Top Five Wednesday | Favourite Fandoms (Books, TV, Movies, etc)

New Year, new Top Five Wednesday's! I've been looking forward to doing this again. Just in case anyone is new to this, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey (Gingerreadslainey on YouTube), so that people can share more of their favourite (or sometimes least favourite) books in an interesting way. She creates weekly topics for each month so Bloggers and YouTubers alike to discuss books. The group which lists the monthly topics can be found here! And if you want to see more of my previous Top Five Wednesday Blog posts, you can click here!

This weeks Top Five Wednesday is Top Five Favourite Fandoms, whether that's in Books, TV, or Movies. I have a lot that I love for this but I've managed to narrow it down to the five below.

1) Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I thought I'd start with one of my absolute favourite TV Shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love everything about this TV Show - including the cheesiness of Season One. But, beyond that, I love the fandom around Buffy. I feel like every fan feels the same about this show and there's always so much to talk about; it will never become old.

2) Harry Potter

I'm sure this will be one on most people's lists. The fandom of Harry Potter is absolutely everywhere and there are literally hundreds of thousands of people involved. I only have to be on tumblr for a few minutes before I see something Harry Potter fan-related. I think my favourite thing about this fandom is how many new things people are still finding about the series that shocks us all, or things that we didn't realise in the first ten read-throughs. Every time I see something like that it just makes me want to re-read the series all over again.

3) Game of Thrones

For this I am including both the book series and the TV Show because I love them both and, since the last season, they are now quite different from one another. The thing that makes this fandom/community so interesting is the theories people have of the future books and episodes. I used to have this with Harry Potter back in the early 2000s, but this has become my new fandom for interesting theories. Just got to keep our fingers crossed that we do get another book!

4) Lord of the Rings

Ahhh Lord of the Rings. I think this is my favourite fantasy series ever written - and  like a lot of fantasy. These books are amazing and it's probably one of the only set of films I've felt have lived up to the books. There are so many passionate people in the fandom of Lord of the Rings and I love that.

5) Doctor Who

Of course, I couldn't do this list without mentioning Doctor Who. I've been watching this since it restarted in 2005 and I love it and it's fandom, so much. This is another one where fans are constantly coming up with theories because of clues hidden in episodes. I think one of my favourites was the River Song storyline or the new 9th Doctor. Lots of mind-blowing episodes and the most recent Christmas special was so just so lovely. It never stops being good.

Those are my Top Five Fandoms! I love the community/memes/fan art of all of these as much as I love the shows/books/films themselves. Let me know what you think! What are your favourite fandoms? Any of these that you hate instead?

Looking forward to next week's Top Five topic. Until then though...

Top Ten Books of 2015

Hello everyone! As I didn't blog much over the past six months I think it's definitely time for me to look back over on the books I read this year and choose my top ten reads of 2015. These books weren't necessarily published in 2015, but I did read them in the year 2015 and they definitely stood out the most. I read some great books this year and these are the one I would most highly recommend!

10. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Goodreads Link
This was the first book I've read by J.K. Rowling that wasn't in the Harry Potter series and I went into it with rather low expectations as I wasn't really sure what to expect. I enjoy the occasional crime novel so I was hoping to enjoy it and, although I love J.K. Rowling's writing, I wasn't sure if it would translate from children's to adult literature. I don't know why I was ever unsure about this book because I absolutely loved it. Rowling/Galbraith is always a fantastic writer and her style is so completely different in this book that it really did feel like I was reading a different author altogether. The plot  was so clever and unexpected, I loved the relationship and dynamics between the two main characters, and the descriptions were absolutely beautiful throughout. Perfectly written, a fantastic plot, and a great twist. Easily a 5 star rating. 

9. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson 

Goodreads Link

I finally decided to pick up my first every Brandon Sanderson book and I am so happy I did. If you love Superheroes, Comics, Action, or Futuristic novels then this is definitely for you. I had high expectations when I started reading this and I wasn't let down, in fact my expectations were easily surpassed by this wonderfully written book. The storyline is fantastic, the characters are incredibly three-dimensional and believable, the superheroes/Epics and their powers were so interesting, and the ending... the ending was amazing. To be honest, I thought I had guessed the twist in this book but I was left utterly stunned when Sanderson revealed the main twist. I didn't see it coming and I was left amazed and desperate to pick up the next book. I recently got the second book, Firefight, for Christmas and I'm so excited to read it! I also want to read more of Sanderson in The Mistborn Trilogy, which I bought a while ago. This book is easily one of my favourite books of the year and I would recommend it to anyone.

