RECOMMENDING BOOKS BASED ON RANDOM WIKIPEDIA ENTRIES

Hello everyone! I really wanted to do a recommendation post, but couldn’t think of something to theme it on. Then I came up with this idea.

So if you don’t know, Wikipedia has the ability to generate a random article. Which obviously, can be on absolutely anything. So I decided today to base my recommendations on random wikipedia articles I generated. I made it a rule that no matter what five came up, I had to use them, so this was quite a challenge for me.

I’ve generate five articles to recommend a book based off of, so let’s get into it.

1: 1998 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship

This is an annual basketball event held in Africa. Unfortunately, I haven’t read any books about basketball, but I have read some sport books in general, which I used for these prompt.

I ultimately recommend RUNNING WITH LIONS by Julian Winters. This is a book about soccer, following a under 18s team at summer camp. There is also an important championship match in this book. There is a diverse cast and found family tropes. This book is a lot of fun and has an m/m friends to enemies to lovers romance as the central relationship.

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2: Atrial Branches of Coronary Arteries

The atrial branch of coronary arteries deliver blood to the heart. I decided to choose a book that deals with the heart as an organ/in a medical sense (rather than say, romantic)

For this wikipedia entry I am recommending TIN HEART by Shivan Plozza. Tin Heart is an Australian young adult contemporary novel. The main character is the recipient of a heart donation that saves her life. The book deals with Marlowe’s desire to contact her donor’s family, even though they don’t want to meet her, and discusses living with congenital heart disease as a young person. This is a really unique YA novel and I think a lot of people would really enjoy it for it’s complex main character and original premise.

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3: Magatama

Magatama (勾玉, less frequently 曲玉) are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period, approximately ca. 1000 BCE to the sixth century CE.

This was a hard prompt for me to recommend off. I don’t have any books about prehistoric Japan, magatama or curved, comma-shaped beads. In the end, I chose THE SWORD OF KAIGEN for this prompt. This is a military fantasy based on historical Japan. I chose it for it’s historical elements and it’s Japanese setting. This is a really unique fantasy, it has elemental magic and the main character is a mother, which is something so rare but appreciated in adult fantasy. The rarity some elements of this book kind of match the rarity of magatama ???

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4: School Life (2019 film)

School Life (French: La Vie scolaire) is a 2019 French critically acclaimed award winning teen comedy drama film. It follows a group of teenagers disillusioned by a world that seems to have turned it’s back on them.

It is unfortunate I have no YA contemporary books set in France for this one. There are a lot of YA contemporaries that could fit with a group of teenagers feeling disillusioned with the world. Utimately though, I decided to go with one that has a teen comedy vibe like this movie and choose HERETICS ANONYMOUS by Katie Henry. This is about a group of teenagers at a catholic school who feel the administration doesn’t care about them and has turned their back on them. It has a large cast who start carrying out pranks to point out the hypocrisy of their school and to be honest, the world, and it’s really funny.

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5: Kennet and Avon Canal

The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. 

For this, I decided to continue on with the idea of waterways and canals and recommend DART by Alice Oswald. Dart is a longform poem, told from multiple perspectives, all of which relate to the river Dart in England. The river, ferryman, water nixies, dead man and more speak to narrate the story of the river and its importance in English countryside. Kennet and Avon Canal is an important waterway, and similarly, Dart talks about the importance of that river in England historically, it’s current state, and the future of the river.

This was A LOT harder than I expected. It took me literally weeks to write this post because I had to think about each entry that came up for so long. But it was also super fun and I hope you enjoyed reading this post and my recommendations. I would love to hear what you would have recommended for each of these wikiedpia entries

until next time!

DECEMBER WRAP-UP

Welcome back! Today I’m recapping all the books I read in December of 2018.

In total I read ten books and five graphic novels. It was a pretty good reading month for me because three of the books were 500+ pages so I actually did a whole lot of reading. Although I didn’t finish my Goodreads challenge (whoop) I’m still glad I finished off the year so strong.

Lets get into the wrap -up – as always, click on the star ratings to see my review.

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry: ★★★★☆  ➵   This book was SO much fun. It follows a boy called Michael who is atheist but gets sent to a catholic school. He joins a group of called Heretics Anonymous, other people at the school who don’t believe in the strict rules enforced on the student body. I found this book SO funny,  I also went to a catholic school similar to the one depicted here so this book was so relatable to me. The romance didn’t really work for me but beside that this was such an enjoyable quick read.

