27by27 • 10: Read 200 new books | September Update

I've really missed doing these posts (actually missed them so much that I started putting this one together about a week into September...) so I've decided to make them more frequent. I'll either be posting one of these book updates each month, or every other month (depending on how much I'm reading). We'll see when it comes to it I guess! Anyway, here's what I was reading throughout September:

L-R:

Fire - Kristin Cashore | 5/5 stars • Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore | 4/5 stars • Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham | 1/5 stars • Queen of Shadows - Sarah J. Maas | 5/5 stars

Deathless - Catherynne M. Valente | 5/5 stars • The Shattered Court - M. J. Scott | 3/5 stars • Angelfall - Susan Ee | 3/5 stars

See full reviews/other books I've read over on my Goodreads account!

•   •   •   •   •   •   •

My top picks:

Fire by Kristin Cashore

“I'd thought once, actually, of taking your mind, if you asked. I'd thought I could help you fall asleep at night."

He opened his mouth to say something. Shut it again. His face closed for a moment, his unreadable mask falling into place. He spoke softly. "But that wouldn't be fair; for after I slept you'd be left awake, with no one to help you sleep.”

Fire is the second book in the Graceling series. At first I was slightly disappointed that the characters are different to those in Graceling (for the most part) but after I got into it, I really enjoyed it as a completely different story in the same world. It also creates a nice transition into Bitterblue, the third book in the series. I'd recommend Fire if you've already read Graceling or are thinking of reading it (I don't think it really matters much which order you read those two in!) or if you're looking for an interesting but easy to read fantasy.

-

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

“She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph.” 

I'd waited for this book for so long, so I'm really happy to say that it didn't disappoint!

Queen of Shadows is the fourth instalment of the Throne of Glass series, which has long been one of my favourite series's. The series follows the story of Celaena Sardothien, once Riftholds most renowned assassin, and by this book following quite a different path. 

If you've not read or heard of the Throne of Glass series, I'd recommend it if you're into fantasy worlds, faeries, a strong female protagonist who just happens to be an assassin, a King who's outlawed magic and is intent on conquering the known world, and of course, a map at the beginning of the book! 

-

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

“Oh, I will be cruel to you, Marya Morevna. It will stop your breath, how cruel I can be. But you understand, don’t you? You are clever enough. I am a demanding creature. I am selfish and cruel and extremely unreasonable. But I am your servant. When you starve I will feed you; when you are sick I will tend you. I crawl at your feet; for before your love, your kisses, I am debased. For you alone I will be weak.” 

I say, Death, keep off, I am your enemy, and you will not deny me. I say these things, and the world listens, Masha. Because my magic is as strong as an arm. I am never denied.” 

"You keep calling him that. The Tsar of Life."

"That's what he is." And am I the Tsaritsa of Life, then? half her heart asked. The other half answered, Not even for a moment were you ever queen."

"Koschei, Koschei," she whispered. "What would I have been if I had never seen the birds? I am no one; I am nothing. I am a blank paper on which you and your magic wrote a girl. Just the kind of girl you wanted, all hungry and hurt and needing. A machine for loving you. Nothing in me was not made by you."

I think the quotes above could easily some up the perfection that is this book, but I loved it so much that not reviewing it properly would be a crime against literature.

After seeing a few positive things about it online, Deathless sat on my 'to read' shelf for a long time. A few weeks ago, I finally got around to buying a copy, and I definitely don't regret doing so.

Deathless is loosely based on a Russian folklore tale, Koschei the Deathless, mixed up with other pieces of mythology and mythological characters/creatures that you may have heard of (e.g. Baba Yaga). It's set in early to mid twentieth century St. Petersburg (or as it was known then, Petrograd/Leningrad). What with my love of both mythology and history (especially WWII era history), this was already the perfect book for me. The protagonist, Marya Morevna, is a Russian girl who is able to see the magic hidden in the world during the time of war and poverty in her home of Petrograd. The story follows her life and her encounters with this magic, including those with Koschei, the Tsar of Life, who comes to take her away to court her when she's a teenager. However, war has also seeped into Koschei's kingdom, and Marya's life is fraught with trials and power struggles. 

I often go on about how I love strong female protagonists in books, and I do, but I'm also aware that a lot of the time these girls just seem to be that way for absolutely no reason; they're just "strong females" for the sake of being so, it seems. What I love about Marya is that she's vulnerable, she's broken; her home and her heart are torn from war and heartbreak and loss and trials, and yet, she's a solid, formidable character. She suffers, and she grows from that suffering. She's beaten down, and she gets back up and fights even though she physically has nothing left. 

