September Wrap-Up! || 2017

Hey guys! Would you look at that, September is already over. I always find it so exciting to be at the beginning of a new month, feeling like you’re going to read 200 books in that month alone despite the fact that you NEVER do. Ahem. Yes, so September was something of a flop when it came to achieving reading goals – HOWEVER – I don’t think anyone has had such a spectacular, 5-starred month in their life.

As always, let’s have a quick look at what’s happening in the book-o-sphere and see what offers you can get from your favourite bookstores:

Angus & Robertson Bookworld (an Australian company that offers free shipping on all orders over $60 AUD) has a few things going on! They have a competition running called Read-Juvinate to help you find books to get into the refreshing mood of spring. If you order any book from the selection they give by October 31st, you’ll be entered to win a prize pack worth $500!! You can also check out their BEST OF 2017 lists, everything MAN BOOKER related and their current feature of Australian literature in TALL POPPIES.

Over at Booktopia you can enjoy flat rate shipping on all orders to AU/NZ (although they frequently have free shipping deals) and 25% off Top 100 best sellers each week! Celebrate BOOKTOBERFEST with them and enjoy discounts on 1000s of books – by ordering from this selection you could WIN a prize worth $1000, just sayin’. Their CRAFT THERAPY deal is also still on, where you can win a craft pack worth $500 dollars. And don’t forget to PRE-ORDER a signed copy of Di Morrissey’s latest book, The Red Coast. If you do, you’ll go in the draw to win a complete, signed Di Morrissey pack!

It’s competition time over at Wordery! Enter by the 18th of October to WIN £100 worth of books [INTL]! Check out a huge list of BOOKS FOR STUDENTS with up to 60% off! And of course, enjoy free international shipping!

Enjoy an amazing range of books at great prices with The Book Depository. As always, there is free international shipping! Celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Famous Five (Enid Blyton) by revisiting the classics and grabbing a copy of the new and wonderful anniversary editions! Looking for some extra reading for your teenager? The BD has the perfect selection to compliment their curricula – check it out! And make sure you read the Paddington stories before the new film comes out! For some more highlights see:

If I Should Die
by Amy Plum

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Amy Plum
Published: May 2013
Publisher: Atom
Pages: 408 {paperback}

I adore this series so much and was really pleased with how everything wrapped up in this book. All the things I wanted to happen did and I was pleased as punch when I’d guessed right on a few predictions of what the future holds for Kate. Can’t recommend this series enough – it’s crazy good.

My review

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy, Childrens
Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Stephen Fry
Published: November 2015 [book: June 2003]
Publisher: Pottermore
Length: 29 hours, 45 minutes {audiobook}

Will I continue the series? YES

I’m always going to absolutely adore the Harry Potters, let’s be real. Re-reading this via audiobook was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Fry is beyond good when it comes to narrating and I couldn’t believe just how much stuff I’d forgotten from this story!

Review to come

Bitterblue
by Kristin Cashore

Genre: Epic Fantasy, Young Adult
Author: Kristin Cashore
Published: May 2012
Publisher: Firebird
Pages: 563 {paperback}

A fantastic conclusion to a brilliant series. I thoroughly enjoyed Bitterblue and I can’t believe that The Graceling Realm is now done and dusted. I thought the characters were awesome and the mystery of what actually happened during Leck’s reign made for the best plot line and mystery!

My review

The Chimes
by Anna Smaill

Genre: Fantasy [alternate universe], Dystopia
Author: Anna Smaill
Published: February 2015
Publisher: Sceptre
Pages: 291 {paperback}

This was quite the interesting read. It was the book of the month in September for my book club that I run with Casey @ Adoptabookaus called the Squabbling Dragons. We both enjoyed the book and disliked it in equal parts. It’s certainly a tricky one to break down. Ultimately a clever story that didn’t quite deliver to the same standard the whole way through the book.

My review

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
by Natasha Pulley

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Author: Natasha Pulley
Published: July 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 335 {kindle}

Will I continue the series? YES

I read this one for review (yes, I’m that far behind) and I absolutely adored it. It was a fantastic story with all the elements to make my heart sing. There’s plenty of clockwork, an LGBT+ romance (M/M) and a mysterious plot line full of twists and turns. Can’t recommend it enough.

My review

Roseblood
by A.G. Howard

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retelling [Phantom of the Opera]
Author: A. G. Howard
Published: January 2017
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Pages: 432 {hardback}

This was such a fabulous retelling of Phantom of the Opera. It was a little slow on the get-go but picked up towards the end. There were so many unexpected plot elements to the story (I mean, what else should I have expected from a Howard book?). Definitely recommend to phans out there!

