My Favourite Reads of 2015

2015 was the year that I really got back into reading. I've always been a big reader but due to school and university I never felt like I had the time and I just felt really uninspired. I started using my Goodreads account again which helped me keep track of what I was reading and what I wanted to read and I ended up reading over 50 books since May! So here are my favourite reads of 2015:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

2015 was the year that I finally read The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. This was definitely my favourite out of the 4. It was fun to follow Bilbo throughout his adventure and learn about the different characters he met on the way.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I read a surprising amount of Young Adult books this year and this is up there with my favourites. Although it wasn't a really plot driven story, something about the writing and the backdrop of Paris made it really enjoyable.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series) by Rick Riordan

Another series that I was seriously late on reading but again really loved! Percy is one of my new favourite characters and I can't wait to read the Heroes of Olympus series next.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I've followed Mindy Kaling for a few years now and this was one of the most exciting releases of 2015 for me. I was so excited to get this and it did not disappoint. I loved reading about how Mindy came up with the idea of The Mindy Project, and how she differs from her on-screen persona.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Another 2015 release that I loved. Although the start was slow this quickly became one of my all-time favourite books. Originally a parody of Harry Potter it felt far from a cheap rip-off and became a great young adult fantasy book in it's own right. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
This is a spin-off of The Grisha Trilogy which I haven't read yet. This sounded a bit more interesting so I decided to read it first and I really enjoyed it. There was a few things I didn't understand at first but I wouldn't say you need to read the originally trilogy before Six of Crows. It ended on a huge cliffhanger so now I'm counting down until the sequel is released!

Throne of Glass (Series) by Sarah J. Maas
This was a series that I never thought I'd read - the description didn't stand out to me and it just didn't seem like a story I'd be interested in. I ended up buying it because it was half price on Amazon and I've never been more pleasantly surprised by a book! I love everything about this book - the  storyline, the world-building, the characters - I could go on and on...

The Raven Cycle (Series) by Maggie Stiefvater
I didn't know a lot about this series when I picked up the first book and I had no idea what to expect. The Raven Boys was unlike any book I've read before, but I loved every minute of it.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility was my second Jane Austen novel and only the 4th classic that I've read, but it's my favourite out of them all. Although classics always require a bit more effort and concentration, this was quite easy to get into. It had more of a plot than Emma, which I had read earlier in the year, and I enjoyed it much more. Sense and Sensibility really opened my eyes to why Jane Austen books are so well loved, and made me appreciate the classics that I had already read. I can't wait to read more of Jane Austen's books in 2016!

Other honourable mentions from this year include Yes Please by Amy Poehler, A Little Princess by Frances Hodsgon Burnett, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, my favourite series Harry Potter which I reread again, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins.

What were your favourite reads of 2015?

A Mini Winter ASOS Haul

Biker Jacket // Colourblock Scarf // iPhone 6 Case

I thought I'd show you a few pieces I got delivered from ASOS a few weeks ago! I had some birthday money left over and decided to treat my self - I live by this phrase far too much...

I decided to finally pick up a suede biker jacket from Vero Moda. I've been after a jacket like this for a while and I honestly expected to be sending it back but I love it! Although the fur lining isn't too soft, the suede makes up for it - it's so smooth and I know it'll be perfect for really cold, Winter days. 

I also picked up a new scarf which had been on my saved items for far too long. I think this will look really nice paired with my grey coat from Primark. It's really soft and cosy which is perfect for this awful weather!

Finally I bought a new Christmas phonecase. I'm really impressed with the quality of it considering it was only £8 and it's not too festive so I can probably get away with using it all year round.

What do you think of my mini ASOS haul?

What I've Been Reading Lately #4

Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling

I absolutely love Mindy Kaling, she's one of my favourite comedians/actresses! So obviously I was so excited for this to finally be released, and it did not disappoint. I don't think there was a chapter that I didn't laugh out loud at, and I loved reading about her relationship with BJ Novak and her show The Mindy Project. A must read for any fan!

The Rebel Belle Series by Rachel Hawkins (Rebel Belle and Miss Mayhem)

I picked up Rebel Belle not expecting much to be honest, I quite like chick flicks and young adult books but I didn't expect to enjoy this series as much as I did. I'm a sucker for a good cliche so I loved the geeky boy/homecoming queen storyline between David and Harper. I also love a good fantasy/history element and these books definitely delivered on that! My only complaint would be that Miss Mayhem seemed a little too short to me, I think so much more could have been done with it. Hopefully it's just more of a filler in the lead up to the third and final book. I can't believe I have to wait until April for it!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Attachments was actually adult fiction rather than young adult but I enjoyed it just the same. I was a bit hesitant at the format as it was split between third person and email entries but it ended up really adding to the book. It follows Lincoln, who's employed to scan and read co-workers' emails and the moral issues he faces throughout. When I finished this I couldn't quite decide if it was cute or creepy, but I think that's the point!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I think I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads, but honestly I think it was more of a three. I found the plot interesting, with Georgie being able to speak to her husband in the past with a magic telephone, but it just felt really repetitive. Georgie would go to work, come home, speak on the phone, and then go to bed. I'd say it picked up in the last half but not one of my favourites!

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I'm sure every Rainbow fan has been waiting for this to be released! I absolutely loved the fanfiction/Simon Snow elements in Fangirl, so I was excited to finally get my hands on this. I have to say, I was a bit hesitant at first as it was completely different to the 4 other books that Rainbow has written, but I loved every second of it. It definitely picked up after the first 150 pages when Baz was finally introduced! It felt like a mix of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, which was great because they're two of my favourite series. I would really recommend that everyone reads this!

(Now that I've read all of Rainbow's books I can finally put them in order of favourite to least favourite - Carry On, Fangirl, Attachments, Landline, Eleanor & Park.)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Don't forget to follow/add me on Goodreads!

What I Got For My Birthday

Today I thought I'd show a few things that I got for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I was absolutely spoiled by my friends and family and I couldn't be more grateful! I got the usual selection of clothes, shoes, chocolate and Disney things! I finally got the Chloe Drew dupe from Topshop and I'm in love - perfect size for everyday use. My mum got me Disgust and a Captain American tsum tsum - she knows me so well!

I love reading these kind of posts so please leave a link below if you've done one!

It Is Your Birthday.

(Image Source - Pinterest)

Hello everyone! This post in kind of a two in one - an 'it's my birthday' (also well done if you get the reference in the title!) and a 'sorry I've haven't been posting as much but I'm super busy'.

Anyway, birthday first. Today is the day I turn 20! By the time this goes up I'll have already opened up presents from my mum and dad and will be just leaving the house for my 9am start at university. For some reason I always end up with 9am starts on my birthday, and today I even have a presentation in my seminar - super fun stuff! Hopefully I'll be home for 1pm though and my birthday celebrations can continue...

Secondly, I haven't been able to post as much/write new posts recently. University has completely taken over my life - who knew third year would be so hard? On top of seminar prep, I have one essay and two groups reports due in the next 5 weeks. All of my time is spent doing university work, or being too tired to do anything other than watch TV. I'm hoping once my essay is out the way I'll have a bit more time and can start scheduling posts again, but until then it's be pretty scarce around here!

So now that's my little mini-update done, I'm off to go eat some cake...