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...

The Death Cure

By James Dashner

[The trials are over. WICKED

is planning to restore the

survivors' memories and

complete the final cure for

the Flare.

But Thomas has already

remembered more than

they think. And he knows

WICKED can't be trusted.

The time for lies is over. But

the truth is more dangerous

than Thomas could ever

imagine. Will anyone survive

the Death Cure?]

I'm not really too sure of where to start for this review. I was so eager to find out how this series was going to end but then I kept putting it down being too scared to actually find out what happens. I often find the endings to epic trilogies a bit of a let down and this was somewhat similar - although the epilogue was that last glimpse of a twist!

The plot was obviously different from the last two and I'm not sure I liked it as much because of this. I preferred the Glader's constant battle for escaping the trials and with this one not being a trial per se, it just wasn't as dramatic. Yes, there were bits when they had to escape but it just wasn't the same. It didn't pack as much tension into it.

However, there were two main deaths in it, one that I saw coming and the other that I didn't (even though I really should have). The latter one crushed me. His spiral down and out of control was tragic and I can't believe the way in which he actually died - it was heartbreaking. I kept thinking he would just turn up at the end and he didn't. The other death was sad but because of the way things went with Thomas and this character I didn't feel nearly as sad as I might have done if they'd have died in the first one.

I still loved Minho in this one, you really get to see the bond between himself, Thomas and Newt which is nice. It is quite interesting that my opinion of characters changes with how Thomas feels about them though. I also enjoyed the return of an old nemesis!

It was great to go back to the Maze briefly and see those nasty Grievers once more. I think the world Dashner creates is magnificent. Everything crumbling down with the slow demise of the human race - he nails every detail.

Like I said though, the ending was a slight disappointment. It was a good battle and the imagery was epic but I was just left with a bit of a meh feeling. But then came the epilogue in which Chancellor Paige makes her entry (not physical entry however, we never actually see her) and we are left with the feeling that the Immunes are never really out of the game, they will always be WICKED's candidates - something only one of them will know for the rest of their lives...

I'm definitely interested in seeing this final film. I know the Scorch Trials film wasn't anything like the book so I wonder what they'll do for the last one!

✌

The Scorch Trials

By James Dashner

[Solving the Maze was supposed

to be the end. No more puzzles.

And no more running. Thomas

was sure that escaping meant

he would get his life back. But

no one knew what sort of life

they were going back to ...

Burned and baked, the earth is

a wasteland, its people driven

mad by an infection known as

the Flare.

Instead of freedom, Thomas must

face another trial. He must cross

the Scorch to once again save

himself and his friends ...]

Woahh, this series is amazing. I seriously cannot wait to find out what happens in the final instalment.

It was just as tense as The Maze Runner, if not more. The main characters are still in it and going strong. Although, there were a few moments when it was unknown if the odd one of these characters were still alive or not under the circumstances.

But I absolutely loved all of the different creature-y things and adverse conditions that were included - they're all so different and fresh, it's part of what makes it such a great read.

I liked the addition of Brenda. I think, amongst all of the abnormal challenges Thomas has to face, it's nice to see him have to face something so normal - his guilt for being attracted to Brenda when he's not entirely sure of his feelings for Teresa.

I think Minho has become my new favourite character; he's funny and brave and his and Thomas's friendship is great. I was a little disappointed with Thomas and Teresa's relationship development, but there's still room for it to happen in the next one.

The ending was brilliant, so action packed and as mysterious as ever. We still don't know what the truth is or what isn't, just like Thomas, so I hope all is revealed in the final one!

And have I said how much I love that Thomas isn't afraid to show his emotions, all of his emotions? It's so refreshing to see a male character, and the hero at that, crying like a proper human being, like any sixteen year old would if they were put through all of those horrific trials!

✌

The Maze Runner

By James Dashner.

[When the lift cranks open, the
only thing Thomas remembers
is his first name. But he's
not alone - an army of boys
welcomes him to the Glade,
an encampment at the centre
of a terrible maze. The Gladers
have no idea why they're there,
or what's happened to the world
outside. And following the arrival
of a girl with a message,
they must find a way out -
or die.]

Wowwwwwww. I enjoyed the film version but this was on another level. Absolutely brilliant beginning to a series. Fast paced, action packed, loveable characters (minus the obvious few) and a whole abundance of mystery.

It was nice to feel like we, as a reader, were in the same boat as Thomas - we find out about the maze and what little they know of the outside world and the people that put them there when he does, learning as we go which was incredibly infuriating but was done to great effect of keeping us in the dark until the right moment.

It was a shame that I couldn't build up my own picture of each character having previously seen the film beforehand, but I couldn't remember the grievers so I had my imagination to thank for that one! They were creepy and unique and disgusting all rolled into one, it was great. I loved the added drama of Teresa's arrival and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her and Thomas's relationship grow in the next one.

The ending was heartbreaking and dramatic and so many twists were thrown at the reader it was hard to keep up. My head was spinning with the tension. But I loved it. And although the Gladers appear to trust the newcomers, I know I sure as hell don't.

Can't wait to see how the next one unfolds!