October 2016 New Releases!

Hello Avid Readers!

I don't why, but I have always been 5 steps behind on new books coming out! So I've decided to do a post on new releases every month!
This month I chose two Young Adult books that caught my eye in the Goodreads October Releases email. I am including the blurb from Goodreads about the book, and will then tell you why I am looking forward to reading them.

1. Everyone We've Been by Sarah Everett.

 

For fans of Jandy Nelson and Jenny Han comes a new novel that asks, can you possibly know the person you’re becoming if you don’t know the person you’ve been?

Addison Sullivan has been in an accident. In its aftermath, she has memory lapses and starts talking to a boy that no one else can see. It gets so bad that she’s worried she’s going crazy.

Addie takes drastic measures to fill in the blanks and visits a shadowy medical facility that promises to “help with your memory.” But at the clinic, Addie unwittingly discovers it is not her first visit. And when she presses, she finds out that she had certain memories erased. She had a boy erased.

But why? Who was that boy, and what happened that was too devastating to live with? And even if she gets the answers she’s looking for, will she ever be able to feel like a whole person again? - Goodreads Blurb.

Firstly, the cover is beautiful! I'm one of those people who will impulse buy a book because of the cover and then think "Oh yeah, I should probably find out what this book is about!"
As I read the blurb, it reminded me of 'This is Where the World Ends' by Amy Zhang that I read recently and thoroughly enjoyed, so that caught my attention and made me curious to read this.
Also, this looks like Sarah's debut novel, and I love finding and supporting new authors!

2. Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven.

 

 

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours. - Goodreads Blurb.

Okay, so this one I've known about for a while as I follow Jennifer Niven. I absolutely love 'All the Bright Places', who doesn't?! And again, I love the cover for 'Holding Up the Universe', it's simplistic but pretty!
It looks like this book is touching on some important topics and emotions, which is what makes  the YA genre so special in my eyes.
I'm looking forward to reading another masterpiece from Jennifer!

'Everyone We've Been' and 'Holding Up the Universe' are due to be released on the 4th of October, 2016.
For the full list of the Goodreads October New Releases, click here.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment. Tips and constructive criticism are welcome and greatly appreciated.

- The Avid Bookworm.

This post is not sponsored.

Hello Again!

Hi Everyone!

When I started this blog, I only posted a few times and then life took over and somehow it's been nearly a year since my last post! It's been constantly on my mind, but the timing never seemed right and I'm also an excellent procrastinator.
I have recently had to stop working due to my health, and so I figured that now would be the perfect time to relaunch my blog and get into a routine.
Like it says in my instagram bio, I'm an Amateur Blogger and Aspiring Writer. I'm not fantastic at either of those things, but it's what I wish to do. This blog is my way of improving those things and holding myself accountable to my goals. I want to use it as a way to learn and grow, and I thank all of you who decide to join me as I do.

I've worked really hard on getting everything updated the past few weeks. I've added to the navigation bar, which has allowed me to clean up the sidebar in order to make things easier for you to find. The Social Media tab contains links through to all the other platforms I use: Instagram, Goodreads, and Twitter. Feel free to take a look around. I'm also working on making a tab that lists the books on my TBR!

Below is a snapshot of what you can expect to be seeing on the blog, I've copied most of it from my original post as not much has changed.

• Short thoughts on the books I have read, favourite quotes etc.
• Bookish products and online stores that I discover.
• Bookish adventures (anywhere I go relating to books).
• Book Hauls!
• Occasionally an unboxing.
• Monthly wrap-ups on the books I have read.
• Upcoming Releases

I am so excited to be working on the blog again and I would love your feedback! Any tips are most welcome, and I hope you enjoy my posts!

- The Avid Bookworm

October Wrap-Up, 2015!

Hello my Avid Readers!

I loved my reading selection for October and highly recommend you check these books out if you haven't already.
I tried to keep my post as spoiler-free as possible, but I'll need to work on that a little for next month. (I didn't realise how hard that is!)
Enjoy!


1. Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
12th September - 5th October.
5/5
So this is the second time I've read Fangirl, and I loved it even more than I did the first time around. (I didn't think I could!)
Everything from Cather and Wren's growing apart, to the rough start to Cath and Levi's relationship was relatable to me.
The part that really makes me love this book is Cath's struggle with anxiety. It's not the main theme in the book, but it's spoken about just enough to make me feel like Cath's character was written just for me.
Levi's wit is fantastically charming, and not too overdone, and Reagan's sarcasm kept me giggling the whole way through.
The thing I love most of all is that Fangirl has inspired me to finally take up writing, instead of just jotting down ideas for 'someday'.
Favourite Line: "Because I'm the kind of girl that fantasizes about being trapped in a library overnight."

