My Goodreads Recommendations

I've been struggling to decide what to read lately so decided to dip into my goodreads recommendations and see what they think I want to read (and how accurate they are). I'll be looking at all the categories and seeing if any work for me! I've not really paid any attention to Goodreads recommendations before so this should be interesting.

Embracing my Negativity: The Books That Disappointed me in 2018

I had a fairly good reading year in 2018. I read a lot less than I'm used to reading but I don't think there was a single book that I hated? So I'll take that as a win! There were, however, quite a few books that fell just short of my expectations and left me feeling very disappointed. These are all books I was SUPER excited for that just... were fine.

Anything but Books Tag

Personal posts are one of my favorite things to read on the blogs I follow - there's something fun in seeing behind 'the reader' part of bloggers. 

I've been trying to make my posts - including reviews, lists, recaps etc. - more personal, and I have some non-book related posts lined up for you, as well as (book related) discussions and other fun things that will show my personality more than reviews do.

To start off these, I've decided to share a totally non-book related post today, and what is more perfect than the 'Anything But Books Tag'!?

Beating the Backlist: Titles We Loved in 2018 & Titles We Still Want To Read

As bloggers who pay attention to book-twitter, goodreads and who read quiet a few blogs, Clare and I are quite conscious of new releases. That, of course, means that our tbrs are not only ridiculously long, but we also are filled with new releases that are a lot harder to ignore than backlist titles. To work on tackling more backlist titles, Clare and I both signed up for Beat the Backlist in 2018, and I'm pleased to say that it definitely motivated me to read more of my older titles.

To showcase that we'll both be sharing four backlist titles we loved and adored in 2018 and four that we still need to read. 

Fireworks Book Tag

We are just two short days away from Bonfire Night - the last day standing between me and full on Christmas mode (just you wait). If you're not familiar with Bonfire Night it is a night on which we Brits confusingly celebrate the day parliament was almost blown up by blowing things up. What wonderful and sensible traditions we have. To celebrate I decided to try out the Fireworks tag!! You can find the original post here.

2019 Book Releases I'm Already Hyped For

Hello friends!! Today's post is something I'm super-excited about posting, because while yes, this is a new release post, so it's not THAT outstanding, I'm trying an entirely new format that's supposed to be helpful to you and have most of the information you could need. I'm super-interested in what you think about this post, so let me know in the comment what you like/dislike about this format!! 

Happy Halloween & The End Spooky October

I feel freaking weird writing this post, because October seemed to flew by so fast that it feels like Spooky October has just started... but now it's ending!? Where the heck did the rest of October go!? I am confused. 

So, what exactly is this post, you might ask. It is, at it's core, a happy Halloween message to anyone who's celebrating - we hope you're having fun whatever your plans are for the night, or that you already had some Halloween shenanigans prior to the 31st. 

Besides that, I've brought you a quick summary - with links to all our posts!! - of what went down this Spooky October. And we've also selected the winner of our giveaway via rafflecopter, and have their name here with us!! 

Haunted Houses for Halloween: Top 10 Novels You Need To Read

Despite having been used in the horror genre for centuries, haunted houses remain a fascination of mine. The Conjuring and Insidious are just two horror franchises that utilize this trope... and have earned tons of money while doing so. For me, the haunted house's appeal lies in how sinister and stifling it is to be unsafe in the very place, your home in most cases, that's supposed to keep you safe.

Today, Clare and I have collected five-five haunted house novels we immensely enjoyed and would recommend - both to long-time fans of the trope and to those who want to dip their toes into haunted house stories.

*titles either link to goodreads or to reviews* 

Dare You to Scare Me

This has been one of my favourite posts to work on because all month I've been immersing myself in Halloween-y movies and scares! I love being scared (weird right?) but I don't scare too easily so I, really scientifically, have been watching horror movies, alone, in the dark all month and been having just the best time. Here are some of my thoughts on them!

Damsel in Distress!? Nah, She Isn't - Badass Female Characters I Adore

I've made some new friends at uni this semester, and as I was talking to one of them, she said something that pissed me off, namely that she dislikes books with female characters. Now that confused me - I mean, female characters are amazing, and they are hardly the same, or even similar to each other, right? Obviously, there are some I dislike or even can't stand - but to write off all female characters because she disliked one or even a couple? What. The. Fuck.

Thankfully, further discussion clarified her issue, which wasn't with female characters, but that generally speaking the romantic subplot is heavier in female-led novels than male-led ones, and she really dislikes romance. Which is valid!! But still, our chat had me thinking a lot about female characters, which is how this idea came to me and the fact that it's perfect for Spooky October only solidified my desire to write it. {See our Spooky October opening post with a giveaway here.)

Now, I'm obviously not saying the female character type who is far from being a damsel in distress is the best type. It is one type that I love - but I also love some soft characters, some that could be considered a 'damsel' because they might need a push to save themselves, or they might require help etc. as most of us do. So yes, enjoy this list of ladies who will save themselves but do expect different female character centered lists in the future!!