Going Back to Uni & Slowing Down 📚🥱🎬

July 31, 2020November 15, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ 6 Comments

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog!

Ooh wow, what to say? It’s been a very long month for me, full of uni work and not much else! I didn’t read much this month and I didn’t watch a lot either! So, you’d think I would’ve been blogging like crazy but sadly I barely posted anything at all, it seems all of my creative energy went out the window in July. I am starting to get my mojo back now though, so I have hope for August and I have officially started planning round 2 of the readathon that I co-host with Destiny! The official dates are October 11 – 19th in your time zone! (@GraphicsAthon)

↣ If you have any thoughts on what you want to see in a readathon, I’d appreciate your input here!

I’ve had a very up and down month in terms of ratings and whether I actually enjoyed what I was reading but, a plus to that is I found a new favourite 5 star read and I already can’t wait to re-read it in the future!! I also, weirdly read mostly blue-green books this month which was wild because one day, I was literally dressed head to toe in blue, next to a stack of blue books while eating a blue cake that I had made (in fairness, I was reading Percy Jackson at the time) and I think that’s honestly very weird but also low-key hilarious. It was unintentional, I swear!

Insomnia Update: I spent the majority of the month going to sleep around 3 in the morning and then waking up a few hours later for class around 8am once Uni started. BUT, thankfully I am now taking Melatonin so I’m starting to get back on track with a sleep schedule and I’m now going to sleep around midnight each night and it’s amazing! I’m still completely exhausted but I do have a lot of sleep to catch up to be fair! 😂💕

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July Wrap Up

July 31, 2017May 28, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ 2 Comments

July Wrap Up | 2017

Hey guys, today I’m coming at you with my July wrap up. This month I did a lot better than I was expecting to, though that might have something to do with my sudden need to readathon. This month I participated in the BookTube-A-Thon which I had an absolute blast with, I even did some of the Instagram challenges!

Now, my wrap up for this month is a bit long so I totally understand if you skip to only the books you’re interested in. Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and whether you did the BookTube-A-Thon in the comments!

Lol yeah, I did not do well this month.

The Flash, Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice

Read 01/07/2017 ★★★☆☆

I am not totally sure how I really felt about this volume. This reminds me a lot of the show, though I have to say I have recently fallen out of love with the series. I had a hard time getting into this volume as I wasn’t really digging the art but as the volume went on I really started to like it. I really enjoyed Godspeed and Avery so I’m hoping to pick up volume 2 soon.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Read 03/07/2017 ★★★★★

I just full on fell right back in love with Becky Albertalli’s writing. I’m so glad I chose to re-read this before I picked up Upside, I am now 100x more excited to read it now! Also, this book never fails to reignite my love for Elliott Smith’s music!

Rocket Raccoon & Groot Volume 1

Read 13/07/2017 ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed this one. This volume was mostly just Rocket and Groot running around the galaxy and having adventures. Also Fantasy Football but for real…

I will definitely be picking up volume 2 soon!

100 Sideways Miles

Read 15/07/2017 ★★★★☆

I added this book to my tbr shelf (both physical and GR) way back when I first made my Goodreads account (early 2014) and when I was first introduced to Andrew Smith’s books. So it’s crazy to me that I have only got to this now, three years later. I only own three of Smith’s books, two down, one to go.

I really enjoyed this one, but I still think Grasshopper Jungle is my favourite…it’s just so weird. I must say I have missed how strange Smith’s works are and I am really excited to read his short story in BYLTHM and to eventually read Winger.

Rocket Raccoon & Groot Volume 2

Read 19/07/2017 ★☆☆☆☆

NOPE NOPPITY NOPE WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K

This series held such a high place in my mind and then this happened. This comic is part of a whole other series and as far as I’m concerned it can get the hell out. I came here for Rocket and Groot space shenanigans, not Gwenpool (one of my least favourite comic characters) or the Civil War II series.

