Single Parents (2018-)
Seasons: 1 (so far *fingers crossed*)
When Will's seven-year-old daughter Sophie starts at a new school, he is quick to be a part of the PTA and encourage other parents to take part in school activities. Enter in the outcasts, the other "single parents". The group decide to band together to get Will out into the dating world and make him realise that being a great parent doesn't mean sacrificing everything about his own identity.

This is one of those comedies that sounds plain on the tin, but holds some delicious crumbly cookies on the inside. Much like Brooklyn 99, Kimmy Schmidt, and HIMYM, the characters are what make Single Parents stand out as a great show. Each character is original and no one takes a backseat in the character development department. Plus it stars Leighton Meester, need I say more?


One Tree Hill (2003-2012)
Seasons: 9
In the town of Tree Hill, the high school basketball team defines it's residents. When Lucas Scott, the half brother of the high school star Nathan Scott, joins the team, emotions grow heightened and no one is unaffected by the newcomer. In the style of Friday Night Lights, Dawsons Creek, and The OC, this is a teen drama that has more depth than you'd ever imagine going in. But personally, having watched almost all the popular teen dramas, OTH is the best. I love the characters, and it got better with each season.

If you're reluctant to start this because it appears to be revolved around sports, have no fear as this is definitely more about the characters. Originally the creator wanted to make a movie revolved around basketball but instead got the script picked up as a TV show, which is a fun fact that most definitely explains why season one feels very much different than the following seasons.


Dollhouse (2009-2010)
Seasons: 2
I'm not including the godsends that are Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel on here, because I'm assuming you have a smart brain and have thus already rewatched both a million times. Dollhouse is from the same creator Joss Whedon (aka: the Earth's own personal TV God), and stars the flawless Eliza Dushku.

In this she plays Echo, a human who has signed a contract to be under the control of the Dollhouse, a secret facility in which they erase the personalities of human beings so they can assume any relevant personas they may be assigned in engagements that cater to the wealthy, powerful and well-connected. After each assignment, the "actives" are subjected to another personality wipe so they can enter the next scenario with no memory of an earlier one. As the series unfolds, Echo's memory begins to return, and she slowly starts piecing together her true identity. If you like sci-fi, fantasy, or something fast-paced that captures your attention instantly, watch this.


Rosewell (1999-2002)
Seasons: 3
Bizarre things start happening in the little New Mexico town where UFOs were spotted in 1947. Cut to 1999, when a cute high-school student saves the life of an equally cute teenage waitress. Max and Liz try and find the line between teen romance and trying to not get captured by, well, the government.

If you love a good cheesy angsty teen drama, this should be your pick. If you watch the first few episodes, and can't get with the cheesy acting, stick with it! Trust me, it gets so better. It is mindless entertainment with a good looking cast, great family dynamics, and a great storyline that has far more depth the more you watch.


Ally McBeal (1997-2002)
Seasons: 5
Young lawyer Ally McBeal experiences emotional turmoil when she takes a job at a firm where her childhood sweetheart and first love also works.

A strange mix between Will&Grace and Suits (kind of, I couldn't think of better examples), this was a 90's hit starring the lovely Calista Flockhart as our main girl Ally. With quirky dark humour, you'll be marathoning the series and devouring Chinese food with a big grin on your face.

Firefly (2002-2003)
Seasons: 1 (Plus a movie titled Serenity)
Another Joss Whedon show, Anne? ... Yes. This is cowboys in space though, so of course it's going on this list. When Simon and River Tam come on board the ship Serenity, Captain Mal and his crew of rebels get shoved into an even darker side of space.

This is one of those infamous one season shows that is still loved by the fandom to such an extent that cons and forums still exist. Every person I know who has watched this one hit wonder, loved it and continues to rewatch episodes with a secret hope that more will somehow appear. Just watch it, whether you love sci-fi, character development, or comedy. It's got something for everyone, and ain't that just shiny? (This is also the show that bonded me and my now husband when we first met online, so it's got a special place in my heart.)


Ghost Adventures (2008-)
Seasons: 6 on Hulu
Aaron, Nick and Zak are three of the most elite ghost hunters of our generation. Follow their adventures in the few seasons that Hulu has available.

The only non-fiction on this list, this is the classic show of a team going ghost hunting. But with more integrity than some others I shan't name (*cough* Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted *cough*). But the main reason me and my mother enjoy rewatching GA so much is the friendship dynamic between the guys. Even if you don't believe in anything paranormal, you'll find yourself laughing at some of the antics they get up to. Give it a go, you may be surprised.

When word spread that Marie Kondo suggested one should own 30 books or less, the Internet rioted. But it did come out with a fun tag so that's what we're doing today. To quote her exactly from her book The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up;

"I'm afraid that from personal experience I can tell you right now, 'sometime' becomes never. If you missed your chance to read a particular book, even if it was recommended to you or is one you have been intending to read for ages, this is your chance to let it go. You may have wanted to read it when you bought it, but if you haven't read it by now, the book's purpose was to teach you that you didn't need it. There's no need to finish reading books that you only got halfway through. Their purpose was to be read halfway. So get rid of all those unread books. It will be far better for you to read the book that really grabs you right now than one that you left to gather dust for years."

I do have a brief disclaimer, my choices are random as all hell. Don't read this expecting to see Charles Dickens or Jane Austen. No doubt they are authors of books that ought to be devoured for an entire lifetime, but Marie's whole spiel is to only keep things that bring you happiness, so with that I looked at my shelves and chose the books that make me smile and cause my fingertips to twitch with the temptation to reread them right at that moment. I hope you can understand that.

