January reading round-up!

Here's an overview of all of the books, YA or otherwise, that I read this month! I've had to put my kindle of the read pile to signify the book I read on there, which I obviously have no physical copy of. Also, this will be my last daily post as I go back to university next week. But I'm aiming to post once or twice a week :)

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket - the first instalment in the A Series of Unfortunate Events collection, tells the story of how the three Baudelaire children became the Baudelaire orphans, and the downward trajectory their lives take from there on. 4 out of 5 stars

Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding - the true story of a Jew who escaped Germany, and went to England and fought against the Jews. After the war, he became determined to find the Kommandant responsible for the Final Solution that killed so many of his people. 5 out of 5 stars

Annexed by Sharon Dogar - based on The Diary of Anne Frank, this is written from Peter's perspective, imagining how he was feeling in the Annexe, and how he felt about Anne. As it is fictional, it goes further to imagine how Peter would have been feeling after Anne's diary ended. 4 out of 5 stars

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (kindle) - this first instalment in The White Rabbit Chronicles, tells the story of Alice, who loses her parents and sister in a car accident, and finally realises that her 'mas' father was right... Zombies do exist. 4 out of 5 stars

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle - this is the first book of the Blood for Blood series, and also Cat's debut. Sophie's father is imprisoned for murder, and five mysterious boys move into town. There is something about them, and Sophie gets close to one of them, Nic, despite her father telling her to stay away. Romeo and Juliet for the 21st century reader! 5 out of 5 stars

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - David has always wanted to be a girl, but he can't tell his parents. Leo is the new boy at school, who just wants to keep out of trouble for his last year. But what will happen if he makes friends with 'Freak Show'? 5 out of 5 stars

The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz by Denis Avey's with Rob Broomby - the true story of a British POW that traded places with a Jew, in order to see how different their experiences of Auschwitz actually were. 4 out of 5 stars

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Violet is mourning her sister's death, feeling guilty to have survived the same accident that killed her. Finch wants to die, and is always thinking of ways to kill himself. Finch saves Violet's life, but can she save his? 4 out of 5 stars

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - Caymen is poor, and lives above her mother's doll store. Xander is rich, and doesn't want to inherit the family hotel business. But money aside, they're perfect for each other. What could possibly go wrong? 5 out of 5 stars

So there's the nine books I read this month, I'm currently ahead of schedule on my goodreads challenge of a hundred books in 2015. Here's hoping for a book-filled February, too!

P.s. I'm not sure how much I can say about it yet, so I'll keep it brief, but I also read the manuscript of a book my auntie has just written, Heart of Glass, and it was amazing. I will definitely post a review and give it 5 stars when I know a publication date, so that I can start the hype! Totally not being biased by the way. Follow her on Twitter: blondiecamps :)

Cruel Summer - James Dawson

I simply had to review this, as its one of the best books I've ever read.

It sounds weird, but this book reminded me of An Inspector Calls, a book I had to read for my English Literature GCSE. Anyone can contribute to causing someone's suicide, even if they don't realise it themselves. And Janey's suicide left a mark on all of them in return, and effectively ruined the friendship they all once shared. 

There are many things I love about this book; the diversity of the characters, the screenplay or tv drama structure with the suspense looming, and it's mystery cliffhangers at the end of chapters. It felt like there should be an interval or advert break in there somewhere, I felt weird not taking a break from the book when something chilling happened! Finally, I loved that each character had their own side of the story to tell. I've said before that I love novels told from multiple perspectives, and this book is a shining example. I like knowing how each character feels, especially when it's intended to have come from them. The reader glimpses into each character's life as opposed to Ryan telling the whole story by himself. This worked really well, as I allowed secrets to be revealed that Ryan couldn't have possibly known, which made the story more realistic and engaging. 

James certainly knows how to keep his readers guessing, and I was hooked from start to finish, even as my heart was breaking towards the end.

Verdict: 5/5 :D

The Distance Between Us - Kasie West

Say hello to one of my new favourite books!

Caymen works in her mom's porcelain doll shop, which is close to going under, and lives above the shop. She doesn't know her father or any of her grandparents. It's just Caymen and her mom.

Caymen's best friend, Skye, works in the shop next door, and is the daughter of a funeral director. She's fun, and dates a guitarist from a band called the Crusty Toads...and wants to set Caymen up with their vocalist.

But then she meets Xander, the rich heir to a hotel empire. They bond over their mutual dislike of one day taking over 'the family business,' no matter how different they both are.

Caymen and Xander are such lovable characters, that I became so invested in their story that I was crying by the end. Although it would have been impossible, I wish Sean had been in the book for longer, because all it took for him to become my favourite character in this book was his first line of dialogue. The sarcasm in this book was top notch!

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if they loved the film 'A Cinderella Story,' which happens to be one of my favourite films! :) 

Kasie West is definitely one to watch. Her writing style is similar to Jennifer E. Smith's, who I also love.