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare: ★★★★☆  ➵   This was my most anticipated read of 2018 and while I love it .. it also kinda .. let me down. The angst was SUPERB and I loved seeing all the characters interact, but the plot let me down and I Did Not Like the last 100 pages and the ending. However, I did still thoroughly enjoy this and all the twists and turns!

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo: ★★★★★  ➵   This book surprised me in that I LOVED IT SO MUCH. I went into it knowing little and not expecting much and it ended up being one of my favourite books of the year. The romance was …. pure excellence. I had so much fun with this one.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee: ★★★.5  ➵   This was another anticipated read for me and I did enjoy it though not as much as the first one. The story was super gripping and I couldn’t put this down but I just didn’t love the characters as much as I did in book one.

A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray: ★★★☆☆  ➵   Overall I enjoyed reading this but it was just one of those “I liked it” books. I don’t have many strong feelings about it, it’s a queer retelling of Swan Lake with a polyam ship and that was GREAT. But I wasn’t invested in the characters and the romance happened too quickly for my taste.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: ★★★★☆  ➵   ANOTHER highly anticipated read for me and yes this was excellent!! It’s a fantasy where the main character is taken to be a concubine for the king (aka. Paper Girl) but has a central f/f romance and it was so enjoyable! I loved the worldbuilding and characters and cannot wait for book two.

Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh:  ➵   I READ AN ARC OF THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK YEET. I cannot say much but my review is coming out soon so stay tuned! I loved getting back into this world and seeing these girls again.

Captive Prince by C.S Pacat: ★★★☆☆ ➵   oof it’s This controversial book. I’ve heard A LOT about this book and it wasn’t as violent/explicit as I was expecting but it’s still A Lot. I have such mixed thoughts on this but I WILL SAY, the court politics and political intrigue is excellent and never gets mentioned?? But it’s great. I do plan on reading the second book in the series.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara: ★★★★☆ ➵   This is the first True Crime book I have ever read! And I actually quite enjoyed it! This was super fascinating and it’s so interesting how McNamara mapped out this mans life from such scraps of evidence. And they actually got the guy, in the end, which is really kinda amazing.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: ★★★★★ ➵   I had previously watched (and loved) the TV show for this but I finally picked the book up and predictably, I loved it as well. The characters are such a highlight, but the writing is also charming and funny, and I loved how seriously this book took drama, big and small. I adore this so much.

FENCE (editions 6-12) by C.S Pacat: ➵   I finally finished off this graphic novel series in December! These graphic novels are so sweet and the illustration is so lovely. I felt kinda queerbaited at the end, but there is more to come out so we will see. I really like the characters but wish the editions were longer.

summary:

Books read: 10 and 6 graphic novels
Format: 6 physical, 3 audiobook, 1 ebook
Genres: 6 fantasy, 1 contemporary, 1 historical fiction, 1 true crime, 1 mystery
Average rating:3.9
Favourite book: To Kill a Kingdom
Least favourite:A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams

until next time!

T5W: BOOKS TO GIVE TO SAGITTARIUS PEOPLE

Hello all! This weeks Top 5 Wednesday was a make your own topic and I thought about what I wanted to do for a while and decided on making a list based on star sign. People have been talking about the Zodiac a lot recently and we are currently in the Sagittarius part of the zodiac, and also I am a Sagi so I just decided to go with this.

Sagittarius are typically curious and energetic. They’re open minded, love travelling and exploring and are generally extroverted and optimistic. They also have a strong sense of humour and enthusiasm. They generally have large friend groups and strong family and partner relationships.  So I’ll be recommending books which are compatible or representative of these kinds of traits!

1: Undead Girl Gand by Lily Anderson

what it’s about: Undead Girl Gang follows Mila Flores, who is convinced the ‘suicide’ of her best friend is fake, and that her friend was actually murdered. In order to solve the mystery, Mila uses an ancient Wiccan spell to bring Riley back from the dead. The spell works, but Mila accidentally brings two other girls back from the dead, and none of them can remember how they died. Together, they only have a week to solve the murder before the girls return to their graves.

why it suits the sagittarius: First of all, Undead Girl Gang definitely requires an open mind. There is literal ghosts and Wiccan armies and all sorts going on. But if you embrace it all it’s such a fun book. The humour is also on point, and this book places a huge emphasis on the importance of friendship, which is also important to Sagittarius’.