Also! (Last thing, I promise) The images I have used for this post are borrowed from artists on Redbubble, which is a site where you can get your artwork printed onto an array of items. I have linked everything and hope you find something that tickles your fancy! Obviously, I am not sponsored. Just like supporting art. 'Kay, bye.

Click HERE to buy print. Full credit to the designer.

[1] The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
A classic in it's own right, The Bell Jar is a novel revolved around a woman's descent into madness in the 50's. Inspired heavily by her own experiences with depression, Plath sheds light on the thoughts we ourselves keep hidden in our heads. Written fast and beautifully, this had to top my book list.

Click HERE to buy.

[2] The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Ever read a book that feels as though someone has sucked out your thoughts and placed them on paper for the world to read? Yay for overly relateable characters in the most devastating of ways. Charlie is a quiet, anxiety ridden teenager trying to get through life as quietly as possible. But after making friends with a ragtag group of individuals, he learns both how to live in the moment and be overcome by the past. Though this is a YA coming-of-age story, I do believe that it can be enjoyed by all ages. The movie is also a great adaption of Charlie's story.

[3] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book. THIS book. Oy vey. If you were to leave this list with only one book on your mind, make it this one. Following the fictional story of a reporter as she gets the scoop of a lifetime; a tell all by Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo; this is a tale of love, family, and life. Evelyn is the most flawed but glorious character I've read about in a long while, and delving into her full life of seven husbands you can't but be rooting for her and her one true love throughout. This is a rich story that reads flawlessly.

[4] Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Every moment of her week is planned, she is fine. She spends her free time isolated with her own company, it's fine. Her  routinely scheduled phone calls with her mother leave her in a pit of self loathing, it's not fine. When a guy at work makes her shake things up a bit, she goes on a journey that she hopes will lead her onto a happier path. Eleanor is one dysfunctional, socially awkward, loveable mess. Gail Honeyman writes the perfect example on how to write an otherwise dislikeable character with heart. One of the main things I love about this novel (thus making it to my 4th spot) is how unromantic it is. This could've easily gone the easy route of having our lonely protagonist fall in love and have that solve all her problems, we've all read that before. Eleanor on the other hand takes the road less travelled in literature, friendship. It is so beautifully innocent that you'll find yourself feeling as though you've been dunked in a warm cup of tea. I have also never read something that deals with loneliness as though it is depression, after all, aren't they one of the same?

[5] The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
A tale of two french sisters as they deal with Nazi occupied France during World War II. You've already heard of this book, it's won an abundance of awards and is loved throughout any book-related internet place. I'm a firm believer that this Kristin Hannah novel will stand the test of time, and will continue to be devoured by sympathetic readers for years to come.

Click HERE to buy this awesome Lou print.

[6] Still Me (Me Before You #3)
by Jojo Moyes
This is of course the third book in the Me Before You trilogy. Despite how flawed the first book's story was, what with the poor representation of disability, I couldn't help but fall madly in love with Lou as a character. She is as mental (not literally, which I should most definitely clarify given my previous book choices) as she is charismatic. I personally found the most recent book in the series (aka: this one) to be the most character driven and I enjoyed the turns that Lou's story took.


[7] The Outsiders
by S. E. Hilton
Basically Grease on steroids with a tragic twist. I read this for the first time when I was 20, and I'm so glad I picked it up at an age where I could appreciate the social issues S. E. Hilton sheds light on without reading through immature Grease-tainted glasses.

Click HERE to buy this gorgeous print.

[8] Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty
A book revolving around a mystery and a group of mothers doesn't sound like the most enticing read, but Big Little Lies was a breath of fresh air in the world of "thriller/mysteries". The character developments in this 500 page novel were glorious. It's a wonderful look on female dynamics, the various relationships you can have, and I can guarantee that you'll laugh out loud. You may already be familiar with the title due to the TV show adaption starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, which I have yet to watch. (Should I? Have you seen it? Let me know!) If domestic fiction isn't your usual jam, I still urge you to give this a try. Trigger warning for domestic violence.


[9] A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
 If you want a tear-jerker, this should be your pick. A story of a child going through the difficulties that come with having a mother that is dying of cancer (yeah, this one is heavy). Patrick Ness has a way of writing magical realism with such finesse that it only seems logical when a monster appears at the boy's window. This is a quick read, and I have yet to speak to anyone who didn't appreciate this book. If you want to read my full review click HERE.


[10] The Time Traveller's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
Slipping through time is hard enough, but being the one that is constantly left behind? It can be harder. This is the only romance book on my list, let's just say this is more than adequate to be enough. It is a love story in reverse. If you enjoyed the movie About Time, then I double-recommend this.


[11] Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
After Cheryl Strayed's mother passed away, her life took a dark turn that eventually led her to wanting to hike the Pacific Crest Trail without any prior experience. This is a memoir of her travels. I adore this book way more than I was ever expecting to. I've written a full review of it HERE so head on over if you want more in depth thoughts.

Click HERE to buy.

[12] The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. This is another you've probably already read or it's on your "books to read in my lifetime" list. It took me a few tries to get into The Book Thief, due to the entire story written from the POV of death. But once it sucked me in, I wanted to stay forever.


[13] Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)
by Kristin Hannah
This is a mix between Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill in book form. You're following two females throughout their early lives, as they turn from girls into women and it's about the career paths they take. If you liked The Nightingale for Kristin Hannah's writing, then I urge you to pick this one up next. It's a beautiful character-study type book with awesome female characters.

Click HERE to buy.

[14] Matilda
by Roald Dahl
If there's one book that defined my childhood, it's Matilda. Granted, I saw myself more in Miss Honey than I did our main protagonist, but you can't win 'em all. Matilda is of course about a young girl who escapes her home life by reading books. It's a children's book but I still adore it and it's more than worthy enough to take a spot on my list.


