Favourite Books I've Read This Year

The weather may be warming up unfortunately, but Christmas is well and truly on it's way.

Today at work we had Christmas Carols over at Southwark Cathedral for an hour at lunch.

I didn't go last year being new to the company and all, but this year I decided to go along.

The service had a good handful of hymns sung by our colleagues, a couple of local primary schools and the whole audience joined in too.

It was beautiful.

There was one girl in particular who I recognised from work who did a solo at the beginning and she was amazing.

There's just something about a choir singing hymns that can always give me goosebumps.

I also baked my first Yule Log to take into work (my colleague baked mince pies) and we've been stuffing our faces for the past two days (picture is at the end!).

As this goes live I should be at our Christmas Party (yes, it's on a Wednesday, one of the reasons I didn't go last year!) and Thursday we'll be having a free Christmas lunch in the canteen.

And then I only have Monday left at work and I'm on my Christmas holidays!

Well, sort of. I'm working from home between Christmas and New Year, but that's fine by me.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS.

Anyway, as I've been reading a lot this year, I thought I'd do a little round up of my favourite first-time reads.

Initially, my goal was 30 books in a year but around August maybe(?) I upped it to 35 and then 40 because I kept getting nearer to my goal and still having a month or two left of the year.

It's now still on 40 and I'm currently 3 books away from completing it (am also currently reading three books so it's just a case of finishing them before December 31st!)

1. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - February 
Oh. my. God. I just loved this. I'm a hugeeeee fan of the films anyway and I only found out they were books last year so my dad bought me them for last Christmas. I devoured them and loved every minute of them. Although, like the films, the first one was better. If you're into dinosaurs, science-y lingo and action-packed adventure, you'll love this.

2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - March
My friend bought me these for Christmas also I think (or a belated birthday present, I can't quite remember). I don't know if I watched the first one before I read them but I literally read all three in about a week. Twists, easy-to-read YA that you just can't put down. Follow Thomas as he is thrown into a world he doesn't know anything about and has to figure out how to survive the everchanging maze.

3. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - May
This was my first audiobook and I adored it way more than I thought I would. My friend (same one as above!) recommended it as an easy fantasy to get stuck into and boy was she right. Full of Gods, Princesses and an almost Greek-like empire, this story takes you on a rollercoaster of events which has you guessing at every turn. Not all the characters are what they seem or who they say they are.

4. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin - July
I sped through the first two in the series sometime last year and eagerly awaited this final instalment's release earlier this year. A fitting ending for an epic trilogy of vampires, love, friendship, loss and power in a dystopian world. I loved every single character, even the antagonists as they provided so much to this story. Cronin nails backstory, timejumps and has an incredible eye for detail I am well and truly inspired by.

5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - July
This one I picked up at work having always been intrigued by war stories (not realising it was true at the time). It was horrific and heartbreaking, but also so honest and heartwarming at the same time. It's such a fantastic story that it's amazing to think it's all true. To think somebody actually lived this life detailed on 500 pages is unbelievable.

6. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - August
This is another audiobook, a long one at that, but one worth every page. Rothfuss is another writer I envy and aspire to be like. His ability to turn the mundane events into interesting encounters blew me away. A world full of magic, aspiration, friendship, growth with an undertone of darkness, The Name of the Wind will take you on an adventure like no other. The characters are phenomenal and so likeable. Kvothe is someone you will want to follow through the university on through his daily dealings in the Inn he now owns.

7. The Infernal Devices: Book 3, Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - November
I know I wrote the reviews pretty recently, but I'll say it again - this prequel series is way better than The Mortal Instruments. It was refreshing to see a love triangle that didn't make me want to kill all three of the characters. Tessa was a strong, independent character who happened to fall in love with Jem - a kindhearted, broken boy - and Will - a fiery, sarcastic boy - but refused to hurt either of them intentionally or choose between them. This love story entwined with clockwork creatures, magic, fate and family is one brilliant finale for the series, one that left me for days after feeling lost and wanting to dive back into the Shadowhunter world.

