October Wrap Up

Hello Bookworms. Today again brings my bookish monthly wrap up and also general update.  

It feels like October has gone on forever, feels unreal that I am writing this post in November. It has been a really packed month though and am pleased to say that I read more books this month than I have done in ages.

October has been stupendous month though, I'm really settled in my new job, which is my dream job come true as I am finally after a long time trying, in the publishing industry. Not only that, it's a local job so no more London commute and more time to myself and I really get on well with everyone there, so feeling very happy.  I also for the first time went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, which was of course amazing, it was surreal being where it was all filmed, and an unforgettable experience. I was invited to another Walker Books event where they were showcasing their 2016 reads and there wasn't a single one that I didn't like the sound of! My Mum and I went to an event called Stylist Live, which was a mixture of fashion, beauty, books and general talks. We got to see a catwalk show which showcased all the upcoming trends. I was also so thrilled to witness a talk with the Man Booker Prize winner Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killing. His talk was fascinating he was such a intriguing man. I could have listened to him all night. I'm not really a big fashion or makeup follower, but when I found out that the Man Booker Prize winner would be there (at the time, this was not announced) I knew I had to go.  We really did have the best time though and we stayed near Kings Cross, and of course had to have my photo at Platform 9 and 3/4. This leads me on the next big event, I got Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatre tickets. This was one of the most stressful things I have ever tried to get tickets for and I had over 22,000 people ahead of me in the queue, but not all was lost, I managed to get tickets for the 10th August, so I am very excited for this now :).

Halloween was also a brilliant event, I actually carved myself a pumpkin with a bat- I can't draw to save my life, so was quite impressed with the result. I had a really fun work Halloween quiz, I went trick or treating with my nieces dressed up as a cat and then went to my friends Halloween party, so yes it was very eventful and very enjoyable month.

Right that is my mini update of what has been happening in my life this month, now onto the books.

Ebooks

1. The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Lisa Dickenson
This was my first festive read of the year and it was a perfect one to start off with. Lisa has really created a wonderfully festive read that is Christmassy right from start to finish. I have found in recent years that some books have Christmas covers, but the festive read you expect only materialises briefly, so Lisa is spot on with her book. It is the ultimate festive, feel good read. 

2. The Jewel by Amy Ewing I was late in starting this dsyopian series, but it is now one of my favourites. Amy has created a world which fascinated and appalled me at the same time. The Jewel is on the edge of your seat reading, I really could not get enough. The premise goes like this: Today is Violet's last day as Violet Lasting. Tomorrow she becomes Lot 197 to be auctioned off as a surrogate to the highest bidder. Soon she will know the real cruelty of the respected Jewel.

3. The White Rose by Amy Ewing The one benefit of starting a series that you love is that the next book is already there for you to begin immediately. A word of warning with this one, do NOT read the synopsis if you do not want spoilers. I was so annoyed when after The Jewel leaves us with such a suspenseful cliffhanger, that it is all given away in the synopsis! Anyway, book two was just a gripping a book one. It was again fast-paced and unpredictable and yes you guessed, another OMG I need the next book now to find out what will happen cliffhanger. The only problem is I have to wait to next year for the final book! Argh going to be hard.

4. Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt It feels like ages ago that I read this book, but this was another gripping thriller with an unreliable narrator so you never knew if what you were reading was the truth or not. Little Girl Gone is the story of every Mother's nightmare, Estelle's baby daughter Mia disappears without a trace. However Estelle doesn't report it until days after and then she is discovered in a ditch miles away from her home. This is a great book with a twisty plot and managed to be unpredictable in it's delivery.

5. One by Sarah Crossan One by Sarah Crossan has got to be one of the most breath-taking books I have read this year and it is definitely one of my favourite reads this year. One tells the story of conjoined twins Tippi and Grace in Grace's perspective. Written in verse, I read this book in a matter of hours. It is heart-wrenching and eye-opening. Definitely a book that should be on your TBR pile.

6. The Secrets of the Wild Wood by Tonke Dragt This is the long awaited second instalment from The Letter for the King and I think it actually managed to be more action packed than the last one. We get reintroduced to some familiar faces like my favourite, the main character Tiuri and of course Piak and we get a proper ending to the story. I did enjoy this, but it took me a while to read as there were so many other books that were just crying out to be read.

7. Harry Potter- The Character Vault by Jody Revenson If you are a crazy Harry Potter fan like me, then you will want to know everything and have everything (to a point) to do with Harry Potter and this book was no exception. This was a captivating look at everything behind the scenes to do with the characters in the film, from Harry Potter to the Deatheaters. One small word of warning though, you might not be able to watch the films in the same way again!

8. The Secret Garden: Artist's Edition by Johanna Basford
I am so into this colouring craze and Johanna Basford hands down does the best and most beautiful illustrations for you to colour in. I have literally bought all of her colouring books so far and this one was just as wonderful to colour in. This one was different in that you could take your colourings out if you wanted to and frame them.

9. Pierre the Maze Detective by Hiro Kamigaki
Think Where's Wally and then add more challenges and even more wonderful illustrations and you get Pierre the Maze Detective. A really fun and enjoyable activity book.

10. The House of the Stone by Amy Ewing This was definitely the most horrifying and uncomfortable reading from Amy's series: The Lone City. Even though I was so happy that there was a story to make the wait for the third book a bit more bearable, I was actually quite grateful this was only short. Told in Violet's best friend Raven's point of view, this details the treatment that Raven received in the hands of The Countess of the Stone. You get the jist very quickly without Amy having to go into any further detail.

11. The Boy in the Bookshop by Katey Lovell Katey is a such a lovely person who I met on the blogosphere so to hear that she had finally got a book deal was so amazing to hear. This is part one in her Meet Cute series and was a super quick lovely read. Add to your TBR pile if you are looking for something short and sweet.



There's my wrap up for this month and will of course be back later in November with my next monthly update.