[15]  Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler
When a modern day African-American woman finds herself slipping through time and having to survive the years of the past living in a world of slavery. This was a beautifully done book and I wish it was mentioned more often in the same context as books such as The Handmaids Tale are. Strongly recommend to everyone.

We're halfway! Yay! But also.. did you know that this is a collaboration post with my husband? Be sure to check out his list HERE. (If you're reading on Sunday, his post will be up later today.) But I'll also link to it at the bottom of this page as I'm sure you're currently way too invested in my list to stop scrolling.

[16] The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. This debut adult novel Stephanie Meyer released is often overlooked and shoved onto the YA shelves, but I absolutely love this book. A story of family, soul seekers, and a love triangle I can get behind? Sure. To be honest, I do think this reads as a mix between adult and YA, much like An Ember In The Ashes, but it's good nonetheless. And has great re-readablity. But whatever you do, don't watch the movie.

Click HERE to buy.

[17] The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime
by Mark Haddon
A modern classic about a boy with autism who sets out to solve the murder of a neighbour's dog and discovers unexpected truths about himself and the world. I adore this book, it's a sweet mix between The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Atypical.

[18] The Sun and Her Flowers
by Rupi Kaur
The only poetry on the list, but one that I would be satisfied rereading for the remainder of my days. Rupi Kaur's work is the definition of modern poetry and though it can lack the same depth as, let's say, Emily Dickinson, it holds the same amount of beauty. Poetry is a personal thing, and once you find one that touches your soul, you're fulfilled.

Click HERE to buy.

[19] The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank
One of the few non-fictions on my list, The Diary of Anne Frank is a simple must. I didn't even have to give it any thought. As you 110% know, this is the journal of a young Jewish girl whose family was hiding during WWII.


[20] Everything I Never Told you
by Celeste Ng
When a  teenage girls body gets found in the local lake, her family struggle to come to terms with the actions that let to such a tragic outcome. This was a recent read for me, and though this could easily be a case of "insta book love", I just had to put it on this list. It made me laugh, cry, and remember what it's like to adore a character so much that you find yourself wishing for a different outcome with every piece of your heart.

Click HERE to buy.

[21] Little Women
by Lousia May Alcott
The story of a family of sisters as they wait for their father to return from the civil war. This is a classic that stands the test of time solely due to the charismatic characters. This is one you know whether you'll like it, before even turning the first page. I loved it.


[22] The Handmaids Tale
by Margret Atwood
You kinda already figured this was on the list, right? This is of course a dystopian tale set in a future whether women are forced into having babies for couples who can't. People may be more familiar with the TV show adaption, but I urge anyone and everyone to pick up this Atwood classic.

Click HERE to buy. How gorgeous is this?

[23, 24, 25] The Final Empire,The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #1, #2, #3)
by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn was the first ever epic fantasy book I read, and boy, did it make the genre appealing to me. I adore our main girl Vin and reading as she dominates the Mistborn world that is under the rule of an evil Empire will forever be awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot points of the story but what I love the most about Brandon Sanderson is that the plot always takes a backseat to the characters. It's like coffee and sugar, you come for the coffee but stay for the sweetness.


[26] Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
Hear me out! You know how people reread Harry Potter to get that nostalgic feeling? Well, Twilight is that for me and even though it's so problematic and the characters are meh (besides Alice and Jasper, all the fangirl feelings.), it's the book that opened so many doors for me online and I'll always enjoy it for that fact alone.

[27] The Girl You Left Behind
by Jojo Moyes
The Nightingale meets Me Before You, basically. In this Moyes book we switch between the past and the present for a story of war, art, and marriage. In the present, we have Liv, a widowed modern day woman who is fighting to keep a painting her husband bought for her on their honeymoon in France. And then we have the story of Sophie in France, 1916. Who must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. When she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes riven by fierce tensions How will their stories intertwine? You just have to read to find out.


[28] The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
by John Boyne
This is the tale of a young German boy who unknowingly befriends a Jewish boy in a camp. This book is heartbreaking but so beautiful. I didn't know whether I wanted to add it to my 30 books due to the endless tears you experience whilst reading it. But you know, a beautiful book is one that should be cherished.

Click HERE to buy.

[29] The Brontë Sisters: Three Novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey
by The Bronte Sisters
Am I cheating? Well... My husband did it first! And this is an actual book I own, soooo.. that's perfectly acceptable right?


[30] To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
I'm cheating. Don't throw those pitchforks at me! I haven't actually read To Kill A Mockingbird. I know, I know, my husband still looks down on me for it. And I don't have an excuse, except that I want to wait for the right moment to pick up this well loved classic. Stupid? Yes. Plausible in my head? Absolutely.


We made it! Three cheers (and gulps of coffee) for us! If there are any books on my 30 that you'd like to have a more in depth look at, check out THIS LIST on my Goodreads, oh, and maybe add me while you're there? Whoop.

As mentioned above, be sure to check out my husbands list HERE.

Do you know what would most definitely top your 30? Let me know in the comments! And if you're a blogger who loves to read, then I nominate/tag you to do this post. It may seem daunting but was actually really fun and made me realise how badly I want to reread old favourites.

All The Light We Cannot See (2015)
by Anthony Doerr

“When I lost my sight, Werner, people said I was brave. When my father left, people said I was brave. But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don't you do the same?” 