 

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2: Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

what it’s about: Michael is an atheist who is sent to St. Clare’s a strict Catholic private school. In his first class, he’s relieved to meet a girl called Lucy who calls out a nun in class for her teachings about saints. Thinking he’s found a fellow non-believer, Michael approaches Lucy. It turns out Lucy is actually a devout catholic who wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to Heretics Anonymous, a group comprising  of Lucy, Avi (who is Jewish and gay) and Eden (who is pagan). The group decide to take action at the school to expose hypocrisies in the schools education and the Catholic faith.

why it suits the sagittarius: A large focus on this book is about being open minded, which is something Sagittarius like to be. The book examines theology from all sorts of angles and emphasises that being open minded and understanding of religions is extremely important. The value this book emphasises are one’s that Sagittarius value. There is also lots of discussions of different religions and groups and this could be appealing to a Sagittarius. Finally, like Undead Girl Gang, this is hilarious and focusses on friendship quite a lot.

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3: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

what it’s about:  In this world, humans have left earth and joined the Galactic Commons, a collection of space species including aliens that co-exist under one government. Rosemary is a human who joins a crew tunnelling through space to a small planet that is joining the GC. It follows the crew and the experiences Rosemary has on board the ship.

why it suits the sagittarius: The main character’s journey would definitely appeal to a Sagittarius. This book focusses on Rosemary’s travels around space and all the new things she experiences and Sagittarius are big travellers. This book also explores how being open-minded and thoughtful about other people and how they are unique is actually beneficial, and overall this book celebrates diversity and difference. This is something that would appeal to a Sagi!

 

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4: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

what it’s about:  When Etta is kidnapped at a music recital, she discovers she comes from a line of time travellers capable of jumping through time and place. She is charged with hunting down and recovering an object her mother hid at some point in history in order to win her freedom.

why it suits the sagittarius: Sagittarius love travel and this is the ultimate travelling adventure. This book allows you to visit so many amazing places and times and Bracken’s writing is so vivid it’s like being there. Etta is also so optimistic and although she is in a bad situation she makes the most of it, which feels like Sagittarius qualities.

 

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5: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

what it’s about:  Sapiens is a short but thorough work detailing the history of humankind from the first emergence of humans into the current age. It’s only 500 novels but packs in a lot of information, and Harari’s commentary is interesting and enlightening.

why it suits the sagittarius: Sagittarius love learning and having their mind opened and this teaches SO MUCH. Not only does Harari offer so many amazing and wild facts about humanity, his personal commentary on various social systems is also quite thought provoking. There is also a strong current of optimism about humankind overall despite many flaws and optimism is something Sagittarius value!

 

Those were all my recommendations for Sagittarius booklovers! Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing other horoscopes as I may expand this out. What books would you gift to the Sagittarius in your life?

until next time

HUGE ‘GOTTA CATCH UP ON THE GOODREADS GOAL’ DECEMBER TBR

Right fellas. We are 19 books behind schedule and we are NOT gonna finish off the year on that mood. So I’m making a HUGE December TBR of .. 20 books. Ultimately, if I don’t complete my goal I don’t really mind and I will live, but also I LIKE TO ACHIEVE THINGS. So I’m going to try really hard to read a lot this month! Also, I’m so sick of feeling slumpy! I’m over it!! It’s time to destroy the slump once and for all.

So this TBR is going to be LONG. Lets just jump right into it

Currently Reading

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare   ➵   I AM FINALLY READ THIS. It doesn’t even feel real. I’m so hurt by it all already and also so happy. This is my main reading project as of right now nothing else can take my attention off this book.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy   ➵   I started this at the beginning of December before Queen came out. I’m about 100 pages in and really liking it so far! I missed these characters so much and so far it’s been the charming, funny ride I expected.

A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray   ➵   I am about 50% through this but I started it in November. It’s on ebook so I’ve just been reading it when I’m out or on break at work and get the chance. I really love the concept of this book and the creativity in how it’s adapted Swan Lake.

 

 

TBR

The Stone Sky by N.K Jemisin   ➵   I have loved every book in this series so far and am so excited to finish! I am planning on listening on audiobook. The audiobooks are so great and the narrator is one of my favourites ever.

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry   ➵   My audiobook loan of this has just come in and I am hyped! I think this is going to be so funny and relatable since I went to a catholic high school which is what this book is about.

