My Favourite Books of 2019

Happy New Year's Eve, lovely readers! It's that time of year where - you guessed it - I get to tell you about my absolute favourite books of the year.

Three Middle Grade Fantasy Novels to Warm Your Heart This Winter

Christmas is just around the corner, and that means it's time to make yourself cosy with a wonderous Fantasy novel. I have found myself reading many Middle-Grade Fantasies as of late, and there are three in particular that I have found them utterly charming. So get your hot chocolate and bundle up nice and warm, because I have some Middle-Grade mini-reviews for you - of books that are magical no matter your age.

Latest Love // The Penumbra Podcast

If you've been around this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a bit of a podcast addict, especially when it comes to audio dramas. Heck, last month I even attended 'London Podcast Festival Presents: Audio Drama' where I had the pleasure of seeing a few of them performed live. I love the medium of audio storytelling - and have already spoken about my immense love for my three favourite podcasts here on the blog: The Bright Sessions, Welcome to Night Vale, and The Adventure Zone. Well, over the last few months, that favourites list has expanded to four, and it is that fourth newest podcast discovery that I want to talk about today.

Sadie // an analysis of our cultural obsession with dead girls

Sadie is a devastating masterpiece. I have read it twice this year alone, and both times left me tearful and hoping desperately that there was more. It wasn't just the story that gripped me - it was the uncomfortable messages that came with it that made this a book I cannot stop thinking about.

Rose Quartz Reads Returns | 10/12/2019

Expect weekly posts, starting on Tuesday 10th December 2019...

The OsemanVerse Book Tag

Alice Oseman is one of my absolute favourite authors. Her books mean the world to me and I could relate to them in a way that I couldn't with most other contemporary novels before. So when I saw Alice share a book tag created by Layla at Readable Life, I knew I had to participate! If you want to do the book tag too, remember to link back to the original post. With that, let's begin!

Book Titles That Stand Out From The Crowd

If you're anything like me, you get confused by book titles very easily. I'm pretty good at remembering the names of books I've read, but if I haven't read them and don't own them, the chances of me messing up the book with one that has a very similar title are very high. So when a book title breaks the mould, it definitely stands out in my mind.

Harley in the Sky Book Tag

To celebrate the upcoming release of Harley in the Sky on March 2020, several members of the book's Street Team have created tags and challenges for everyone to take part in! The first is a book tag hosted by Emma Novella, who has created six prompts inspired by Harley in the Sky. She is also doing an international giveaway for both a preorder of the book and the limited edition art cards of the characters! You can learn more about the competition by watching her video here. Thank you Emma for creating the tag, and without further ado, let's begin!

Quarterly Wrap-Up // July-September 2019

Happy October, bookworms! The past three months have been interesting. It feels like lots of time has passed but also no time at all. Thankfully I have had good friends and good books to keep me company, and I'm finally starting to find somewhat of a daily routine now that I have finished university.

SLAY // empowering, insightful, and essential

SLAY is a brilliant and insightful book - so much so that it is difficult to believe it is a debut. I'm not very big on gaming, which is at the heart of Keira's story (my knowledge is dated and limited to Mario Kart and a cursory knowledge of Pokemon), but it didn't matter, because Morris' tech-loving novel completely sucked me in.

Turtles All The Way Down // honest, emotional & powerful

Turtles All the Way Down is a book that is honest, emotional and powerful, and I loved every second of reading it.

Wonderful Books I Want to Read this Autumn

Hello lovely readers! I hope you're having a pleasant season wherever you are in the world. Here in the UK, it's Autumn - which means I can finally drink hot chocolate in peace without judgement 😇. Plus cosy jumpers and toasty colour schemes! What's not to love? *Answer: the cold. The cold is my enemy. Also the sun. England needs to make up its mind (on several things, it seems).

The Lover Book Tag

If you know anything about me, you'd know that I adore Taylor Swift. I first fell in love with her music when I listened to Speak Now on repeat in 2011 and was fully whisked away when I saw her on the Red tour in 2014. I've never been to a concert where the artist displayed such glamour and showmanship, all while providing gorgeous vocals throughout. If I wasn't obsessed before, that concert definitely changed that.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay // a stunning exploration of family, culture, and mental illness

Darius the Great Is Not Okay has healed the deepest parts of my soul. I've never cried writing a review before, but this beautiful book changed me, and I am so, so grateful to it.

Defy Me // a rambly spoilery review (spoilers tagged!)

Everyone knows how obsessed I am with the Shatter Me books, so it hurts me to say that Defy Me was definitely the weakest in the series thus far. Saying this, I'm not writing this series off! The second half seriously redeemed the whole novel for me, and I'm still eagerly anticipating the finale.

