O.W.Ls Resit June 2019

Hey Guys,

How are you all doing?

I’m sure if you have been around the BookTube or BookBlog hemisphere recently you might’ve heard of the latest readathon… O.W.L.s Magical Readathon; basically every book nerds dream exam. 

O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations) were created by BookTuber ‘G’ or Book Roast – she created the career booklet from scratch and it is beautiful; if for nothing else give her some love for the amount of detail she provided in it!

 I am resitting my O.W.L.s in June because I missed the first half in April – I’m just glad that Professor McGonagall has granted me the resit!

The O.W.L.s take place over thirty days and in that time you must read as much as you can – this is were the careers come into play.

You can just read the books and get your exam results but having a career goal like ‘Auror’ and try and achieve their exam requirements make the experience that much better. I chose to try for ‘Auror’ and ‘Ministry of Magic’ so I need;

• Charms
• Defense Against The Dark Arts
• History of Magic
• Potions
• Transfiguration
• Herbology

If I achieve these by June 30th I'll have enough to get a career in the Ministry (jumping ahead assuming I would do brilliantly at N.E.W.T.s). The scoring is broken down like so;

2+ books read gives you an Acceptable
6+ books read gives you an Exceeds Expectations
9+ books read give you an Outstanding

Obviously I would like to get an outstanding but I am working two jobs, my time is a little limited… N.E.W.Ts are something entirely different which is why they are done generally through the summer holiday – O.W.L.s is 12 books, N.E.W.T.s is 36!

 This is my TBR!

• Ancient Ruins = Retelling Circe by Madeline Miller 

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

• Arithmancy = Work written by more than one author Autoboyography by Cristina Lauren

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah. But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity. It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

• Astronomy = “Star” in the Title The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us. The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

• Care of Magical Creatures = Land animal on the cover Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite—and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.
As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.
Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

• Charms = Age-Line: Read an adult work The Great Divorse by C.S. Lewis 

In "The Great Divorce, " C.S. Lewis's classic vision of the Afterworld, the narrator boards a bus on a drizzly English afternoon and embarks on an incredible voyage through Heaven and Hell. He meets a host of supernatural beings far removed from his expectations and comes to some significant realizations about the nature of good and evil.

•  Defence Against the Dark Arts (DATDA) = Reducto: Title starts with an ‘R’ The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater 

An unlikely group stumbles across ancient magic in Virginia: Blue, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, who has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. Gansey, who seeks the Welsh magic he believes saved his life. Adam, who searches for a way out of the circumstances he was born into. Ronan, who seeks to recover the magic of his childhood.

• Divination = Set in the future The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

• Herbology = Plant on the cover Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

 A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

• History of Magic = Published at least ten years ago Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

An all-female society is discovered somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth by three male explorers who are now forced to re-examine their assumptions about women's roles in society.

• Muggle Studies = Contemporary To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

The story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all

• Potions = Next Ingredient: Sequel See Below

• Transfiguration = Sprayed edges or red cover Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare 

SPOILERS TO THE DARK ARTIFICES SERIES 

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the disease that is destroying the race of warlocks. Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

• Potions = Next Ingredient: Sequel

Titles that could be read depending on the first novel

• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater 

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her long-time friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fuelled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

• Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends. Life couldn’t be more perfect! At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks . . . until she gets some unexpected news. Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

• Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.


This is my O.W.L.s TBR! I did chose the books that I like the sound of and I think I can read quickly through; we will see how I’ll do. If you would like to join along with me don’t forget to follow me on social media!

 (Question: Should I vlog it? Let me know!)

Instagram: @makemeshakespeare

Twitter @MakeMeJessica


Jess x

Circe by Madeline Miller: Is The Hype Justified?

Circe is born of New York Times Best Seller, Author of Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller. Until recently Miller has been an unknown author to me, as I am generally a YA novel reader and Circe has a permanent home in the adult fiction where I briefly wander through.

It is safe to say that Circe has caught my eye since its release in April 2018. I couldn’t bring myself to purchase the hardback of a novel and author I hadn’t heard of so when it was released in paperback, I hadn’t hesitated in buying and reading almost immediately.

I first picked up Circe to read as a part of my April O.W.Ls and used the excuse of exams to procrastinate my work load in order to get through a big chunk o the book! I had tracked my reading time with the Bookly App and the handy thing about the Bookly is that the more time you spend reading it estimates how much longer you have till you finish, quite handy if I do say so myself... According to Bookly I had read Circe in just over five hours.