A World War II historical fiction centred around a blind French girl and a German solider whose paths collide in occupied France. This has been high on my TBR for months now, but I was semi intimidated by the 500+ page length. Who wouldn't be? After picking it up, I first found myself disappointed. Unlike The Nightingale or The Book Thief, this one has a slow burn which I wasn't expecting. Each chapter switches POV between our two main characters, which I found jarring, especially as the length of the chapters could be anywhere between 2 and 5 pages. It kept sucking me out of the overall story. Alas, after the 300 page mark, it picked up and I found myself deeply caring about Marie-Laure and Werner.

What I did really enjoy in this book was the innocence of our main characters, as they're children. You're seeing the war through eyes (or well, thoughts) of unthinkably naive perspectives, which is as refreshing as it was sad. Especially with Werner's story. He is at the camps where the Nazi's are training young men to fight and be unafraid, but they're all children, at times those scenes felt like they were taken straight out of Lord of the Flies.

I won't lie and say that this was an easy read, it requires your undying patience and concentration, it's a heavy tale but beautifully done. This is definitely worthy of the hype, but if historical fiction isn't usually your thing, then I would recommend The Nightingale.

Rating: ★★★★★


Little Fires Everywhere 
by Celeste Ng

“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.” 

When mother and daughter Mia and Pearl move to Shaker Heights, they hope to finally settle down after years of home jumping. Enter in Elena Richardson, a good-doer who prides herself on helping people and keeping a certain control on her family's life. You can probably see what's coming, Mia has secrets from her past that she does't want coming to light and when her daughter gets mixed up in the family dynamic of the Richardson's, she realises that sometimes the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

I'd heard so many great things about this book online, can you tell I'm easily persuaded by Reese Witherspoons book club? And it was definitely worthy of all the hype. It's an intimate look at a woman's psyche and the various mother/daughter relationship dynamic's there are. A beautiful book. I loved it.

Rating: ★★★★★


True Colors (2009)
by Kristin Hannah
(let's all weep at the water damaged cover of this, bought it at a library sale. What did someone do to you, deary?)

“The more extreme and the more expressed that passion is, the more unbearable does life seem without it. It reminds us that if passion dies or is denied, we are partly dead and that soon, come what may, we will be wholly so.” 

I picked this up solely due to my love of Kristin Hannah books. Her older work can be problematic, what with her favourite trope tending to be pitting women against one another - usually because of a man. But her writing is like crack and I can't stop myself from frantically turning the pages, I suppose this is the definition of chick lit?

True Colors is the story of the Grey sisters as they grow up and stray from the ranch they grew up on. Winona, the oldest of the three, needs her father's approval most of all but never seems to get it. Unlike the youngest, Vivi Ann, who can't seem to do anything wrong. That is until a guy shows up on the ranch, unintentionally throwing all their lives through hurdlers one can't even imagine. I liked this, is was cheesy and enjoyable. But definitely not one of my favourite Kristin Hannah books.

Rating: ★★★★ (3.5)


Everything I Never Told You (2014)
by Celeste Ng

“The things that go unsaid are often the things that eat at you--whether because you didn't get to have your say, or because the other person never got to hear you and really wanted to.”

Being a Chinese family living in Ohio in the 70's, The Lee's are just trying to be the perfect portrait of an American family. So when their sixteen-year-old daughter's body is found in the local lake, they struggle to come to terms with the news. This is a beautiful family portrait of the troubles and expectations that go with being different in such a time. Jumping between the past and present, you'll find yourself growing to care about the characters as though this were a 1,000 page book. (It's only 292 pages). The parents are frustrating but you still find yourself understanding their reasoning behind actions, and you'll want to take their children into your heart and give them a safe place to curl up.

It's been a long while since I read a book by an author and immediately picked up some other work by him/her because I loved it so much. Much like Little Fires Everywhere, this is a domestic fiction novel centred around a family. But oh, this was so good. And if you're choosing between Celeste's work, then I'd suggest you go with this one first.

Rating: ★★★★★


Less
by Andrew Sean Greer 

“Strange to be almost fifty, no? I feel like I just understood how to be young."
"Yes! It's like the last day in a foreign country. You finally figure out where to get coffee, and drinks, and a good steak. And then you have to leave. And you won't ever be back.” 

When semi-famous author Arthur Less receives an invitation for his ex's wedding, he does the only logical thing a man can do - he leaves the country. Okay, I'm stretching that a bit. He instead accepts every other literary-themed invitation he has that takes place around the wedding, just to have a reason to decline. Somewhere along the way he'll break a bone, have a vacation fling with a dashing French man, and will turn fifty.

My husband read Less at the start of the year and loved it, so I was expecting to too. But I don't know, it just fell short for me. I didn't love the characters and the entire world-round trip didn't seem like anything special to Less or I. Maybe it was just a case of the wrong book at the wrong time, but I couldn't find it in me to care. If you want to read an entirely different kind of review for Less, read my husband's HERE.

Rating: ★★★


Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” 

As mentioned in my 'Classics I Want To Read' post, Little Women was high on my list and what with the movie coming out later this year, I decided it was high time to pick it ip. The classic story of the poor but fulfilled March family, as they await their fathers return from the American Civil War. Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth will quickly steal your hearts with their witty banter, big hearts, and delicacy. I wasn't expecting how much time this book covers, you follow these girls from childhood to adulthood, but it was perfect.

I particularly loved Beth and her relationship with Jo. It was a love of 'different sides of the same coin' and I found myself always hoping for one more scene spent with them. Sisterhood is beautiful.

Would I still love this book if it was published now? I'm uncertain. It was dry and dense at parts,but it was entirely what I was expecting. Isn't that always the way with classic literature?