My review

What else did I blog about this month?

I reviewed some books:
I showed off some books in my September book haul
I made an ambitious October TBR
I celebrated the release of Charm (J.A. Armitage) & giveaway
I showcased Western Australia and the books set here
I suggested books to make you sigh-ful in Spring
I announced round 4 of the Alphabethon read-a-thon & my TBR
I discussed all the September releases I desperately want
I belatedly discussed my September TBR
I did my August Wrap-Up

The Statistics

Genres Read:

Pages Read:

Total: 2,795

Progress Towards Goodreads Challenge:

75%, or, 30/40 books

I did the amazing thing of actually catching up on my Reading Challenge in September. I’m so impressed.

What about me?

I feel like September passed for me fairly quietly so I’m struggling to think of what I got up to. For starters, I became an affiliate with the online book company, Wordery, and that sort of thing is always nice! If you don’t know what that means, when you become an affiliate with a company you can earn commission from people’s purchases. So, I advertise for them here on my blog and if you follow that link through to their website and buy something, I earn a tiny amount from that.

My sister was visiting for a fair chunk of the month which meant I did slightly less reading that I otherwise might have done. We played a lot of board games and watch a lot of movies in the evenings. We also made several trips to the beach and out to the Swan Valley area for wine tasting!

The Perth Royal Show was on in September which I also went to. It’s pretty much a giant fete where pavilions are set up selling all sort of things and there are animal shows and showbags you can buy filled with goodies. I like to go to watch the fireworks they have in the evening – some of the best fireworks I’ve seen as you sit right beneath them. Just as enjoyable as Disney fireworks if you ask me!

Movies I Watched:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, 2001: 9/10 stars
My family and I started rewatching the Harry Potters! Always magical to do so and I’m loving every second of it. It’s just so adorable to see how young all the kids are in this film.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002: 9/10 stars
I love Lockhart in this film, he’s hilarious in his stupidity. I feel like it’s a given that I’m only going to say good things about these films.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004: 9/10 stars
This is my favourite book in the series (although not my favourite film) – I just love all backstories and developments that happen in this film so much.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005: 10/10 stars
This is the best film in the series! The action in it is so much fun and all the suspense is to die for.

Victoria & Abdul, 2017: 7/10 stars
This was really good. I thoroughly enjoyed the story even though it’s also incredibly sad. I love films like this when they explore an aspect of history that is unknown within a larger part of that history that is widely known.

The Magic of Belle Isle, 2012: 8/10 stars
This is honestly such a beautiful story. I’d been recommended this several time and it’s so worth watching. I loved that it was about imagination and stories and just how powerful those things can be. Also the fact that Morgan Freeman is in it doesn’t hurt.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle, 2017: 7/10 stars
This was just as good as the first one for me. I think they’ve become great films for fun, comedic action adventures with an amazing cast of characters. This film certainly took an interesting turn of events and has left me incredibly curious as to where things will go from here.

Dunkirk, 2017: 10/10 stars
This was beyond good. It was intense, emotional and so real that I can’t recommend it enough. I didn’t even realise it was Harry Styles until the credits rolled which was incredible – he did a fabulous job, like FABULOUS. I can’t believe it was him. The story was so heart-breaking though, I just loved it. Such a real representation of history.

Braveheart, 1995: 8/10 stars
This film took me several day to watch, it really is crazy long. But it was worth the commitment, even if the number of horses that died it in it made me sad. I thought it was a fantastic story and done really well. Would definitely recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of gory battling.

Oliver and Company, 1988: 5/10 stars
A low rating for a Disney film, but whilst I liked this one it was nothing special. The music was *okay* and I wasn’t blown away by the storyline. But nonetheless, it was a fun watch!

TV Series I Watched:

Trollhunters, 2016
I’ve been slowly picking my way through this one and really quite enjoying it. It’s definitely slow to get right into the story but I don’t mind too much. Nothing like some good troll-hunting.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, 2015
I finished the new season of this, five, and now I’m devastated because what am I supposed to do with my life now? I’m 100% addicted to this series and cannot function without it!

Black Books, 2000
I also finished this one which I was equally devastated to be done with. This was absolutely hilarious and I can’t believe they didn’t make anymore. Alas, what can one do? I shall just have to keep hunting until I find something else fantastic.