The books I read January – March (2019)

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1. Christmas Stories by Noel Streatfeild – Beautiful. Streatfeild was my favourite author as a child having written Ballet Shoes and I adored all these short stories just as much. Highly recommend it!
2. No Dragons for Tea by Jean Pendziwol – A book from childhood – we all need to indulge in something nostalgic sometimes.
3. A Tale of Two Daddies & A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager – Two gorgeous books about growing up with same-sex parents. Absolutely ideal for all children.
4. What if It’s Us by Becky Albertalli – I initially couldn’t get into this but then I just flew through it. Beautiful and wonderful and oh boy was one of the scenes steamy!
5. Spinning by Tillie Walden – This was my first ever graphic novel and I adored it – from cover to cover in 2 hours. Beautiful and wonderful and honest. I am desperate to read more of her work.
6. Fat Chance by Nick Spalding – Truly awful and fatphobic but part of me was gripped to the plot and I ended up reading it in just two instalments.
7. (ARC) What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Peslouan – A big mood. A painfully heart-wrenching honest mood. A book about the honesty of being a women. A book about diversity. A book everyone should read. A book that makes me even prouder to be a feminist. A book that motivates change.
8. Happy Birthday Klutzface by Foxglove Lee – Not really my cup of tea but I am always grateful for LGBTQ+ representation.
9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling – Loved listening to this as narrated by Newt himself.
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling –  Wonderful as always.
11. The Cradle Will Fall by Clare Donoghue – Thoroughly enjoyed this. Keen to read the next in the series.
12. Listening to the Animals by Noel Fitzpatrick – I really did contemplate giving this a 5 but it was missing just something. I really really enjoyed it and I genuinely think I preferred it to the first. It has a gripping story and address mental health so well.
13. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – I’ll be honest and say I didn’t love love it like I expected. I do think my brain fog is part of this as I found it exceptionally difficult to understand. I am keen to re-read this in the future and read the rest of the series.
14. Wild Embers by Nikita Gill – A gorgeous anthology of poems about love, life, mental illness and everything else you need to read about. I’ve recommended it to everyone I know and I can’t wait to read more of Gill’s work.
15. Call Again by Ariel Bissett – I have followed Ariel on Youtube forever and have always hoped to read her work so of course, I ordered this as soon as it came out. It’s a beautiful anthology and I’m excited.
16. Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard – One of the first books I’ve not wanted to put down in a while. It really got mental health in some ways and I cried a few times. But it wasn’t perfect and it was slightly problematic. I’m intrigued to read the next book. (For note this book contains mental health triggers in all manners)
17. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl —  I thought I’d read this before but I actually hadn’t. It’s a little toooo ridiculous but I still enjoyed it.
18. Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard –  I really did contemplate giving this a 5 but it was missing just something. I really really enjoyed it and I genuinely think I preferred it to the first. It has a gripping story and addresses mental health so well.
19. I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella – Really enjoyed this but wasn’t anything special as such especially for a Kinsella.
20. My Purple Scented Novel by Ian McEwan – Oh boy this made me mad but it gripped me. And for that I loved it. Wondering if McEwan has written any other shorts?

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