Catherynne M. Valente's writing style flows as smooth as poetry; she uses the most perfect literary techniques, such as the idea of repetition in threes which is often seen in fairytales, to enhance this book in the best possible way. Her writing, combined with the story, created a book which sucked me right in, and when it spat me back out, left me lost and hungry for more.

Recommended for:

Lovers of fantasy and fairytales, lovers of history, those interested in WWII, those interested in war stories in general, readers looking for something that's not quite your typical romance, mythology fanatics, people who enjoy getting their heart broken by fiction, wannabe Tsaritsas, and those who've seen the world naked. 

•   •   •   •   •   •   •

21 read, 179 more to go :)

27by27 • 10: Read 200 new books | Update June - August

One of my 27by27 goals is to read 200 new books over the next five years. I'll mostly be keeping track of this one via my goodreads account, but every three months I'll be posting a little update over on here - showing the books I've read over those months, and some mini reviews of my favourites! Here's my update for June, July & August. 

L-R:

Dare Me - Megan Abbot | 3/5 stars • Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard | 4/5 stars • Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov | 2/5 stars • The Invasion of the Tearling - Erika Johansen | 4.5/5 stars • Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries #11) - Meg Cabot | 5/5 stars

The Girl of Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson | 4/5 stars • The Crown of Embers - Rae Carson | 4.5/5 stars • The Bitter Kingdom - Rae Carson | 5/5 stars • The Kiss of Deception - Mary E. Pearson | 4/5 stars • A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas | 5/5 stars

Snow Like Ashes - Sara Raasch | 3.5/5 stars • Fool's Quest - Robin Hobb | 5/5 stars • The Heart of Betrayal - Mary E. Pearson | 4.5/5 stars • Graceling - Kristin Cashore | 5/5 stars 

See full reviews/other books I've read over on my Goodreads account!

•   •   •   •   •   •   •

My top picks:

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure 99% of British girls my age absolutely adored Meg's The Princess Diaries series in the early noughties. I had no idea an eleventh book was being written, so when I was shopping in Asda, came across Royal Wedding and subsequently realised what it was I had to hold back a scream of joy. I literally devoured this book - it's perfect because Mia's the same awkward, funny character she was all those years ago, but time's passed, she's older and the book's target audience is more the 16 - 25 bracket than pre-teens. I'm so glad Meg decided to write this book literally for its original audience in this way. Definitely recommend to anyone who loved these books when they were younger!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I am a huge fan of Sarah's Throne of Glass series, so when I saw that she was writing a new book inspired by Beauty and the Beast but with a twist, I just had to read it. Feyre's story and her world immediately sucked me in, and I couldn't put this book down until I'd finished it. It has the perfect balance of everything I love in a YA fantasy (although I'd say it's aimed at a slightly older audience than the usual YA book - there's quite a few very descriptive raunchy scenes so if you'd rather not read that sort of thing then do bear this in mind!): some of the books main features are a strong female lead who's had to learn to take care of herself and her family, a war, a fantasy land, fairies, a map at the beginning of the book, and of course, a romance. I'd recommend this book to all fantasy or YA lovers, and anyone who's into the Throne of Glass series! 

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb

Oh. My. Gosh. I am still not over this book. Or this series. Or this author. 

All I can say is, if you haven't read these three trilogy's already, go and pick up a copy of Assassins Apprentice right now and get reading! 

Fools Quest is the second book of the third trilogy that's based on FitzChivalry Farseer, a prince's bastard turned stableboy turned assassin. Honestly, when I first started reading these books I found them really hard to get into, but once I hit a certain stage I was completely hooked on Fitz's storyline. One of my favourite things about the books is that you literally do experience Fitz's whole life - the first book begins with him being a very young child, and in Fool's Quest he's around sixty. Now I know if someone recommended me a book where the main character is a sixty-something year old man, I'd definitely be put off, but just trust me on this one! 

I'd recommend this book (obviously at the same time, recommending the Farseer Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, and the first book of The Fitz and The Fool Trilogy - Fool's Assassin) to anyone into fantasy fiction which also has a bit of politics thrown in there (fellow A Song of Ice & Fire fans, you will love these trilogys!). I'd also recommend it if you love a bit of fictional vengeance, like myself ;) 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

This is a book I've been meaning to read for so long, so this weekend I finally got around to it, and I'm so glad that I did! Again, it perfectly fits all of my favourite themes for a book - strong female lead (who's also an amazing fighter, obviously), a fantasy realm, a romance... etc etc etc, you've heard this all before. I'd recommend for lovers of easy-going but still great fantasy!