ALSO I don’t think I have ever detested a character more than I have Gwenpool. She needs to go.

The Flash, Vol 2: Speed of Darkness

Read 20/07/2017 ★★★★☆

I wasn’t really expecting to like this because volume 1 was pretty meh and I am really exhausted lately but I actually really enjoyed this one. I’m hoping to read volume 3 when it comes out later this year.

Basically everything in this row and below I read in the BookTube-A-Thon!

American Gods

Read 23/07/2017 ★☆☆☆☆

Ngl I’m super proud that I managed to read this monster of a book in 20 days.

That being said, while the premise of the novel is really cool I pretty much hated every second of this book. This is the fourth of Gaiman’s books that I’ve read and it’s the fourth that I haven’t enjoyed. Everyone talks about how good his writing is, and I agree, but I also think that he’s just not for me. This book had so much potential but it was like when you order a really great salad but when you dive in, you know they made it wrong or maybe the chef was having a bad day. Either way, you shouldn’t have ordered the salad. I think that’s just how I feel about Neil Gaiman’s novels, this was it for me, the deciding novel, should I stay or should I go. Well, unfortunately I’m leaving, I’m giving up on you Gaiman, your books just aren’t for me.

I Hate Fairyland Vol 1

Read 26/07/2016 ★★★★★

Challenges:

Read a book in one day
A book you bought because of the cover

I loved this! Skottie Young has recently become one of my favourite comic people so I had a hunch that I would love this. Though this is ridiculously violent I was smiling the whole time. I will definitely be picking up volume 2 soon because this was absolutely fantastic!

Alex + Ada Vol 1

Read 26/07/2017 ★★★★☆

Challenge:

Person On the Cover

I’ve been meaning to read this for years, so when I was given volume 1 for my birthday this year I swear I meant to pick it up immediately, but of course I didn’t. The Booktubeathon was the perfect time for me to read this! I loved this volume and think this trilogy is centered around a really interesting question, and I cannot wait to get to volume 2.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

Read 27/07/2017 ★★★★★

THIS BOOK IS AN ADVENTURE! I loved every second of this and rest assured if I had the time I would be picking this right back up and reading it again.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 5

Read 28/07/2017 ★★☆☆☆

Challenge:

Read a book outside

Okay, so I jut want to start off by saying that unlike so many fans I actually don’t hate the Clone Conspiracy. That being said, I hated this volume of Worldwide. I found this volume confusing and very jumpy I couldn’t tell which storylines I was supposed to be paying attention to because there were so many of them, considering the series hasn’t been cancelled yet I was really expecting more from this volume.

The Hidden Oracle

Read 29/07/2017 ★★★★★

Challenge:

Read 7 Books

This was so interesting to read a second time round, especially now that I have the historical background for all of this.

Also, I really love Percy Jackson?

Hawkeye Vol 1

Wasn’t a massive fan of the art change but I did really enjoy this comic. If I saw volume 2 at the library I would definitely pick it up!

I also got 170 pages into the graphic novel of A Wrinkle In Time. I was hoping to finish it before 12 for the BookTube-A-Thon but couldn’t manage it because of all my assessment!

I seriously recommend this graphic novel, it’s a lot of fun and doesn’t take away from the story in any way!

Books: 5

Comics: 8

How was your reading month? Did you participate in BookTube-A-Thon?

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JULY FAVOURITES

July 28, 2017November 15, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ 4 Comments

JULY FAVOURITES | 2017

This month I got really into readathon vlogs, I’ve been obsessively watching them as I write posts and wo my homework. I can’t explain the draw to them, but I think it’s purely because I have gotten really into readathons lately, in fact I actually did two readathons this month.

This month I got pretty obsessed with Booksandlala’s readathon vlogs (she’s awesome and her son is adorable). And Booktube-a-thon was this month so of course there was 100x more readathon vlogs for me to watch.

