Tag: 2020

Mid-year Reading Round Up 2020

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left4 Comments

I have had a really good year for reading so far! I’ve had more time for reading than usual since I’ve not been able to go anywhere, so I am going to smash my reading challenge goal this year. I set a goal of reading 30 books which at the beginning of the year I thought would be a hard target since I only read 20 last year, but I’ve already surpassed 20 and it’s only halfway through the year!

So far I have read 23 books this year with the following ratings:

5 stars – 3

4.5 stars – 1

4 stars – 7  

3.5 stars – 3

3 stars – 8  

2 stars – 1

I’ve read quite a lot of 3 and 3.5 star books. Hopefully the second half of the year will have more higher rated ones!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This was one of the first books I read this year and it blew me away. It was so unique but also gripping. I also read the sequel, Gemina, which I also loved, though I only gave it 4 stars as I enjoyed Illuminae more.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – This book is just so good. I had to give it 5 stars. I couldn’t think of anything negative to say about it. It’s so well written with great characters and an important message. 

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – I love Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters world and I can’t believe it took me so long to start the Dark Artifices series!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – As I loved Illuminae, I decided to pick up another of this writing duo’s sci-fi novels and was not disappointed!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I have to mention a few of the 4 star reads that particularly stood out.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas – This book was a great finale to the main trilogy. The stakes were high and I was hooked all the way through!

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – There was so much hype for this book so I was worried it wouldn’t live up to that but it really surprised me and I actually loved it. I can’t wait for Blood & Honey to come out in September!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer – This is another one that surprised me. I wasn’t sure it would be for me but it was so good!

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – This book wasn’t on my radar at all but I got it in Fairyloot’s February box so decided to give it a go and really enjoyed it. It’s a short, fun, standalone fantasy romance.

What are your favourite reads of 2020 so far? Let me know in the comments!

April 2020 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

April has been a strange month. Adapting the way we live has been a challenge. It’s been strange getting used to working at home all the time and not being able to meet and see people. NHS and key works are all doing such an amazing job right now keeping us alive and keeping the country moving. These are hard times but we will reach the other side eventually.

Since I’ve not been able to go anywhere, I have found more time for doing things I enjoy like reading and writing, which is one plus of this situation. Always look for the positives!

Reading

I finally started Cassandra Clare’s The Dark Artifices series. Lady Midnight was such a good book. I just loved getting to know this new cast of characters. I was one of the lucky people to get an eARC of The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant which was one of my anticipated reads for this year. Unfortunately it wasn’t as good as I was hoping. It was a good read but I didn’t love it. Since I loved Illuminae, I decided to pick up Aurora Rising, the first book in Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s new series. I adored this book so much. It was fast paced and I was hooked all the way through. Finally, I just finished reading Caraval by Stephanie Garber and will be posting my review for that soon. Sadly, this is another book I found a tad disappointing. I think perhaps this book just wasn’t for me.

Book Haul

I’m so missing being able to go into bookshops and browse! I pre-ordered The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman. The Devouring Gray was one of my favourite books from last year, so I had to get my hands on the sequel. More people need to read this book, so if you haven’t picked up The Devouring Gray yet, I’d recommend it! I also received my Fairyloot and Illumicrate copies of Chain of Gold. I won’t post photos of their exclusive editions here as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn’t had their box yet!

Writing

It’s been full steam ahead for my Arthurian legend retelling idea. I’ve been doing lots of research around the legends and also getting to know my characters through making character charts. I’m having lots of fun planning this one!

What have you been getting up to? Are there any books you read this month that you absolutely loved? I hope you’re all managing to stay safe and well!

December 2019 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

It’s the start of a new year and a new decade! And I’m seeing it in with a horrendous cold… I’ve spent most of the last few days in bed and not left the house since Thursday, so I’m feeling a tad fed up at the moment.

I can’t believe it’s the end of a decade. So much has happened in the last ten years, good and bad. In 2009 I had major surgery. I’ve had two flare ups in my Crohn’s disease since then but have been well for the last two and a half years thanks to some new medication. So my health has been very up and down. I finished high school, did A Levels, went to uni, got a degree, passed my driving test and got my first full time job. In this decade I’ve also written five novels and one novella which is absolutely amazing. All I need to do now is get editing so I can start querying and pursue my publishing dreams!

I’m still feeling really rough so I’ll just focus on December 2019 in this post, rather than doing a whole year or decade wrap up!

Reading

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman ended up being one of my favourites from this year. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, but the spooky atmosphere and interesting characters really drew me in.

I don’t read short stories very often. I much prefer novels. So I’ve been reading bits of The Bane Chronicles here and there rather than all in one go. I’ve also been reading The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas which is a collection of prequel novellas. I’m about halfway through those.

Currently I’m reading A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas so there’ll be a review of that to come soon!

Book Haul

At the beginning of the month I got a set of 10 stamps on my Waterstones card thanks to buying Christmas presents, so that was a great excuse to buy books for myself! I bought Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I’m not sure why I didn’t pick this book up sooner. It looks really unique and totally up my street. I also bought A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I’ve heard a lot about this book this year so I’m hoping it lives up to the hype.

I got two books for Christmas – the Collector’s Edition of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas which is absolutely gorgeous, and Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao.

Writing

This month has been a great month for writing! I finished the first draft of the YA fantasy novel I’ve been working on this year! I wasn’t sure I was going to finish it by the end of the year but I just managed to finish it before I got struck down with this horrible cold. The task for 2020 will be to work on editing it. I already have a list of things in mind that I need to go back and develop so I’m actually quite excited to begin working on a second draft.

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog this year. I hope you’ve been enjoying the content I’ve been posting. If there’s anything different you’d like to see, I’m always welcome to suggestions of how I can develop and improve my blog!

Happy New Year!