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.