July 2015 Wrap Up

The books I read in July (in order read):

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating: 3/5

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Rating: 2/5

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Rating: 2.5/5

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (re-read)

Rating: 5/5

Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter by Louise Pentland [my review here]

Rating: 4/5

So, I only managed two of the book from my holiday TBR list... Oops.

Before I went on holiday I read The Raven Boys and The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. There was so much hype about The Raven Boys that I thought I was sure to love it but unfortunately it was not to be. I didn't find myself really connecting with the characters or the storyline. However, it was still an interesting read so I gave it 3 stars. As with most first books from the beginning of a series that I'm not entirely sure about, the next book in this series will probably make or break the series for me. I had even less luck with The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. I know a lot of people love this book but it just wasn't my kind of thing at all.

Then, when I was on holiday I read Meant to Be, City of Ashes and Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter. Meant to Be had so much potential at the start. There were so many quoteable, bookish lines and it had me laughing out loud a lot but unfortunately the book fell prey to a lot of typical YA downfalls later on. I did really enjoy Lauren Morrill's writing though so I've not been put off reading another of her books. Then, after finishing City of Ashes for the #tmireadathon, I read Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It's all about positivity, happiness and kindness which I am 100% for! I believe Louise has another book coming out soon which I will definitely be buying as soon as it's available.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Currently reading: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Currently listening to: Champagne by TVXQ!

BookTube-A-Thon 2015 TBR List

BookTube-A-Thon. It's that time again! If you've not heard of BookTube-A-Thon before it's basically a yearly reading marathon which takes place over the course of one week where there are seven bookish challenges to be completed. You can complete as many or as little of the challenges as you like - it's basically just a fun week of reading! If you've not seen this year's challenge video you can watch it here where all of the challenges and rules are explained.

Last year was the first year I attempted BookTube-A-Thon and I managed to complete three books. This year however, I've been a bit more savvy with my book choices (thin books FTW) as I'm hoping to complete all seven challenges and read all seven books despite not having that much free time next week! I have to admit I did do a last minute Amazon haul for most of these books as I didn't have many small books left on my TBR shelf... Sorry bank account.

Here are the books I'm hoping to read for each challenge:

Challenge 1: Read a book with blue on the cover

Book: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 

Challenge 2: Read a book by an author who shares the same first letter of your last name

Book: Woman Much Missed by Thomas Hardy

Challenge 3: Read someone else's favourite book

Book: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Challenge 4: Read the last book you acquired

Book: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Challenge 5: Finish a book without letting go of it

Book: Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling

Challenge 6: Read a book you really want to read

Book: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Challenge 7: Read seven books

Book: The Beautifull Cassandra by Jane Austen

It starts tomorrow - Monday - so if you haven't chosen your books yet you still have time. And if you are taking part - good luck!

Currently reading: Jane Austen Cover To Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan

Currently drinking: Pineapple and Vanilla Tea by Charbrew

Currently listening to: I'm A Hotshot by Hotshot

Review: Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter by Louise Pentland

Title: Life With A Sprinkle Of  Glitter

Author: Louise Pentland

Series: n/a

Format: Hardback (paid for myself)

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads description: Imagine you are in one of those glorious vintage shops where every surface is laden with treasure. Cut glass, pill boxes, old cameras, pendants, chests of drawers and stacks and stacks of books. This book is like that. Each chapter is one of those gem encrusted tins that you can open, peep inside and enjoy. You can either methodically wander the entire shop, looking at each individual item in order, or, you can dance around with wild abandon, opening and closing whatever you like, whenever you like. You can take in tiny bits of it at a time or you can devour it all in one go. I don't mind. I don't mind how you go about it; all that matters to me is that you take something from it. Divided into four sections: Glitz, Create, Need to Knows and All About Love, you'll find all my little tips and tricks, stories and insights and nuggets of advice. I want you to walk away from this book feeling uplifted. I want you to feel as though you are equipped to deal with something in your life and deal with it in the best possible, positive way. I want to show you how I find so much joy and enrichment in my life and how you can do it too, with just a Sprinkle of Glitter

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My review: Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter is like an all-round guide to life by YouTuber Louise Pentland, a.k.a. Sprinkleofglitter. I don't think I've actually seen more than three of Louise's YouTube videos in the past as I only really use YouTube to watch music videos, but I've heard of her from around Twitter and when I came across her book the other day, the blurb sounded so positive and lovely so I thought I'd give it a try.

Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter is divided up into sections on different areas of life such as body confidence and travelling tips. Louise's writing is so down-to-earth, friendly and at times, hilarious. I found myself giggling over her dating disasters and relating to embarrassments. Although the book covers a wide-range of areas from bullying to baby care tips, I think this book would be more suitable for a teenage audience - I personally found a lot of the advice to be a bit self-explanatory (I'm 23) but I'm sure as a teenager I would have found these tips very useful. So if you're looking for a gift for a teenager in your life, this could be a very good choice!

The book also gets an extra star for it's b-e-a-utiful presentation (I'm pretty much a magpie). From it's glossy pages, gorgeous endpapers and bright pink ribbon marker - this book is dazzling from cover to cover. A lot of thought has clearly gone into the presentation of this book which makes it that much more enjoyable to read.

I also wanted to address some criticism I've seen online about Louise's position as a YouTuber in her ability to be giving advice. I think that misses the point of this book. The author isn't claiming to be an expert on life, but just someone who has already been through a lot and wants to pass on her advice to help younger people make better and more informed decisions.  To me personally it very much reads as an older sister giving her younger sisters advice.

Again, like Zoella's Girl Online, I think I'm outside the target market for this book but I still very much enjoyed reading it. I'm all for any book that promotes positivity, happiness and self-confidence.

Currently reading: Jane Austen Cover To Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan

Currently drinking: Strawberry and Kiwi Tea by Charbrew

Currently listening to: Devil by Super Junior