Hi everybody!
How are you all doing? How has your week been? I've had a pretty good week which I'm so happy about after having a rough few weeks towards the end of July. Why was it a good week? LET ME TELL YOU.
So the main reason why it was a good week is because I got my English exam results back yesterday and I was SO NERVOUS for them because it's very hard to get a high mark in the Cambridge International Exams English syllabus and I was sure I got 80% at most but I got 92%!!! I'm so, so incredibly happy that all my hard work paid off! To celebrate, my dad bought me a copy of Carve the Mark (THANKS, DAD!) and my parents got us this really nice pizza. THURSDAY WAS SUCH A GREAT DAY.
I then went to Nando's tonight with my friend I met at volunteering and we had such a lovely time chatting about so many different things and eating wonderful food! I get along so well with her and I'm so happy I met her!
I'm also starting school next week (MY FINAL YEAR - WHAT?!) and I'm equal parts excited and sad. I've always loved school and it's (obviously) been a huge part of my life and it's going to be quite disorientating not being homeschooled anymore as for the past five years that's what I've done and I've gotten into quite a nice routine now, I don't really want it to be over!
I'm probably going to be quite scarce this year (unfortunately each year I seem to grow more scarce the more hectic school becomes) but I hope you can understand, as I need to get my grades so that universities will accept me. It's a very important year...which makes it quite stressful. HOWEVER, I'm going to be taking a gap year (or two) because I need to have my indefinite leave to remain to qualify for the UK university fees (the international fees are almost £20k a year which I definitely can't afford) so although I'm hoping to work/tutor/do online courses during that time, I'll definitely have a lot more time for blogging, reading and writing so I'm hoping to really throw myself into my blog before I go to university!
I also created a poll on Twitter asking what content you'd like to see more of on my blog and the winning answer was homeschooling/study posts so I'll definitely be including more of that! I might turn it into a fortnightly/monthly feature where I post various study tips, how I plan my revision, what it's like being homeschooled etc!
If you visited my blog last week you might've seen that I'm now officially on a strict book buying, borrowing and requesting ban in attempts to tame that towering TBR! This was all bought and borrowed and requested before the ban - just a disclaimer. 😉
SO, I was kind of naughty and I bought TWO BOXSETS. Both by the same author whose books I've never read before - was that optimistic or stupid? A bit of both, I suppose haha! They were on sale each for £6 - how could I say no to that?!
I've been wanting to read The Young Elites trilogy forever as well as the Legend trilogy! I actually started reading Legend in the library and I thought to myself well, darn it, this book is fan-freakin-tastic. So I went on Ebay to see if anyone was selling the first book and then I saw that The Works was selling the boxset for £6. So I bought it. With not much thought. I still don't regret it and it's been over a week so it was a good decision! 😂
I also purchased Nerve, The Last Star, Nightshade, The Potion Diaries, The Moonstone and The Woman in White. I've been wanting to read Nerve before I watch the movie (the movie looks so good!) and I've heard the movie is better than the book which is quite rare so we'll see how it goes. I also FINALLY got The Last Star which I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT. I absolutely loved the first two books and I'm so excited to read the conclusion! Nightshade looks like your typical YA paranormal book but, let me be real with you guys, I love those books. They're generally full of cliches and tropes (hello, love triangle) but there's something so addictive and enjoyable about them, isn't there? I'm really looking forward to reading it!
I also purchased The Potion Diaries as it looks so cute and I absolutely love the cover (there needs to be more pink on books. I LOVE PINK). I'm also trying to read more classics so when I went to Whole Foods (one of the best shops food shops ever) and I was looking at their little book sale collection they have at the exit my eyes strayed towards The Woman in White which I've heard is a definite must read and The Moonstone which sounds SO INTRIGUING. I've been wanting to delve into mystery books lately but mystery books without gore and murder and stuff and - correct me if I'm wrong - although these are gothic mysteries they're not that horrifying, or so I've heard? Anyway, I'm SO EXCITED TO READ THEM!
I got one review book this week and it's one I'm SO EXCITED FOR I COULD PRACTICALLY DIE.
Are you ready?!
Are you?
I think you're going to be...wonderstruck...
I'M STILL SCREAMING.
I'll be reading this next week so look out for my review which will probably be up a week prior to publication (31st of August)!
THANK YOU, PENGUIN PLATFORM. I LOVE YOU.
*heavy breathing*
I'M SO FRIKKIN EXCITED FOR THESE. I read Shatter Me back when I was an ickle 15-year-old and I fell completely in love with it so I'm VERY excited to reread it and read the next two books!
Also, when I saw Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index I'm pretty sure I let out an audible squeak. I've been wanting to read this book forever and I had actually reserved it ages ago but then cancelled it because I had a lot of books out. However, as I volunteer at the library four times a week and I'm generally there on days I don't volunteer as well, I was leaving my shift at the library when I saw this sitting on the shelf. I think it had probably just arrived as I was about to leave and I was SO HAPPY to see it there! I love YA contemporaries and I have a feeling I'm going to love this one, too!
Do you love libraries? Do you ever find yourself needing to go on buying bans? What are your top tips for sticking to it?