My Favourite Reads of 2020

 

Time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

My Top Ten Books of 2020

So I didn't have the best reading year, it's been a bit stressful and shitty. I didn't reach my reading goals,  however I did find some books that I just absolutely loved! Special mentions go to the Air Awakens series and the Guild Codex series. Did I finish them? No. Why? Because I'm a doofus, 😂 but they are top of my list for reading next year. These are all 5 star reads for me. Covers link to my reviews.

Check out my Year in Books.

 

                         

                         

                                            

                                    Which books made it to your top ten list this year?

*Editing to add this book. I just finished it and it was amazing! Definitely a new favourite. If you ever wondered how Werewolf Bachelor would go, check it out!

                                                   

                                              Happy holidays, and happy reading! 💗

If you want to keep up to date with my blog, you can follow me on  instagram @iwishiownedabookstore or Goodreads.

Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Fantasy, Retellings

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again. 

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository

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“I liked to feel their eyes on me, weighing me like a purse, and being able to hold my head up when they did it, feeling my own worth.”

I loved the fairy tale style of this book, I found it so captivating and magical! I loved getting to know all the great characters with the different points of view. The story, while slow to get going, was full of surprises at the end and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The historical, wintery setting is just perfect as well. I don’t actually know the story of Rumpelstiltskin, which I think this is loosely based on, but I loved the story regardless. Just like with Uprooted, Novik has a way of bringing these tales to life.

All (the Books) I Want For Christmas

Time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

This is probably the number 1 book I want, and I know I'm getting it because my partner already bought it for me! 😄 The rest of these are on my wish list, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some book-shaped presents under the tree!

                           

                           

                           

Which books are on your wish list this Christmas? Happy Holidays and happy reading! 💗 

If you want to keep up to date with my blog, you can follow me on  instagram @iwishiownedabookstore or Goodreads.  

Review: Infernal Enchantment by Helen Harper

Infernal Enchantment by Helen Harper

(Firebrand #2)

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery

A gruesome case of grave robbing lands on Detective Constable Emma Bellamy's desk. But is there more to it than meets the eye?

Being the sole police detective in London's Supernatural Squad is no easy task. I have to navigate my way through a world teeming with supernatural creatures, from vampires to werewolves and everything else in between. My inexperience might count against me but my own shocking supernatural abilities will stand me in good stead - especially when I'm confronted yet again by the gruesome spectre of death...

A vampire has been mysteriously killed in the centre of the city.

Werewolf graves have been plundered for their bodies.

And I think I might be developing an ill-advised crush on a certain black eyed vampire Lord.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository | Available in KU

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See my review for Brimstone Bound (Firebrand #1).

"I supposed there was no time like the present to revisit the scene of my own death and investigate a grisly case of corpse-munching at the same time. I liked my job, I told myself. Honest."

I was trying to figure why I don’t love this book, don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed it, it has all the elements that I like - there just seems to be a little something missing. I think it’s because I like the characters, but I don’t really feel a connection with them, especially the MC. Emma, is very focused on her job, and while we see some of her inner thoughts and feelings, she mostly seems to avoid them in favour of work so it’s hard to get inside her head. Hopefully that will build up more as the series progresses, but if not, I think it's still definitely worth reading as a supernatural murder mystery. 

Top Ten On My Summer TBR

 Time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Books I'm Most Excited For This Summer

This isn't summer themed or anything, I'm just keen to read these! 

Titles link to Goodreads. 

Three new wolf shifter books out this month!

I just started This Dark Wolf and I love when a book takes a new twist on werewolves. 

                          

More Books!

I just finished All Systems Red and I picked up Murderbot Diaries #2 from the library. 

My next book for the Great Series Read Project is Demon Magic and a Martini.

I have an ARC for Of Wicked Blood, which comes out in February. So Excited!

Review: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

(The Murderbot Diaries #1)

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Science Fiction

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository | Available in KU

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Overall Thoughts

"As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure."

At the word ‘murderbot’ I couldn’t help but get this book, and I was hooked and laughing from the first paragraph. I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Murderbot, a massively introverted and pessimistic SecUnit who just wants the humans to leave it alone so it can watch TV. If you’re looking for a Sci-Fi read full of laser-gun battles, this isn’t it. I was in it for the dry humour and Murderbot’s awkwardness and I thoroughly recommend it for all introverts and anyone interested in AI (but not if you’re squeamish about robots with human parts). I can’t wait to see what adventures await Murderbot in the sequel, Artificial Condition.

Review: Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie

Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie 

(The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rule one: Don't look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.

But I did, and now it's too late.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository | Available in KU

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I love this book so much! Robin is my imaginary best friend and Zylas is my spirit animal!

I absolutely freaking adore the world that Marie has created! I love this even more than the Spellbound series, because I relate to Robin so well! The shy bookworm who loathes confrontation, and gets forced into a contract with a lethal demon. I can’t even, it’s just too good! These two are breaking all the rules and I love every minute of it. The crossover with the Spellbound series is subtle in this book, but you just know it’s gonna get so good as the series continues! 

What I liked: EVERYTHING

All right I’ll try and break it down a little, 

TTT: Books I Want to Read Again

 Time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

I'm actually really excited for this weeks' Top Ten Tuesday post, because I have a list of books, well series really, that I have been planning to re-read but I haven't found the time. I know some people never read the same book twice, but I have lots of reasons for wanting to re-read books. 

1. Because I LOVED it so much!

2. I was reading a series, but there was a break between books and now I don't remember what happened. 

3. I couldn't bring myself to read the last book in a series because I didn't want it to end! 

4. I read the first book, and then got distracted, but I still want to read the series. 

So, there's loads of reasons, and these are just a few. Here is my list of up-coming re-reads in no particular order. Yep, I'm definitely going to bump these up my list! 

(Covers link to Goodreads)

Blog Update: November 2020

This is just a quick update to let you all know where I've been, and what I've been up to. I haven't posted in quite some time, and that's because I was participating in NaNoWriMo!

If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo before, it's a writing challenge, where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I haven't been blogging for the last month, because I was focussed on writing instead. I didn't actually meet the goal of 50k words, which is a lot for only 30 days, but I wrote over 30,000 words, so I'm pretty proud of myself regardless.

If you are interested in writing novels, you should definitely check out NaNo. There's a great community online, and some really great novels have come out of the challenge in the past. Check it out here. 

I have still been reading of course! And I have a few reviews to catch-up on, so I'll be posting those over the next few weeks. Here are the books I've been reading and will be reviewing soon: [Covers link to Goodreads]

  

    

There's a few new releases coming out in December that I'm super excited for! I just realised they are all about wolf shifters, and I can't wait to get my hands on them!

   

That's all from me today. I'll be posting again soon with those reviews. If you want to keep up to date, you can follow me on Instagram @iwishiownedabookstore or Goodreads. Happy reading 💗

TTT: Super Long Book Titles

 Time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Super Duper Extra Long Book Titles

These are all books on my Goodreads shelves that have 6 or more words in the titles. 6 is pretty long right? Well I managed to find 10 of them anyway. Let's go!

*Book title links are Amazon affiliate links. 

 

And the award for Longest Series Title Ever goes to:

Wishful Thinking

(How to Be the Best Damn Faery Godmother in the World (or Die Trying) #1)

by Helen Harper

I haven't read this one yet, but I have read a couple other series by Helen Harper, (currently reading Infernal Enchantment) and I really like her writing. If you like funny books check out Slouch Witch! It's hilarious!

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids (Amra Thetys #1)

by Michael McClung

I read this in September for the Self-Published Fantasy Month Readalong, and it was so good! I'll be posting my review for this one soon.