Captive Prince by C.S Pacat   ➵   I am trying to read all the books I own, so I put them in a generator thing and this is what came out! I have definitely heard mixed reviews of this, but a lot of friends who’s reviews I trust liked it.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour   ➵   I am determined to finish this book before the end of 2018. I’ve owned it so long and keep putting it off even though I know I’ll love it.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara   ➵   I have heard AMAZING reviews about this book. I love true crime podcasts but never read much true crime even though I would like too. This seems like a really good starting place.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson   ➵   I’ve had this book on my owned shelves for a while and haven’t got to it yet and I am feeling it’s time! I have heard lots of good things about this series and I’m expecting to fly through book one. I literally love the concept of this book with one assassin and one prince following the MC.

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken   ➵   I read the first book in this series (The Darkest Minds) this year and thought it was pretty fun. I’ve definitely felt like diving back into this world recently!

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant   ➵   I plan to listen to this on audiobook if I get the chance. It’s an f/f fantasy with sea monsters and science and it’s by Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant is another pen name) and I always love her books.

Fence (editions 7-9)   ➵   I’ve also been working through this series this year and just need to read three more. These are quick easy reads and should bump up my GR goal really quickly! I’ve been meaning to finish these off!

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo   ➵    I’ve just gained access to the audiobook of this through the library so I definitely plan on reading this in December. I’ve heard some mixed things but I love mermaid stories so I’m hoping I enjoy this.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa   ➵   This is such an anticipated  2018 read for me! It’s a fantasy involving Kitsune and just sounds so good. I also plan to listen to this on audiobook.

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen   ➵   This was a book I put on my “top books to read in 2018” and I still haven’t read it yet! I love this authors writing so I think this anthology should be great.

The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Two   ➵   I LOVE THESE GRAPHIC NOVELS but I haven’t even read this one yet I’m trash. I definitely want to read this asap.

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant   ➵   Peter Darling by Austin Chant is one of my favourite books ever and I’ve heard Coffee Boy is just as good, and even better. I hope this is super cute like Peter Darling was.

 

REREAD TBR

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic   ➵   I started rereading this series this year and I’m ready to keep going. I’ve been putting off this book because it makes me sad but I also love this series so much so YES. Also, I read these so fast.

The Kings Men by Nora Sakavic   ➵   The obvious next thing to do immediately after finishing TRK. This is my favourite of the series and I’ve already read it a few times but I am HYPE to do it all again.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling   ➵   I always like to reread Harry Potter around Christmas and I have the illustrated version of this that I haven’t read yet so I’ll probably do that.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson   ➵   This is one of my favourite books ever and I’ve never reread it. I’ve been feeling like rereading this a lot recently, and I read this really fast the first time.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black   ➵   I am getting soo keen for The Wicked King to come out in January but I cannot remember so much that happens in this book so I definitely need to do a reread.

That is my huge TBR! I am PRAYING I can get through a good chunk of this but we will see how it goes. What books are on your December TBR?

until next time!

TFW: BOOKS TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR

Welcome back to another Top 5 Wednesday! This week the topic is books you want to finish before the end of the year and oh my god, I have a lot. I actually did a post about books I wanted to read before the end of the year not that long ago, so I’ve decided to use this post to put in five that didn’t appear in that list. Mostly new releases that didn’t make it to the list or other books I’ve found out about since that list. Pretty much everything there still applies so there’s no use rehashing! Lets get into it

 1: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

I’ve literally not heard a single bad word about this book since it started getting reviews. It’s inspired by Asian mythology and has an f/f romance which is really exciting. It is also fantasy, my favourite genre! I didn’t love the last James Patterson Presents book I read, but I’m hoping this one will be more of a hit. It seems right up my alley and I’m SO excited to start reading it.

2: Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

This is a fantasy/horror ish book about an Island where girls frequently go missing, supposedly stolen by the mysterious monster “The Collector”. I’ve heard so many good things about this book, including that its character driven, has great atmosphere, and an f/f romance. All that sounds so perfect! I am waiting on the audiobook of this to become available so I’m hoping I get to listen to it soon  

3: Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

Ever since I found out about this book it’s been so high on my TBR. This is about a group of people at a catholic high school who start a club challenging the hypocrisies of the schools teachings. I went to a catholic high school so I’m expecting this to be kinda relatable and I’ve heard it’s hilarious! I’m also waiting on the audiobook for this from the library so hopefully it comes soon.    

