Top 5 Wednesday - 3rd January

Top 5 Wednesday!

Top Five Wednesday was created by Laineyand is currently hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. There is more information at the goodreads group. 

January 3rd: 2018 Reading Resolutions
-- Self explanatory. Let us know 5 of your reading goals for the year. 

So for todays topic I am going to list my top 5 goals regarding reading for 2018.

1. I have set my GoodReads goal at 50 books for 2018 so I would like to hit this.

2. Book/Author events - I would like to attend more book related events this year. Last year I did well with YALC as well as events with Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare and I would like that to continue in 2018.

3. Read more books I own. Most of the books I read last year were 2017 releases and new books, I need to make a bigger dent in reading books I already own and have owned for a while.

4. Read more diverse books. By this I mean books of different genres, I primarily read YA fantasy and sci-fi and the books outside of this that I read in 2017 I enjoyed so it would be nice to continue exploring genres.

5. Read every day. Even if it's only a few pages. I want to build up good habits.

December Wrap Up

So in December 2017 I managed to read a total of 9 books.

In order of reading I completed The Woman Who Rides Like A Man by Tamora Pierce, Everless by Sara Holland, The Watchmaker of Filligree Street by Natasha Pulley, Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce, A Boy called Christmas by Matt Haig, Cardcaptor Sakura The Clear Card vol 1 by CLAMP, The Girl who saved Christmas by Matt Haig, The Memory Trees by Kali Wallace and Golden Son by Pierce Brown.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed The Watchmaker of Fillagree Street which was a recommendation from Wedges of Lemon on youtube, it was definitely a really good read and I loved the time period it was set in as well as the characters. I finished my re-read of the Song of the Lioness quartet and did enjoy it overall though not as much as the first time I read it. Everything I read this month I really enjoyed, Matt Haig's Christmas Books are very well written and fun with a slightly satirical edge. Sakura was cute and I loved the continuation of the story and The Memory Trees was intriguing and compelling.

Review #91 - Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Details:

Title: Golden Son

Author: Pierce Brown

Publisher: Hodder

ISBN 13: 978-1444759037

Synopsis:

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within. 

A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people. 

He must live for more.

Review:

Review #90 - The Memory Trees by Kali Wallace

Details:

Title: The Memory Trees

Author: Kali Wallace

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN 13: 978-0062366238

Synopsis:

For the first eight years of her life, an unusual apple orchard in Vermont is Sorrow Lovegood's whole world. The land has been passed down through generations of brave, resilient women, and while their offbeat habits may be ridiculed by other townspeople—especially their neighbors, the Abrams family—Sorrow and her family take pride in its odd history.

Then one winter night, an unthinkable tragedy changes everything. In the aftermath, Sorrow is sent to Miami to live with her father, away from the only home she’s ever known.

Now sixteen, Sorrow's memories of her life in Vermont are maddeningly hazy. She returns to the orchard for the summer, determined to learn more about her troubled childhood and the family she left eight years ago. But it soon becomes clear that some of her questions have difficult—even dangerous—answers. And there may be a price to pay for asking.

Review:

Review #89 - The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig

Details:

Title: The Girl Who Saved Christmas

Author: Matt Haig

Publisher: Canongate Books

ISBN 13: 978-1782118602

Synopsis:

It is Christmas Eve and all is not well. Amelia Wishart is trapped in Mr Creeper's workhouse and Christmas is in jeopardy. Magic is fading. If Christmas is to happen, Father Christmas knows he must find her.

With the help of some elves, eight reindeer, the Queen and a man called Charles Dickens, the search for Amelia - and the secret of Christmas - begins . . .

Review:

Review #88 - Cardcaptor Sakura: The Clear Card vol.1 by CLAMP

Details:

Title: Cardcaptor Sakura: The Clear Car vol. 1

Author: CLAMP

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

ISBN 13: 978-1632365378

Synopsis:

Seventeen years after the original Cardcaptor Sakura manga ended, Clamp returns with more magical clow card adventures! Clear Card picks up right where Cardcaptor Sakura left off, with Sakura and Syaoran starting junior high school. With the Final Judgment passed, Sakura thinks school life will be quiet, but then all her cards suddenly turn blank! The mysterious new power she discovers will change how she thinks about her powers...

Review:

Review #87 - A Boy called Christmas

Details:

Title: A Boy called Christmas.

Author: Matt Haig

Publisher: Canongate Books

ISBN 13: 978-1782118268

Synopsis:

You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.

Are you still reading?

Good.

Then let us begin . . .

A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn't afraid to believe in magic.

Review: