people, myself included, find it difficult to concentrate on what we are reading when the lyrics of a song become tangled with words from pages in what I'd call a confusing cacophony. It feels like my brain could explode. It's not that I don't have the capacity to multi-task, it's that I don't want to divide my attention. I devote my mind to the activity at hand, so that I can attain the 'escapism' I'm looking for. I personally think it makes my reading experience richer.

I can't even read in spaces where other people are talking loudly.

I know of some people who can only read in complete silence, which I can totally understand. It makes sense to me. Others, however, don't seem to have this issue. Lucky them. I know people who can listen to anything, or even have the tv running in the background as they read and simultaneously switch between the two. SORCERY. I cannot compute this kind of multitasking!!!

Maybe it all boils down to the type of music. I usually listen to music whilst reading, but when reading I eliminate any music with lyrics. I know, it sounds kind of silly, but it works for me! I listen to mostly film soundtracks, and original scores, they are perfect for epic adventures and action-packed novels because they really set the scene. In cases of contemporaries or romances, I tend to listen to acoustic music, or classical music.

Here are some of my favourites to listen to:

ANYTHING BY HANS ZIMMER! - I'm telling you, the man is a genius.
The Pride and Prejudice (Music from the motion picture) THIS GETS ME RIGHT IN THE FEELS!! When I listen to it I get all swoony.
Yo-Yo Ma! I looove listening to the cello, so my favourite of his is Bach Cello Suite 1.
The appropriately titled 'Reading Soundtrack' on Spotify.

I'd love to know all your thoughts about this topic, it truly intrigues me. I've always been fascinated when it comes to gaining insight into other people's reading experiences. We're all so different and it makes things truly interesting. So tell me, do you/do you not listen to music while you read? Does it make you feel happy, or as though your brain might implode? What do you listen to? Does this change with different genres of reading? Sound off in the comments and we can chit chat about it!

Thank you for reading this post, and I really do hope you join in on the chat! Happy reading my loves!

Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers

2016-02-19T19:25:00.000+11:00

Title: Alienated
Series: Alienated #1
Author: Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: February 14th, 2014
Genres: Young adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance

Synopsis:
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

I'm a conspiracy theory nut, so whenever I get the chance to explore books about Aliens (fiction or not) it's almost always a great time. Provided that there's a believable basis, and their interactions with humans come with realistic consequences. Otherwise, count me out. I believe it was last year, or maybe even the year before, where Alienated was receiving a HUGE amount of hype, particularly in the BookTube community. It definitely peaked my interest, and I've finally gotten around to picking it up!

Though I wasn't completely blown away with the book, I definitely thoroughly enjoyed it! Usually in cases like these, where books are over hyped, I develop unnecessarily high expectations and almost always end up disappointed, though that wasn't completely the case here.

The novel's defining factor for me would have to have been the characters and their interactions. The main character, Cara is a seemingly normal teenage girl at first glance. She has a boyfriend, and participates in extra curricular activities, and oh wait - she's also a valedictorian. (Although I find this hard to believe when not once in the novel did it mention her studying or even doing homework?) Cara's position as valedictorian gives her the opportunity to embark on an exchange program, only the student isn't coming from another country. He's an alien. And he's coming from the planet L'eihr. Though the situation may seem ridiculous at first glance, I can honestly imagine this happening in our world. Cara's obviously excited about her opportunity, and though many other humans oppose the idea of the L'eihrs, Cara has a strange connection to the race as it was their advanced technology that saved her mother from Cancer. I thought this element was a wonderful addition to the story as it made it feel much more personal. Also, Cara loooooves food, which I loved. However, I felt that there really wasn't much to her character beyond these things. I didn't really pick up on any other points about her, such as hobbies, interests, etc. I also admired how Landers didn't go easy on Cara, she didn't make sure everything worked out, because that's how life is, not everything works out, sometimes it takes time, and I expect the sequel will see to it. But Landers wasn't afraid to put her characters through a little hell.

Our resident L'eihr, Aelyx was a great character. Initially he'd been very stoic, blunt and socially awkward. (For some reason her reminded be of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory??) Though this strange behaviour is believable considering he's just travelled to another planet and is being forced to live in an alien family's home. That's kind of a big deal. His banter was particularly witty, and I'm always super taken by socially awkward and blunt comments. I don't even know why, but it's great.

The L'eihr race itself was quite interesting and well thought out. The L'eihr race is so advanced in that they have bread out any incompatible and undesirable traits that may have the ability to hinder their society's success. For example, L'eihrs do not experience violence, and even emotions have been eradicated. It was also revealed that Aelyx's generation are clones of previous L'eihrs. UM I'M SORRY, CLONES??? WHAT THE YESSSS. That's so cool, you can't deny it. But at the back of my head the entire time I kept thinking that I'd experienced this before.. and it hit me. The L'eihr's bear a striking resemblance to vulcans. Not appearance wise, but the superiority in all fields! Only they have ponytails.

The L'eihrs do look quite similar to humans, except they have no belly button and four toes. As long as they're not green and make 'beep boop' noises, that's totally fine with me. Their appearance really didn't matter at all, since the conspiracy between Aelyx and his friends was what held my attention. Aelyx and his friends have a ulterior motive before arriving on Earth. They planned to sabotage the alliance between their people and the humans. I was really interested in their plan. I'm always worried that the plans will be ridiculously underdeveloped, but this one worked well to me. It was centred around biology and the earth rather than something ridiculous like attempting to assassinate the Human President. Also, I wasn't digging Aelyx's friends, they came across as very one dimensional, but now that I think about it I can probably attribute that to the eradication of their emotions. Aelyx begins as they do, but as the story progresses it's evident human nature is beginning to rub off on him, and he starts to express himself more and become more in touch with his own intuition.

Now, my favourite part by FAR, was the reaction of the human population's reaction to the arrival of the L'eihrs. With their arrival also came widespread paranoia. There were protests, activists, angry mobs, you name it. Landers really shows some of the attitudes evident today, these felt like such genuine reactions that they even got me a little bit worked up. It portrayed a very authentic scenario, because even in todays society people struggle with accepting things they deem as 'different'. People fear change, it's only natural. I think this was absolutely necessary to show just how controversial such events would be. For example, the HALO protestors getting violent and killing Eron - this really sets the scene and illustrates just how tense the situation has become. Sadly, I could definitely see this happening in our world.

The writing style was nothing spectacular, but it was succinct and felt realistic so I can't complain. It was well-paced and suspenseful and I was pretty much always on my toes. However, there was excessive use of American references, i.e in slang, store names, products, universities. I only recognised most of them because I've learnt them from other pop culture references, though I can definitely see how this may hinder a non-american's reading experience.

Now, Aelyx and Cara's relationship. We all saw it coming, but it wasn't as cliche as I had expected. I went into this book expecting some 'forbidden romance' and a lot of "Oh but we could never be together! Our people would forbid it!" type nonsense. While it's definitely the case that it's not ideal, they aren't melodramatic about it, and it felt incredibly lifelike to me. Their relationship had a real basis, and wasn't complete fluff. They each learn a lot from one another, and that often creates a special bond. They show their affection for each other in small but sweet ways, for example when Cara spent all that time cooking every possible dish to find something good enough to fit Aelyx's bland palate. That was cute.

Oh and that time Aelyx whipped up a dessert for Cara:

He left his room and marched into the kitchen, where he prepared the richest, most indulgent, and disgusting dish imaginable -- a bowl of fudge ripple ice cream topped with chocolate syurup, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, chocolate sprinkles, and, for good measure, a chocolate brownie from the pantry. He even garnished it with a handful of M&M's.
...
"Look what I made for you. A bowl of diabetes."

Their entire relationship was adorable, and I loved that it had a really great foundation. I ship it.

My only other issue with the story is the believability of the politics. First of all, why push the alliance when the two races only discovered each other 2 years ago? Surely they would take more time to suss out the situation, right? But no, let's send some of our children to live in their homes! Oh, and don't worry about the hundreds of HALO activists who despise our existence, they won't take it out on our children! And then in the end 'The Way' relies on the opinion of one teenage girl, Cara to save the fate of the earth? Ok.

If you're looking for a laugh and adorably lovable characters, you'll find it in Alienated! That is provided you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of believability in politics, but other than that, it's a quick and easy read and it doesn't disappoint when it comes to being entertaining, that's for sure. It was a good surprise, I enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated, and took me on a very emotional journey. I've picked up a copy of the sequel, Invaded, over the holiday season and I'm looking forward to what comes next for our belly-buttonless friends! (oh, and Cara too.)

3.5 out of 5 keys to my heart!

Waiting on Wednesday | The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

2016-02-17T22:40:00.000+11:00

This week I'm waiting on The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

Title: The Unexpected Everything
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:
Andie had it all planned out.

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing - if everything's planned out, you can never find the unexpected.

And where’s the fun in that?

If there's one thing I can relate to it's a type-A main character. I understand the appeal and obsession with planning, it's something I've struggled with for a long time and there's nothing I dream about more than the day I could be 'spontaneous'. It's not as east as it seems, but it's extremely satisfying to read about characters who share the same struggle. Andie seems like someone I could really relate to, and I'd love to see how she breaks free of her insecurities. I'm a huge fan of Morgan Matson's novel Since You've Been Gone, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Mystery Mission #1 Reveal // The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge

2016-02-13T23:11:00.000+11:00

2016’s Bookish Bingo Challenge comes with a little bit of a twist. This year five boxes on the bingo card are marked with a mysterious question mark. As a result of not knowing what lies beneath them, they prevent you from attaining your precious BINGOs. Every second month a new mystery mission will be unveiled here on the blog so you may work towards completing your card. These mystery missions aren’t in any way superior to the other tasks in the challenge.