Like most of my TBR I do little to no research on the subject and Circe is very much centered around Greek Mythology; my own knowledge being based on Primary School lessons and reading Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief… To some that may have been setting myself up to fail, but I do like to give myself a challenge.

I swiftly discovered that Circe wouldn’t be a novel that I struggle through due to my lack of knowledge. Although I didn’t know who the godlike families were or who the named people were (or even how to pronounce them) Miller’s focus wasn’t on anyone that didn’t stick around throughout the story; for those that did, they were etched into the grounds that Circe walked for the rest of her story.

The story in general is retelling of the life of Circe, Witch of Aiaia, the story being almost like a diary for Circe to vent through. Miller’s novel was unique to me, that being because the novel began with no introduction from the adult but just her story from birth — a catch-up if you will, there was no reason to big up the story before it had begun, to Circe it was just a matter of fact.

I find Circe’s story to be a mix of obscurity and realism, I can’t say I relate to Circe having a father that glows golden like the sun like Helios but I do recognise the need to make someone proud, regardless of my own personal morals; I level with Circe at that. Besides the obscurity of the people, Miller’s writing has managed to break down the divinity of these Greek Gods and Goddess’; Athena has lost her power over man but instead being jealous, Hermes the messenger God turned spiteful juvenile with his words. These ordinary ‘God’ alongside the story of Scylla and the battle of troy are turned into your morning coffee read.

Circe isn’t just another story of the Gods and Titans. It’s a story of a woman trying to gain favor, of a woman wanting to be included and loved for what she is worth. Circe is the Greek fighter for women, the goddess who wants no praise and a woman not scared of fighting for who or what she wants.

There is real merit to Miller for her writing. It is seamless and inclusive written in active voice but regardless of the technicalities I can point out; Miller achieved retelling Circe’s story as if it was written for her descendants. She wrote Circe out of Olympus, told her story because must be heard. In a modern world where our fears of war, of isolation and worse can be leveled and appreciated within her work. Circe wasn’t just a banished Goddess, feared by Zeus. She was a woman who instead of hiding from her fear and becoming her isolation, she welcomed them in. Brought those fears into her safe space, fooled them and overcame them. But above all, when Circe lost hope for herself, it was at a point where Miller wouldn’t let her audience do the same; from the very beginning you would be fighting Circe’s course without truly knowing it and when Circe finds hope the book ends. All you have left is your imagination of the life she had, the adventures, the relationships, her family.

Circe by Madeline Miller is a thrilling, inspiring novel of the Greek Goddess turned Sorceress. A read so enticing that you forget where the time goes; A credit, more than just a credit, is due to Miller for her fantastic writing and story-telling — a truly magical read for all, no matter your prior knowledge.

If you give Circe a read, or have read it in the past, let me know your opinions!

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I Train Like Emma Carstairs For A Year | January 2019

Has anybody else struggled to even start their New Year’s resolutions?

I did for sure. I even posted mine on the blog and then failed to start it until January 17th. 

I have hit some hurdles. The first being that the Krav Maga lessons that I had seen for women only had actually been stopped due to lack of interest. I'm looking for a new class if anyone knows anywhere in the Liverpool area; if not I have one lined up for when I move in August. 

So how has the challenge been since I started?

I took up running again. It's been hard getting up at 5am Monday, Wednesday and Friday but after each run, I'm cold but I am also feeling so light and ready for the day that I understand why so many characters that are athletic take it up as therapy. 

My friend Hannah and I took up the challenge to run a 5k in 9 weeks back in 2018, after hitting a snag where we discovered that Hannah didn't warm up or cool down; we took a month-long break. I want to put the emphasis here, if you go from not doing no exercise to quite high intensity, get a check-up from your doctor and please (PLEASE!) don't leave out the warm up or cool down. You will experience what Hannah did and that is pulling a muscle, which can lead to tearing the muscle - neither are ideal. Hannah didn't pull the muscle, but she was experiencing pain every time her foot hit the pavement and I put a halt on our running. It is vital to prepare your body!

We were using the NHS app for beginners for running. I had some background experience with running as I had attended dance lessons and Paul made us RUN! What the NHS app 'Couch to 5K' is, is a nine-week course to get you from running 10 seconds to 30 minutes in just nine weeks; you can take it as allow or as fast as you want, and you can be coached by the selection of narrators on the app. I chose Sarah Millican for this time as when I'm running my sarcastic commentary is full throttle. 

This is our running schedule;

- Monday, 6:30am: We run 5 kilometres around our nearest high street until 7:30 where if we have time we will go and grab a hot chocolate (the best of the selection I promise.) and if we don't Hannah will go home and shower and get ready for school.

