Sunday, May 25, 2014

#NewToMeMay Week 4 update

#NewToMeMay is a reading challenge that I'm organising and taking part in during the month of May. The aim is to read as many books by new-to-me authors and to be a little more adventurous in which books I'm picking up. Bonus points go towards books that have been on my shelves for quite awhile. If you are taking part in this, do let me know! 


This will probably be my last #NewToMeMay update. It's been a really fun challenge and I love that I've pushed myself to discover as many new authors as I can this month.  I'll probably return to this challenge at a later date especially as I was planning on a final splurge this next week! But here is what I've managed to read this previous week. 


Week 4 Update


For the start of Week 4, I decided to pick up Tease by Amanda Maciel which is a book that I was really intrigued about. I picked it up at the Books With Bite event and I really wanted to start it right away but then life got in the way. I'm really happy to have gotten around to it this week as I really enjoyed how thought-provoking it is.  I've already reviewed it but my one sentence review is that it is really interesting and brings up a different argument about bullying in high schools that I felt really challenged my views of the issue.


Next up, I picked up The Dark Inside by Rupert Wallis, which I won in the British Books Challenge monthly giveaway competition thing. It was a really interesting and fairly quick read.  It also sort of surprised me. I can see how people have compared it to David Almond's Skellig.  I really enjoyed the concepts of it but I also sort of wanted it to be a little more emotional.


THEN! I picked up Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and was officially converted to the Grisha Army.  I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read this series because right from the start I fell in love with this world, these characters and their relationships together. Love Alina and Mal. Love learning more about the Grisha. Love the politics and just everything about this book. I need the sequel immediately. Thank god the third book is published soon as well, I feel like inhaling them back-to-back in the very near future.


And for my final new-to-me author I went with Blue by Lisa Glass because I just cannot resist a good surfing story. I love reading and watching anything to do with surfing. I love that this has a UK setting as well and it's just a really great contemporary love story.  I want more. My review of this book will be on the blog next week!


Week 1 total: 1 new author (Jane Casey)

Week 2 total: 6 new authors (Emily Murdoch, Amanda Howells, Marie Rutkoski, Chris Wooding, Linda Newbery, Anna Wilson)

Week 3 total: 5 new authors (Isla Morley, Sarah Crossan, Crystal Chan, Elizabeth May, Lucy Saxon)

Week 4 total: 4 new authors (Amanda Maciel, Rupert Wallis, Leigh Bardugo and Lisa Glass)

NewToMeMay monthly total: 16 new authors

I hope you've enjoyed #NewToMeMay, thank you so much for your support! 

4 comments:

  1. I'm getting the feeling that I may need to jump on the bandwagon and read Shadow and Bone... I'm looking forward to picking up Blue soon so it's good to hear that you enjoyed it. You've had a really successful week with this challenge, haven't you?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sophie. I did get quite a bit of reading done that week. Blue was really good and you really must read Shadow and Bone already. It's worth it :)

      Delete
  2. Leigh Bardugo was a reveletion to be last year and I was also kicking myself for having picked the book the year before. I'm so pleased Ruin and Rising is just around the corner and I can get my dose of the Darkling.

    Samina
    Escapism from Reality

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES! I've already downloaded the second book onto my Kindle and it will not be long until I get to it, I'm sure. The Darkling is definitely one of my favourite characters :)

      Delete

HI! Thank you for leaving a comment, you've just become my new best friend :)