January Wrap Up 2016

Every month I usually find myself wondering where the time has gone, but this month has been surprisingly different.  I look back on what I did in January, and it feels like it was ages ago.  I have done a lot more in this first month of 2016 than I expected.  I've been to Queensland and Sydney (and back home), and I've been to the zoo and seen my extended family.  I caught up with friends and watched some new movies.  I even managed to read a few books :P  Here they are!

Birthday and Christmas Book Haul

So it's been a few months since my last book haul, back in October.  In that post, I shared 4 books that I'd received.  Today, I have 14.  Don't worry - I have a very good reason.  My birthday plus Christmas are both in December, so a lot of these are from then.  There are also a significant number that are not from then, but I don't think I have gone too overboard.

Top Ten Favourite Australian YA Books

Today's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) topic is a freebie!  And since today is Australia Day, I thought, why not stick with the theme?  So today I am telling you my top 10 favourite YA books written by Australian authors.  (Also, if I've made a mistake and any of these aren't by an Australian author, please let me live on in blissful ignorance).

Mini Reviews feat. These Shallow Graves and Before I Fall

I was recently considering stopping doing these mini reviews and separating them all, but I've since realised that I like doing them this way better.  I don't feel the pressure to write 1000 words about one book, because there's two reviews in the same post.  So I'm keeping this style of reviewing.  Of course I will still do separate reviews for books I received to review because I feel like that's only fair somehow.  Anyway, onto today's reviews!

Liebster Q&A

Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great day so far!  I was lucky enough to be nominated for the Liebster Award by Zhana over at Confessions of an Addict (thanks very much, Zhana!) so today I thought I would answer her questions.  Because I've already done this a couple of times (here's the first time), I've decided just to answer the questions and treat this as a tag.  Hopefully this doesn't make me a horrible person!

A Late December Wrap Up

So it's been over two and a half weeks, but I'm still going to tell you what books I read in the last month of 2015 and what I thought of them.  I'm officially back from holidays now, so hopefully you'll be seeing more of me around the blogging world!  I've had quite a delay since getting back and posting this, but I hope you're not too angry :P  I'm also still super behind on everyone else's blog posts, so expect some comments on old posts!  Anyway, here are the books that I read in December!

Best of 2015

Hi everyone - somehow this scheduled post didn't work. It was meant to come out New Years Eve, as you'll probably notice in the next paragraph! I'm posting this now from my phone though, so hopefully its not too far into January that this post has become irrelevant!

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  I hope this year has been joyful and fulfilling for each and every one of you.  Today I thought I would make a few lists of things that I loved this year.  In the end, I've decided on three categories: movies, TV shows and, of course, books.

2015 Bookish Resolutions: The Results Are In

So about a year ago, I decided to post some bookish and blogging new year's resolutions for myself.  Some goals I achieved, and some I didn't.  Either way, I'm happy with how my reading life has gone this year, and I'm looking forward to what I can read next year!  Here are my goals and how I went with them.

The Christmas Tag

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!  I hope that your Christmas is special and filled with joy and happiness.  Today I'm doing the Christmas Tag which I found on thequietpeople.com.

Let It Snow Review: Let It Stop

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.  Synopsis from Goodreads

My Favourite Genres For Christmastime

As you know, Christmas is coming up.  Usually, I like to read books to get me into the holiday spirit and for that, there are two genres that just feel right for this time of the year.  So today I'm going to share my thoughts on those with you, as well as some recommendations!

TBR Failure: Spring Cleaning Reading and TBR Jar Wrap Up

At the beginning of September, I wrote a post entitled Spring Cleaning Reading.  The intention was to read a bunch of sequels and books I own but had not read over the spring time.  At the start of the year, I created a TBR Jar and wrote a post about it.  The intention with this, was to pick a book from the jar each month and read it.  (Almost) every month with my monthly wrap ups, I also include a TBR (to-be-read) for the next month.  The intention with that is to actually read the books that I list.  Now, let's get into why none of this is working for me.

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is meant to be New-to-Me Favourite Authors Read for the First Time in 2016, but since I'm very picky when it comes to choosing favourite authors (last year I only included 5 authors because of this), I've scratched the 'favourite' part. This list is more like author's that I have loved from this year, but may not yet be favourites - especially those who I have only read one book from.  As usual, these are in no particular order.

Changes (And Would You Be Interested in Guest Posting?)

Hi everyone!  Hopefully you've noticed that my blog is looking quite a bit different!  I've been sitting on this new design for about a week, waiting for the right time to put it into place, and I've decided to implement it today.

Florence by Ciye Cho - A Beautiful Underwater World

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.
Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.  Synopsis from Goodreads.

My Embarrassing 19 Years of Life

Hi everyone!  It’s my 19th birthday today, and in light of that, I thought I would share some things about myself.  Here’s the first thing I’m sharing: my favourite part of the girly magazines I used to collect were the pages where people shared their embarrassing moments.  It brought me so much happiness to see that I wasn’t the only one that failed at life.  So today, I’m hoping to bring that same happiness to you.

November Wrap Up + Meeting Sarah J. Maas

I'm here again with another Wrap Up - I know everyone says this, but really this year is moving way too fast.  I don't know what's going on with time.  There's no TBR this month because lets face it - I never stick to them.  I'll have a post up in the next week or so about just how well my Spring TBR went, so I guess I'll discuss that further then!

Mini Reviews feat. Sweet Damage and The Accident Season

Hi everyone!  The mini reviews I'm sharing today are both for mysterious and strange books so it was a little difficult to share all my thoughts without venturing into spoiler territory - but I've managed to do it!  Mostly.  As usual, there are some blank spaces enclosed with these brackets '[ ]' that you can highlight over to view spoilers that I couldn't help but mention.  I hope you enjoy these reviews!

Note: I'm thinking of phasing out the 'mini reviews' thing soon, because it seems that every time I post them, the reviews get a little longer!  Let me know what you think!

Fall Time Cozy Book Tag

So I went missing for several weeks again.  I feel like this keeps happening, and I'm really sorry about it.  I think I might have to start scheduling breaks so that I stop getting burnt out.  When I stop blogging I also tend to avoid blogs altogether because that brings on the guilt, so sorry I haven't visited anyone's blogs recently.  I have over 200 posts to catch up on, but I will do it!

Anyway, today I have the Fall Time Cozy Book Tag.  I was tagged by the lovely Noelia @ A Day In Bookland and although it is spring in Australia, I'm doing it!

The 5 Star Book - Another Illuminae Review

As you may know, a couple Friday's ago I went to a book signing for Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (I made a recap post over here).  Anyway, I wasn’t sure when I was going to pick it up but last week I decided I was in the mood for a sci-fi and just started reading it.  I finished it less than a day later.  This book has got some insane hype surrounding it over the last few months - I don’t have a single friend on Goodreads who has given it less than 5 stars - and in my opinion, it unquestionably deserves that hype.  Now, onto the review.