8. A Man Called Ove by Frendrik Backman

Goodreads Link
I read this book for my work book club and I'm so glad I did. I was sceptical at first but the way the story is told is just so beautiful and well done. Backman successfully interweaves the past and present of Ove's life, constantly revealing more above who Ove his, that are deeply sad yet so real. The characters are what really made this book for me. They are absolutely wonderful and so believable as people. This book had me laughing out loud at some of the funny incidents that happened to Ove and the ending was so beautiful, heartwarming and simultaneously sad. I have to say, I really welled up towards the end and I just felt so attached to Ove and his family and friends. I didn't want it to end. I absolutely loved this book and it definitely deserves more than 5/5 stars! I didn't expect this book to be as witty, funny, heart-warming, yet heart-wrenching, as it was. This is book that just makes you appreciate everything about life and the people in it. This was the most wonderful, heartwarming story I read this year. I also have a full review of this book here!

7. Speaker for the Dead (#2) by Orson Scott Card

Goodreads Link

A couple of years ago my friend recommended that I should read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and I finally got around to it this year. I thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately picked up the second book Speaker for the Dead. Having read the whole series I can easily say that this book is the most brilliant of the series - it blew me away. I enjoy science fiction books and this fulfilled everything I could have wanted from the genre. It had so much intrigue and mystery that it kept me hooked from the first chapter. The characters were wonderful and the 'alien' life was so different to anything else I've ever read or seen. You don't have to read Ender's Game at all to enjoy this book but I would say it might help occasionally. If you like science fiction books then I highly recommend this book.

6. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 

Goodreads Link

I first saw this book on Booktube and the concept of it really intrigued me. This is another science fiction book which took me by surprise and surpassed all my expectations. The book is made up of emails, video diaries, interviews, case files, documents, computer data, and images to tell the story. Given that, I thought this might be a bit complicated and hard to get attached to the characters, but it really wasn't. It told the survival story of people of a spacecraft who have had to escape their illegal mining planet to avoid being destroyed. However, they are still being hunted. It is a beautifully told/shown story and the characters are incredible and so different to any I've read before. It is easily one of the most action-packed books I have read this year and I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Star Trek/Star Wars, or are just a lover of science fiction. It is absolutely amazing and I can't wait for the sequel (although this can easily be read as a stand-alone too, in my opinion).

5. Queen of Shadows (#4) by Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads Link

This a book that I was highly anticipating all year. I read the first three books and novella of this series last year and was desperate for this book to come out. It surprised me a lot with where the plot went but it definitely didn't disappoint. I won't say too much about the story as I don't want to spoil anyone, but the characters had so much development in this novel, many characters met each other for the first time, and we explored old characters that I was very interesting in meeting fully. Overall it was a fantastic fourth book in the series and I am so excited for the next one. I will say that if you read Throne of Glass (#1) and didn't enjoy it then please continue reading (especially the book of novellas called The Assassin's Blade) as the story gets so much better. A fantastic fantasy series that deserves all the hype it's getting.

4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Goodreads Link

Earlier this year I read the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld but only found those books to be okay, rather than anything that stood out to me, so I was slightly dubious about this book. I was wrong to be. Scott Westerfeld is a brilliant writer and I'm so glad I picked up this book; it is nothing at all written like the Uglies series. This book follows a young début author who is just starting in the publishing world and struggling to write her sequel and adapt to New York City. Interspersed with this story are chapters of her début novel. Both stories running side-by-side are so compelling and fascinating. I loved the focus on family and struggling as a young person in a big city with a new job. Everything about this appealed to me, especially as an aspiring writer. I loved this book and if you enjoy writing or contemporary fiction, or even a bit of paranormal fiction, then you'll enjoy this book!

3. 11.22.63 by Stephen King

Goodreads Link

Stephen King is quickly becoming one of my all time favourite authors and I've only read a few of his books so far. He is a great storyteller. This one isn't a horror story but one about a man who manages to travel back in time to the 1960s America. He realises that this opportunity might mean he can change the world if he can only make it to the date 11.22.63, the year Kennedy was assassinated. This book is amazing. It has so much depth to it and is very uncomplicated for a time travel novel and its repercussions. There is also so many references to his other books, including a visit to Derry, which I loved. The ending was also perfect despite it not going exactly how I wanted it to. Overall a fantastic book; do not be put off by its size!

