As I mentioned in my post about eBooks, I’m trying to read more this year. A quarter of the way through the year and I’m 8 books in to my 15 book goal. Below are all 8, complete with whether or not they made the list.
Birdy Flynn by Helen Donohoe
Now, I don’t want to be one of those cis people that gushes about how eye-opening a trans book is, but I really did enjoy this book. I can’t comment on the accuracy, but the plot was definitely intriguing. I find that a lot of books about social issues tend to revolve solely around their designated social issue, but Birdy Flynn didn’t do that. While it was relevant that Birdy was trans, it wasn’t the only thing that the book had going for it.
Trigger warning: Both animal and child abuse
Does it make it to the reading list? Yes
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams
This book is one of those books that everyone just has to read. Funny, original and quirky, The Hitchhiker’s Guide follows the destruction of Earth and a journey into space. Honestly, no synopsis can do it justice. Just read it.
Does it make it to the reading list? Of course
The Princess Diaries (#3-5) by Meg Cabot
Arguably not the most mature material on this list, I started reading these years ago. I picked them up again after finding out that there’s an 11th one, aimed at adults.
The Princess Diaries are pretty much self-explanatory. They’re set out as the diary of Mia Thermopolis, a teenager who discovers that she’s the princess of a tiny nation in Europe. She continues to grow up with all the typical teenage experiences, but with the added responsibility of being a princess.
As much as I hate to admit it, they’ve not aged well. I actually had to ask my friend that does computer science to explain what some of the technology was, and even he had to Google it. And while Mia is a great role model in terms of her political life, her love life reinforces ideals that we’re trying to get away from more than ever.
Does it make it to the list? Ten years ago, totally. Now, unfortunately not.
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare
Set centuries prior to the Mortal Instruments series, Clockwork Angel follows shadowhunters in Victorian London.
This is another one that I bought about five years ago and never got round to reading. I wasn’t a fan. At times I felt like the author was showing off how much research she’d done about London. The characters also frustrated me, not only because I found them unlikeable, but because there were many examples of characters saying another character is terrible and mean, even though there were no specific examples of this.
Does it make the reading list? Nope.
The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa
The fourth book in the Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight is told from a different POV from the previous ones. Without spoiling the other books (I don’t think), it follows the character as he journeys to the end of the world to get a soul.
Continuing with the theme of “teen books I read before leaving for uni”, I started this book five years ago. As soon as I picked it up, I remembered why I put it down. While it has some super great fantasy concepts, I couldn’t get behind the slow pace for the majority of the book.
It came so close to having the perfect ending. So close. I don’t want to give it away, but if you’ve read it, I think you’ll know what I mean.
Does it make the reading list? Nearly. Very nearly.
Replica (Replica #1) by Lauren Oliver
I reviewed this book in last week’s post. You can find it here.
Does it make the reading list? On plot alone, yes.
The rest of our reading list can be found here.