Rating: ★★★★★



An American Marriage
by Tayari Jones
(Got this out of the library so shoutout to Google for allowing me to "borrow" a photo)

“But home isn't where you land; home is where you launch. You can't pick your home any more than you can choose your family. In poker, you get five cards. Three of them you can swap out, but two are yours to keep: family and native land.”

Roy, a young black man, is tried and wrongly convicted of rape and sentenced to twelve years inside.  Celestial, his newly wedded wife, waits for his return. But as the years tick by they find themselves walking on figurative marriage-shaped eggshells. Can they keep the spark they married with alive, despite the odds telling them no?

I'd seen so much love for this book, heck it was an Oprah's bookclub pick, but... eh. I think this story would've captivated my heart if it weren't for the utterly incapability of our main characters. They're a horrible couple and I've never disliked a male character more than I loathed the pitiful Roy. He had such horrendous thoughts and despite the terrible circumstances he goes through, doesn't even grow up until the very few last pages. I get that the story itself of this book was an important one to be told and I'm definitely not bashing on that, I quietly seethed at the injustice of everything and finished the book with a quiet sense of happiness that I'd been able to read a book that shed much light on the issues diverse human beings go through. But the coupling? No, just no. The writing, however, was soft and beautiful, I would definitely recommend the author.


Rating: ★★★★★


Girls Burn Brighter
by Shobh Rao

“What fools we all are. We girls. Afraid of the wrong things, at the wrong times. Afraid of a burdened face, when outside, outside waiting for you are fires you cannot imagine. Men, holding matches up to your gasoline eyes. Flames, flames all around you, licking at your just-born breasts, your just-bled body. And infernos. Infernos as wide as the world. Waiting to impoverish you, make you ash, and even the wind, even the wind. Even the wind, my dear, she thought, watching you burn, willing it, passing over you, and through you. Scattering you, because you are a girl, and because you are ash.” 

I've read a multitude of devastating books in my time (Ahem, A Little Life) but, oy vey, was Girls Burn Brighter sad. I expected this going in, but I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for the story of Poornima and Savitha, two young Indian girls living in a village of Indravalli. In this harrowing story, you get a glimpse of a few mere years of their lives as they get dragged into the underworld of India and eventually to the bright, yet just as devastating, lights of Seattle. Sex slavery, forced marriages, domestic violence, you name it, these two girls go through it.

Though that may not sound like something you want to read about, this is most definitely a tale girls ought to read. Watching two women define the odds and still hold onto sparks of hope that only truly amounts to a Summer friendship, is beautiful. They're beautiful characters in an ugly world. Just read it and then we'll cry together.

Rating: ★★★★★ (4.5, mainly due to the sudden ending which I still can't decide whether I found disappointing or perfect)


If you want to keep up to date with what I'm reading and gain a friend, add me on Goodreads!

This year I've decided to try and do a book wrap-up each month, now, it's probably an overreach and I will likely fail after this month. But.. let's pretend. This month I read a total of 10 books, most of which were thrillers/mysteries thanks to the #Buzzword readathon (We had to read books with Lie/Lying/Liars in the title for 7 days.). I'm going to be honest, I don't think I had a great reading month. 10 isn't a lot for me and a little under half of the books wound up being meh, which did put me into a slump, but this happens and we can only hope that next month will be better. Yay for positivity.


This Is How It Always Is
by Laurie Frankel

“How did you teach your small human that it’s what’s inside that counts when the truth was everyone was pretty preoccupied with what you put on over the outside too?” 

When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn aren't panicked at first. Kids go through phases, after all, and make-believe is fun. But soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes.

Over the past 12 months, I've discovered my love for domestic fiction. More specifically, fiction that covers hard-hitting topics. I'm a firm believer in educating yourself through other peoples worlds, and though Frankel says Claude's story isn't a reflection on her daughters own transgender journey, you can't help but feel that her own personal account has helped aid in this book's tone.

Despite the synopsis, this isn't a book about the parents coming to terms with their child's choice. It's instead a story of a mother and father doing everything they can to make life as easy as possible for their youngest. I liked that about this, similarly with Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda, Claude never once feels as though he can't be open around his family. I've read a fair amount of LGBTQ+ books, both YA and Adult, and I can appreciate these two specific novels for not making it into a huge drama-sentric story. We need more of this. Books that neither downplay or vastly over exaggerate something that many people go through.

This is also a Reese Witherspooon book club pick, so.. you know it's going to be good and probably make you cry.

Rating: ★★★★★



You
by Caroline Kepnes

“The only thing crueler than a cage so small that a bird can’t fly is a cage so large that a bird thinks it can fly.” 

When Beck walks into the bookstore Joe works, he becomes infatuated with her. Within a few weeks he has forced his way into her daily life. But can a relationship pan out when you merge together a narcissist and a stalker?

This is of course the book that inspired the Netflix You series. I have actually written up an entire review for this so click HERE if you'd like a more thorough review. But to summarise, it was not at all what I was expecting. Think way too OTT and some of the most dislikable characters I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Yay.

Rating: ★★


10 Days In A Madhouse
by Nellie Bly

“It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.”

When Nellie Bly took the assignment of exposing a mental institution for their mistreating of female patients in 1887, she took it one step further by getting herself committed for 10 days.

It's always really hard for me to review non-fiction books as I can always respect them for what they are meant to be, but sometimes they are just a little.. lacking. Because lets face it, reading a novel that's compiled of multiple articles can be pretty darn dense. It's a completely different experience than reading fast-paced fiction. '10 Days' was really interesting, but it was a little dryer than I was expecting. But still, I'm glad I read it and it is a story that I think a lot more people should be familiar with. Not only was Nellie Bly one of the first female reporters to cover a story of such magnitude, but she was a brilliant woman who wanted to help. If this book doesn't interest you, I at least urge you to give THIS piece on Nellie a read.