I hope this recap has inspired you to pick up a novel or two! Goodreads has a cute little feature at the moment of a look back on the current year and I have read approximately 16,895 pages - insane!

Let's hope for a bigger and better goal next year.

My to be read pile still isn't getting any smaller...

Jurassic Park: The Lost World

By Michael Crichton

[It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic

Park. Six years since the extraordinary dream of science

and imagination came to a crashing end - the dinosaurs

destroyed, the park dismantled, the island indefinitely

closed to the public.

Now there are rumours that something has survived...]

The second and last of the Jurassic Park novels and the worst out of the two unfortunately. It took a very, very long time to get into the action of it all and, in fact, was absolutely nothing like it's film counterpart except for one scene - the trailer over the cliff.

This scene was done particularly well, being very tense and so well-written. It's just a shame I didn't enjoy the whole book as much as the first one. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of the second film which probably made me biased and doubtful for this book (thank God that awful T-Rex scene in the city was not included in the novel! How ridiculous was that scene?!)

Although it did have a slow start, the plot itself was pretty good. It certainly kept me intrigued and I love love love how Crichton was able to use so much detail about the dinosaurs, mathematics, animal behaviour and scientific theories as well as keeping it very action-packed!

I also quite liked Malcolm and Sarah's characters. Malcolm was still his usual self and Sarah's addition was welcomed with the loss of such great characters from the first one (however Grant and Ellie were briefly mentioned near the beginning which was nice!). The kids - Kelly and Arby - were cute and brought some innocence to the story. Levine, on the other hand, was irritating - although I think that was the idea! And of course Lewis Dodgson was also a character I didn't like, but that was to be expected as the anti-hero of the novel.

The conflict between the science companies and Malcolm/Sarah's team was definitely played up in the film version. It was more of a small team of three to four against one another in the novel as to the whole host Sarah's team is battling in the film. I feel this made the book have a more personal feel to it as the intentions were made clear in what each team wanted out of this illegal visit.

The ending was a little rushed and unrealistic to me (well, as unrealistic as a novel about dinosaurs can be) which ruined it a little bit. Like the first one, they got themselves into a lot of trouble but seemed to get themselves out of it too easily - yes plenty of characters died and a few injured, but I didn't really feel the protagonists lives were really at stake.

Still, well worth a read as the follow-up to the first one though!

✌

Jurassic Park

By Michael Crichton

[On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have

created a dinosaur game park.

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning

dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now one of

mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true

and the first dinosaurs that the Earth has seen in

the time of man emerge.

But there is a dark side to the fantasy. And after a

catastrophe destroys the park's defence systems,

the scientists and tourists are left fighting

for survival...]

I can't believe I didn't know this was a novel and by Michael Crichton too! (my love for E.R. is unreal❤)

Although a few details were a bit different from the film (I know this came first, way first, but can't blame a girl when the film is amazing?!), it was mostly all the same up until the T-Rex attack. Then it changed, a lot. Some details in the latter half did match up to the film plot line again though - the crucial scenes which was all that mattered!

It was definitely a lot more in depth scientifically and mathematically, which at times were difficult to follow (but I don't know whether that's because I insisted on reading it in an office full of people and late at night when my eyes could barely stay open). I loved how it switched back and forth between the control room and the park - it really gave us an overall view of the story unfolding, bits we didn't get to see or were skimmed over in the film.

I adore Alan Grant's character. He manages to stay mostly the same - although he loves kids in this version (felt the film version was slightly better, although maybe it's because I've grown accustomed to him and his grumpy ways with the kids!) Lex was a younger child, younger than Tim which was different - so she obviously wasn't a hacker that could save the day at the end. Tim came across as a lot more mature and shared a great deal of interests with Alan which was sweet. Ellie's "relationship" with Alan is explained - finally!! Malcolm is hilarious and very, very mathematical. Hammond is actually vicious and manipulative and nasty, not caring a great deal about his grandkids at all. Nedry we learnt a lot more about and definitely had what was coming to him (the scene in the film where he gets poison shot in his face, yeah, not even the half of it in the book) and Arnold and Muldoon were spot on, or Samuel L. Jackson and Bob Peck were for portraying them!