This is the first of the five mystery missions to be unveiled! I’m excited for you all to see it, because it’s a little bit of an subjective one. Though I had originally intended to choose the missions myself, I decided that you guys should be able to leave suggestions, so these mystery missions have been created by the members of the 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge group on GoodReads.

This first mystery mission was created by Ashley. Thanks, Ashley!!

Are you ready?

Here it comes.

Are you sure you’re ready?

Okay…

I thought this was an excellent task because it allows you to choose whatever best suits you! It is subjective as we all have our own dream careers, and it lets you read something that inspires and stimulates you. All dreams are valid so ANY career you can think of counts, as far fetched as it is. If you dream of being an astronaut, assassin, flower picker, con artist, pie juggler, flame thrower, or tv watcher, and there is a book out there featuring it, it qualifies! The career doesn’t have to be focus of the novel, it just has to be featured within it.

I hope you all have a book in mind for this task, and I’d love to hear about your dream careers in the comments! Also, if you have an idea for one of the next four mystery missions, please feel free to join the GoodReads group here, and leave it on the appropriate spread!

Review: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

2016-02-10T10:30:00.000+11:00

Title: The Start of Me and You
Author: Emery Lord
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: March 31st, 2015
Genres: Young adult fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Friendship

Synopsis:
It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

Back in 2014 I fell in love with Emery Lord's debut novel, Open Road Summer. It was the quintessential contemporary novel in my eyes, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to read more from her. The Start of Me and You gave off a different vibe, not nearly as playful or witty. From the premise it seemed this story would something more in the same vein as Gayle Forman's novels, and if you know me, you'll know that Gayle Forman's novels are my absolute favourite.

The thing I admire most about Emery Lord is her ability to tell stories about teenagers in such a genuine manner. Her ability to infiltrate the mind of a teenage girl allows her stories to be told truthfully and in a way that highlights how struggles are a universal occurrence, and yes, young people have them too. This book isn't just a love story, but more of a coming of age story with a large focus on relationships, particularly friendships and family dynamics.

The Start of Me and You introduces us to Paige Hancock, who for the past two years has been recovering from the death of her boyfriend Aaron. Paige was pretty ordinary in my opinion. There really wasn't all that much to her character apart from her connection to Aaron. She's supposedly very intelligent, however, it really didn't shine through for me. Maybe it's a side effect of her loss? I'm not too sure, but I feel Paige's character wasn't as strong as some of the others in this book, which is a shame considering she is the protagonist. She was described to be a model student, good friend, as well as a great big sister and daughter, however I feel that her 'grief' overshadowed her character, and I didn't really get to identify these qualities within her.

The novel explores Paige's search for a second chance, and the courage it takes to move on. Though she hardly knew Aaron, Paige really opened up to him, and often letting people in leaves you vulnerable. Imagine how much more vulnerable you are when that person is taken away from you in an instant. For some unknown reason I was able to empathise with Paige. I understood how Aaron's death weighed on her, not exactly a burden, but placing her in a strange spot, where everyone in town know's her as the 'girl whose boyfriend drowned' when in reality, she hardly knew him at all. I can understand that she might feel guilty that all these people feel sorry for her, but I also saw how awkward it could be to have spent more time dealing with his death than being with him whilst he was alive. It's her own sort of limbo. She's is forever getting 'that look', which is a constant reminder of a relationship that was never given the opportunity to bloom.

"The idea of us still hung in the air, but we'd never be more than a few golden memories and a bundle of what-ifs. How do you find closure in that - especially when strangers treat you like a widow to a devoted husband?"

Aaron's death also caused Paige to suffer from PTSD. She is plagued with nightmares of receiving the same fate, drowning. As any PTSD suffering teen would, she's sought help from a therapist in an attempt to move on and be the 'normal teenager' she once was.

Realistically, it is Paige's group of friends that keep her grounded, and help her stay sane. Emery Lord writes phenomenal relationships, be it friendly or romantic. Paige's group consists of Tessa, Morgan and Kayleigh. Often in friendship groups like these, I get confused because I'm not able to distinguish the girls from one another, however that was not an issue here. These girls came to life quite vividly, with their individual traits and habits. I think I could see them so clearly because I they reminded me of people I know, that just goes to show how genuine her personalities can be. Another thing I admired about this group of friends is that there was no cattiness, and there wasn't the one girl in the group trying to undermine the protagonist (I hate that trope with a burning passion). Sure, they had their disagreements, as all friends do, in fact they closely resemble arguments I've had with my own friends in the past. Though Paige's friends have been such a defining factor in her attempts to move on, it seems Paige is itching for more. So she comes up with a plan, as any type-A teenaged girl would and writes it on a post-it in the back of her planner.

Paige's type-A behaviour was something I identified with. I have my obsessive tendencies. But the huge flaw with her plan, is that one of the biggest things on her 'How to be a normal teenager again' list, is to date. In particular, date Ryan Chase, who she'd been crushing on forever. I'm not a huge fan of girls who feel that they need a boyfriend, or relationship to complete them. However, this played a role in Paige's character arc, and in the end I was more forgiving but during my reading, it annoyed the heck out of me.

Paige behaves as if there is a gaping void in her life, that was once filled with Aaron, and that she now has an incessant needs for another boyfriend to fill this hole. She's so busy fawning over Ryan, and pre-planning her interactions with him that it becomes a little bit painful to read. Though I liked Ryan's character, I didn't want them to end up together because I could tell that the basis of their relationship would have been a little unstable. It was as though her actions were bricks and she was carefully laying them to 'build' a connection between the two of them. Only maybe she had forgotten to lay some concrete, because it wasn't a very stable connection. Paige is so occupied with her 'love' for Ryan that she almost fails to notice that she has almost completely fallen for his cousin, Max.

Ah, Max Watson. He's your picture perfect geek. He loves math, riddles, wears shirts with geeky references and puns on them, fanboys over science fiction and is close with his mother. What more could you want? Max was the quintessential geeky guy, and I have a soft spot for him in my heart. Max challenges Paige to step out of her comfort zone and whilst it may seem a little too much, you can really feel that he means to do well. It's clear to see he truly cares for her and just wants to help her to be happy once more. The romance between the two of them was definitely slow-burning, and though I really loved them together, it felt like it was lacking something. A little bit of pizazz perhaps? It was cute, but I'd expected something a little more substantial. Cute just doesn't cut it for me!

The book also features some strong family dynamics. Paige is very close with her grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer's. The addition of this relationship was sweet, and it was nice to see that Paige had someone to vent to about things such as boys, and even her friends. But over time her grandmother's condition deteriorated, and whilst it was sad, I feel like it was meant to be. As the story progressed Paige became stronger, happier and more courageous, and needed her grandmother less and less. Maybe her grandmother had been waiting for her to be happy again before she passed on? I don't know, but it really felt like it was meant to be. Paige's relationship with her parents was also kind of tricky, especially since they had divorced but were dating once again. As someone with divorced parents I can understand how truly difficult and shocking that could be. Apart from that drama, her parents didn't play a huge role. Her mother was a little bit protective, but it was understandable considering the Aaron situation.

Plot-wise, the book was slightly predictable, but in the sense that it felt like the natural progression of these characters. It felt honest, and as though these characters truly lived it out. The writing was succinct and sweet, and the voice completely accurate. It was made all the more genuine with the addition of pop culture references to tv shows, movies and books. There were a few John Green references which felt like they belonged, it is what the general teenage population would be reading after all. BUT GUESS WHAT? THERE WAS A LILAH MONTGOMERY MENTION!! I almost damn near had a heart attack! I loved it! It almost made me want to reread Open Road Summer. (I just might.)

The Start of Me and You was sweet, with its slow burning romance and geeky references, and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed it, I simply didn't love it. It lacked a certain 'it' factor that I can't quite put my finger on, but it stands quite well. If you're looking for friendships, a bit of family and an incredibly cute friendship turned relationship, you've got it! I can definitely see how this book may shine, for the most part I was on board, but it just quite didn't jump out at me. (Open Road Summer remains my favourite of Emery Lord's novels!)

3.5 out of 5 keys to my heart

That's a Wrap! A look back at January 2016

2016-02-01T10:00:00.000+11:00

I honestly cannot comprehend the fact that another month has passed. I told myself that 2016 would be the year I finally begin to blog consistently, and though it's been a bit of a bumpy ride, it's definitely been rewarding. So much has happened over the course of the past month and I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the reading related things that occurred in January. Let's get into it!

Confessions: The Private School Murders by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro ★★★★☆
Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ★★★★★
All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ★★★★★
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord ★★★★☆
All Fall Down by Ally Carter (Re-read) ★★★★★

As you can see, I've had an excellent reading month! Not quite so much in the quantity of books I've read, (I was aiming for six) but everything that I have read so far this year has been incredibly enjoyable. One of my goals for this year was to read books that I enjoy, and not waste time reading books I am unhappy with. I actually almost made it to six books this month, though I am currently still reading See How They Run by Ally Carter. I'm absolutely loving it, and I know it will be finished very early into February.