Rating: ★★★



The Perfect Girl
by Gilly Macmillan

“At home, in the empty flat, I wish more than anything that I had somebody who would come home to me tonight, somebody I could tell, somebody who would be with me through it to the end.” 

One night 14 year old Zoey was involved in a tragic accident that resulted in the death of three classmates. She was convicted in their deaths and spent eighteen months in jail. Three years later, her and her mum have built new lives for themselves with rich guy Chris and Lucas, his teenage son. Bu one fatal night, her mother turns up dead in the shed (kind of just wanted to write it that way to rhyme.. not going to lie.). Can Zoey figure out what happened before she's wrongly accused?

This was one of those books for me that I enjoyed while reading, but once it sat with me for a while, I started to hate it. So, I don't know where to stand. The overall story is okay, as is the "twist" at the end that usually comes with a thriller. It wasn't unrealistic or plain stupid. I even liked the characters. My problem was with the writing layout. First off, there are way too many character POV's in this. Some that were not necessary for the story whatsoever. Secondly, there is a lot of forced "romance", weird couplings that weren't needed for the story. There were also some basic as hell plot holes such as "oh no! I need to download this file to find out something for the plot but the wifi is sooo slow for some weird reason". This was a way better read than You, so.. yeah. It wasn't bad, but don't expect great things. I'm really not selling this, am I?

Rating: ★★★



One Of Us Is Lying
by Karen M. McManias

“I guess we're almost friends now, or as friendly as you can get when you're not one hundred percent sure the other person isn't framing you for murder.” 

Five teenagers from different cliques find themselves all at detention at the same time. They think it's just a random prank until one of them ends up dead.

A lot of reviews for this call it a mix between Pretty Little Liars and The Breakfast Club. I fully agree with this. We have the stereotypes, the possible murder, and the predictability. I liked this but it was exactly what I was expecting from a YA thriller. If you like thrillers that aren't scary, have a little romance, and are quick to read, then this would be for you. For myself, it was just a little too slow and simple.

Rating: ★★★
Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty

“She’d swallowed it whole and pretended it meant nothing, and therefore it had come to mean everything.” 

At heart, this is a book about the obstacles that women go through in their 20's and 30's. We have a single mother, a woman with a seemingly perfect life, and a mother going through the trouble of shared custody with her ex husband. But if you go by synopsis's alone, this is a "who did it? what happened?" thing after a murder takes place.

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, in fact, I'd go as far as to say that this would make it onto my favourite books of all time list. I've always loved Liane Moriarty's writing, this would be the third book of hers that I've picked up in the last 12 months and all of them have been great. But alas, this one went onto the backburner for me after all the hype. I know, I'm an idiot. Even if domestic fiction isn't your usual genre, or even mysteries, I'd suggest you give this a go. It's surprisingly witty and you'll grow to adore all the characters.

Rating: ★★★★★


Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney

“We are all made of flesh and stars, but we all become dust in the end. Best to shine while you can.” 

"One day, you're going to wake up in a coma." wait.. no, that's a line from Buffy. This one is about a woman that wakes up locked inside her mind, in a coma. How did she get there? That is the million dollar question. Read to find out.

I'll hand-on-heart say that I only picked this up because of Sarah Michele Gellar's announcement that her and Ellen DeGeneres are making this into a mini-series. And.. I'm really disappointed. This was one weird book. The overall story was good, but there were just too many weird moments to look past. Huge trigger warning for sexual assault. But if we're just looking at the plot, meh. I guessed the end at around 35% of the book. And I honestly can't remember a single character's name without Google.

Rating: ★★★


The Last Time I Lied
by Riley Sager

“Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it's the only way to win.”

It was Emma's first summer away from home. She made friends. She played games. And she learned how to lie. Then three of her new friends went into the woods and never returned. Now, years later, Emma has been asked to go back to the newly re-opened Camp Nightingale. She thinks she's laying old ghosts to rest but really she's returning to the scene of a crime. Because Emma's innocence might be the biggest lie of all.

I haven't read Final Girls which is arguably Riley's more popular novel, but nevertheless this was a great introduction into the author. This was hands-down the best thriller I read this month. Our protagonist was actually not a complete idiot, and I didn't guess the ending. Yay. This also had a heavy-female cast, which is always a good thing.

Rating: ★★★★

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry
by Frerdrik Backman

“Only different people change the world,” Granny used to say. “No one normal has ever changed a crapping thing.” 

Sent to deliver letters to the people in her apartment complex, seven-year-old Elsa begins to find out more about her Grandmother's life than she expected.

I adore Fredrick Backman's books. Translated from Swedish, his novels have a tendency to be character studies and delve into mental health. I urge you to read Beartown, which is a favourite of mine, but this is also a good one to start with. I grew to adore Elsa and Britt-Marie (who has a spin-off book called Britt-Marie Was Here which is high on my TBR) in fact, I grew to love all the characters. The only downside for me was a world that Elsa and her Grandmother invented, the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. Similar to Fangirl, we have entire paragraphs based in this magical world, which had a tenancy to suck me out of the main story. That is the only reason why this wasn't a 5-star read.

Rating: ★★★★



Little Bee
by Chris Cleave

Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive. The next thing you know something fine will happen to her, something marvelous, and then she will turn around and smile.

This is a dual narrative story about a Nigerian asylum-seeker and a British magazine editor, who meet during the oil conflict in the Niger Delta, and are re-united in England several years later.

