November Wrap-Up & December TBR

I actually only read one book in November and that's deppressing. I've been so busy with school I've had no time for reading at all. I won't reach my Goodreads goal but oh well. 

1- Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (4/5)
I really wanna write a full review on this book but I know I probably won't have time 😢
I absolutely loved the characters. I really needed a supernatural book to read during Halloween, and although this wasn't a scary read, it was just what I wanted. I've been obsessed with werewolves for the past few years and the pack of wolves in this book is probably my favourite. I love how there are many different supernatural creatures (and some of them are quite unusual) and it was super interesting and entertaining to read about. I really recommend this book if it's the kind of read you're into. 

DECEMBER TBR

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

HP always feels like a Winter read. So I decided to reread the first one then keep going with the whole series. 



 When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him that apparently he's the last to know. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Leaving his unsympathetic aunt and uncle for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry stumbles upon a sinister mystery when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers, which could be valuable, dangerous – or both. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

A Christmas Carol

I got a beautiful illustrated version and I can't wait to read it!



 A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.








Well, hopefully I'll read another book before the year is over. But it's okay if not. It's not about how many I've read, but about how many I've loved. 

Merry Christmas everyone ❤️

October Wrap-Up and November TBR

If there's one thing you can count on, is that I'll always post my Wrap-Ups and TBRs. Here we are again, another month has passed and I only read two books this month, which is okay I guess... Here they are:

1- The Glass Castle (4.5/5)
     I loved this book. It made me happy and sad just like the movie did. I cried and had very strong feelings about the characters, particularly since they are actual real people. I don't usually autobiographies, but this one is so good and I really recommend it. I recommend the movie too. It is fantastic. 

2- The Death Cure (3.5/5)
     Finally read the third book in the Maze Runner series. Since the movie is coming out soon, I just had too. I definitely enjoyed this one more than the Scorch Trials. But it still wasn't as good as The Maze Runner... It was an interesting ending, but not really what I wanted. Also no spoilers, but if you've read the book you know there's a part that I really hate and that I wish hadn't happened. But I was spoiled for it so I wasn't really surprised when it happened...

NOVEMBER TBR

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

I know I know, the title is kinda weird... But I really wanted to read a Halloweeny book and this ebook was free on Amazon and it really got my attention. I am halfway through it and I low key am loving it. The characters are great and there are werewolves and I love werewolves packs so much. 

17 year old Ember Denning has made an art of isolating herself. She prefers the dead. She spends her days skipping school in old cemeteries and her nights hiding from her alcoholic father at the funeral home where she works. When her own father dies, Ember learns her whole life is a lie. Standing in the cemetery that’s been her sanctuary, she’s threatened by the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen and rescued by two people who claim to be her family. They say she’s special, that she has a supernatural gift like them…they just don’t know exactly what it is. 

They take her to a small Florida town, where Ember’s life takes a turn for the weird. She’s living with her reaper cousins, an orphaned werewolf pack, a faery and a human genius. Ember’s powers are growing stronger, morphing into something bigger than anything anybody anticipated. Ember has questions but nobody has answers. Nobody knows what she is. They only know her mysterious magical gift is trying to kill them and that beautiful dangerous boy from the cemetery may be the only thing standing between her and death. 

As Ember’s talents are revealed so are the secrets her father hid and those in power who would seek to destroy her. What’s worse, saving Ember has put her cousins in danger and turned her friend’s lives upside down. Ember must learn to embrace her magic or risk losing the family she’s pieced together.

I'm definitely reading at least another books this month, but I have no idea which one yet. I'm gonna see what I'll feel like reading after finishing this one...

Book Review: A Bollywood Affair

Mili Rathod hasn’t seen her husband in twenty years—not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be—if her husband would just come and claim her. 

Bollywood’s favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naïve village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir’s tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she’s trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili’s life—cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate’s elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.

Rating: ★★★★

      Last year I went to a Writing Conference, where I met authors and got some books signed. One of these books was A Bollywood Affair, by Sonali Dev. I know. It's been a year and only now you read the book?? Well, as you know, I own quite a lot of books that I haven't read yet. This one, unfortunately, was not on top of the list. But then, last month I was really craving a romance novel, so I picked this one up. 

     A Bollywood Affair is about Mili, a young woman from a small village in India, who travels to the US to go to university and ultimately be a better-educated wife for the husband she only met once, on their wedding day, when she was merely a kid. Despite him never coming to get her, she still hopes to one day be with him, her one true love, or so she thinks. Samir is not Mili's husband. He's completely different from her. But once they meet, both their worlds change. And what they thought they wanted might not stay the same. 

     Not gonna lie, I love romance novels. I can't stay away from the prospect of happy endings and true love. This book did not disappoint. It was adorable, and the characters were so great! I've always been fascinated with the religions and cultures of India, but I never really knew much about it. Reading it in this book was so interesting and I'm so excited to learn more by reading Sonali's other books. 

       There were so many ups and downs, and the characters, particularly Mili, felt so real. I could really relate to her in some aspects, and she was definitely my favourite character. Samir was great as well. (For some reason he really reminded me of Rafael, from the show Jane the Virgin). He was the typical dreamy guy, but was still flawed and had interesting qualities. Although the story was focused on the two, the rest of the characters, like Samir's family and Mili's friend, made the story even more fun to read. I couldn't stop reading the book because reading about Mili and Samir's story kept me craving for more.

        Since I read the book last month, and have read two books since then, I can't really remember as much detail as I would like. So I don't know what criticism I had about it. Although I love romance novels, I know that I definitely need some variety of genres, because if you read many in a row, it's easy to get sick of them. Since, although the stories are different, they are all very similarly constructed. 

       Anyways, I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a story with more diverse characters, and obviously if you like romance. I really enjoyed Sonali Dev's writing and can't wait to pick up her other books.
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September Wrap Up & October TBR

 

        I'm a little late, but to be honest, uni has been keeping me so busy I didn't even realize it was October and that I hadn't posted this yet until today. Unfortunately, I had to change my Reading Goal on Goodreads from 50 to 40 books. I'm upset but it is what it is. I literally have almost no free time anymore so I've been reading fewer books than usual.

1- As You Wish (3/5)
Check out my review of As You Wish by clicking here.

2- A Bollywood Affair (4/5)
I'm planning on writing a review for this one soon!


OCTOBER TBR

The Glass Castle
     Saw the movie recently and loved it. A family friend lent me the book and I'm already halfway through it. Might do a book + movie review once I'm done.

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever. 

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. 

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. 

The Death Cure
    The trailer came out and I've been putting off reading this book for far too long. Let's just say I got spoiled (if you've read the book, you know which spoiler I'm talking about) for something I really wish didn't happen. But oh well, here I go.

It’s the end of the line.

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

Will anyone survive?

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

The truth will be terrifying.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over. 

Kinda wanted to read something Halloween like since it's almost upon us but I don't know what. If you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments below!
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