I only posted three blog posts this month. *hides in shame* Though my posts haven't been staggering in quantity, I've spent a lot of time working on this blog, specifically future posts and more to do with my vision for it. This month also marked the beginning of the 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge, which took up a GIGANTIC amount of my time. This challenge is one of my favourite things to do, and I've made some big improvements this year. I didn't really anticipate how big it would become, but there is quite a bit of admin that goes along with it. Do not fear about the little amount of posts in January, because I've got some surprises in store for the rest of the year that I am VERY excited about. Stay tuned!

Now that The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge has begun, I thought I'd share with you the progress I've made thus far. Here's a peek at my card! (Yes, I keep a digital one because my printer has run out of ink and it's so bloody expensive)

One of the best parts about hosting this challenge is seeing all of the lovely pictures, tweets and blog posts you guys share about the challenge! I am so thrilled you are all enjoying it, and it honestly makes me emotional seeing pictures of your bingo cards all printed out and pretty. Here are some of my favourite photos/mentions from all around the interwebs!

Instagram:

(Oh and don't mind me, I included my photo too because otherwise the grid would be uneven and it would DRIVE ME INSANE!)

Tweets:

Shoutout to you guys for being the sweetest peeps on the planet!! I'm so, so, so, thrilled you all are enjoying this challenge as much as I have enjoyed creating and hosting it! KEEP ON READING AND SPREADING THE BOOKISH LOVE!!

Speaking of instagram, your girl has been all about it recently. I've really been inspired to take more photos, and I've even been sticking to a theme. As you can tell, I've been loving the lilac as of late.

2016 has brought about a LOT of change for me, and it's taken a little bit of adjusting, but I think I'm getting the swing of things. Now that I'm no longer in high school (hurrah!) I thought I'd have a lot of free time on my hands to read, and blog, but that really hasn't been the case. My mum has returned to work and I have been tasked with looking after my baby brother during the week days. He's only 7 months old so at times it can get tricky, but child care is bloody expensive and I'm happy to spend quality time with him. I've basically been caring for him everyday anyway, only now it's full time. It's exhausting work, but he's adorable, so I see no issue! Hahah.

Another exciting thing happened this month, I got accepted into university! (My first preference too!) I'm absolutely ecstatic about it. I won't be starting until August though, I'm still looking after my brother for a little bit, but I'm excited to get back into the grind and continue with my education! For those wondering, I'm going to be beginning with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing, however in my second year I will be transferring into a Bachelor of Marketing and Media! I've always enjoyed education, but towards the end of high school I had a hard time with social circles, etc, that made my time a little less enjoyable, however I'm really thrilled to begin this new chapter of my life!

Here I share some of my favourite blog posts from the month, which are not necessarily bookish, but amazing nonetheless.

That's it from me this month! So much has happened, I'm sure I probably left something out. I hope you've all had a stellar month and have read some incredible books. Happy reading!!

My 2016 Reading Resolutions

2016-01-20T11:00:00.000+11:00

With every new year comes an opportunity for change, for a fresh start. We all anticipate ripping out a new calendar and starting with a clean slate, filled to the brim with renewed promises to be better, that for 99.9% of people, dwindle and disappear. But I am determined to be that 0.1% and achieve some, if not all, of my new year's resolutions. As cliché as it sounds, my year always begins with setting goals for areas in my life which need improvement as evidenced by the preceding year. Each and every single one of my goals is a small step in working towards my 'big picture goals' and becoming the person I want to be.

Last year, my reading life suffered tremendously at the hands of my senior year of high school, but also various other factors, one being a disastrous reading slump (which I have yet to recover from). Reading is a huge part of my life and facet of my personality, and without that, I felt a little lost last year. I want to be myself again, that girl who had an insatiable appetite for adventure through literature. Whose escape from the troubles of everyday life came in the form of tales. In order to achieve this, I came up with a list of resolutions, or goals for the year that will help me fall in love with reading again. Here they are:

Make reading fun again.

Blogging makes reading feel more and more like an obligation than a recreational pursuit. And while I love both reading and blogging, sometimes I feel its necessary to isolate the two. I'll write reviews of books I want to and if I don't want to then I wont.

Another issue is that I the regular GoodReads challenge of setting a reading goal makes reading feel so mundane. It lacks the excitement and pizazz that I would usually associate with a crap tonne of books. Though yes, I have a numerical goal of how much I want to read, I won't hold myself to it. It is not the be all and end all if I don't reach my goal, as long as I have fun in the process. This is why I've created 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge again this year, it has a way of stimulating my reading and I feel it far more interactive than the traditional reading challenge.

Explore different methods of reading.

I've always stuck to the plain old traditional paperbacks, but lately I've been really into ebooks, especially because they offer ease and are less harsh on my wallet. However, I've always struggled with audiobooks, and though in the past they haven't worked for me, I want to change that this year. I want to be more adaptable.

Do not fear the DNF.

Far too often I find myself not enjoying a book, but (pathetically) attempting to push through it. Often resulting in me letting it sit there and collect dust. These sad situations are often the source of my biggest slumps, and I'd rather not have any more of those, thank you very much. In the past I would have forced myself to finish it simply to get my reading count up, however I've changed a lot and I'm at a point in my life where I don't have the time to tolerate things that aren't making me happy. This isn't only applicable to books, I've been applying this to all areas of my life, and it truly is working.

Buy less books.

I'm not going on an all-out book buying ban, but this year I am aiming to cut down on my spending. I don't have a stable source of income so often it is difficult for me to buy books at all, so this year I aim to only buy books when they are lower than retail price, and if there are sales or special offers. This might also mean purchasing some books I wish to read as ebooks instead. Also, in cases where I will be buying books, I have imposed a new rule wherein I must read 3 books that I already own before purchasing any new ones. This should significantly decrease my tbr and spending simultaneously.

Track my reading.

Obviously being a user of Goodreads means that my reading is being tracked, however I wish to revert to using my own records also. I used to have an excellent system in which I used a spreadsheet to track my reading, but with last year being as hectic as it was, I hardly had the time to read, let alone document it. I track statistics such as page numbers, dates of publication, ebook or physical, author's gender, author's country of origin, and main character's ethnicity, etc. Not only will it be great for finding statistics on how much I read this year, it will help me to keep track of how I have performed in the resolutions I have listed in this post!

I am very aware that my long list of resolutions is quite far-fetched, but I thrive on challenging myself, and I know that I can complete some of these. I'll try my hardest, but obviously if some are not completed, I'll have another chance next year! Resolutions aren't about scaring yourself into doing things, and often over the course of a year you adapt, and so will your wants and needs, so if I feel like some of these resolutions are no longer relevant to my goals, I won't actively pursue them.

Let me know what you thought of this post, I apologise if its a little bit rambly. Do you have any reading resolutions for the year? I'd love to know. I admire the self-awareness and courage that come along with publicly sharing your goals, and I think it's beautiful when people actively challenge themselves for their own betterment.

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

2016-01-17T13:17:00.000+11:00

Title: The Fill-in Boyfriend
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: May 5th, 2015
Genres: Young adult, fiction, romance, contemporary

Synopsis:
When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.
The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Confession: this is my first ever novel by Kasie West. I know, I know, shocking. But true. Whenever I ask for contemporary recommendations I am bombarded with tweets suggesting her novels, but it can be a little intimidating. I can now say that I am a fan. You know when you're in a terrible reading slump, and it kind of makes you want to impale yourself in the eye? No? Well, it's a feeling I've come to know quite well, and what I've found that occasionally works is light, breezy and cute contemporaries. And you know, when I see my all-time favourite trope appear (a.k.a the fake relationship) I simply can't help myself. The characters in this novel are really what won me over.

Initially, the protagonist Gia Montgomery seemed to me like an over-privileged and prissy white girl. Her boyfriend Bradley dumped her and her biggest worry is having to walk into prom alone? Sure, I can understand that is a sad occurrence and he pulled a jerk move, but at first, I really couldn't blame him. Especially not when the first thing on her mind, after not seeing her boyfriend for weeks, was how her friends were going to react when he didn't show up. If there's one thing I dislike its characters who are too reliant on other people's opinions. She also comes across as conceited, shallow and a little bit clueless, though I disliked this, it truly added depth to her character and made it all the more genuine.

Gia's initial imbecilic actions are all the result of peer pressure, mainly stemming from her frenemy Jules, who honestly, was such a snob. (more on that later) Gia is the archetypal queen bee, the head of her pack, student council president, most popular girl in her school. But these titles often come with a price, and as such, Gia feels like she constantly has to prove herself and present an image of perfection. Jules, in my opinion, was basically Regina George. She was incredibly snarky and ill-mannered, but Gia goes along with what Jules does, because anything less could ruin her image. Though she also has her friends Claire and Laney, they're kind of clueless about Jule's active mission to dethrone Gia as Queen Bee and kick her out of the group. Gia's parents are also not the nicest people, along with her other friends but I feel that this really emphasised and heightened Gia's growth.

Thankfully, after such childish behaviour in the beginning, we begin to see Gia's true colours as the story progresses. She finally comes to her senses, and she truly FEELS how shallow she had been, and how toxic her previous friendships had been. She grows up, alot, and in such an honest manner.