 2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 

Goodreads Link

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was one of my favourite books of last year so this book was one of my anticipated reads of this year. This book was one which was talked about a lot in Fangirl and was pretty much the equivalent of Harry Potter in the world of the novel. I'm not going to lie, the first couple of hundred of pages of this I found only okay and I wasn't sure what the hype was. But once a certain character was introduced the rest of the book was flipping amazing. The magic system was clever, the characters were fantastically written, and, as with any Rainbow Rowell novel, the love story in the book was so beautifully written. It sucked me in and kept me hooked; I think it's probably my favourite Rainbow Rowell book so far. I also loved the strong LGBT tones throughout the book as diversity is something that we need to see more of in YA fiction. If you like a good Romance book, or have enjoyed any Rowell before then I highly recommend this to you. You definitely don't need to have read Fangirl to enjoy it.

1. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Goodreads Link

This is my big Number 1 of 2015. Helter Skelter definitely won't be a book for everyone, especially younger readers or those who don't enjoy True Crime books, but I found it to be such a fascinating read (which may sound slightly morbid). The book is about the infamous Manson Murders which occurred in the 1960s. It is written by one of the lawyers involved in the case and gives a terrifying view of how Charles Manson manipulated and brainwashed people into committing murder, and how he very nearly got away with it. This book affected me so much and has stayed with me since I read it in January. If you're interest in reading about Charles Manson and the murders that happened around him, or if you enjoy reading True Crime then I definitely recommend this to you. I never really thought this book would be for me as I'm not the biggest fan of true crime books, but this blew me away. As I said earlier, this book is probably better for mature readers as the violence is very graphic in Bugliosi's account, but if you think you'd be even slightly interested then definitely pick it up.

So those are my Top Ten Books of 2015, I definitely had a good reading year and I hope my luck of good books continues into the New Year. Let me know what you thought of any of the above if you've read them, or what your Top Ten Books of the year are. I'll be doing a blog post soon about my reading goals of 2016 so look out for that soon!

Update on Blog

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I've been away for so long but I've had the most hectic past 6 months which meant my blog has suffered for that. I got a new job but I have to commute four hours a day so I get less time to blog than I would have liked (but a lot more time to read!). I also travelled a lot because my sister got married at the end of last year too and I was a bridesmaid. Other than that there were also just a few other things happening which meant I was getting less time to spend on here.

But, although the commute is still happening, I'm going to try and put a lot more effort into my blog this year so I'm back (hopefully!). Going to get a few blog posts written today in an effort to catch up! Just an update on my reading too - I managed to read 149 books in 2015 which meant I surpassed my Goodreads Challenge by 49 books! I'm very happy with this and hopefully I'll manage to read as much in 2016. I read a lot of amazing books over the last year and I'll be doing a Top Ten Books of 2015 post soon.

Thanks for your patience everyone and I hope you've had a lovely Christmas and New Year! :)

Sarah

Top Five Wednesday | Anticipated Pre-Orders for the Rest of the Year

This week's Top Five Wednesday is Top Five Things Anticipated Pre-Orders fort he rest of the Year. Just in case anyone is new to this, Top Five Wednesday was created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey on youtube. She creates weekly topics so that bloggers and youtubers can talk more about different aspects of their favourite, or least favourite, books. The group, which lists the monthly topics, can be found here! If you want to see any of my previous Top Five Wednesday blog posts you can click here!

I have quite a few anticipated pre-orders for this year, so here are my top five!

1) Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: 1st September 2015

I've already pre-ordered this fourth book in Throne of Glass series and I'm very excited for it to come out so we can see what happens next with Celaena!

2) Winter by Marissa Meyer

Release Date: 10th November 2015

Another book I've already pre-ordered out of excitement. I only recently read the first three books in this series so I'm really looking forward to this final instalment!

3) Armada by Ernest Cline

Release Date: 14th July 2015

I can't wait to see what Ernest Cline has written next as I absolutely adored Ready Player One. Being a massive fan of old video games and geeky things, that book was easily one of the most amazing things I've ever read. I'm actually very fortunate to have an ARC copy of this which I'll be reading soon. I still definitely plan on buying a final copy though! (I know this has already technically been released but it hadn't when I wrote the blog post!)

