September Wrap Up // LGBTQIA Reads (and rereads!)

This month I tried to add some books to the reading challenges I have been participating in this year, one of which is to read more LGBTQIA books. I didn't read quite as much as I hoped, but I think that's to be expected now that the academic year has begun anew.

Pantomime by Laura Lam // a splendidly rare gem of a book

Title: Pantomime (Micah Grey #1)
Author: Laura Lam
Genre: Fantasy
Warnings: Domestic abuse, rape, murder
Rating: 4 stars
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I normally rest my faith in book hype. Although hype can betray us, I often find books are hyped for a reason. But sometimes you find a wonderful gem of a book hiding under the radar and it makes you think - "why is no one talking about this?!"

Pantomime is that splendidly rare gem of a book.

My Autumn TBR

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Above are the 7 books I own that have yet to be read. I have decided to make it my mission to read at least half of these this Autumn, which will be a challenge since I now have a bunch of books I also need to be reading for school.

The Problems of Interpreting Fiction Differently

Maggie Stiefvater shared this article on her twitter a while ago and it got me thinking about our freedom to interpret fiction.

The Foxhole Court // a book with undelivered potential in both its characters and its story

Title: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1)
Author: Nora Sakavic
Genre: Contemporary
Warnings: violence, murder, drugs, alcohol
Rating: 1 stars
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The Foxhole Court is about a bunch of troubled kids from messed up backgrounds finding escape through sport. And there's something about that idea that's hard not to love - 10 people at odds in every way slowly forming a bond over something they care about.

But it turns out the execution didn't quite work for me.

8 Artists I Would Happily Listen to Forever

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week is a not-so-bookish theme and is all about audio. As I've already shared my favourite podcasts in the past and I don't listen to audiobooks frequently, I thought I would share my all time favourite artists with you!

More Than This // One Crazy Messed Up Existential Book (but kind of in a good way)

Title: More Than This
Author: Patrick Ness
Genre: Sci-Fi
Warnings: death, suicide, child abuse, life after death
Rating: 4 stars
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I have a very specific list of existential anxieties and More Than This checks off all of the boxes. This is one crazy messed up book and had me freaking out on countless occassions - so much so I had to put it down for a day before I could bring myself to read it again.

Contemporary Fiction - Favourite Books of my Least Favourite Genre

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish.
Contemporaries rarely appeal to me, but when I think about it there are a few excellent ones that come to mind. So I thought I would make this week's topic of 'All Time Favourite Books of X Genre' a little more interesting but focusing on my least favourite genre.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe // Lyrical and Genuine

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz
Genre: contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
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This is my second time reading Aristotle and Dante, but it felt like I was reading it for the first time all over again.

The story is about two boys coming to terms with growing up, learning about their families and their heritage, and understanding that people can show love in different ways.

A Monster Calls // the most raw and beautiful thing I've ever read

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Genre: Fantasy
Warnings: topic of death
Rating: 5 stars

A Monster Calls is the most raw and beautiful thing I've ever read. 

When I started reading this I had no idea of the impact it would have on me, yet somehow in the next 200 pages Ness managed to reel me in with the writing that I saw before in his Chaos Walking trilogy - the kind that says so much in hardly any words at all.

My Top Favourite Action/Drama TV Shows

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Next to books, I'm a bit of a TV fanatic. There are so many good shows out there, some of which don't get the attention they deserve, and some of my favourites are in the action and drama genres. Here are my top Action/Drama TV shows (starting with my absolute favourites).

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer // the magic has gone

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Warnings: disease, death
Rating: 2 stars
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The novelty of this series has worn off. And it's sad, because only days ago I was gushing about how fun Cinder was.

Scarlet jumped around with locations a lot and it didn't flow at all. It all felt rigid - which was largely due to the undynamic writing style.

August Wrap Up // a month of alternative histories, Sci-Fis and ARCs

As you can see from above, I went to Disneyland Paris this month! As with every good holiday, it consisted of countless book pictures and endless reading.