- Wednesday, 6:30: is the same but the run intensifies each time and you are walking less and running more.

- Friday, 6:30: The last run of the week. Although I am enjoying the run, when I know I have a two-day break and I am more excited to sleep in than others care to know. Although the run is the toughest of that week, knowing it is my day off and can go back to bed is great. 

In terms of finding a Krav Maga class, the original one I had decided on stopped the classes on my day off and stopped the women’s only class as they got no interest! 

I'm still on the lookout but if you know of any in Liverpool for around £6-£8 a class email me those details!

Diet - the dreaded thing. 

I'm lucky with Emma as she eats just like any other teenager. Her diet, if she didn't have chef Julien, would consist of Pizza, Burgers, Ice cream and cookies every day until she was sick. 

What I don't so is make pancakes every morning; I have cereal or Weetabix instead. In regard to lunch and dinner I tend to have what I can get for cheap or relatively quickly. I work in a super market and so when I am there my breaks to eat are only 15 minutes, so I tend to grab and a coffee from the fridge and a chocolate bar. I know, so healthy. 

I have been going half and half with my diet. I do know that with my lactose intolerance (it's caused by something in my body - I've not always had it!) it is getting worse over time and so my tolerance of just having the lactose is getting harder to achieve. I am looking for alternatives in my food, and I'm looking at ways I can make my cooking of meals go so much farther! Macaroni and Cheese* anyone?

I've not seen a drastic difference in myself, I know mentally I am a lot more at ease but physically there is no change.

Have you done the challenge with me? If so, how is it going?

Lots of Love,

Jess

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How I Annotate My Books - Without Marking Them...

Hey, I have a question for you,

Ever look at people books. those with hundreds of post-it notes in, and wonder what the heck their thought process was, and how they must've been spectacular at English Literature? Well here is my break down of doing just that but without having to put ink on your books and not having random notebooks filled with incomprehensible notes in.

I've been active in the Bookstagram/BookTube community for about 6 months now and it has taken me 6 months to find a way that I like to annotate my books so that I know how I felt about the books generally.

It wasn't the best system, but it was a system that has worked none the less. If you have been a long-term viewer of my blog, you will notice my blog lacks something that many book bloggers do have. 

That is Book Reviews.

It is not for lack of trying that book reviews are absent from my feed, it boils down to my inconvenient way of annotating my books. I didn't put much thought into my post it notes when I first started annotating them as I bought post-it’s from my local supermarket with only 5 colours on and didn't make a note anywhere as to what each colour meant. If you asked me what the page markers in Lord of Shadows means I wouldn't have a way to tell you, I know for definite my way of differentiating the colours has been muddled them up. 

I have since refined my page marking and have taken most of my inspiration from Little Book Owl on YouTube, her way of annotating has really helped. 

I do keep a key on the inside cover of each book with a colour break down (I use the large rectangle neutral post-it notes to do this). Since watching her video I have also bought ten different coloured page markers but off of Amazon, you can by your own here. 

This the colour break down;

Yellow- This is what both Little Book Owl and I use for CHARACTERS. This could be descriptions, their role in the story, their background anything relating to them personally.

Purple - Unlike Little Book Owl, purple is not my favourite colour, to be honest I liked it a lot as a child and now it just haunts me. So, I chose my favourite colour from the back of ten. That turned out to be the purple (ironic really...), as you can probably guess, the purple signifies MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS. That may be favourite quotes, writing moments, anything that makes me feel really positive and gushy. 

Orange - These are my DISLIKES, people, plot, story, history. Anything.

Light Green - This is what I use for character REPRESENTATIONS, or world representations. Anything that sticks out, explicit descriptions or subtle references; like in the Sun Is Also A Star, you don't get explicit descriptions, but you get the character history and subtle references to show who they are both physically and personality wise.

Baby Blue - This is what I use for IMPORTANT Information. Things like stuff that relates to the story, for example; the Edgar Allen Poe poem used in Lady Midnight, it is pivotal for the story line. This can also highlight things like a theory I have and a pivotal moment.

Dark Pink - This stands for WORLD BUILDING. Like what Little Book Owl said in her video, this only really depends on if I am reading anything not set in the real world. That isn't particular either as many of the genres blur together; you can consider Cassandra Clare’s novels to be set in the real world but Idris for example is a world that she has built, and anything associated with how she describes Idris, or the City of Bones would have an Dark Pink page marker. It also applies to novels that go into their 'worlds' gods/beliefs and history. Like the Dark War in The Dark Artifices series and the Blackthorn family history, it is both Yellow and Dark Pink, depending on how I am feeling in that moment. 

