Book Blogs or Book YouTubers Didn’t Influence Me Into Reading

The thing with this post is that anything that I’ve found on my own without influence from anyone online is that I enjoy it a whole lot more than when someone suggests it.  

I’m not saying that all books I’ve read that book youtubers have suggested is bad, I’ve found some good books in amongst the awful.

For instance. I adore The Great Gatsby but it’s not on the list because in someway it was influenced by a booktuber.  She raved about another book, and it was on a special deal and I picked up two other books including The Great Gatsby 

So for me I either will at some point pick up a book that someone online as recommended but it will be years down the line and it will more than likely be from a thrift store 

• Anything by Dorothy Koomson 
• Matched Trilogy
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Safe Haven
• The Help
• One Day
• To Kill A Mockingbird 
• Any of my books by Jacqueline Wilson
• Harry Potter Series

Manhunt: How I Brought Serial Killer Levi Bellfield To Justice

Book: Manhunt: How I Brought Serial Killer Levi Bellfield To Justice

Author: Colin Sutton 

Pages: 313

Publish Date: April 10th 2019

Start Reading Date: July 1st 2020

End Reading Date: July 6th 2020

My Goodreads Rating: 5*

First Thoughts

I’ve always been a fan of true crime and police dramas and tv shows. I remember as a kid at about 11/12 years old and watching Crimewatch and The Bill.

Fun fact about me, for a good 7+ years from like age 9-16 I wanted to be a police officer. But then I realized that probably wouldn’t be the best job for me. 

I remember seeing the news about Milly Dowler as a kid, because she was about a year older then me. I also remember seeing the Murders of Kate and Amelie on tv all the time. I have a clear image of reading about Amelie’s case while in France one year. 

I don’t know why but it this case is one that has always stuck with me. 

Even though I know the outcome of the trial, I had this overwhelming feeling that Levi would get off. I don’t know why, and I know he didn’t. 

While Reading

I like how in the book Colin has used the different text style for the reports 

I really feel for the victims of Levi and their families because he’s such a monster. I even feel for his own kids and ex girlfriends. 

Conclusion 

I think Colin is a hero. He saved so many young women’s lives just by being a cop. He saved those who Levi would’ve gone on to abuse or murder. There really should be more people like him in the police.  

With Levi I always wonder how much more he would’ve done if he hadn’t been caught. Because I find him terrifying. He was involved in so many different and illegal things it was only a matter of time in my opinion that he was caught for something.  

It was a really hard book to do a review on because it’s a true account of what happened from Colin’s point of view. 

Through out the book it shows just how much hard work police have to do. I know with all that’s happening right now how hard it is to truly trust police officers but there is something about Colin that you can tell he was dedicated to getting justice for all those involved. 

Me Before You || JoJo Moyes || Book Review

Book: Me Before You
Author: JoJo Moyes
Pages: 369
Publisher: Penguin 
Publish Date: July 30th 2013
Start Reading Date: July 20th 2019
End Reading Date: August 7th 2019
My Goodreads Rating: 2*

I picked the book up, and wasn’t planned on reading it so soon, but I decided to because I couldn’t get into the other books. Going into the book I am hoping that it is as good as people say it is. 

70 Pages In
I am a bit 50:50 on the book so far. 

150ish Pages in
I’m still 50:50 about the book. There are some parts where I’m like ‘This is an amazing book’ and other parts I’m thinking ‘What am I Reading’. I don’t have the urge to keep picking it up, and when I do I don’t mind reading one or two pages at a time. 


200 pages in
Now that I am pretty far into the story, it’s not the best book I’ve read. It’s pretty much all over the place,




I really am struggling while reading the book. I can’t deal with the randomness of the book. How can a Book this bad have so many people loving it. I’m just hoping it gets better.  

I don’t even know what page I am on, how anyone thinks that this books is a good love story is beyond me. It’s cheesy, predictable and plain rubbish. 

I saw a good review on the book and in paraphrasing it ‘Has Anyone noticed the message of the book is Disabled life isn’t worth living’ and I couldn’t agree more. 


I feel as if it’s just a cheesy love story with extra cheese for good measure, and this is coming from someone who loves a good cheesy romance book. 