This was the surprising pick of the month. Going into it, I didn't know what to expect and after the first few really long and really slow chapters, I was ready to give up. But yay for not quitting. This story is beautiful, made even more beautiful by the characters. If you enjoy learning about culture and have the stomach to read the horrific ordeals women can go through. Our protagonist Little Bee manages to view Britian in such a glorious light, you cant help but fall for her. Trigger warning for sexual assault.

Rating: ★★★★


PS: What do you think of the little book snippets that I've put before each synopsis..? I've found that I'm way more likely to pick up a book if I read a quote or paragraph from it that's enjoyable. Yay or nay?

If you are on social media you've likely seen all the rage for You. A book to TV adaption that has taken over Netflix. It's now all Birdbox and You everywhere, we can't escape them. I suppose we should be thankful that they're continuing to make adaptions from books, but, um, could they maybe choose better ones? A Little Life mini series?  A Beartown adaption? Yes, please. Anyhoo, I digress.. because of all the hype I decided to be super original and read the book first. I know, what an original lady blogger. So this review is solely about the book, I haven't yet watched it's shiny new version.

When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the bookstore where Joe works he is instantly smitten, so he does what anyone else would do, he memorises her name from her credit card and seeks her out online. It isn't long before he's inserted himself into her everyday life. But with the hurdles that come with being a stalker, things quickly take a rough turn. Even Beck's BFF Peach's Louis Vuitton spider-senses are tingling, what's a guy to do? (This is a fast-paced psychological thriller, in case my synopsis threw you off. It's just really hard not to be sarcastic.)



The summary would've likely caught my attention even without hearing about the TV show. I've always enjoyed thrillers, they're my guilty pleasure read. The plot can be insanely stupid and I'll still stick with it. You easily fell into this category. Much like any CW show, we have a bunch of beautiful people strutting around falling in love with eachother and having a lot of odd sexual encounters. Only this has a stalker thrown into the mix who stalks Serena Beck from the Internet.

Speaking of her, Beck may be one of the most dislikable characters I've had the displeasure of reading. She's a cliche blonde 20-something vapid character that I thought we'd outgrown in entertainment. She's a bitch for her "writing", uses her sexuality to get whatever she wants, uses Daddy's money to support herself, and still expects people to dote upon her. I get it, before you say anything, you don't have to like the characters in a book for the story to matter, and though I can appreciate that, I find it hard to accept when the only character I support in a book is the psycho stalker. Was this a character study? No, but it sure felt like one at times.

Much like Psycho, it was really interesting to read a story such as this in the POV of the bad guy. It stops the book from being so black and white. It seemed as though Joe was constantly seeing the world through the eyes of a reader, which was weirdly fascinating.

My main problem with You was the pure filth of it. We have multiple scenes of Joe watching Beck hump a green pillow that she stole from her father. I mean, err, what? He could smell her used tampons in the trash. What is this, Twilight? I mean even given the plot, that shizz just isn't normal.

This is a two star book, no doubt. But for some reason it kept me engaged. I'll admit to having read the spoilers for the TV show's ending, and it is completely different than the novel. Saying that, You does have a sequel, so maybe they have just mashed up the stories? Who knows. Either way, I'm giving it a reluctant 2.5/5.

Have you either read You or watched the show? What did you think? Let me know!

If I said “fat day,” what would come to mind first? Some have never heard the term before while others, like me, know exactly what it means. It's a day where you wake up and know that there are certain clothes you're not even going to try on. It means that you may reach for your baggiest shirt, your stretchiest pants. Clothing that would make you feel at least a little human. Heaven forbid you go shopping on one of these days. No way, no how. Shopping is bad enough as it is, but that's a conversation for another time.

I have fat days. Days I know that I'm not going to wear anything button up. Days where I'll pull one of my large and comfy t-shirts out of the closet at drape it over me like a tent. If I were to make that joke out loud I'd get a glare from Anne, my wife. She looks at me as handsome and desirable and it never fails to blow me away. I have secret fears that one day I'll be laying in bed and my body twists in a certain way, my large belly will ripple just the wrong way and it'll open her eyes. She'll see that she can do better. I know this is a silly thought, though I'm writing this on a non-fat day, so that may help matters. I know she won't wake up one day and suddenly see me as some monster from the fat lagoon and want to leave me. She's seen me at my worst and still loves me. I know this, but as some of you may know, logic has nothing to do with how you feel.

I use humour as a defence mechanism and it's worked for me for years, it's not an easy habit to get out. My humour is self-deprecating. It's the same logic behind the climatic scene in the movie 8 Mile. I'll be mean to myself first so when someone else is, it will take the sting away. But the thing is, I no longer surround myself with people who are mean to me like that. The attacks have stopped but the walls are still up. And the walls go up even higher on a fat day.


There are days that these walls feel unscalable. Spider-Man himself (or Spider-Gwen if you prefer a female example), would take one look at the wall and just walk away. How am I supposed to climb it? Or an even better question, how am I supposed to break the walls down? My question, my conundrum, is this: can I even tackle this problem when I'm my own worst enemy?

I want to live a long time. I want to start a family and grow old with my wife. I want to have grandchildren and spoil them like milk left out in the sun. But the statistics, and my doctor, can't help but remind me that the way I'm going I'd be lucky to see sixty, and that'd be fine if this was still the 1930's. I know I have a lot of work to do, work I need to do if I'm going to keep a promise I made Anne. But here's the sick part. My mind, you know, the thing that gives me fat days, that puts up walls, then cuts me down with attempts at humor? It also works against me when it comes to being healthy. You're having a fat day. Why eat a salad? Let's eat a huge double hamburger with extra cheese. Why stop at one beer? Have three! You deserve it! Let diabetics and heart disease be future Bill's problem. You could eat healthy today but what good would it do?