Pink - The pink signifies RELATIONSHIPS because, Love. This is when my OTP share heart wrenchingly loving moments that makes me almost want a real-life love life, almost. This page marker will be used when something pivotal for the relationship happens and just general cute moments; even if the love is seemingly unrequited and pining after someone.

Purple/Pink - This is for the MISCELLANEOUS stuff, general authorial methods and grammar.

My Questions - If I am wondering how a certain person or event adds to the plot or anything that confuses me.

There is also a great idea by Little Book Owl and that is the use of Q-Cards/Record Cards and recording notes that I want to make and having 2 or three of them every 50 pages that I can use as I am going through it. It makes me reflect on what I've read as I am going through it instead of trying to remember at the end of the book. It's especially hard if, like me, it’s taken you forever to read the book. 

I think this idea will be good to do if you are buddy reading with someone. Tink and I are going to Buddy Read 'A Court of Thorns and Roses together this year and will talk about the chapters we have read together so the q-cards will come in quite handy!

These are the methods I have begun using, thanks Little Book Owl! It means that I don't have to mark my books physically (still one of those readers that don't break the spine!) and the note cards mean I can recollect my thoughts to have an actual book review ready for you at the end!

What do you do to annotate your books? Do you annotate your books?

Thanks for reading! 

Jess x

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My Reading Resolutions

Happy New Year, you lovely lot of readers!

2018 was more trouble than it's worth but I suppose you can't really just press 'next episode' to miss out on its bad luck.

Like any good book when there has been a particularly rough chapter the next looks a lot more promising and that is my hope for the coming year. 

I wanted to start out my year in a fun and challenging way; along with my GoodReads Reading Challenge, I set up the 'I Train Like Emma Carstairs For A Year' because I totally love myself. 

I did something to begin this year that I've never done in the past. That is, I cleaned and tidied my room. Now I still have bucket loads of washing to do and I am away next week (Seventh of January to the eleventh) so clothes wise I'm living out of boxes and bags as my built-in wardrobes are being torn down by my parents! I've only been pestering them to do it since we moved into this house six years ago but since I’m months away from moving now seems about the right time to redo the room, typical right?

Below are some maybe artsy photos I took (Ignoring the pile of washing I need to do though);

My bedding is the Lucie Bedding from Laura Ashley, it's recently been discontinued but I only went looking for a slight embroidered white bed set - brand wasn't really on the tick list. The white bedding helps for if I want to take photos for my Instagram or the blog but it's also for aesthetic reasons too.

My desk is the IKEA MALM dressing table, not as thick as a desk as it wouldn't be beneficial for my room, but I still have enough room for my laptop and notepad. The lamp does have a shade but because the desk is so close to the wall the shade prevents the lamp from fitting on the table. 

  

Ah my prize possessions. The bookshelves are full at the moment full of books and with more to buy I'm hoping to have space for a second IKEA BILLY bookshelf within a month! The IKEA shelves were only £16 and are quite slim which is nice and were so much easier to put together than the Argos bookshelf that is on the right!

On top of the Argos bookcase is what I call my accidental vanity/side table/bedside table. I have had things such as my makeup set up there and then I bought the light up mirror from No7 and reduced my make-up a lot. Now I have my life force, my Tassimo coffee machine and then some decorative pieces on the left. Very handy for when I do Readathons!

On my window ledge I moved my mixed photo frames to form a nice show of my friends and the kids I looked after for a summer which is a reminder that I always have friends across the pond! (Marieke is in the shot on the left. I met her in 2016 and she is from a lovely little town called Allensbach in Germany!)

The last artsy photograph is a close up of my new Christmas Tree decorations from Paperchase. I bought the small Nativity figurines back in November and they all survived the trip home barre for one angel - his string doesn't exactly keep him on the branches, his halo helps that cause however...

Now, back to the Books!!!

In 2018 I set myself the task of reading 40 books within the year, what I didn't account for was that I was studying for my A-Levels and that the only books I would touch from January to June where the books I was studying for English Literature and English Language. So, my goal for 2018 was 20 books short but I think it's a forgivable excuse (that and what I explained in this blog post.)

If you follow me on GoodReads you will see that my reading challenges this year is 20 books, and I have so kindly photographed them for you so that you can read along with me this year. 

Why only 20 books in 2019?