Verdict: 5/5 :D

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl became my favourite book of all time the moment I put it down.

Fangirl tells the story of Cath, an introverted university student who writes fanfiction, sometimes alone, and sometimes with her twin sister, Wren. They were inseparable, until they went to university and Wren wanted different things. Cath rooms with Reagan, and through her, she meets Levi. While writing fanfiction is easy, writing assignments you don't care for isn't as easy.

I really connected with Cath, both as a fellow fangirl and a fellow university student. The book brought back to me how I was feeling when I lived in university accommodation; The only different in our experiences being what while Cath threw herself into writing fan fiction in order to cope with her anxiety, I simply threw myself into reading and sleeping. I really struggled to concentrate on things I simply had no care for, and wished I'd chosen another path for myself. Rainbow assured me I wasn't alone in feeling this way, by giving me Cath.

We are alike in other ways, too. The way she helps Levi with his issues with exams is something I have done for my own friends, and the way in which she made friends with those near to her is something I can relate to. Neither of us actively went out in search of friendship, as the comfort of one's own room is too safe to resist.

I particularly loved the extracts of the Simon Snow books, and Cath's fan fiction of them. It made the story much more real to see what Cath was actually doing, rather than imagining what her writing would have been like. I'm so excited that Rainbow is actually writing a Simon Snow book because of the success of Fangirl!

I love how this story is essentially Cath learning to b herself outside of being a twin, while all the time not forgetting what is important to her: family. Her family are so wonderful, and so well-written, that I love them myself.

Verdict: 5/5 <3

All the Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

This is the beautiful story of love, loss and learning how to live again.

When Violet Markey's sister, Eleanor, dies in a car accident, she feels guilty having survived. She goes to the school's bell tower, and... meets a boy.

Theodore Finch wants to die; he spends all his time thinking about and researching ways to kill himself. Even falling in love with Violet doesn't make him want to take his own life any less.

This creates a problem. Theo saved Violet's life, but can she save his?

This book is very important for teaching people the randomness of mental illness and thoughts of suicide. They can attack anyone; the popular or the bullied. I really enjoyed this book and would be interested in finding stories like it. 

Verdict: 4/5

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

PI had been looking forward to reading this book for a while, as I'd read so many positive reviews for it, and had it recommended in my local waterstones. Usually, this would set my expectations too high, but I went into this book with an open mind, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

David has always felt that he should have been born a girl, and because of this everyone who doesn't know this about him assumes that he's gay. This includes his parents and the school bullies. He has been dying to tell his parents for a long time, but can't bring himself to tell them in case they react badly. David is the first perspective this book is told from.

The other perspective is of the new kid at school, Leo Denton. All he wants is to survive his last year of high school without being noticed, but ends up falling for a popular girl in his class, getting him unwanted attention. 

I love books that are told from multiple perspectives, and this book does it brilliantly. It also deals with sensitive subjects, such as transgender issues and bullying, in such a way that you feel like you are going through it yourself reading it. I really connected with the characters, and LGBT or otherwise, I think anyone would enjoy this book. 

It really stresses the fact that not everyone is happy with who they are born as, and everyone is different in some way, and the sooner people understand that, the better the world will be. As a cisgender straight girl (props to James Dawson's 'This Book Is Gay' for teaching me the appropriate terminology!), I've never experienced anything that David goes through, but I would never discriminate against a person like him, because it's not his fault he wasn't born in the right body. But there are many people that don't understand this, and this is why we need diverse books, so that those people will begin to realise what transgender people go through.

I absolutely adored this book, and I can't wait to see what else Lisa writes.

Verdict: 5/5 :D

Vendetta - Catherine Doyle

As my first review on this blog, I thought I would review my favourite new release of January 2015, and that is Vendetta by Catherine Doyle! :) 

I gave this book 5 stars on goodreads, but had I been able to go past that I would have given it a perfect 10. I absolutely adored the book, and I already consider it one of all-time and 2015 favourites. I had been looking forward to read this book for so long, pre-ordering it and being delighted when it came early. Not only was it worth the wait, but it also didn't disappoint me in the slightest.

Vendetta tells the story of Sophie, a waitress who lives in Chicago with her mom, and has one friend, Millie, the only person who didn't abandon her when her father went to prison for murder. The mystery of the Priestley house in her neighbourhood consumes her thoughts, as soon as five boys suddenly move into the long abandoned home. 

The book reads exactly like a movie, with loads of twists and turns, and I could see the scenes in my mind. I really hope it gets picked up for a movie adaptation, Cat deserves all the recognition she gets from this book! The book was so easy to read and I really struggled to put it down. All the characters were so brilliantly described that I felt as though I knew them personally, and I can't wait for the next instalment in the series to see what happens!

Verdict: 5/5 :D

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