This month I binge-watched Lucifer, which I LOVED! It’s a truly fantastic show, literally about the devil solving crime and I absolitely adore it! I also watched a few more episodes of NCIS LA this month, in between classes. These two shows are actually what got me to write my first TV Chats post.

This month I also saw three movies in the cinema, apparently I had more spare time than expected over the holidays. I finally saw Cars 3 (WHICH I LOVED PLEASE WATCH IT) along with Spider-Man and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2 (for the second time, whoops).

Last Seen Leaving | ★★☆☆☆

Driving Miss Crazy | ★★☆☆☆

Anne Season 1 | ★★★★☆

Spider-Man: Homecoming | ★★★★★

This month school finally came back, oh joy! I don;t know if you guys really know this about me, but I am actually not a big fan of school. Instead of preparing me for ghe future all t does is give me anxiety and worsen my depression, it’s great. Anywayy, I’m three weeks into the school term and I already have four assignments, with an exam next week. Wish me luck!

In terms of my reading for the month, I certainly read more than expected, I read a tonne of comics and so many great books, excluding American Gods of course. This month I really fell in love with readathons, I participated in Zoe’s 24 hour readathon and really enjoyed it. My anxiety also flared up towards the end of the month and so I had two days off school and randomly decided to do the BookTube-A-Thon which I had a blast with!

This month, I don’t know how much I’ve gone on about this lately (it feels like a lot, sorry about that) I’ve been absolutely knackered because of school. And because of my stress levels and lack of sleep I have actually learnt something important about myself, I BINGE BUY BOOKS. This is something about myself that I honestly never knew. I went buts with the kindle buys and I ordered too many books online, so definitely expect another book haul in early August.

Going on from what I was just talking about, I’ve recently re-fallen in love with my ebook. I purchased a few books on my e-reader, something I never do! I’m really excited for the books I got and I now have the Kindle app on my phone which is great for whenever I forget to bring my actual Kindle with me.

What did you get up to this month? Which do you prefer, ebook or physical?

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Monthly Recommendations: Auto-Read Authors

July 9, 2017November 15, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ 11 Comments

July: Auto-Read Authors

July’s topic is Auto Read Authors. These are authors who you automatically read any book they publish because you love their writing so much! If you see their name attached to a book you don’t even care what it’s about, you already know you want to read it.

O’Malley // Rowling/Galbraith // Rodda // Albertalli // Riordan

Kaufman&Spooner // Stiefvater // Meyer // Ducie // Flynn

It’s just occurred to me that I’ve put ten books above and I don’t have the brainpower or the time to talk about ten separate books. You’ve got your general popular YA authors like J K. Rowling, Becky Albertalli, Rick Riordan, Maggie Stiefvater, Marissa Meyer and the co-authors of the Starbound trilogy.

Brian Lee O’Malley – I’ve read the Scott Pilgrim series and Seconds by this author. And, I’m pretty excited to get to his graphic novel Lost At Sea.

You can read my review of Scott Pilgrim Volume 1 here!

Emily Rodda – I love Emily Rodda and her books with everything I am. Her Door trilogy is one of my favourite series of all time and I am slowly making it through her Deltora series and did I mention that I’m in love with her? ALSO, she’s Australian, so double points for her!

Joe Ducie – Okay, so I’ve only read two books by this guy but I loved both of them and I know as soon as book 3 comes out I will be running to the store to buy it!

Gillian Flynn – I’ve only read Gone Girl and The Grownup by Gillian Flynn but I really enjoyed them both, Gone Girl I enjoyed the most though! Gone Girl is one of the best books I’ve ever read so of course Gillian Flynn is an auto-read for me! I know I haven’t read all of her books but GG left such an impact on me that I know I will love all of her other works.

Who are your auto-read authors? Do we share any of the same auto-read authors?

July TBR | 2017

July 1, 2017May 31, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ 12 Comments

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These are the books I didn’t manage to finish last month and if I have time this month I’m hoping to get back to them!