4) Before the Dawn by Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue

Release Date: August 2015

This is the final book in The Ending Series which I read the rest of earlier this year. The first book was a free ebook so I thought I'd give it a try and it was great! This series is an interesting twist on dystopian young adult fiction and I really loved it so I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters. So much was left up in the air! You can see my reviews for the first three books in this series on my review page.

5) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Release Date: 6th October 2015

Fangirl was another of my favourite books of last year and its combination of fanfiction, university life, social anxiety and family dynamics really made this book stand out from other contemporaries; I absolutely loved it. So naturally I'm excited to read about the fandom that was talked about throughout the whole book! Really looking forward to reading more in this world!

So these are my top anticipated pre-orders. I'm sure many of you had these on your lists! Comment below to let me know what you think or if you did a Top Five Wednesday leave your link below and I'll check it out! (p.s. Sorry my post is late!)
 

BOOK REVIEW: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
(Translated by Henning Koch)

Genre: Adult Fiction

My Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Page

Spoiler Free Summary:

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'état that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so? In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible.

The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step - and less ready to judge on first impressions a man you might one day wish to have as your dearest friend

**Spoiler Free Review**

I actually read this book because the Book Club at my work was reading it and a colleague kindly lent it to me after they were finished. I could not be happier that they did! I absolutely loved this book!

The way the story is told is just so beautiful and well done. Backman successfully interweaves the past and present of Ove's life, constantly revealing more above who Ove his, that are deeply sad yet so real. The characters are what really made this book for me. They are absolutely wonderful and so believable as people. They are all very three-dimensional and it becomes so easy to view them as real people. First of all we have Ove himself; his integrity and believes, his misfortunes and happiness in his life really paint the picture of this incredibly complex human being. The book really demonstrates how quickly many people judge others based on looks or a one time meeting when everyone has so much more to them than what's on the surface.

Ove's wife is such a warm and caring character in this book and I find it incredible that despite her smaller appearances, how much I felt I knew her. Her relationship with Ove was so touching and sweet. It was refreshing to read about such a loving couple who were clearly devoted to one another unequivocally. They're relationship was beautiful and I really enjoyed the anecdotes throughout the book about their life together and how it all began.

The slow growing relationship with his neighbours, both old and new, added an interesting dimension to the story and really portrayed Ove in a different light. The side characters were just as witty and fascinating as Ove himself. I particularly loved Pananeh and her family, who insisted on seeing the good in Ove no matter what. It was funny to see them accidentally force their way into Ove's life and have a lasting impression on him.

This book had me laughing out loud at some of the funny incidents that happened to Ove. One of which was definitely the what happened with the clown. I just loved Pananeh coming into the waiting room to find Ove sulking like one of her children because of what he'd done. Ove's unsuccessful attempts at controlling both his life and his relationship with the cat were humorous and really added to Ove's character. Although he appears to be a grumbling, grumpy old man, so much more is shown to be underneath.

The translation was wonderfully done and definitely does justice to this book. Despite being a translation it was still raw, powerful and heartwarming, I would love to be able to read the original so I could experience the book as it was originally written, but the good thing about this book is that the translation definitely doesn't hinder the book's message in the slightest.

The ending was so beautiful, heartwarming and simultaneously sad. I have to say, I really welled up towards the end and I just felt so attached to Ove and his family and friends. I didn't want it to end. I absolutely loved this book and it definitely deserves more than 5/5 stars! I didn't expect this book to be as witty, funny, heart-warming, yet heart-wrenching, as it was. This is book that just makes you appreciate everything about life and the people in it. I highly recommend this to anyone, young or old, lover of adult fiction or not; its such a wonderful story that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.

Top Five Wednesday | Things on Your Bookshelf that Aren't Books

So I missed last week's Top Five Wednesday because I was quite with meeting people and work, but I'm back now! (Although this is another busy week for me because I commute to work and there is a simultaneous tube and train strike this week!). Anyway, this week's Top Five Wednesday is Top Five Things on your Bookshelf that Aren't Books. Just in case anyone is new to this. Top Five Wednesday is an idea created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey on youtube. She creates weekly topics so that bloggers and youtubers can talk more about different aspects of their favourite, or least favourite, books. The group, which lists the monthly topics, can be found here! If you want to see any of my previous Top Five Wednesday blog posts you can click here!

Sadly, because the place I live in is so small, I currently only have one bookshelf up as opposed to my usual five, but I have still managed to squeeze a few things on that aren't books!

5. The Penguin



My fiancé used to go to the university of Derby and before he left he gave me this 'stress penguin'. Now that we live together it has a pride of place on my bookshelf to protect the books.








