My September Reads Wrap Up

It has been a busy few months to say the least and reading has of course suffered, but I officially moved out of my parents house back in July to move in with my boyfriend and this was a massive step into the adult world for me. Some of us cannot wait to leave their parents home, but for me I probably could have lived there my whole life. I was lucky to have pretty much my own space at home and get plenty of reading done and yes I do miss it, but I do like having completely my own space and of course living with my boyfriend. I'm starting to get back into a routine now and have had some really fab books recently, so I am really looking forward to curling up with some fab books as the evenings get colder. I managed to read 7 books this month- one of them an ebook and they were all 4 star or more books, so a great reading month! See below for the books I read.

1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K Rowling
I never could have imagined that we would get one very very last story in the Harry Potter series from J.K Rowling. It was such an exciting and slightly unbelievable surprise. Yes it was in theatre form at first but I was really lucky to get tickets to the show and then they released the script book. I decided I was going to watch the show first before reading and I am so glad I did as even though the story is still good, you miss out on a lot of the immersive theatre experience. I was completely enraptured by the story although not my favourite Harry Potter story, it was still a J.K Rowling achievement.

2. The Call by Peadar O'Guilin
Now admittedly I had had this book on my TBR pile for a while! It's not that I didn't want to read it- believe me the 'three minutes to save your life' hook had me very keen to read, it was just one of those books that I thought I had a while to read and then suddenly publication day was upon me. On to the book itself. This very much reminded me of The Hunger Games, as the teenagers of this book need to do everything they can to survive. The difference is is that their plight is so so much harder and dark magic is involved. If I had to choose between this world and The Hunger Games, I think I would actually pick The Hunger Games! I ended up whizzing through this book as there is just so much going on that that 'one more chapter' becomes another and another until all too soon you are at the end.

3. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivy
This was another book that I should have read much much sooner. Having been magically blown away by Eowyn's debut The Snow Child back in 2012, I was so excited to hear of Eowyn's second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World. Also set in Alaska, this is the quite beautiful tale of Allen and Sophie Forrestor told in diary entry form as well as letters and reports. Allen has been charged with a dangerous, but once in a lifetime chance of navigating Alaska's so far impassable Wolverine River. This undiscovered territory which previous attempts at have ended in tragedy. This decision isn't one for Allen to take lightly especially as it will mean leaving his new wife Sophie by herself for a year or more and the niggling worry that he may not return. This felt like more than a story to me, it felt like I was experiencing history firsthand. The stunning descriptions were just so eloquently put and it made the story seem almost precious. Eowyn has once again created this almost electric atmosphere when describing Alaska and I have such a hankering to go there. To the Bright Edge of the world is a real gem of a novel, I can't wait to see what Eowyn has in-store for us next.

4. The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan
Gilly Macmillan's debut Burnt Paper Sky was one of my favourite reads last year and hearing about her second book had me itching to get hands on Perfect Girl. The cover was also so appealing, it definitely had that stand out appeal. Told over only a short period of time, Perfect Girl makes for some intense reading. It is a book to grip you right from the start and have you turning the pages at the fast pace that the book sets. Different character viewpoints add to the fast-paced reading as each chapter is a another character's point of view and it works so well. They are short and sharp so that it encourages you to read on as there is just enough to leave you wanting more. Intricate and highly detailed.

5. The Hummingbird's Cage by Tamara Dietrich
The Hummingbird's Cage was a book that made me want to instantly pick it up and read it and within one page I was completely hooked. To everyone in Wheeler, Joanna has the perfect life with her handsome sheriff husband and beautiful daughter Laurel, but behind closed doors there is a different story. Joanna lives with a monster, a cruel, manipulative man that she has be subject to abuse from for ten years. Joanna should have fled a long time ago, but that ship had long sailed and now Joanna feels trapped. That is until a stranger offers her the chance of an escape. Having read similar stories before, I thought I had a fair idea of where this story was going to go, but I could not have been more wrong. I won't give too much away, just to say that once I realised just quite where Joanna and Laurel had ended up, I was not quite sure how I felt about the development. However I could not bring myself to stop reading and after my initial doubt, I actually found this new twist almost refreshing. It may not work for some readers, but it definitely worked for me and it definitely gave it that stand out feel.
6. Lydia by Natasha Farrant
If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan like me, then you only need take one look at the title of this book and know that you just have to read it. I will take any excuse to delve back into one of my favourite books of all time. As you may have already guessed, this is the untold story of Lydia, the youngest and at the time unruly of the Bennet sisters. These types of stories are really growing in popularity with me and it does not matter at all that it is not from the original author. Also it's clear that Natasha has kept to the original story as much as she could and really did feel like dipping back into the beloved story, but it was still fresh and unique to Natasha's writing style and it worked so well being told through Lydia's diary. Lydia turned out to be such an enjoyable and fun-filled read and completely got me out of a reading slump that I was in. I would love the other sister's untold stories now.

Check back next month for another monthly update of what I read.
Curl up with a cup of Twinings Tea!