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Rocket Raccoon & Groot Volume 1 // Treasure Island // Anne Of Green Gables

I am currently still on holidays, though I only have one week to go. I am hoping to read at least Anne of Green Gables on my holidays or in the first week back, before I have too much work to do.

I also plan on reading Treasure Island and Rocket Raccoon & Groot inbeteen classes and on the way to school. I completely failed last month with my TBR and I know that this term at school will be my busiest yet, what with QCS, exam block and blogging.

Honestly, my blogging goal for this month is just to keep up with my regular scedule and keep up with my comments.

July Wrap Up [2016]

August 1, 2016November 15, 2022 ~ Ellyn ~ Leave a comment

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz 
Finished July 05, 2016 | Pages: 359 | Rating: 2.5/5

I read this book all in one sitting so that probably says something about how easy I found it to read. I didn’t enjoy the first 60ish% and probably would have DNFd it if I didn’t find it soo easy to read. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t live up to the hype for me.

Review

Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
Finished July 06, 2016 | Pages: 206 | Rating: 2.5/5

I really enjoyed this, it’s definitely a different experience compared to the Disney film.

The Faceless Ones (Skulduggery Pleasant #3) - Derek Landy
Finished July 12, 2016 | Pages: 396 | Rating: 4.75/5

Everything is amazing while also being horrible at the same time.

Amazing X-Men, Vol. 1: The Quest for Nightcrawler (Amazing X-Men #1) - Jason Aaron
Finished July 15, 2016 | Pages: 136 | Rating: 5/5

I loved this – this volume was soo much fun, this was my first xmen comic so I’ve got off to a good start with this team!

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) - George R.R. Martin
Finished July 17, 2016 | Pages: 873 | Rating: 4/5

Well, after trying to read this last year and failing I’m proud to say that I’ve finally finished this book. It was a bit slower than the first book and not much really happened until we were roughly 80% of the way in but I can’t wait to start the next book soon.

Review

Silver Surfer, Vol. 3: Last Days (Silver Surfer Marvel Now! #3) - Dan Slott
Finished July 18, 2016 | Pages: 120 | Rating: 3/5

This was pretty meh compared to the first two volumes but I’m definitely still excited to read volume 4.

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour
Finished July 22, 2016 | Pages: 336 | Rating: 4/5

It’s like nothing happened in this novel but also everything happened. I doubt this will have a long lasting impact on me but I certainly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it!

The Silver Door (The Three Doors Trilogy #2) - Emily Rodda
Finished July 23, 2016 | Pages: 288 | Rating: 4/5

Not much happened in this novel but I loved it none the less. I won’t lie Sholto is definitely my favourite of the three brothers!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1) - J.K. Rowling
Finished July 24, 2016 | Pages: 352 | Rating: 4/5

I never realised, until now just how much I loved and appreciated Hagrid.

Review

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) - J.K. Rowling
Finished July 29, 2016 | Pages: 384 | Rating: 5/5

This has always been one of my least favourite books of the series but this time round I absolutely loved it!

Decelrate Blue - Adam Rapp
Finished July 30, 2016 | Pages: 208 | Rating: 4/5

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. If you’re a fan of The Giver or Fahrenheit 451 you should definitely check this out.

I’ll post a review closer to the release date.

BOOK HAUL: May – July

I don’t buy books very often but with the release of The Cursed Child I felt very in the mood and bought the last 2 books in the series the same day I bought The Curse Child (I managed to snag the last copy at my local K-Mart).

Back in May the Bookdepository had a massive sale and I managed to get HP & The Philosopher’s Stone the Illustrated Edition really cheaply and wil probably be picking it up later in the year – maybe for #HaryXmasToYou.

This month, along with buying The Cursed Child and the last two books I also bought The Bear, The Cursed Child and The Beast Within.

I’ve been meaning to pick up these books for a while so when I saw them all at a cheap book store I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!