September Book Haul

 

Hey guys!

As I have only been out at night a couple of times in York since I have been here, I have saved A LOT of money. Which is somewhat surprising considering I have been spending an awful lot on food.

Anyway, I decided to put the money I have saved to good use: a book haul. I've done a few of these before, but it's only today that I have decided to do a post on the books I have bought.

So a couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to The Works, a shop that sells books quite cheaply. I found three books I wanted for £1 each!!!!

 

I've wanted this book for a while. It's recommended for fans of Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver) so I should enjoy it.

 

All These Things I've Done is by Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, which I read a few months ago. Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac are amongst some of my favourite YA novels. Hopefully All These Things I've Done will live up to my expectations of a Gabrielle Zevin book.

 

I couldn't resist buying Hidden. Although I still have yet to read (and buy) Destined, the ninth book in the House of Night series, I just had to buy Hidden. I mean, it was ONE POUND!!!! It's quite hard to find the books I want for that price.

Onto the books I bought on Amazon...

Looking For Alaska is John Green's first novel. It is described on Amazon as "The unmissable first novel from bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS", and apparently it "will stay with you forever." Looking For Alaska is "Poignant, funny, heartbreaking and compelling".

This book is EVERYWHERE at the moment. I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not but a friend recommended it to me so that should be a positive thing.

One thing: WHY DIDN'T I BUY THIS BOOK YEARS AGO?!?!?!?!?! (I apologise for the caps)

                                       I'll definitely be reading this book during the summer.

Gossip Girl is great. Typically, I watched the TV series first before I embarked on reading the books. I read the first book around April / May, just before my end of year exams. Obviously, there were a lot of things that were different from the TV programme. I won't go into detail on what these were.


                                     

Sarra Manning (above) and Cat Clarke (below) are two new authors I want to get into. I just LOVE the covers of their books!

Have you bought any books recently? If so, what are they?

 

Hasta luego!

  

Serena

What I Am Reading At the Moment

Hey again!

During the last few days I have been reading two books: Paper Towns by John Green and Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast. I'm reading Paper Towns on the Kindle app on my laptop and I've got Awakened in paperback form. Over the summer holidays I have developed a habit of having two books on the go on the same time. Before starting Paper Towns and Awakened I read Anna and the French Kiss (I can't believe I only just got round to reading it) and Before I Go To Sleep. It's just easier to read one paperback book and one online book since there are so many books I want to read and so little time to do so.


Having recently enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars, I was eager to try another book by John Green. I settled upon Paper Towns as it has good reviews and I know it's coming out as a film in the near future. According to IMDB, it should be in cinemas next summer. I'm currently on Chapter 17 and, despite not being as great as the reviews claim, Paper Towns is a fairly good book. Of course, it will never be as amazing as TFIOS. I'm surprised Cara Delevingne was chosen to play the part of Margo. I think someone like Kaya Scodelario or Juno Temple would've been more suited to the role. Speaking of Kaya Scodelario, I am so excited to see the Maze Runner. The book was great!









Anyway, enough pictures...


Around the time of the first Twilight film, I got really into another vampire book series - House of Night. Unlike Twilight, P.C. Cast's books are based around a school - for vampires, of course. A teenage girl called Zoey Redbird gets "Marked" and is sent to a boarding school for people like her. The books falls Zoey as she falls in and out of love, deals with the deaths of people close to her, and tries to stop evil from ruining her life, as well as her friends' lives. Okay, so it's not a very good summary, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read House of Night yet.


Apparently they're making a film of House of Night. I've always been curious to see who they would cast to play the protagonist. I'm thinking Nina Dobrev or Lucy Hale or Shenae Grimes. Angelina Jolie would probably make a good Neferet. AnnaLynne McCord, Dianna Agron, Hayden Panettiere and Britt Robertson are my suggestions for Aphrodite. I'm still not sure about the other characters yet, but Ed Westwick would be great as one of the male leads (Rephaim?), possibly Matt Lanter (Heath?), Kellan Lutz (Erik?) Ian Somerhalder (Kalona?) and Andrew Garfield too. I saw that on one of the forums for the "Ideal Cast" someone said Stark should be portrayed by Andrew Garfield. I think that would work quite well. Another fan suggested Chace Crawford for Stark. Ooo, definitely! ;)



So there you go!


Hasta luego!


Serena

August 2014 Favourites

‎

Ok, so I know it is the beginning of September, and I haven't really done a post like this before, but here are my August 2014 favourites:
 

1. Portugal

 

Last week I went to Portugal with my family. We stayed in a beautiful villa near Faro. The weather was amazing, unlike England (though apparently it was sunny while I was away), so I was able to use the private swimming pool every day. The only downside to the holiday was that we weren't there for longer. 

 

2. Summer in the City

 

Ah, I will never forget this incredible weekend! I met some lovely people, including Youtubers Hazel Hayes and Tessa Violet. Cross fingers I will be able to go again next summer. 

 

3. Divergent

 

Yes, I know, it's really late, but I FINALLY got round to reading this captivating novel by Veronica Roth. It is definitely a lot like The Hunger Games, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

 

4. Le Touquet

I went to this chic French resort with my mum a few weeks ago. I did lots of walking and explored the endless miles of sand dunes. 

 

5. The Maze Runner

 

Another book I enjoyed reading. James Dashner did a superb job at grabbing my attention right from the very first page. Before I started reading The Maze Runner, I thought that it would be a lot like The Hunger Games. However, it turned out to be very unique. I can't wait to see the film.  

 

6. If I Stay

 

One of the best books I have read this summer, If I Stay is both tragic and uplifting. I cried several times. Hopefully, the film will be as good as the book. 

So that is the end of my August 2014 favourites. Below is a brief list of the things I am looking forward to during the rest of September: 

 

1. Going back to York. I am so excited for uni! It will be great seeing my friends in York again. 

2. The Host. A book that has been sitting on my shelves for a long time. 

3. If I Stay. The movie, of course. I have been waiting to see it for months. 

What were your August favourites? Are you looking forward to anything this month? Let me know in the comments below! :D

Hasta luego!

Serena