4. Bands (no not actual musicians)



A DFTBA and a Doctor Who band, and why not? I don't think these need much explanation other than I'm a Nerdfighter who loves Doctor Who!




3. The Snake
My fiancé very kindly bought me this snake made from glass from the Lucky Duck Shop in Whitby. If you've not heard of it (because it's quite famous in the North East) they hand-make (blow) glass animals; they're particularly famous for their lucky ducks, and they are beautiful! I already have a duck so Liam bought me this very pretty snake.

2. Consoles
Because there's limited room in our studio, the top of my bookshelf also acts as a shelf for my gaming consoles. This also means I have all favourites things to do in one place (gaming and reading)!

1. Jewellery

I tend to keep my jewellery on my bookshelf as well because I always walk past it before I leave the house, so I remember to pick up my necklace and ring!



And those are my Top Five Things on my Bookshelf that Aren't Books! They're not particularly interesting and when I had more bookcases I had a few other interesting things on my shelves that I'll probably share in the future. So what are your favourite non-bookish things on your shelves? Let me know in the comments and let me know if you did a Top Five Wednesday post or video below! :)

Top Five Wednesday | Characters You Wish You Could Drown

This week's Top Five Wednesday is Top Five Characters You Wish You Could Drown . Just in case anyone is new to this. Top Five Wednesday is an idea created by Lainey, or Gingerreadslainey on youtube. She creates weekly topics so that bloggers and youtubers can talk more about different aspects of their favourite, or least favourite, books. The group, which lists the monthly topics, can be found here! If you want to see any of my previous Top Five Wednesday blog posts you can click here!

These are the characters I either hated, or got so annoyed with, that I felt like I wanted to drown them throughout the book!

1) Ruby (from The Rain)

Ruby was the most infuriating character I have ever read. She was just downright stupid. This book had so much potential and I was so angry that it didn't live up to it, all because of the main character who I hated. Her decisions and personality became ridiculous and unbelievable as the book went on and some were just stupid. I understand that she is a teenager but that was no reason to make her downright dim. Despite the fact that the world is ending in this dystopian novel, she is always more concerned with her appearance and who she might run into without make-up on than survival, which I think is just unrealistic. The book is about a world where the rain becomes deadly and can kill you so it's rather ironic that I wanted to drown this character now that I think about it.

2) Ramsay Bolton (from A Song of Ice and Fire Series)

I'm sure he's on many people's lists and maybe this primarily stems from Ramsay Bolton of the TV show but I really hate this character. He personifies the word Sadist and it makes me feel ill every time he appears in this book. He is definitely one of the characters I would happily see drown if it meant we didn't have to see him torturing people any more.




3) Dolores Umbridge (from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix/Deathly Hallows)

Again this is another one which will be on many people's lists. In the fifth book does she makes everyone's lives a living hell at Hogwarts: sacking teachers, making sure that no-one knows Voldemort is back, and torturing Harry. Thankfully she seems to get her comeuppance at the end of the book. The thing that bothers me about Dolores isn't the fifth book, but in the final book. Even after it seems she's learnt her lesson she then goes on to work for Voldemort at the Ministry! Definitely one of the more cowardly and evil characters in the Harry Potter series.




4) Teresa (The Maze Runner Trilogy)

I know a couple of people who have felt like this but it's just the main characters from this trilogy in general which bother me. It was mostly in the second book where the two main characters are separated and stupidly don't use telepathy and then they are constantly betraying one another and then trying to convince each other that they're on the same side. Teresa ended up being a character that I just didn't care about any more by the final book, she just made situations infuriating to read about.



5) Claire & Megan (from 17 First Kisses)

This is a new one for me. I recently finished this book and I couldn't believe how the two characters acted. The 'friendship' between them was absolutely toxic. The entire book revolved around the fact that they are best friends (in a sort of Mean Girls type of way), and they constantly steal each others boyfriends and then make friends again after the get dumped. It's the ultimate way of saying boys are more important than friendship and it really bothers me that teens might read this and think it must be true. No good friend in real life would take their best friend' boyfriend/potential boyfriend, and again, there's no way they'd be forgiven as easily as in this book. The characters had very little depth and I just wanted to drown them both because they clearly didn't know how to make a rational decision between them!

So these are my Top Five Characters I Wanted to Drown! Let me know what yours are and if you've done a Top Five Wednesday or have a blog then leave a link in the comments!