Our fill-in boyfriend, Hayden, was my favourite part of this book. I'm a sucker for some witty banter. He's also incredibly kind, intelligent, charming a bit of a drama nerd, and extremely loyal. However, I think maybe he was too loyal. Throw in some suckish friends, and a horrible ex-girlfriend and the stakes are a little high. As much as I adored him, at times I kind of wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into that handsome head of his. Aside from those few moments, I absolutely loooooooved Hayden. Ahhhh. He's kind of the perfect package, talented, honest and he comes from a super tight-knight family. He was too sweet for words. I have no words. Just these: <3 <3 <3

The chemistry between Gia and Hayden was through the roof. From the beginning I could see they were a fit. They had this natural, comfortable dynamic that didn't feel forced or exaggerated. Major points to Kasie West!! They were comfortable, and brought out the best in each other. He brought out her kindness, and helped her to realise she'd been surrounded by the wrong people, and she encouraged him to pursue his passion of film and acting. Whereas Gia was very closed-off and hid her feelings, as she was conditioned to by her family, she began to express herself and express her emotions honestly. Hayden makes Gia want to be better, their relationship challenges her to grow, and that's what makes it so beautiful.

As you can see, I really love these two. They're an incredible duo.

I can't forget to mention Bec, Hayden's little sister. She was another incredible character. She's the kickass kind of girl who speaks her mind and doesn't take crap from anybody. Especially when it comes to protecting her older brother. Also, I love the friendship that blossoms between Gia and Bec, it made my heart soar.

I was rather apprehensive about this book, but I must admit I was overall impressed. The writing was light and brisk to read, and the pacing was perfect. As with most fake relationship tropes, the plot was fairly predictable, but I felt that the obstacles were still very well developed and very realistic. West's dialogue felt completely natural, and the witty banter was next level. What did surprise me though, was that this book wasn't nearly as fluffy as the cover represents it to be, it was just the right amount of fluff.

Also I noticed a little bit of commentary on the social media generation. West emphasises the fact of how many teens nowadays construct their self-image around what would get the most likes or followers online. I think this addition really kept the book relevant, and made it feel all the more real.

Kasie West has really hit it home with this one, she told a sweet story that had its many obstacles, all of which are relevant to issues that plague teenagers lives today. I didn't expect to love the story, but it was the cast of characters that mad my heart sing. The characters were so incredible genuine, and their story is one that I have adored. I think I'll be picking up West's other contemporaries in the very near future.

5 out of 5 keys to my heart!

Have any of you read this book? I'm very curious to hear what you all thought. (also I would love to swoon over Hayden with you)

The 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge!

2016-01-10T14:24:00.000+11:00

It's that time of year again folks!! Buckle up, because it's time for the 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge!

I created the 2015 Bookish Bingo Challenge on a bit of a whim. Coincidentally it turned out to be the single most successful idea that I've ever had. The challenge gained WAY more momentum than I ever could have imagined, and I am so thankful for all the beautiful friends I've come to make because of it. So without further a do, let's jump straight into it!

This challenge is specifically designed to help you navigate new waters when it comes to your reading life. And by 'waters' I mean new genres, ideas and topics, ones that you don't naturally gravitate towards.

For people who are not huge readers, this is the perfect way to not only broaden your horizons, but also to stay motivated to continue to pursue reading actively. For experienced readers, this can be a little push to help you out of your comfort zone. Reading widely is the spice of life, my friends!

I feel that this is the perfect twist on the conventional reading challenge, and is maybe more stimulating than a reading challenge list. Us daydreamers and creatives need things to be fresh, new and innovative. And I think (read as: I hope) that this challenge is perfectly suitable.

There are a total of 35 squares and each features a very different task.
Complete as many tasks as you can and cross them off as you go.
Remember, the point of this challenge is NOT to see who can complete the most. It is about your personal reading experience and pushing yourself to explore uncharted territory.
Sign ups do not close until November 2016, so you can join in any time before that!
You must make sure you've signed up below and don't forget to share your link in the comments so that others can check out your blog!
HAVE FUN!
Remember: you don't even have to get a BINGO! The aim of this challenge is to encourage you to explore reading genres, and some of those may not be included in this card. You do you.
There is now also a goodreads group for this challenge which you can join here.

This year, there is not only the bingo card itself, but also an additional progress sheet printable on which you can write the books you've read for each task. Here's a look at the card (download links near the bottom of the post)

Download your bingo card, and progress sheet printable below.
Sign up in the google form below, and declare your participation via twitter, instagram, facebook or a blog post!
READ, READ, READ, READ, READ!
Check off the boxes as you go. Remember: one book can apply to only TWO tasks.
There are five boxes on the bingo card marked with large question marks. These are called 'mystery missions', as you don't know the task under them, they prevent you from attaining those precious 'BINGOs'. One mystery mission will be unveiled on the blog every second month, so keep your eyes open for them!
At the end of the year, write a wrap up post or share a picture of your progress. There will be a wrap up post here on the blog on December 10th on which you can share your link and have a chat!
The post will contain a giveaway for $30 worth of chosen books from the Book Depository, and is open INTERNATIONALLY! Please note, the winner is chosen at random and the number of tasks you completed does not at all effect your entry.

Loading... I hope you all enjoy the fun little changes I've made to the challenge! Happy reading!

The 2015 Bookish Bingo Challenge Wrap Up + Giveaway!

2015-12-10T09:30:00.000+11:00

I like to think the 2015 Bookish Bingo Challenge came to me in an epiphany. In reality, it was just one of those random shower thoughts, only it was one that I actually brought to life. When I created this challenge, my only goal was to have at least five people sign up and enjoy it. My blog was, and still is, quite small. But after its launch, the 2015 Bookish Bingo Challenge took off, gained momentum, and in no time those five sign ups arrived. I had reached my goal, and I was ecstatic. Only then I gained about a hundred more sign ups and my brain was just about ready to explode. People from all over the globe were interested in this crazy, spur of the moment, shower idea.

I had planned to post updates and fun things for this challenge on a monthly basis, only I'd severely overestimated my own abilities, and my senior year of high school began to swamp my blogging and reading. I am still extremely ecstatic with the challenge's performance over the course of the past 12 months, and I am glad to tell you that the Bookish Bingo Challenge will be back and even bigger in 2016! I'm excited to improve, and to hopefully see some familiar faces participate again next year!

Please note: While this is a wrap up post for the challenge, the challenge does not end until it has struck 2016 wherever you are located! This challenge is personal and you can squeeze in as many books as you wish before then. This is just a place for everyone to reflect on their progress, and maybe even win some books!

Since I haven't had the chance to do so much reading this year, I haven't completed the whole bingo card as I had hoped, but I've managed to tick off 20 of the tasks. Here's a picture of my card:

I didn't complete an entire line, but I got pretty darn close, and all that matters is that I had fun doing it. How much did you get to cross off? I'm very curious to see who has completed the most tasks. If you have any photos of your cards, you can tweet or instagram them using the hashtag #2015BookishBingoChallenge, or leave a comment below! Go on, brag about how you beat me!

Once again, I cannot thank you all enough for participating! I know this challenge hasn't been without its flaws, but I hope that you've all enjoyed it enough to come back again next year!

P.S. If anyone is interested in helping me host the 2016 Bookish Bingo Challenge, let me know! Either email me or DM me on twitter so we can begin plotting total world domination.

Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

2015-12-04T17:15:00.005+11:00

Title: All Fall Down
Series: Embassy Row #1
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: February 5th, 2015
Genres: Young adult, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Synopsis:
Grace can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay - in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

Ally Carter was one of my favourite authors as a young girl, and at the tender age of twelve I was utterly enamoured by the first few instalments of her Gallagher Girl's series. Carter's books ignited in me that same spark of adventure and curiosity I'd found in stories such as Nancy Drew (duh) and Veronica Mars (which, now that I think about it, I was probably too young to be watching.)

The premise pegged All Fall Down as an action-packed and thrilling tale of political espionage and global conspiracy. I'm not even kidding when I say I went into it expecting events that would lead to World War III. And though I absolutely loved this book, there was hardly as much ass-kicking as I had hoped. Actually, there wasn't a whole lot. While slightly similar in feel to both Carter's previous series, All Fall Down deals with a much darker kind of mystery. Which definitely wasn't a bad thing.

Grace Blakely isn't like any of Ally Carter's previous protagonists. Cammie Morgan was a covert operative and Kat Bishop an international art thief. Grace Blakely is for the most part, your average American teenaged girl. Well, except for the part where her grandfather is a US Ambassador and her mother was murdered right before her eyes. I can't say that's very normal. Embassy Row has been without Grace for three years, and now she's back, with a vengeance. Grace is determined to finally uncover the truth about her mother's death, which had been labelled an 'accident' despite her efforts to convince everyone it was murder.

For a reason I can't identify, I was incredibly sympathetic towards Grace's situation. I rooted for her, I really did. I was infuriated when others were so quick to dismiss her theories, and I wanted to track down the Scarred Man myself. I was actually quite surprised with the approach Ally Carter took to Grace's character. I'd expected a bit of a rebellious girl who was constantly causing trouble because of the common teenage things such as boys. What we received instead was an incredibly traumatised and PTSD suffering girl.