By the time I finished it I lost all will to live. I gave it a 2* just because there where parts that were really cute and sweet, but it was confusing when they would talk and it seemed like someone else was in the conversation but wasn’t really.  

The fact that Will wanted to die was predictable and what would have been more predictable is if he actually lived. It was also predictable that Louisa would go to Paris, and that Will would have left her money that would allow her to go and study and move out, just as much as her normal un jealous boyfriend would become jealous of the person Louisa would work for.  

The only person I actually liked was Will, and is the main reason why I rated the book 2*, after his accident he knows that he wants to die and no one will listen to him, it’s almost as if he doesn’t have a choice or voice in his own life anymore yet he can clearly think and talk, 

Girl On The Train: DNF Review

Book: Girl On The Train
Author: Paula Hawkins
Pages: 395
Publish Date: 2015



Ok before I get into the actual review part of the book, I wanna say I am shocked. I thought the book came out in 2010/2011 time frame not 2015. 


I have read 34 pages as I’m writing this next bit. This book isn’t great so far. It just seems like two 30 something women who want to moan about their crappy and predictable life’s.   

I got to about 60-80 pages and I was so disappointed. I always try and not have high expectations of books that are super popular and have movies made about them but I had to put the book down and leave it before I pick it up again. I feel as if the positive reviews are way to nice for such a dull book so far.  

In what I did read I felt confused. 

Completed lost at what was happening. 

That it’s putting London England in such a poorer light than it already has.  

That what I did read was irrelevant and pointless. 


So this review is just what I thought on it to the point I put it down. Seriously if I read anymore at this point I would want to throw the book at the author and say it’s a brick. I will at some do a new review. 

Books From My Favorite Genre

I don’t know what my favourite genre is, but these are a few of my favourite books in the same kind of genre.  

- My Best Friends Girl
- The Ice Cream Girls 
- The Brighton Mermaid 
- Marshmallows For Breakfast 
- Goodnight, Beautiful 
- One Day
- Safe Haven 
- The Lucky One
- The Devil Wears Prada
- The Help


These books are all pretty much chick flick kind of books, all with different twists, I love all of them for different reasons. From it being my favourite author who can’t do no wrong in my eyes, to just a good old fashion love story or making you think about how people are treated and should be treated. 

Change of Heart DNF Book Review From October

Book: Change of Heart

Author: Jodi Pilcoult

Start Reading Date: 26th October 2018

End Reading Date: DNF

I have a love hate relationship with Jodi Pilcoult. I love the fact that she’s an author and I have a good amount of her books, but when I read them I have difficulty.


I had no idea what Change of Heart was all about when I picked it up. There is a few patterns in Jodi’s books that I am not a massive of which are short chapters and multiple narrators. But one of the things that kind of makes it a smidge easier is that everyone had their own font.

I really want to like Jodi’s books but I just can’t. I can’t deal with the short pages and millions of people’s perspective. It gets confusing so quickly.

The blurb of the book indicates three characters and knowing what Jodi does with her books with all the characters I could have dealt with it. But when one of the characters chapter starts way into the book when secondary characters had two plus chapters before makes it so confusing.

I wanted to find a book that I could get into but really couldn’t get into this one. I felt let down and disappointed. I felt that one of the characters in the book is actually pointless

Birthday Book Wish List

With my birthday only a week away I thought I’d do a top 5 books that I’d like to receive 


- The Book Thief
    - Markus Zusack
I’ve seen the movie and I love it. I’ve seen various reviews on the book.  

- Reconstructing Amelia
    - Kimberly McCreight
With Reconstructing Amelia I keep seeing it and think “I need to pick the book up” the forget about it then something jogs my memory and I think “oh yeah. I wanna read that book”

- Revenge Wears Prada 
    - Lauren Wiesburger 
I love the first book of the Prada series The Devil Wears Prada and never knew there was a second book until recently. 

- Room
    - Emma Donoghue 
I’ve seen very few reviews for the book, but those that I have seen are really positive. 