I'm going to say something here that only two other people in the world know. Those people are my wife and my doctor. I'm the heaviest I've ever been. I know a change needs to be made and the diet starts tomorrow. But the problem is, tomorrow never comes. Tomorrow is always tomorrow, today is always today, and the diet, the change, is a lot like Sisyphus, going no where fast. Though I'm not pushing a boulder up a hill forever, I'm just doing constant battle with my inner demons.

I have fat days. Some of you may have fat days too. I wish I had an answer. I wish I had the magic words that would turn every dark day light and make ever cloud blow away. But I don't. If I ever find it I promise to come back and tell you. I'd bottle it and sell it for cost. The only thing I can do is try to be better every day. Even if it's just a little. Even if I was just nice to myself for fifteen minutes longer than I wanted to. That would be progress. It's not some overnight sensation. It's not the kind of change that makes headlines. “California Man Was Nice To Himself For A Whole Hour.” No, that's not a headline. But it's a start.

Maybe it's the start we all need. I need to start working out, I need to start eating better, but I can't do that if I don't start thinking better. You can't always stop your mind. Maybe I'll look in the mirror tomorrow and see nothing but cottage cheese stuffed into a sausage casing. I can't help that. But what I can do is find something I like. Even if it's just the way my beard looks fantastic after I brush it. It may be small, but it's a start.

Tomorrow could be a fat day. But tomorrow will be the day that I take a little step forward and be proud of myself no matter how tiny a step it is. Rome wasn't built in a day and a person can't change the way they view themselves overnight. Baby steps.

This post was kindly written by the handsome BilliamSWN who you may know from his podcast Future Flicks With Billiam. He also writes blog posts which you can find on the SomewhatNerdy site, I strongly recommend you do.

I've made the biggest blogging sin.. I fell out of love with social media.

And in the style of 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' I've decided to write short letters to all my past online loves. I've recently come to the conclusion that one cannot blog without relying on social media, whether for interaction or content. I love blogging, it frees me from the realities of life and I adore sharing little tidbits of myself along the way. I suppose I treat it as a sort of diary. It gives me a purpose. So I will continue to try to rediscover my love for these platforms, I don't have the faintest clue as to how, but that's another blog post for another day.

Twitter, where to even start. You were the first platform that 12-year-old Anne discovered. You welcomed me into the Twilight fandom with glee, and no longer did I feel it unacceptable to class internet friends as real life BFF's. You aged with me, both in good ways and bad. Through my Twihard loving ways, you helped me discover roleplay and that inadvertently shaped me into the person that I am. You gave me my first online relationship of 5 years, and you were the cause of my first heartbreak. But I forgave you, because, well, you were my first. (I even forgave you when you changed the 'liking' logo from a star to a heart - and trust me, buddy, that was a tough adjustment to make. Let's not even mention when the layout went wacky.) You were the space of the internet that kept me company when I was in a constant spiral of all nighters, where else was I going to post every song that I was #NP.  You gave me my first taste of popularity (kind of), with gaining over 2,000 followers in just a few months through the magical world of roleplay which added to my confidence, which as silly as it may sound now, is exactly what I needed in 2010. But then I got older, and you kind of stayed back there. I tried to rekindle our spark by creating a new account for blogging purposes, but then you went and ruined it with a 'follower' suggestion that become a downhill slope. I now can't click on you without the constant fear of having to log out with another heartbreak under my belt. I guess you could say we changed.

Instagram, you're the popular kid who gives backhanded compliments. You're my whirlwind of confusion. You tell me to be myself, that it ought to be enough, only to then show me how untrue that is. Over and over you make me wish to be someone else. But that's okay because you're simultaneously giving me positive quotes about confidence, right? I rediscovered my love for photography and art through you, and that without a doubt added to my decision to start blogging again in '15. So I thank you for that, and I want to love you again. But I feel like you've become a really great book that has some major problematic areas that I'm expected to look past, which is difficult for someone who has a problem with forgetting anything that leaves a bad impact on her heart and/or memory. Maybe it's not you, it's me. All I know is, when I delve into your world, I tend to leave miserable.

Facebook, you replaced Twitter for me after the first heartbreak. You made me more comfortable in the roleplay world, and though my world shrunk when I moved over to you, I was happier.  At least for a little while. You helped me write more, and the people that I met through you helped me realise that I was more than just a character. You also hugely aided in my research as to whether my now husband was a psychopath when we met.. so, thanks for that! But now you've become an empty page that only seems to leave me feeling separated from loved ones, and well, alone. You also broke the news to me that people don't always just make reckless comments about strangers, that they can view people in their real lives with the same immoral attitude. In a way, you are the cause of my seeing people for what they really are. We live in a world of cruel comment sections, but it's always strangers commenting. When those people are people you may see everyday? It's really hard to see past that. You make me lose faith in the my world.

Tumblr, you were my secret lover. The place I fell back on to make me feel okay with being a bit gloomy sometimes. You made it safe to be myself as you were a world of strangers who never asked a question. You didn't beautify sadness,but you didn't make me feel like I was stupid for not doing the "obvious solutions". You didn't tell me to go outside, you merely gave me words that I could speak through. But then you became a place of possible heartbreak. I realised that not one person I know, whether online or in real life, knew about my account with you. And that was frightening as it reopened the forever question of "How little do we actually know about people?". If I'm able to hide in you, who else is? The unknown terrifies me, and you have become my trigger.

**This is in no way a reflection of any of the social medias, these are merely my experiences and an overly personal post.

What's your relationship with social media like? Have you recently had any change of hearts? Let me know down below. Or, you know, get in touch with me on social media. The irony, right?