Her entire story made me want to weep for her, she had developed an obsession with finding her mother's murderer and part of me felt like it was the only way she'd come to terms and be at peace with what had happened. Her constant attempts to catch the Scarred Man were admirable, but on a couple of occasions, incredibly stupid. I felt like at some points she was just begging to be caught and killed.

When I'd found out the truth about her mothers death I was shocked beyond words. I'd had a little bit of an inkling that it might have been what happened, but I didn't think Ally Carter would put us through so much pain. It was so heartbreaking to learn such information and Grace's reaction was so genuine that I did shed a couple of tears. A couple meaning like a couple buckets full.

At first my face was like this:

And then it turned into this:

Though the politics wasn't the primary aim of the plot, I thought it was excellent to see Grace considering the implications her actions would have on her grandfather's work - but also on her nation's reputation. It's very refreshing to read a protagonist who isn't completely oblivious to the consequences of their actions and actually takes the time to think about how their behaviour could affect the safety of others. It kept things very tense, and knowing that the tiniest slip up from Grace could potentially cause a war, kept me on my toes and in suspense.

If there's one thing I admire about Ally Carter's writing it is the way she is able to create such a genuine atmosphere. Each of novels takes place in a magnificently imagined setting and the world in which these characters lived is incredibly constructed. It's one of those cases where these things are far fetched in terms of real life, but they fit so well with the stories that don't seem at all unusual within these novels. She doesn't make a big deal of things, her writing is beautifully simplistic and I feel that plays a large part in keeping the setting believable. This novel is no different. One of my favourite things about this novel was Embassy Row itself - the entire concept of it. It was so wonderful to see such a diverse mix of cultures contained within one environment - and I feel it really spices things up a little, as opposed to being completely white-washed.

That being said, I adored the cast of secondary characters in this novel. They were all so incredibly genuine in their behaviours and their personalities, their dialogue was hilarious too. I was especially fond of Noah, Grace's self-appointed 'official' best friend. He was so supportive and trusting of her from the beginning, he didn't need to be convinced she wasn't crazy, he'd support her anyway. And of course I loved that there wasn't anything romantic between them. Meghan was not my favourite, I thought at the beginning her part was a little bit cliché, but I softened up to her towards the end and did feel a little sorry for her, considering how Grace had unknowingly treated her unfairly. Rosie was the little rambunctious and adventurous one, her character just made me so happy. She was just a curious little girl who loves to explore. I think we can all slightly relate to that.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT ALEXEI FOR A MOMENT. HOLY HECK WAS HE BEAUTIFUL. I think I have a thing for Russian boys? They're so darn charming. I can't handle it. He was so darn charming! Did I already mention that? The conversations between Alexei and Grace tore through my heart, especially towards the end. It was kind of cliché, him being her brother's best friend and being asked to watch over her but then watching over her because he'd developed feelings for her, but ALAS, I WAS COMPLETELY TAKEN BY HIM. I think it was the things he didn't say to her that got me good. Because, God knows there were a lot of things he didn't say that we all knew he was thinking and safdghjkl. There was definitely chemistry between the two, although understandably, Grace was preoccupied with trying to find her mother's killer so she was slightly oblivious to the sparks that were flying. I can't wait to see more of Alexei, and hopefully*crosses fingers* more of them in the next book.

Ally Carter has brought us another incredible novel. All Fall Down was an action-packed and thrilling tale that had hints of political espionage and a whole lot of emotional matter. It features a diverse mix of lovable characters and cultures as well as being fast-paced and suspenseful. It kept me on my toes the entire time and it'll probably leave you flailing with feels, trust me on that one. I can't wait to see what she has in store for the next installment, but I have a feeling it's going to be epic.

4.5/5 keys to my heart!

The Maddie Diaries: November in a Nutshell

2015-12-01T10:00:00.000+11:00

November has come and gone, and I can't quite believe it.

I've been MIA for quite some time, and while I wish I could spill all the details of what has happened over the past few months, that would be one heck of a long post. So I thought I'd show you a glimpse into my life, here's my November in a nutshell.

My month began slightly miserably, in the final days of the HSC. Whilst almost all my friends had finished their exams, I had yet to sit my Visual Arts exam, which was on the final day. Lucky me! So naturally, there was a whole lot of studying, stress and maybe even a little bit of sobbing. Tensions run high after a long period of time, but I got through it! HOORAY! NOW TO LOUNGE AROUND, as I had been doing anyway, only now I didn't have to worry about feeling bad. Signing out of school was the most absurd experience, and I was forced to step out into the 'real' world. I now have to do this whole 'adulting' thing? Ew.

I had told myself for a long time that once I'd finished school I would devote my time to making up for all the reading, writing and blogging I hadn't been able to do while studying, but alas, it didn't happen. I did not finish a single book. On countless occasions I opened one up and read a chapter or two, but nothing stuck. I had a case of the slump.

I spent the first half of the month playing the Sims 4, (it's addictive) or journaling. In such a strange and transformative time, my thoughts were all over the place, so journaling was an attempt to wrangle my emotions. I had to put them somewhere, and what better place than on paper.

Later in the month, my slump had still not been cured, and there just so happened to be a sale at Dymocks. You can guess what happened next. I gone done bought a bunch of books with some of the money I’d saved from selling textbooks. Score.

Here are just a few of the pretties I purchased.

I'll be doing a full book haul/stacking the shelves post soon!

A few days after the book shopping, and on my day off from babysitting my adorable 5 month old brother, I finally had the chance to see Mockingjay Part 2, and boy was it good. It exceeded all my expectations! It had my heart breaking and fluttering all at once. MY HEART. THERE WERE SO MANY FEELS. I treated my little sister to the movie, and even though she's not a huge Hunger Games fan, she absolutely LOVED it! She wouldn't shut up about it, which was a good thing.

THEN TWO MORE EXCITING THINGS HAPPENED:

1) I MET SARAH J MAAS AND SHE WAS AS MAJESTIC AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. SHE WAS KIND, BEAUTIFUL, AND ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS AND SHE SIGNED MY BOOKS AND I DIED A LITTLE BIT ON THE INSIDE. Her stories were hilarious and witty, and I think she may just be my spirit animal. As you can tell, I was pretty freaking ecstatic.

If you know me, you'll know that I am a MEGA FAN of Sarah's books. The Throne of Glass Series is my absolute favourite, and has a special place in my heart.

Meeting her has been a dream of mine for a few years now. I can't believe I had the opportunity to meet her, and she even said she recognised me from twitter (I may or may not have died when she said it.) Here's a photo of me being awkward while she signs my books, while she makes jokes about the absurd Sydney weather and even swears, whilst still looking like a goddess.

Big thanks to the lovely people over at Bloomsbury and also Kinokuniya for hosting the event! It was a dream come true! Here's a little peek at my signed goodies:

2) I saw Taylor Swift on her 1989 Tour Stop here in Sydney and SHE WAS JUST AS MAJESTIC AS SARAH AND I DANCED AND SANG AND HAD A BLOODY FANTASTIC TIME. The sight of the stadium lit up with the fancy shmancy synced LED bracelets was breathtaking.

I took this stunning picture and edited it a little and the result was simply stunning. It's now my phone background!

These are two evenings that I will truly never forget, and were perfect celebrations for the end of my school career. I'm so grateful for these experiences, and just thinking about them makes me squeal on the inside. Though times have been quite tough with the usual stresses of life, paired with school stress and family matters, I've had an extraordinary month and my heart is so full of love.

The other night it also occured to me that I wasn't quite happy with my blog's appearance, and while I've been planning posts and reviews, and other content related things, I decided that The Girly Geek needed a little makeover, which is what you're looking at right now! It was a spur-of-the-moment decision at one a.m and I ended up working straight through until 6am, oops! But I'm very happy with the final product. A fresh new look for a fresh start, eh?

What do you think? Personally, I think it's much more mature than what I've ever had before. I was never really happy with how the pink appeared, but it was just what was easy at the time. I'm quite proud of myself actually, especially considering I did it in a few hours!

That was my month, how was yours? I love reading everyone else's wrap ups and recounts, so I hope you find this somewhat interesting.

See you soon with another blog post!

I'm (NOT) Sorry - Let's Live Unapologetically

2015-11-13T11:00:00.000+11:00

If there’s one thing I hate about myself it’s that I am constantly apologising when I have no reason to be. There are many things I feel quilty about, not posting on this blog for over six months is one of them. I have drafted this post about seventeen times, and each time the first thing I’d do is apologise. But for what? For wanting to focus on my studies? For spending time with my family? For wanting to lessen my stress?

It has become evident to me that I am constantly apologising for who I am, simply because I am not yet who I want to be. I’ve apologised countless times for not finding the time to blog, I felt incompetent because I wasn’t at a point in my life where I could blog as often or as much as I wanted. But that doesn’t mean I never will be, or that my efforts are for nothing, and I’m ashamed to admit that these feelings of incompetence often prevent me from feeling like I am good enough as I am. That my hard work is enough. If I’m being perfectly honest, I could have started blogging weeks ago, but my insecurities kept me from being able to write anything at all. That is, until I realised that I don’t owe anybody anything. I started blogging for myself, purely for fun. And that’s what I’ll continue to do.