•   •   •   •   •   •   •

I've actually really enjoyed writing this post - reading is one of my biggest and probably longest standing passions, so if you're interested in some more frequent book review or just book related posts, do let me know :) 

14 new books out of 200 read, 186 to go!

Photodiary • Albania, March 2015

When I first started this blog, it was purely to have a place where I could upload all of my travel photos from different places into big posts where they could just be scrolled through. As I was just looking through my posts from the last few weeks, I realised that recently I'd really neglected that side of my blog! So here's a quite overdue photo diary full of snaps I took when I visited Albania for 10 days in March. 

Some of you may know, I was in Albania not for a holiday but to work with kids over there with seven other people from my college. Due to child protection issues I won't be posting photos of those activities on here but if anyone wants to know more about what our team did, feel free to ask! :) 

On our days off, we did get to explore some of the country, so that's mostly what I'll be showing here. I found that Albania was very much a mishmash of other cultures: we saw what was definitely a European country, but had such a heavy Middle Eastern influence. The food and architecture seemed to be some sort of combination of Turkish, Greek and a bit of Italian (especially in the more rural areas on the Western side of the country). A lot of their views are also still very 'conservative' - for example, if a man told me (or any other woman) to do something in public whilst we were there, I had to do it (which you know, would completely go against my character, so it was quite hard to keep up with!). Anyway, let's get started - 

Tirana:

Tirana is the capital city of Albania, and the place where we stayed and spent the most of our time in the city. This was probably the place where I saw the most eastern influence - from the cafés there, to the huge mosque in the centre of the city which had a call to prayer multiple times each day!

fun fact: many ladies in Tirana were hired to keep the roads of the city tidy. sounds like a simple enough job, right? one catch though: every day when they started work, rather than taking a shop bought broom or brush with them, they had to gather sticks, branches and leaves in order to make their own brush to sweep the streets with. 

Mt. Dajti:

Dajti is a mountain just outside the centre of Tirana. On one of our free days, we had the chance to go up it on a rather wobbly cable car (which, despite it being 5292 feet high, wasn't actually as terrifying as it sounds!). We saw some amazing views both from the car and the revolving bar at the top of the mountain. 

Lezhë and Shëngjin: 

Lezhë is a northern province of Albania that we visited just for a day, and worked with some kids for a couple of hours in the nearby town of Shëngjin. Although we weren't there for long, we did manage to walk (most of the way) up to the castle in Lezhë, where we encountered even more amazing views - 

So I'll be honest - I hated the traditional Albanian food we tried. most of the stuff we were given at lunchtimes were potato filled orangey sauces with the oil still floating on the top - not nice! However, some of the fast food was amazing, including these suflaq's (I also found these in Rhodes but called gyros instead!). They're essentially kebabs on flatbread, with pork strips, a big dollop of Greek yoghurt and a handful of skinny chips!

Krujë:

We visited Krujë on our final day in Albania before our 9pm flight, and this was definitely my favourite place by far. Krujë is a little village high in the mountains of western/central Albania, and is popular with tourists. This was definitely the part of Albania that felt the most Italian to me (probably also the reason that it was my favourite - big up the motherland!). So after driving up and up winding mountain streets to the bottom of the town, we then walked through gorgeous, narrow Greek-esque cobbled streets that were surrounded by little shops and stalls on all sides. I bought a beautiful hand crafted ring from one of the stalls on the way back down to our minibus after successfully bartering down the price! It was a bit daunting though in a way, as every shopkeeper tried to call you over and that did make me a bit nervous. Before all the shops though, we walked up to the top and had a gorgeous meal overlooking the peaks of the mountains on one side and the valleys on the other. Me being how I am, I spied a tiny dirt pathway winding down from the restaurant and round a corner and of course had to know what was round there, so as soon as I'd finished eating, off I went - and the view of the mountains I found there was the most breathtaking experience of the whole trip. I've gushed enough about Krujë though - here's the photos!

did I mention how many stray cats there were in Albania? I just wanted to take them all home with me

and here it is - the AMAZING view! 

we then took a little trip to the museum!

view from the viewing deck at the top of Krujë museum

So that rounds up the sightseeing chunk of my Albania trip. Hopefully soon I'll get around to blogging my Rhodes photos, and this time not four months after I've visited! 

Have any of you ever visited Albania or the Balkans area in general? Let me know!