Well, I am doing an Internship for a church, called Impact, and so far I feel challenged but I am excited to see where I am going from last year. Along with the internship I work part-time for a supermarket doing mostly late nights and lastly, I move to London to attend University in nine short months. Considering all this information I wanted to be sure that I set a reachable goal, 40 was ambitious and I didn't really consider that life could take a sharp left into dooms town. 

These are the books and their synopsis':

1) Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2), Cassandra Clare

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

I started the sequel to Lady Midnight back in November and due to a massive Reading Slump, I couldn't pick the book back up until December. The sequel is amazing and so densely packed full of adventure and drama that when I do get stuck back in, I'm hesitant to stop. I know that the cause of the slump may be due to not wanting to exist in the drama that was left at the end of Lady Midnight, but Lord of Shadows is a massive adventure that I am excited to complete the book and move onto...

2) Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices, #3), Cassandra Clare

SPOILER ALERT

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks. 

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

I accidently read this synopsis before finishing Lord of Shadows, so it added further fuel to my resistance to finishing the second book. Since its release however, the hype for the finally of The Dark Artifices series is serious and how it finishes intrigues me more than having Emma and Julien remain behind rose tinted glass...

3) A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1), Sarah J. Maas

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So, when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

So, remember back in September, I mentioned meeting Andrew who at the time was writing his coursework on Sarah J. Maas and wanted to know if I felt that her novels were over-hyped or truly a work of Literary genius. Well hopefully in 2019 I will have that opinion for you! I've only pledged one book out of the series (I do own the whole series) because I haven't ever read any of Maas' work, I don't want to get myself stuck in a series I may not like.

 4) The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1), Maggie Stiefvater

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I saw Zoe from Read by Zoe read this series in her readathon a few months ago and I have been intrigued by the novel ever since. I own 2 books from the series and like I have with Maas, I only pledged the first books so that I have an out if I don't like it; although the shop assistant from Waterstones raved so much about the series and of Stiefvater writing I doubt I won't like it.

5-11) The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare

I have bumped the entire Mortal Instruments series into one as I have read them before and blew right through the entire series. The Mortal Instruments is Clare's first instalment in the ShadowHunters Collection that do not fail to completely amerce you in the life of the Nephilim and gives the reader a glance into the life of a mundane turned Shadowhunter.

5) City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

6) City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe, and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

7) City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third instalment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

8) City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

9) City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

10) City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)

In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

11-15) The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer

Believe it or not, I have never read the Twilight Saga. I have listened to the audio books on CD (oh the Good Ole' Days) so it's only right that I have the time and money to buy the collection and read them!

11) Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn't know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

In the first book of the Twilight Saga, internationally bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduces Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a pair of star-crossed lovers whose forbidden relationship ripens against the backdrop of small-town suspicion and a mysterious coven of vampires. This is a love story with bite.

12) New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2)

I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect - not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place. 

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning...

13) Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, #3)

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

14) Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, #4)

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life - first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse - seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

15) The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (The Twilight Saga, #3.5)

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes, and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood...life before she became a vampire.

All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw attention to yourself, and above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.

Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they only know as her. As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trust. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth?

16) Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)

I came back into the world of Shadowhunters quite randomly. I finished the Mortal Instruments in 2014 with my friends but I didn't pick back up again until I saw Lady Midnight for sale in Tesco for £4 so I missed the in-between series out completely. Whilst I need to finish the Dark Artifices series before I move on, I need to read the Infernal Devices before The Last Hours series begins later this year.

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

17) The Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2), Cassandra Clare

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

18) The Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breath-taking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

19) To All the Boys I've Loved Before, (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1), Jenny Han

Did anybody else watch the movie Netflix brought out in 2018?! I loved it, but it went against my whole 'Don't watch a film adaptation without reading the books' philosophy. It only felt right that for my birthday I should get the trilogy, plus with the news of P.S. I Still Love You Being released later this year, I might as well catch up with myself!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

20) P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2), Jenny Han

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

21) Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #3), Jenny Han

 Lara Jean is having the best senior year.

And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.

Life couldn’t be more perfect!

At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks . . . until she gets some unexpected news.

Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

So, there it is! The books I have pledged to read in 2019 even with my entire life changing before my very eyes. I honestly had so much fun taking these blog photos on my dad’s Canon PowerShot SX400. That camera is a beauty in comparison to my 'not cheap but not overly expensive' Hitatchi camera, a girl can only dream of owning such a beautiful camera. 

Are you joining in on my challenge to train like Emma Carstairs? If you are tag me in your stories or posts (Instagram: @makemeshakespeare) and use the Hashtag #ITrainLikeEmmaCarstairsForAYear and join me for the journey.

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Lots of Love,

 Jess x

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