2. Unite Me - Tahereh Mafi
5th - 19th October.
4.5/5
I'm going to start off by saying that the Shatter Me series is an absolute favourite of mine, and I immediately fell in love with Mafi's writing style. She uses words so beautifully and honestly, you can picture things so clearly in your mind and feel everything so deeply.
Unite Me is a book comprising of two companion novels, Destroy Me and Fracture Me, and Juliette's journal.
I enjoyed hearing from Warner's POV in 'Destroy Me' and I can relate to Warner's need for order and cleanliness and also his way of coping by building walls in his mind until he's forced out all other thoughts. Also, it was wonderful to see how his mind works and to read his thoughts and feelings towards Juliette.
The only thing I don't like about the companion novel 'Fracture Me' is that I thought maybe Adam's cold attitude toward Juliette would be explained more from his point of view. I was hoping that he would redeem himself a little and that I could start to like him again, but it just didn't happen. At least not well enough to convince me. Maybe I just ship Warnette too hard (not possible) and Adam just bores me now because I just want more of Warner?
Yeah, that is definitely it.
Juliette's journal was a great addition, and I loved reading it and then going back to the series having a clearer understanding of Juliette's time in isolation.
Favourite Line: "I almost forget that she still hates me, despite how hard I've fallen for her.
And I've fallen. So hard. I've hit the ground." - Destroy Me

3. Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
19th - 21st October.
6/5 (..is that allowed?)
I wasn't sure what I would think of Carry On, but it's turned out to be one of my favourite books!
It came out a little later here in Australia, but I had it in my hands by the 19th. I started reading right away and just couldn't put it down, partly because I was just waiting for Baz to finally show up!
Funny and clever, I loved the idea behind the magic and how their spells work (I won't spoil it for anyone!).
Despite the fact that Rowell tied it all up nicely at the end, there are still a lot of things that were left unanswered and I would love to see a sequel in the future!
I just want to read this again and again, and I feel I have so much more to say about this book and why I love it, but I don't know how to without spoilers, so I'll leave it at that.
Favourite Line: “I am going to die kissing Simon Snow. Aleister Crowley, I'm living a charmed life.”

4. Dumplin' - Julie Murphy
21st October - 1st November.
5/5
This book was so wonderful in so many ways.
It sends a powerful message, and such an important one. Although other books have touched on the subject of self-love and acceptance, and the struggle to get there, none that I have read have done so as effectively as Dumplin'.
Although I have always been relatively thin, I can definitely relate to feeling insecure in my own skin, as I'm sure we all can.
I want to recommend this book to anyone who will listen, to anyone who's ever had even the slightest doubt in themselves.
Moving on from the book's main theme, El and Willowdean's friendship struggles are what really hit close to home for me.
I've had the exact feeling Will does countless times, and never knew how to put it into words until Julie Murphy wrote the following line for me (it certainly feels like it anyway).
Favourite Line: "I stare at the words, wondering what might happen if I hit send. I press the delete button because the fear of her not responding is too great for me to risk it."


That's it for October, I hope you will go and read these books if you haven't already.
Happy reading for November everyone!

- The Avid Bookworm.

Tips and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou for reading, and keep an eye out for more posts.

September 2015 Owlcrate Review!

  

Hello my Avid Readers,

I hope you enjoy this review and be sure to check out Owlcrate and those

that contributed to this box as they have some great products!

I have listed all their Instagram accounts at the end of the post.

I was in no way asked by Owlcrate or any of the contributors to review this.
It is simply my first ever subscription box and I loved it so wanted to share!

I loved the theme for the September box and so I eagerly signed up when I saw they had places to fill.
It took 16 days to arrive due to me living so far away from Canada, but it was worth the wait.
The downside to this is that I did see a post revealing what was inside, but I don't feel as though it spoiled it for me at all. I think it may have made me more excited for it to get here!

THEME: Leading Ladies.

 

AND HERE'S WHAT WAS INSIDE!