10 Reasons Why Fantasy is my Favourite Genre

It's no secret that Fantasy is my favourite genre. Over the past few years, my reading tastes have grown to appreciate other genres, but in the end, I always return to Fantasy. Those are the books that have the blurbs and covers that always immediately grab me. Even if an aspect of the book falls short, there is almost always something redeeming about most Fantasy novels for me, whether it be the well-crafted world, unique concept, dynamic characters, or exquisite writing.

But what is it that draws us to Fantasy narratives? In this post, I will be listing just some of the things that draw me to this magical genre.

Bookshelf Tour!

Last year I bought a new Ikea Billy bookshelf, but it only recently came to my attention that I never shared any photos since I built it. So I decided that now was the perfect time to do a bookshelf tour and reveal all of my shelf organisation secrets.

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2019

We are officially 7 months into 2019 and I do not know where my time went. Actually, I do - it went towards my dissertation, but now that I have finished university that feels like a lifetime ago. As a result, I have tried to lower the pressure of my reading goals this year and maintain my Goodreads Challenge by reading MANY graphic novels, which are short and I can get through in a day. Now that it's summer though, I have more time to read, and I'm hoping to get through a decent stack of books before the year is out.

Latest Love // My 3 Favourite Anime

Latest Love is a series of posts where I talk about a recent obsession. This could be a bookish obsession or otherwise - anything that has been making me happy recently that I feel like sharing. The important thing about this feature is that it isn't a review. This is just a way of me expressing a few reasons why I like something, and maybe find some more people to talk about it with. 😊

Quarterly Wrap-Up // April-June 2019

I hope everyone had a lovely pride month and that your summer is off to a positive start! 🌈🌞 The last few months have seen me slowly become more active on the blog now that I have finished university. I'm hoping to keep it that way for the rest of 2019, as well as bringing my focus back to my creative endeavours and pursuing my career goals. It's slightly nerve-racking to think of, but exciting too!

Heartstopper Volume 1 // unbelievably sweet and pure

Heartstopper is the purest and softest thing you will ever read. I binge read the whole series online a couple of years ago and I've been following the updates ever since, but revisiting it in physical form gave me an even greater appreciation for Oseman's art and storytelling.

Mini Reviews // The Boy Who Steals Houses + Proud + Summer Bird Blue + King of Fools + If I Was Your Girl

Time for some more mini reviews! This post was edited on 21/06/2019 to include an additional two reviews for a couple more excellent books that I read in the time since this was originally posted. These are all lovely contemporaries, with the added bonus of King of Fools, a fantasy novel and one of my most anticipated sequels of the year 💙

Latest Love // The Adventure Zone

Latest Love is a series of posts where I talk about a recent obsession. This could be a bookish obsession or otherwise - anything that has been making me happy recently that I feel like sharing. The important thing about this feature is that it isn't a review. This is just a way of me expressing a few reasons why I like something, and maybe find some more people to talk about it with. 😊

Cover Reveal for Akemi Dawn Bowman's Harley in the Sky!

Akemi Dawn Bowman writes utterly gorgeous books. A few years ago I would have told you that I was not fond of contemporary YA, but that was because I had yet to encounter books of that genre that felt real to me. Bowman's books feel real. 

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing // a truly remarkable tale

WOAH. If I could give this book a one-word review that would be it. Unfortunately for you, I have A LOT more to say, because An Absolutely Remarkable Thing put my brain through the wringer and I'm not quite sure how to recover.

Latest Love // Welcome to Night Vale

Latest Love is a series of posts where I talk about a recent obsession. This could be a bookish obsession or otherwise - anything that has been making me happy recently that I feel like sharing. The important thing about this feature is that it isn't a review. This is just a way of me expressing a few reasons why I like something, and maybe find some more people to talk about it with. 😊

Things That Make Me Pick Up a Book

I am super picky when it comes to choosing books. There are so many and I'm scared I don't have the time for them all! I want to prioritise the ones I think I'll love, and I think setting myself a yearly book buying limit has really shaped the way I approach books.

Quarterly Wrap-Up // January-March 2019

I'm back! It's been a stressful few months, but I'm finally free of my dissertation! I hope you have all had a positive 2019 so far, and hopefully you will see me being more active on here in the coming months now that my life is no longer entirely consumed by one project.

Blog Plans for 2019

At the time I am writing this post, I am feeling super motivated to tackle 2019 and everything that comes with it. I always struggle through the winter season (I think my body was designed to hibernate), but when January comes about all the 'fresh start' talk manages to get through to me and I am buzzing to do things.

My 2018 in Books

Happy 2019, everyone! I hope the new year brings you great things and that you manage to get a step closer to your goals, whether they be big or small.