I won’t apologise for being where I am, or for being who I am. At this point in my life, I’m am stuck between who I am and who I want to be, and a part of becoming that person is being able to live unapologetically. Living unapologetically means being able to accept ourselves right where we’re at, even the parts of ourselves we so viciously dislike. It means being enough to allow change in our lives, not for others, but purely for ourselves and our own growth. Living unapologetically looks like loving ourselves unconditionally and positively reinforcing what we’re proud of in ourselves as opposed to criticising what we did or didn’t do, or what we could’ve done better.

So that’s what I’m doing. What did or didn’t happen in the past is no longer relevant, because I am back and better than ever.

You can't get rid of me that easy!

P.S. I am aware that this post is hecka sappy but it’s what I feel and I’m not going to apologise for expressing it.

Earlybird Review: The Girl At Midnight by Melissa Grey + My Tragic Attempt at Nail Art

2015-04-15T11:00:00.000+10:00

Title: The Girl At Midnight
Series: The Girl At Midnight #1
Author: Melissa Grey
Publisher: Hachette
Publication date: April 28th, 2015
Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Adventure

Synopsis:
Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

The Girl at Midnight had me hooked from the very first page. The story started off with what I can honestly say was probably the best prologue I’ve ever read - I was captivated by it and it lead my hopes for this book to become incredibly high.

From the snippet I saw in the prologue I was compelled to keep reading, I became obsessed with wanting to learn more about this intricate world that was created, and the variety of magical races it contained. Grey skilfully masters that ‘normal girl in a fantasy world’ trope by doing what most others don’t - providing us with the appropriate information when necessary instead of a general dump of information - it kept things flowing in a natural progression that didn’t overwhelm me. In a way the slower and more natural flow made me more welcome to the information presented, and I came to embrace this new world rather than shy away from it. Which was appropriate, because the world building was phenomenal. I couldn’t get enough of it.

There’s also the writing which was for the most part beautiful. The imagery is so strong and vivid - I felt connected to characters, settings and situations. Also the inclusion of such sass/snark/banter was a highlight. On a number of occasions I’d find myself smirking, giggling or gasping.

I loved Echo. She was a spit fire - brutally honest and full of sass and witty banter. I loved how brash she was and her sense of humour was hilarious, and though she definitely had her hilarious heroine qualities, her vulnerabilities and sensitivities were also present and I felt they made her so much more humane. In a family full of feathered magical creatures, Avicen, she was a simple human, which understandably made room for insecurities, but as the story progresses she learns to deal with her differences. She learns where her true strengths lie and the maturity she develops was refreshing - no nonsense here, friend. Echo becomes one hell of a heroine. She’s snarky, spunky, sassy and all around bad-ass. You don’t know how much I love to see a human heroine without magical abilities kicking-ass in a magic-wielding world. It’s just a little bit of emphasis on the importance of individual strengths.

Echo finds herself caught up in a cross-world hunt for clues to help the Avicen, her feathered magical friends. Hunting for these clues to end a magical war that spans lifetimes gives the story a quick pace, and kept the pages turning.

The book also featured such a rich set of characters. I gained not one, but two new book boyfriends: Rowan and Caius. Rowan: supportive, sweet and caring. Caius: aggressive, intense and immortal. Rough around the edges with a soft heart. What’s not to love?! The rest of the gang was pretty excellent too, Jasper, Dorian, Ivy, The Ala, etc. They were all interesting and incredibly genuine characters.

As you can tell, I loved this book. For the most part, I did, but for some unknown reason it just wasn’t 5 stars for me.. I can’t put my finger on it.. Maybe it was just my mood? Because of school and exams I didn’t get to read this book as quickly as I would have liked. Stopping and starting it was probably what stopped me from enjoying it to its fullest potential.

Ooh, but all I’ll say about the ending is: it definitely cemented me intrigue and excitement for the sequel. I need to know what happens next!

If you’re looking for magic and mystery, The Girl at Midnight is where it’s at. I was completely taken by these characters, the adventure and atmosphere of the intricate world they live in, and the sassy humour that made it all the more excellent. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I am positive this book will cause quite a storm upon release, and well-deserved too. TGAM is in the same vein as Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I think it would also appeal to fans of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments Series.

4/5 keys to my heart!

As part of the promotion for The Girl At Midnight I was invited to participate in a nail art competition hosted by the lovely folks over at Date A Book and of course, the Bookish Manicurist. Here are a few pictures of my tragic attempt:

Review: Soulprint by Megan Miranda

2015-04-09T16:31:00.000+10:00

Title: Soulprint
Author: Megan Miranda
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Publication date: February 1st, 2015
Genre(s): Young Adult, Science Fiction, Action

Synopsis:
With the science of soul fingerprinting a reality, Alina Chase has spent her entire life imprisoned for the crimes her past self committed. In an attempt to clear her name, Alina unintentionally trades one prison for another when she escapes, aided by a group of teens whose intentions and motivations are a mystery to her. As she gets to know one of the boys, sparks fly, and Alina believes she may finally be able to trust someone. But when she uncovers clues left behind from her past life that only she can decipher, secrets begin to unravel. Alina must figure out whether she’s more than the soul she inherited, or if she’s fated to repeat the past.

It's not very often that I come across epic and adventurous standalone novels, but I hit the jackpot recently, ladies and gents. I got my hands on a copy of Soulprint.

In Alina Chase's world, bodies die but souls find new homes in other bodies. Unfortunately for her, her soul last belonged to a fugitive, June Calahan, and she is being punished through confinement on an island for crimes she did not commit. June was considered the most dangerous girl in the world, and now the world thinks Alina dangerous, that she is capable of one day carrying on June's indiscretions, but in reality she is clueless.

First of all, let me say that the concept of soul fingerprinting is GENIUS. It's just something that I had never considered. There's always question about what happens to souls after the body dies, but to think that a soul is reborn over and over and possibly carries with it personality traits, and perhaps bad intentions. So here Alina is, condemned for the crimes the former owner of her soul committed. The concept is simultaneously creepy and brilliant. I was intrigued after reading the synopsis, and from the first chapter I was unexpectedly engaged.

Straight after starting the novel I could already tell things would be tricky, the thing about having the soul of a former fugitive inside your own body is that you start to doubt yourself - and question your own capacity to commit dangerous crimes. I also knew that if done well, I would love Alina. Which I did. It's very similar to a case wherein you have an unreliable narrator, only you don't really? You have a narrator who is reliable, but who also shares the soul of a most-wanted criminal? You know what I mean? The entire situation is a mess, and it causes some very genuine struggle and inner conflict for Alina.

The only qualm I had was with June's character, though. After reading the synopsis I had figured that June's fugitive status had been for some incredibly horrific crime. You know, mass murder, large-scale political espionage, you know, the fun stuff. But June's criminal act had been hacking the national database for souls. That's it? That was the crime that warranted a young girl, Alina, to be confined on a bloody ISLAND, for her entire life? Really? I'm not saying that I didn't think June's story wasn't interesting, I was just a little bit underwhelmed with June's so-called criminal status. Maybe it's just me being morbid, but I had envisioned something much darker and terrible in nature.

Once I let my tiny issues with June's activity slide, I was enthralled by the story. The story of Alina attempting to free herself from her soul's reputation, and to focus on her future, as opposed to the wretched past.

I loved Alina as the main character. As mentioned before her vulnerability and reliability keep things pretty tense. She was in a constant battle with herself over the possible influence of June on her soul, but the novel was pretty firmly focused on displaying Alina's free will. While Alina may have had June's soul, her decisions were her own - she did whatever the heck she wanted to do. She wasn't confined to June's character or condemned to commit the same crimes.

The secondary characters were pretty solid, none of them one-dimensional. Brother and sister duo, Casey and Cameron, appear and though they have no connection to Alina, they risk their lives to help free her, to find their missing sister of course. I found the two to be very genuine in intentions, and I especially admired Cameron. He and Alina are very wary of each other, which is appropriate for the situation, but the two form a tentative relationship. While yes, it all happened in the small span of this book, it didn't feel like too much of an insta-love for me. I found it sweet that Cameron didn't see Alina as just 'the girl with June Calahan's soul inside her body', but rather for her own soul and personality. And yes, while this might be a little bit of a YA trope, I think it was well executed and it didn't completely take over the storyline.

The rest of the story was for the most part really action-packed and engaging, and kept me on my toes the entire time. Because this was uncharted territory for not only readers, but also for Alina (who's never really been outside of the island), the suspense hangs heavy in the air. Also, the fact that the group is always on the move keeps things very fast paced.

Overall Soulprint was a very suspenseful and engaging novel that explored a concept unlike any I'd ever seen before. It possessed scientific elements that would appeal to a wide audience, and was very thought-provoking, raising questions such as what shapes who a person is, and just how much influence a person's past may influence their future. In addition to the unique premise, there's also the strong lead. A recipe for success, if you ask me!

A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 keys to my heart!

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach | Blog Hop + Giveaway!

2015-04-07T15:29:00.002+10:00

Title: We All Looked Up
Author: Tommy Wallach
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Publication Date: April 1st, 2014
Genre(s): Contemporary, Apocalyptic

Synopsis:
Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.

If there is one thing I love it's an apocalypse. And no, not in the deranged kind of way. There's just something about characters dealing with their impending death that brings about honesty you wouldn't find anywhere else.