4: Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee

This book hit my radar when I heard Bri Lee in an interview on the radio and ever since that I’ve wanted to read her memoir. This book has been getting more and more hype recently and I’m excited to finally pick it up! I’m expecting this to be really moving and thought provoking, plus this overlaps into my area of study which should be interesting. I’m hoping to read this in December as a buddy read!    

5: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

I KNOW I SAID NO CROSSOVERS. But it’s literally illegal to do a most anticipated list and not put Queen in. I’m SO ready for this book! I just know it’s going to destroy me and I cannot wait. I love every single character so much and I am ridiculously invested in the end of this series. I have expectations that are literally sky high so I just hope this book can meet them. LITERALLY 20 DAYS TO GO IM SHAKING

What books are you hoping to read before the year is out? As per usual, I have too many books and not enough time but I’m going to try and do my best!

until next time, 

TBR LOWS AND HIGHS #2

Welcome back everyone! Today I’m doing the second round of TBR Lows & Highs. This series was created by Destiny and I did the first round a while ago but haven’t continued since, because I didn’t have that many new books on my TBR. But I just added a whole bunch so it’s time to do round two of this post!

   ➢  the rules:

• Link back to the original post at Howling Libraries
• Sort your Goodreads TBR shelf by date added, ascending
• Find 5-10 (or more, if you feel ambitious!) titles to purge from your TBR (the “lows”)
• Post those 5 books in the list, with a brief explanation of why you removed it
• Next, sort your Goodreads TBR shelf by date added, descending
• List the last 5 (or more!) books you added to your TBR, with a synopsis or your brief summary of why you added it (the “highs”

➢ The Wolf Wilder – Katherine Rundell
This has been on my TBR for nearly three years and I’ve never thought to reach for it. It’s middle grade and mystery both of which I read quite rarely. And if I do read mystery I tend to read adult mysteries. I just don’t think I’ll ever get to this.

➢ Winning – Lara Deloza
Another book I just will never pick up. This has been on my TBR for years and I always forget what it’s about/why it’s on there. I think that is a sign it has to go.

➢ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
I had fun with the movie for this book though I didn’t LOVE it. I kept saying I would read the books but I’ve seen it at the library heaps of times and never felt any serious desire to borrow it. I don’t think I’ll ever bother with this.

➢ The Summer I Became a Nerd – Leah Rae Miller
The premise of this sounds fun – it’s about a girl getting into fandom. But it’s not available in my state at any libraries and I don’t think I am interested enough to go out and buy a copy to read it.

➢ Moxie – Jennifer Mathieu
The mixed reviews of this book have pretty much put me off reading it. I had it out the library at one point and didn’t even end up reading it. I’ve heard most of the discussions in this are basically Feminism 101 and I don’t think I’ll get much out of it because of that.

➢ Soul of Stars – Ashley Poston
I read the ARC of the first book in this series and thought it was really fun! I see a lot of potential in this series and I didn’t realise book two was coming out so soon, which is why I only just added it to my TBR. This is a sci-fi retelling of Anastasia with a dash of Treasure Planet and has a really loveable cast of characters. The cover is SO good for the second book too!

➢ What If?  – Munroe Randall
This is non-fiction by a physics professor who does the real math and explains the science behind ridiculous hypothetical question, like how fast can you hit a speed bump and live? What if a moving bullet got hit by lightning? These answers just sounded so funny and the premise kind of reminded me of Mythbusters which I LOVE.

➢ Heretics Anonymous – Katie Henry
Hey, fun fact about me. I went to an intensely catholic high school. SO when this book crossed my radar and I read the premise I KNEW I had to read it. Basically, it’s about a boy who goes to a Catholic school and joins a club called Heretics Anonymous of people who don’t agree with their religious schools teachings. It sounds SO good.

➢ Blanca & Roja – Anna-Marie McLemore
This book has been mentally on my TBR for ages even though I didn’t actually physically add it until recently whoops. I really liked When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore and intend to read both this and Wild Beauty eventually.

➢ Shadow of the Fox – Julie Kagawa
I haven’t read Julie Kagawa’s other series but this one came up on my Goodreads and I was instantly intrigued because the main character is a Kitsune! I thought the premise sounded great and it’s Chosen One fantasy which is my FAVOURITE. I can’t wait to read this.

That is everything for now! I’ve been trying to keep my TBR to just the books I really know I wanna read and actually, looking at what I’ve been adding to it, this seems to be working out. It’s also so interesting to go back and see how LONG some books have been on my TBR. Whoops.

until next time!