- Gone Girl
    - Gillian Flynn
I’m not someone’s who’s into thrillers. I’ve read my fair amount of John Grisham books (thanks mum) but I want to get into books like Gone Girl 

Crossed Book Review

Book: Crossed

Author: Ally Conde

Pages: 367

Publisher: Speak

Publish Date: March 12 2013

Start Date: 29th January 2018

End Date: 20th February 2018

Good reads Rating 2

I want to start by saying that I have seen a lot of mixed - bad reviews on this book which I know I’m going to like the boook 

It’s a very slow start but I am enjoying it. I’m not normally a massive fan of having more than person narrating a book. 

I really like how the each alternate chapters are either Ky or Cassia and that even though they are both doing completely different jobs that there is such similarities between what they are doing. 

I saw a review on Goodreads about the book where the person said she felt that it didn’t really push the story along and was just filler material while I can understand what she’s saying in some places it did feel like that but I felt that both Cassia and Ky’s journey had enough intensity that you just carry on and it’s one of those books that I enjoyed reading. 


*I am at page 176 as I write this next bit*. For most Cassia’s chapters I have found her a bit annoying and I like Cassia normally. I think in some cases so far she has been headstrong and independent, a friend and a leader, but then she has become someone who is clueless and dumb. And I hate it. She is supposed to be this strong woman who is going after her man but is becoming stupid along the way. If things are put to her by other people she shoots them down but if they are her own they are the best

*200 pages in*
I am starting to struggle with the book. I have about 150/160 pages left until I’ve finished reading the book but it’s getting harder and harder. And I can understand why some people don’t like this book as much as the first book. And what is with the page chapters dead in the middle of the book. The book started of so well but is seriously going down hill. 

I can see why people don’t like the book as much as the first. Even though I was just skimming over some of the chapters I started feeling disconnected from the characters more and more and that’s why I started skimming pages. I would have liked them to have stayed in the Society because they made so many decisions for them anyway and forced them to be together that if they stayed in the society it could have been different. 

I admit that I skim read a lot of chapters, but read the last 5 fully. I felt that the ending of the book brought it back up a little. I think it would have been a bit better if Ally Conde had them looking for each other a little longer. I ended up feeling like the book ended up just dragging on even after a good start. 

LA Candy Book Review

Book: LA Candy

Author: Lauren Conrad

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publish Date: June 16th 2009

Start Date: Feb 7th 2018

End Date: February 13th 2018

Good reads Rating 3*

When The Hills was on TV I absolutely loved it. Lauren Conrad was always my favourite cast member. I have all the seasons on DVD and watch them from time to time. 

LA Candy is based loosely on The Hills. Jane and Scarlett move to LA, they have known each other since childhood



It’s not a great book but as books go biased on real life that I’ve read this is the best. It’s book cheese. And I like it.



 I love that it’s really loosely based on The Hills. But can still tell which character is biased on who, and that even though it’s braised on the four main girls they also have their own personalities within the book. 



I like how even though it is loosely based on The Hills that they changed a lot of what happened within the show. And the personal lives. That you don’t just automatically think ‘oh this is the Hills down to a dot’. And that each person from the show is in each of the characters a little bit. 



Madison for example is the one who started the rumour in the book but in real life it was Heidi. 

Books I can’t Believe I’ve Read

Welcome to a Top 10 inspired post for today. On books that I can’t believe I’ve read. 

- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before 
It wasn’t the best book. I am someone who doesn’t like all the chapters to be short. One or two here and there is fine. But every chapter is just way to much. 

- Beneath The Glitter ✨ 
When I read BTG I didn’t see aspects of Elle and Blair like it was aimed at but the movie Material Girls with the Duff sisters. 


- The Last Song 
I was adamant that I’d never read this book that because Miley Cyrus was on the front it would be awful. It isn’t Nicholas Sparks best work but I read it. 

- New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn
I liked Twilight but felt that the rest of the series was dull, boring and not that great. 

- Thirteen Reasons Why
When I first read the book a few years ago I really liked it. When I re read it last year I was so disappointed with it. I saw half of one episode of the Netflix show and thought they had cast it really badly 


- Fan Girl
I didn’t hate Fan Girl but I didn’t love it either. I wasn’t a massive fan of Cath’s but I got over it as the book went on. 