I did find that, at times, the plot got a little too repetitive - Alan and the kids would be faced with danger, would narrowly avoid it and continue on their paths, etc, etc... I can see why they changed it for the film as it was more dramatic, but I did enjoy the book and I feel we learnt way more about the characters and why they did what they did.

How it ended though, that I was not expecting. Two characters DIE. And then they just sort of skirt around it and trail off for the ending leaving you wanting more but not sure if there is going to be any more on that subject. Needless to say, the second one is in my grasp and I will find out what more it can tell me!

Absolutely brilliant.

☽

How Many Is Too Many?

When I was in college I would read 4 or 5 books, on the go, at one time. All different genres. All different lengths. Sooo many different characters to remember.

I don't know how I managed it.

I can barely keep one going by itself at the moment, let alone alternate between a handful. I used to read a chapter per evening, switching up the books - or, if I was more excited by one in particular, I would read more of that one and then pick up a different one a few nights later.

Now though, I barely find time to read. I've gotten into a habit - a good or bad one I don't know - of reading on my lunch break - at my desk - as well as most nights before bed. It's a good way for me to relax and get away from the screen. Although I'm not entirely sure it gives my eyes any more of a break.

I'm reading 2 completely different books at the moment - Jurassic Park and The Complete Illustrated Works of the Brothers Grimm. I try to read the Grimm fairytales before I go to bed as they tend to be short and to the point, whereas Jurassic Park sometimes goes into depth within science or mathematics and it's hard to follow at times. Especially when I'm tired. 

Although this hasn't gone completely to plan as I find Jurassic Park way more captivating and I find myself picking that up instead of the Brothers Grimm (I've been reading the fairytales on and off for about a year now, there are so many!!)

I've recently joined goodreads in an attempt to spur me on to read more this year. I've set my goal as 30 - which is quite low compared to some - but I think this might be manageable for me. I've got a tonne of books lined up and goodreads really helps to find more new books as well as being able to give reviews, ratings and suggestions.

How many books do you read in one go? Do you believe there is any benefit from reading more than one at a time?

☽

What I'm Loving Right Now

So after the catastrophe of last week I thought I'd put together a short post of seven things that are small reminders of happiness or something I am currently enjoying through all the bad news (although this week has definitely turned around in some good ways!)

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

I am beyond excited to be reading this. I was recommended it just before Christmas by one of my housemates and I didn't even realise it was a novel! Jurassic Park is one of my favourite films (apparently I was even excitable in the womb as my mum saw it in the cinema when she was pregnant with me!). Review to come once I've finished it!

Coco Mademoiselle - Chanel

My boyfriend is an absolute babe. I, for some reason, became obsessed with wanting a Chanel scent just before Christmas and my boy was kind enough to gift it to me for the occasion!

F Scott Fitzgerald Notebook

Yet again my boy bought me a little somethin' somethin' just because he wanted to. He knows my love for notebooks is ridiculous and has added another beauty to my ever-growing collection.

V&A Teacups

Another gift from Christmas, except this time from my Dad and his girlfriend. They always buy everyone such cute and quirky gifts, I love them! They're so adorable.

Houmous

This is another weird one, but I've literally been eating this by the pot for a good few weeks, maybe even months now! I LOVE it!!!

Celebrity Big Brother

Okay so this one is a bit sad, but, hey ho, there is a tonne of drama this year. It's been a few seasons since I've watched it, but it's so full of ridiculousness that I can't help but watch it!

Agatha Watch

When me and Adeel were in Dubai we finally thought we would buy each other very, very belated birthday presents (mine is in March and his April and we were in Dubai at the end of November!), so I bought him an Apple watch and he bought me this rose gold beauty from a French brand called Agatha. I'm so in love with it, it's beautiful and goes with everything I wear and I feel so grown up for it! (If you look closely you can see that the second hand is in the shape of the Eiffel Tower - cute!)

✌