We All Looked Up really took me by surprise, and turned out to be the most honestly insightful apocalyptic novel I've read to date. Being a teenager myself I've had my fair share of doubts in myself and self-image issues, we all have, but often in YA these issues are either omitted or poorly portrayed. That definitely wasn't the case here. In this book we get to look into the lives of these ordinary teenagers as they simultaneously re-evaluate their lives in the face of an incoming asteroid and their impending deaths in such a genuine and brutally honest manner. With such a diverse cast of characters the story covers all kinds of thoughts one would be plagued with during an existential crisis, especially since the beliefs, values and overall opinions of these characters are so widely varied. If your mind hasn't wandered to some of these thoughts before, then you're exposed to them here and at times these opinions start to challenge and question your own.

I was particularly taken Peter, and I can't quite figure out why. Peter is quite sensitive and fairly naive in nature, but he also holds such a big heart and takes it upon himself to make the world a better place. I feel that I really connected with Peter purely because I truly admired his outlook, optimism is adorable - but not something that I'm particularly prone to, unfortunately. His was a refreshing perspective.

There were a few elements of each of the other characters that I could identify with also - Anita's struggle to keep up with expectations and Eliza's struggles with reputation. The issues they faced such as familial struggles, peer pressure and social norms were so honest. That's probably the most comforting thing about this book - just how relevant these issues are and can be to people of any age. They all had their own pasts, their own issues and their own perspectives and though they differed greatly the one thing they all managed to do was get under my skin and plant themselves in my mind. I couldn't shake these questions they were asking themselves.

I also adored the writing - simplistic with a few flourishes here and there, just as I like it. I found the omniscient perspectives were a perfect fit, they allowed me not only to be aware of the characters actions but also to observe what was happening around them, and how all these elements interacted. There were a few slang words thrown in here and there, but they didn't feel to staged - teenagers do use slang in real life so I guess it'd be strange if it weren't included.

We All Looked Up was a brutally honest and genuine portrayal of teenage existential crises that I know I won't be able to shake for a while. Not only did I love the characters and the story, but I truly love the questions that arose and have lingered in my mind ever since.

4.5/5 keys to my heart

As part of this blog hop we were asked to share our apocalyptic bucket lists so here are some things I'd like to do if an asteroid were hurtling towards the earth:

Adopt as many puppies as humanly possible. Everybody deserves a little loving before they die and puppies are the ultimate therapy, duh.
Stuff my face with garlic bread, grilled halloumi and ice-cream - watching your figure wouldn't matter.
Confess my feelings for my crush - denial is a little less harsh when you're about to die.
Go to Santorini with my best friend and wait out the end.
Finally stand up to all the people who've made my life miserable - possibly even punch them in the face? Would that make me a bad person?
Experience the supposed deliciousness that is the CRONUT - I need to know if it's as mind-blowing as the internet has made it out to be.
Go on a bunch of roller-coasters - I LOVE roller-coasters but I haven't had the chance to go on one for a couple of years.
Hug, smother and lovingly squish all of those dear to me.

Tommy Wallach is a Brooklyn-based writer and musician. His first novel, We All Looked Up, will be published by Simon and Schuster in April 2015. His work has appeared in many nice magazines, such as McSweeney’s, Tin House, and Wired. He has released an EP with Decca Records, and will be independently putting out an LP in Spring 2014. He also makes music videos, including one that was exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum. You should buy him dinner.

Find him elsewhere:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

April 1st
Diva Booknerd

April 2nd
Loony Literate

April 3rd
Infinity Reads
Readers Wonderland

April 5th
Fangirl World

April 6th
Inside My Worlds
Happy Indulgencebooks
Whimsical Nature

April 7th
The Girly Geek

April 8th
Cassie The Weird
Thoughts by J

April 9th
Looking for the Panacea
Genie in a Book

April 10th
Book Nerd Reviews
Daring Damsels

With thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Tommy Wallach, we are giving away five copies of We All Looked Up. Open to Australian residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember me?

2015-04-06T12:56:00.000+10:00

Things have been rather hectic around here. As you probably know, I've been MIA for the past few weeks. I'm in my final year of high school and am working my way towards completing my HSC, towards which my emotions are .. not very pleasant. I have just entered my first week of my break, prior to which I had my half-yearly exams, so it's pretty safe to say stress levels were reaching maximum capacity. I was fairly certain that at some point during the exam period my brain would implode, but I survived! I am alive!

Though my reading life hasn't been all too fruitful, I do have quite a few reviews to catch up on as well as some other exciting blog hops, new series and some other bookish goodness. I cannot wait to start writing and posting again, these past few weeks had been completely colourless without reading and interacting blog-wise, but I'm jumping right back into it and I've got a whole heap of posts planned. So sit tight! I've got a fun post headed your way tomorrow.

All my luuuuuuuurve,

Review: The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

2015-03-15T15:59:00.000+11:00

Title: The Winner's Crime
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #2
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Publication date: March 1st, 2015
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Espionage, War, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:
Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ...

While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth.

Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner'strilogy.

A copy of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you weren't already aware, the Winner's Curse was my favourite read of 2014. It was absolutely incredible and to this day I remain blown away. When I saw that the Winner's Crime was up on Netgalley I obviously snatched up the opportunity. To say I was ecstatic would be an immense understatement.

The Winner's Crime, much like it's predecessor, was nothing short of amazing. It was an incredible installment in what I truly believe to be one of the best (unfinished) trilogies ever. I have so much love for these books.

Firstly, can we have a moment of silence to bask in the beauty of the writing? It would definitely have to be my favourite feature of this book. Whilst yes, the writing in the first book was beautiful, Marie Rutkoski has STEPPED UP HER GAME and this one is filled with luscious descriptions and rich world-building. It's stunning and evocative and brings every character, emotion and location to life in vivid colour. I can't get enough of it. I want to immerse myself in her words. Rutkoski also crafts some spectacular extended metaphors that weave throughout the story and make it, as a whole, all the more breathtaking.

Upon completing the Winner's Curse I was obviously eager to continue with the story, the ending Marie Rutkoski had written left the door open to so many possibilities. I often have my reservations when it comes to this sort of thing, mainly because there are so many ways the story can be continue and sometimes I feel the one that is chosen doesn't perfectly fit. That definitely wasn't the case. I think the path chosen was fantastic. Though I did struggle a little bit in the beginning, it was a little bit slow but things start to occur in a very natural progression, and picked up quite quickly. I was engaged almost entire time, the constant twists and turns kept me on my toes.

After bargaining with the Emperor at the end of book one, Kestrel now finds herself in the court. OH HOW I LOVE COURT SETTINGS, there's just something about political espionage that gets my heart singing. Not only do these types of settings bring in interesting new characters, but it also raised the stakes for Kestrel and Arin. Now that they're both politically involved and Arin's in a role of authority, everything has become even more dangerous, and their actions can have even more fatal consequences. Not just for the two of them, but for their people too. Politics is a dangerous game and every move matters. Secrets, lies, danger and deception (MY FAVOURITES!) are hidden everywhere within this world.

With politics playing such a large role, there is very little room for romance between Kestrel and Arin. Especially considering that their love could wage a war. But the times we do get to see them individually, it is extremely evident just how much the distance and circumstances between them have affected their lives, and hugely, their rationality. Though yes, I missed the romance, it was a lovely and (I think) necessary change in pace.

The alternating point of views, though slightly awkward in a couple of areas, were for the most part fluid and transitioned smoothly. Each has a distinct voice that I felt perfectly capture the essence of their character.

Kestrel, or should I say Lady Kestrel, is brilliantly developed in this novel. She's a full-fledged woman now, she's no longer a young girl. It was amazing to see that development. Kestrel is one of my favourite 'heroines' to date. Often in YA, heroines tend to possess an element of physical power, a special ability to fight or use a weapon. Kestrel's ultimate strength is her intelligence. She posses such a strategic mind, stronger than any weapon and Marie Rutkoski uses this in such a smart way. Kestrel is very logic-minded, but in these books we see her struggle because of the nature of her relationship with Arin, placing an emphasis on just how illogical love can be. So much to the point that she sacrifices her own freedom and happiness to assist Arin, the man she loves, and the people whom he loves. I can't stress enough how much I adore her characterisation. Excuse me for a moment as I gather my emotions.

Arin's circumstances are tricky too, he's conflicted but he remains loyal to his nation and I found it admirable. His entire characterisation felt marvellously genuine. I find that often in YA novels, authors tread lightly on portraying male leads to be emotionally aware, but in this case Arin's confusion is reasonable and incredibly realistic. He's caught between the woman he loves and wants to be with, and the nation he wants to save. He's a very delicate soul, which isn't exactly the best thing to be in the middle of a war. War requires objectivity and not subjectivity. He's far too optimistic for that but slowly we begin to see these layers falling away.

Aside from those two we were introduced to some incredible secondary characters, my favourite being Prince Verex, to whom Kestrel is now betrothed. I'd been very skeptical about the introduction of a prince purely because I did NOT want there to be a love triangle in this series. I was also quite scared he'd be a douchebag, because let's face it, a lot of princes are douchebags. Luckily, he was quite the opposite. He was a very reserved and charming young man who loves animals, and secretly dreams of becoming a doctor.

This is the part of the review in which I'd usually discuss the ending of the novel, however, MY HEART HAS BEEN RIPPED OUT OF MY CHEST AND THROWN ONTO THE FLOOR. I can't. It's too much. That ending was insanity. Though I disliked what happened to the characters, I love the direction this trilogy is heading in and I can't wait to see what unfolds in the next instalment.