Lauren

xoxo

Books I Meant To Get To

Welcome to part one of the books I Meant To Get To last year but never did




Everyone Worth Knowing 

I wanted to read the book but just felt throughout the whole year wasn’t the right time

Will Grayson Will Grayson

I also felt with this book that it was never the right time to read the book. I felt everyone had an opinion as soon as I wanted to read the book

The Kite Runner

I have no idea why I didn’t attempt to read the book. 

Life of Pi

It never seemed to be the right time. 

The Choice

I was on a massive Nicholas Sparks trip but got bored pretty quick. 

The Casual Vacancy DNF Book Review

Title: The Casual Vacancy 
Author; JK Rowling
Pages
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published September 27th 2012
Goodreads Rating: 3

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Goodreads
I love JK’s Harry Potter series and knew going into The Casual Vacancy that it’s very different. I wanted to love it but just couldn’t pick it up all the time to finish it. So the three star rating is based on what I’ve read. It’s a shame because I wanted to finish it. 



Of the bits that I did read I enjoyed but not enough to carry on with the book. 

Christmas Book Haul

Welcome

Today’s Top 5 Wednesday is supposed to be on things we’d like to see in books. Instead I am going to do my Christmas book haul
I actually did a post like this which you can see HERE. So instead I am doing a What Books I Got For Christmas Post instead

Crossed and Reached
- Ally Conde

Lola and the Boy Next Door
- Stephanie Perkins

Harry Potter Wands

I feel like a bad Potter head not knowing a book like this existed.

The Last Song Book Review || Nicholas Sparks

Book: The Last Song

Author: Nicholas Sparks 

Pages: 405

Publisher:

Genre: Romance, 

Started: October 28th 2017

Finished: November 16th 2017

Goodreads: 2*

I've always had a thing about Miley Cyrus. I've never really liked her that much and so when I decided to read The Last Song I knew it would be difficult. And in some ways it was. I didn't like the flipping between characters in the book. I like the book to be simple and easy to read.  

I got over the fact that it's got Miley Cyrus on the cover, and got over half way through the book. And then bam. I am have trouble with it. I know Nicholas Sparks is well known for his romantic novels set in North Carolina but there was something about the book that isn't as good as the other books that I've read by him. 

There was so much going on within the book that made it an ok book but still didn't like the flip flopping between the characters in each chapter. 

I was expecting the chapters to be shorter because of all the different storylines going on within the book but I'm glad that it didn't. 

Did it need all the smaller storylines? In my opinion no, the storyline about Ronnie stealing I knew right away that it wasn't going to go anywhere because another storyline would pop up, which I don't like. If it's major enough to have in the story, then give it some bang. Ok so Blaze told the truth about what happened on the night of a tragedy happened, but that only because she had something bad happen to her (that was also kind of related to the first accident), and that she felt bad for Ronnie 

I looked through the discussion questionsat the back of the book and one question was about how much Ronnie changed throughout the book, yeah she changed but who wouldn't change. Isn't that the whole point of the book to see her change. 

Another is about why Will fell for Ronnie, and it's an obvious answer.  Because he wanted to be nothing  like his family. He wanted to be with someone who is so completely different then himself. I call it the rich-poor syndrome. Where one person in the relationship is rich while the other isn't and it's a bit of a pet peeve when reading books. 

The whole book could have been a lot better then it is. And that's why I gave it a 2* rating on Goodreads because it could be such a good book. Most of the storylines could and should have gone somewhere, the romances within the book should have gone further and not have even happened. 

Lauren

xoxo

Books I Want To Read By My Birthday 🎉 📚 📖

Welcome. This post is on the books that I want to read by my birthday (March 29th).  

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hooseini

This is a book that I found in the laundry room, it looked interesting picked it up and never actually read it. 

All Fall Down

Jennifer Weir

I got this book forever ago, well over three years ago, it was on sale as a part of a 3 for $10, which at the time (and still dose) blows my mind because it's a hardback book that I got for $3.33, and that part of the reason I picked it up, because it was a good deal, but haven't even picked it up to read. 

The Next Best Thing

Jennifer Weir

This book I actually got for free. It was in the laundry room of the apartment building that I live in and so I picked it up. 

Everyone Worth Knowing

Lauren Wiesburger 

I have no idea when I got the book, but I know that I've had it for as long as I've lived in Canada.  