 

Divergent-inspired TOTE BAG by Whoviandrea
I fell in love with the Divergent series when I first read it
(I'm a huge fan of dystopian fiction), and like so many others, Dauntless is my favourite faction.
So of course, I can't wait to carry my books and Surface (laptop) around in this tote.
Owlcrate says to "use it whenever you need a little help being brave!" I love it!




Hermione Granger PHOTO PRINT from Megan Lara
This delightful print is such high quality that it supposedly will not fade for up to 200 years! I love the rich colours and I also love the way the Gryffindor scarf flows down around Hermione.
I'm not too sure what I will be doing with my print just yet. I have seen that quite a few people are framing it. This gave me an idea to find more prints of strong female characters to create a photo wall with in my (someday) reading room.



ARROW NECKLACE by Crystal Compass.
This necklace was what I was most excited to receive! It was included in the box as a reference to Katniss, however I love so many other things regarding arrows and archery too. The Hunger Games, Arrow (based off of Green Arrow), Lord of the Rings etc..
Any game that allows me to be an archer, that's what I'll pick. I also own a bow for archery. I think you get the picture!
This is a more casual necklace so I will be wearing this a lot!

And like Owlcrate suggests, this will be the perfect accessory to wear to see Mockingjay: Part Two!

 

Daenerys KEY CHAIN from Funko
This is just so cute! I was definitely hoping that Daenerys Targaryen would be included in some way for the Leading Ladies box. I was not disappointed!
My last key chain broke so this came just at the right time. The split ring and the attachments look like they are good quality, so hopefully this one will last me a long time. The perfect addition to my car keys.



And of course, the book!

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy.
I honestly don't know a great deal about this book. I think partly because I didn't want to look into it too much and spoil the book.
I know that everyone is talking about it.
I know that it is a book about accepting and loving yourself as you are, and so with this being all I know, I am very excited to get stuck into this one. It sounds like it sends such a beautiful message.
I will be reviewing this book towards the end of October, it's next on my TBR!

EXTRAS:

Divergent Factions Bookmark from Whoviandrea.
You can never have too many! I love the simplicity of the design.
It also includes $5 towards a purchase from Whoviandrea.

Hermione & Crookshanks w/ discount for Meowbox.

 

My cats will appreciate this one!

Such a great inclusion.
Thanks Owlcrate and Meowbox!

 

 

 

 

Dumplin' Sticker
"IF YOU GOT IT, FLAUNT IT"
I have no idea where to put this as I am not big on putting stickers on things, but it's super cute. I will have to think long and hard about what to do with it.
This was included with the book, and also included was a very sweet letter from Julie Murphy to Owlcate readers.




There was also a card advertising HCCFrenzy on Social Media.
They are a team from Harper Collins CA that focus on YA books and it's a good way to keep up with the latest books in YA literature. I didn't know about them before, so that was a great bit of information to include.

Find the creators and contributors on Instagram:

@owlcrate

@andimjulie

@whoviandrea

@meganlaraart

@crystalcompassdesign

@originalfunko

@meowbox

@hccfrenzy

 

_____________________________

 

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! Do you want to see more posts like this?

 

 

- The Avid Bookworm.

A Quick Hello!

Hello, my Avid Readers!

Just a quick post to introduce my blog and to give you an idea on what I will be sharing with you all.

I have always wanted to review books so I set up this blog some time ago as a platform to do so, however I have little experience and was feeling very overwhelmed.
I came back around to the idea about a month ago and decided that I could start off with short reviews and just sharing my thoughts (instead of lengthy reviews) so that I could get myself into blogging and see what it develops into down the track.

Below is a snapshot of what you can expect to be seeing.

• What's sitting in my TBR, any new additions etc.
• Short thoughts on the books I have read, favourite quotes etc.
• Bookish products and online stores that I discover.
• Bookish adventures (anywhere I go relating to books).
• Book Hauls!
• Occasionally an unboxing.
• Monthly wrap-ups on the books I have read.

In addition to all of this, my sidebar is where you can go to find my "Currently Reading" and a list of all the books I have read so far in the current month.

This way you can know what books I will be including and rating in my monthly wrap-up!

I'm also working on getting a link up to my TBR list in the near future.

I might build on this down the track, but for now I am happy starting off with little updates and thoughts.
I hope you will enjoy my blog and I look forward to sharing my love of books with you!

- The Avid Bookworm.

Please feel free to leave a comment, I am open to suggestions about anything that I can improve on. Let me know if there is anything else that you would like to see included.