I guess it's pretty safe to say that I am infatuated with this trilogy. The Winner's Crime was everything I needed and more. Political intrigue, secrets, deception, blackmail and betrayal lie hidden around every corner of Rutkoski's richly imagined world that I have become so very invested in. The conclusion was incredibly intense and has paved the way for a finale of epic proportions. If you haven't already started this series, I'll tell you this: you're missing out.

5/5 keys to my heart!

Memorable quotes:

“An emotion clamped down on her heart. It squeezed her into a terrible silence. But he said nothing after that, only her name, as if her name were not a name but a question. Or perhaps that it wasn’t how he had said it, and she was wrong, and she’d heard a question simply because the sound of him speaking her name made her wish that she were his answer.”

“Arin hadn’t fallen asleep on the deck of his strangely still ship, yet, it felt as if he’d been dreaming. As if dreams and memories and lies were the same thing.”

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.”

Short 'n Sweet Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

2015-03-07T15:24:00.000+11:00

Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
By Jesse Andrews | Goodreads

Synopsis:
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

If you're looking for a poignant and powerful coming of age story, you're in the wrong place. This is definitely not your typical sick-lit novel. It's not the boy meets girl, girl has cancer, boy and girl fall in love type of story. And thank goodness for that. Cancer is a touchy subject for me, I lost my best friend and grandmother to cancer, so you can imagine why I'm not too fond of the romanticising of a terminal illness. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl had no nonsense when it came to the cancer, in fact, in the broad scope of things there was little mention of said cancer. It was a book that featured cancer, but wasn't entirely about it. There's more to the plot than that. It turned out to be a refreshing and quirky read, with characters that are beautifully genuine. The main character, Greg, had a very reasonable and believable view on cancer and death. As a character himself he's not an overdone high school jock. He's average, a little chubby and awfully socially awkward. There's no insta-love, and he doesn't become popular. And that's okay. These are true adolescent characters, and hilarious ones at that. I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions purely based on the witty banter and ridiculous inner monologue of Greg. I really appreciated the different form of the novel, not just in normal prose but with a few scripts, some bullet points and other fun things. My main issue with the book though was the plot, I felt it lacked a really well defined plot, and especially towards the middle I found myself questioning where it was heading. I felt like overall it was pretty anticlimactic, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was not in any way meaningful, or deep, and I guess it wasn't supposed to be since Greg had said so many times. It was just supposed to be a funny read, something I'd never associated with cancer, but in some weird way.. it worked.

3.5/5 keys to my heart!

THE GIRLY GEEK IS TURNING ONE TODAY! (AND GIVING STUFF AWAY!)

2015-03-01T13:37:00.002+11:00

Once upon a time in a land not too far away, a young bibliophile dreamed of having her very own place to discuss her love of the written word.

One year ago today, she made that dream come true.

On this very day last year, I launched The Girly Geek, a project I'd wanted to pursue for a while, but had only started working on three days prior. I had no idea what I was doing, (I still don't), but what I did know was that I loved books, and sometimes I felt I had nobody to share that love with. I sat at this very same desk, on this very same laptop and penned a post titled 'Why I Love Reading.' After umming and aahing for a fair few hours, I hit the little orange 'publish' button and thus, The Girly Geek was born.

A lot has unfolded in this past year, and while in my personal life there have been many tears, blogging has brought me nothing but smiles and laughter. Reading books, reading posts about books, talking about books and bonding with others about books are some things I'd never imagined would bring me so much joy, but they have. And I couldn't be more thankful.

Though, yes, The Girly Geek hasn't exactly sky-rocketed to success, that was never what I wanted. I wanted this: a place to share my thoughts, my reading, and someday, my writing. I wanted an opportunity to meet (online) new people and make wonderful friends. I got it, and I couldn't be happier. So here's to all of you, readers, writers, and ice-cream eaters, for making this past year pleasant!

To say thank you I thought I'd do a little something special, a giveaway! I know, I know, giveaways aren't all that special, but I've never done one, (It's hard when you're a student and have about $13 dollars to your name), and this seems like the perfect opportunity to give back.

This is open internationally, and the winner will get to select TWO books of their choice from the list below. The list is made up of books that either I've loved in the past year, or books that some of my friends have loved in this past year. I tried to mix it up a little so there are a variety of genres thrown in there.

The books include:

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
All Fall Down by Ally Carter
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
Every Breath by Ellie Marney
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
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The Girly Geek's Guide To: Reading Slumps

2015-02-26T12:34:00.000+11:00

I am currently working my way out of what I can officially say has been the worst reading slump I have ever encountered. Ever. I have read two books thus far into February, and while for some that mightn't seem too sad, it is absolutely heartbreaking for me. This time last year I was reading around ten books per month, and though I wish that was still the case it seems that no matter how hard I try I just can't get into anything.

Up until sometime in the year before last I had never really thought about what it meant to be in a reading slump. I didn't really know that 'reading slumps' were a real thing. But it seems they are, and alike I was a couple of years ago, there are probably some people out there who don't fully understand what reading slumps are. I thought I'd break it down for you in a slightly different and borderline strange way..

The way I see it, as an avid reader, is that reading slumps are like a sickness that come along every few months. Like the common cold, only more frustrating. So I thought I'd approach Reading slumps as if they were a sickness.

What are Reading Slumps?

A Reading Slump is a condition in which an avid reader or bibliophile finds themself incapable of enjoying their normal pace of reading, sticking with a story and/or completing a novel for a seemingly interminable period of time. They are dreadful diseases that plague 1 out of 7 avid readers at any one time. (I totally made this up).

Signs and symptoms

Reading slumps plague even the most voracious of readers and can often last for months at a time, symptoms may even begin to affect one's happiness, motivation and sense of purpose in life.

Common symptoms of a Reading Slump include:

The inability to engage in a new novel
Re-reading the same sentence over and over again
Wanting to read but not being able to carry out the act
An underwhelmed reaction to new releases
Jealousy towards others who are actively reading
A growing TBR pile that remains untouched
Anger aimed toward oneself
A feeling of incompetence
A sense of lost purpose in life
Disinterest in book reviews, hauls, discussions, etc.

The following images are also representations of what one may look like whilst experiencing a slump:

Causes of Reading Slumps

The causes of Reading Slumps remain unknown, but research suggests causes may include tragedies such as:

Bad book hangovers - A good book ruins you

This is easily the most common cause. Sometimes you'll read a book that is so astonishing and to which you connect so thoroughly, that you are bereft upon completing it. It’ll completely take over the inside of your head. You become so consumed with that one book that you cannot imagine you will ever find another book equally as amazing.

A bad book bogs you down

What’ll generally happen is, you'll start a book and it won’t spark a light within you, but you won’t hate it or be quite bored enough to go “this is rubbish” and move on. Problem is, without realizing it, you won’t especially want to read it. So every time you sit down with some free time, you'll automatically glance at the book, you'll think “not in the mood for that,” and then spend some time on Twitter, or watch some YouTube. And thus starts a vicious cycle of "maybe I should do some reading" and "maybe later."

Life

Life, on the whole, is infinitely preferable to the alternative (being death) but despite that, sometimes it feels like the universe just doesn't want you to read. Whether it be work, school, or social commitments, something always manages to prevent you from flipping some pages.

Mood

You current mood has the ability to directly influence your desire to read. A lazy or tired mood can often lead to a lack of motivation and result in a reading slumps.

Diagnosis

If you are an avid reader and have shown two or more symptoms for over four days it is safe to assume you've contracted a case of the dreaded slump.

Treatment and Medication

There are a number of methods available to help relieve symptoms and possibly cure a case of the Reading Slumps. Though there are no proven methods, the following are techniques which many readers recommend:

Read something light: I find that the easiest way to pull myself out of a slump is to read something light, and easy. Nothing too hard-hitting or complex that may cause me confusion. A nice heartfelt contemporary usually does the trick. You may also like to try graphic novels, comics, or poetry.

Revisit a favourite book: Surprisingly, this is a rather popular option. I've never tried it myself but many people have told me that this is how they pull themselves out of a slump. It makes sense though, at least you know the book is great!

Try non-fiction: Some suggest trying some non-fiction as a way to break the slump, instead of looking for a great novel to break the slump, maybe learning something new might help. I think it's rather smart actually, especially if you choose something of interest to you it could work out really well.

Read a favourite genre: Most people will find it easiest to slip into a story of their favourite genre simply because it is something very familiar and comforting to them. Some people prefer to stay within their comfort zone.

Try something short: Short stories, novellas, poetry and short books might work, this way you are not spending too much time in a story and feel like we are making progress. It also means you can get your reading challenge up! Bonus!

Recommendations: In times of need (during reading slumps) you may find it helpful to pick up a book that has been recommended to you. If you're like me and have other reader or blogger friends who are constantly nagging you to pick up one specific title, chances are they have a good reason!

Take a break: Though as an avid reader you may feel obligated to be constantly reading, it is important to remember that it is OKAY to take a break.

Put all books on hold and just read whatever looks appealing: Read whatever the heck you want to read. It's your life! If you're not in the mood for something, don't read it. It's as simple as that.

What are your experiences with reading slumps? Do you have any good recommendations for ways to get out of one? Let me know. Also, was this post absolutely absurd? I thought it was fun writing it, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. Although please feel free to let me know if it was weird. I am all for constructive criticism!