Last Night At Chateau Marimont

Lauren Wiesburger 

This was one of the other books that I talked about that I got 3 for $10, again it's a hard back copy of the book and I was shocked that I got it for around cheap . I just haven't picked it up

The Choice

Nicholas Sparks

This is a new addition to my book shelf.  I am on a Nicholas Sparks marathon at the moment, so hopefully by my birthday I can read it. 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

John Green

I've had this book for ages and just haven't picked it up at all. For the simple fact that I keep forgetting that I have the book. Which is really annoying. 

The Casual Vacancy 

JK Rowling

Ok so I am currently reading the book but it's taking me a while. I want to finish it by my birthday

Lauren

xoxo

all Pics from google images 

All I Know Now || Carrie Hope Fletcher || Book Review

Book: All I Know Now

Author: Carrie Hope Fletcher 

Pages:

Publisher: Little, Brown,

Genre: Biography 

Published: 2015

Started: 19th October 2017

Finished: 23rd October 2017

Goodreads: 4*

The book is one that I wish someone older then me had written when I was a teenager. Yes it's what a lot of people have said but it's one of those books that makes you feel as if your not alone in anything. That someone you look 'up' to has also gone through bullying, and other things that you haven't but someone else may have. 

I like how it has different Help line numbers and services for across the world not just where Carrie is from. 

If I am being honest I was scared that it wasn't going to be as good as it could have been when I first read it a year or two ago, and again this time I was scared because of it being a YouTuber's book. But I think it covers great topics that most people don't want to talk about. 

What I also liked about this book is that while reading it I could hear Carrie's voice throughout as if she was reading it to me rather then me reading it 

Safe Haven Book Review

Book: Safe Haven 

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 432

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Genre: Realism, Romance

Published: July 2011

Started: 19th October 2017

Finished: 24th October 2017

Goodreads:  5*

About Safe Haven

Safe Haven is about Katie (Erin) who moved to a small town in North Carolinia after leaving her abusive husband. Where she meets Alex, a local store owner and his two children. Her husband is looking for her and when he finds her is drunk and a series of events happen. 

Review

I love the book, and that's coming form someone who has a hard time with books that flip back and forth. 

It's romantic and heartbreaking. It's feel good and gut wrenching. It's one of those books that you just want to pick Katie out of the book and give her a massive hug. 

I like that Katie got the chance to get away, even if it was under false pretences, and that even though she changed her name and identity that she isn't jumping into marriage. 

I also like how she fooled her husband who is supposed to be this great detective.  

Even though I love the book, I think the last few chapters are the best. The ones after Kevin is suspended from work and he had the time to actually look for Erin/Katie, the way he dies etc. 

At the back of the book that I own that have discussion questions. If you know me then you'll know I love ❤️ discussion questions and have done some in the past, so that post will be up shortly. 

Differences with the movie, 

With any book to movie adaptations there will always be changes. These are some of the one that I caught. 

1. Katie's hair is brown dyed blonde in the movie, where as in the book it's blonde dyed brown 
2. In the book Alex's daughter is called Kristen where as in the movie she is called Lexie 
3. Kevin is right on the trail of Katie and takes it to work with him. in the movie where as in the book he doesn't really look for her right away and lies to his colleagues. 
4. In the book Katie has a lot of odd jobs that she quits after a few weeks. In the movie it shows her going to Atlanta by stays in southport 
5. Instead of Alex telling her what happened to his wife like in the book, Maddie tells her
6. In the movie Katie is a murder suspect because of her husband 
7. Katie's escape was the biggest difference between the movie and the book. In the book she would save money when she could, she planed for the fact she knew her husband would be calling her so had the home phone diverted to a cell that she had picked up. She stole her neighbours child's identification. Where as in the movie she was helped to get away from the situation by her neighbour. 
8. I think the biggest character to change between the book and the movie is Kevin, how is is suspended from work all the way to when he finds and tried to kill his wife all the way to when he dies himself. 
9. Maddie wasn't a charter in the book but was in the movie. Joyce, or her daughter and the trip to collect her wasn't included in the movie. 

While there are quite a few changes that are noticeable within the movie it's not a bad movie.