If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll probably know that I’ve been trying to read more this year. Given how much time I’ve had these past few months, I’m kind of ashamed that I only have another five to add, but in my defence, I’ve spent a lot of time planning for my interrail trip, and more time sorting books at my local library than actually reading them.
This may or may not be the last “My Year in Books” for 2018, as I start university in two weeks, so my reading will largely be textbooks. With any luck, though, the fact that the National Library of Wales is just around the corner should encourage me to add a few more to this year’s haul. That said, I’ve managed to read 20 books out of my 15 book goal, so already I’ve done better than I’d hoped!
Having seen this on Kit’s list of favourites, I’d been meaning to read this for a while. Usually, that would be setting myself up for disappointment, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed Virals. I wasn’t expecting the supernatural element to come in, but it just made the book all that more interesting. Definitely worth a read for fans of thrillers.
Does it make the reading list? Well, it already had, but yes again.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany, Jack Thorne and J.K. Rowling
Since my budget doesn’t quite stretch to seeing the theatre show, I figured the next best thing was to read the script. The actual show must be amazing, given how entertaining the script is, and the amount of magic it details. It definitely answers some of the questions I had at the end of the books, not to mention that cosy feeling that comes from revisiting some of your favourite characters.
Does it make the reading list? Absolutely.
Given the amount of YA books I’ve read about mental health, I found this one a bit meh. It’s not a bad book, nor is it insensitive or unrealistic about the issues it covers, but it doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere. I kept waiting for something to happen that would glue the book to my hands, but it didn’t. I just kind of sat and read it in one sitting (it’s quite short) and then carried on with my life like it had never happened.
Does it make the reading list? Not really, as it didn’t really stand out to me.
Best British Short Stories 2017, edited by Nicholas Royle
This was an optional book on my university reading list, so when I saw it at the library, I thought I may as well start early. There’s such a range of stories inside that it’s hard to review the book as a whole. As with any collection, I found some more enjoyable than others. Some of them were just downright strange, but there were a few that stood out to me as really clever storytelling. Trigger warning for sexual and non-sexual violence.
Does it make the reading list? It’s probably better suited to my university one.
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Lydia wrote a review of this a little while ago, and was so positive about it that I had to give it a try. If you want a review of how it does in terms of being an LGBT+ book, you’re better off reading Lydia’s review, since I’m not really qualified to comment on that. However, I can say that it’s a really enjoyable book. All I’d really heard about it was that it’s a “coming out book”, but I’m not sure how far I agree with that. I mean, yes, coming out is a very important element of the story, but it would be doing the book a disservice to pigeonhole it like that. It’s about more than that – identity, mystery, and the courage that comes with love. Honestly, it could teach a lot of YA books a thing or to about what a healthy, unproblematic relationship is.
Does it make the reading list? Already had, but yes again.
