Secret Avengers

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY: Favourite Non-Written Novels

Top 5 Wednesday is a great feature created by GingerReadsLainey and hosted by ThoughtsonTomes. To find out more about Top 5 Wednesday and the upcoming topics, check out its Goodreads page. This week it’s all about your favourite non-traditional written books, so graphic novels, comics, manga, audiobooks and so on and so forth. So, this week I’m writing about my favourite graphic novels/trade paper backs (because I don’t live near a comic store so it’s easier to read the volumes) and by pure chance they are all from different publishers. In no particular order they are…

march-book-oneMarch by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
This graphic novel trilogy was pretty much the first thing I read this year and it’s my new favourite thing ever. It’s all about the Civil Rights Movement in America and it’s told through John Lewis’s eyes, what protests he was involved in, who he knew and all the hardships and successes. It is such a powerful and important graphic novel series, the sort of thing everyone should read.

 

 

fiveghosts vol1Five Ghosts by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham
Five Ghosts has a very Indiana Jones feel, especially as the main character is an archaeologist who searches for weird mystical artefacts. Oh, and he also happens to have a stone stuck in his chest that gives him the power of five different ghosts. The thing about Five Ghosts I really love is the art style, it’s like those old pulp fiction stories and it can be creepy and dynamic, especially when the ghosts make an appearance.

 

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TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature run by BrokeAndBookish each week. This week it’s all about underrated books and to be more subjective about it, I’m gonna see what’s underrated by having them be under 2,000 ratings on Goodreads. For those interested my Goodreads is here and I’m finally getting the hang of updating it! So without further ado, here are some underappreciated books I think you should read!

FullSizeRender (94)Techbitch by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza (51 ratings on Goodreads)
This book is some great chick-lit that doesn’t go for all the tropes you might expect it to. It’s about a woman coming back to work at a major fashion magazine to find her former assistant has been filling her roll and the whole magazine is going to become a digital one. It’s a great culture clash of ideas about PR and how magazines should be and it’s a lot of fun. My review is here.

 

emancipatedEmancipated by M.G. Reyes (524 ratings on Goodreads)
Admittedly I hadn’t heard of this book till fairly recently but I really enjoyed it. It’s a contemporary YA about a house full of teenagers who have been emancipated from their parents or guardians for various reasons and they all have their own secrets and problems. It’s an addictive read. My review is here.

 

FullSizeRender (20)Rocket Girl Vol. 1: Times Squared by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder (913 ratings on Goodreads)
This comic is so fun and very feminist. DaYoung is a teenage cop from the future is sent back to 1986 to stop scientist creating a machine that will destroy the future. The art is brilliant; it really feels like DaYoung is flying through the pages (yeah she can fly because of her future tech) and while the 1980s setting is a lot of fun there is still a mystery to solve. My review is here. (more…)

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY: Biggest Book Hangovers

Top 5 Wednesday is a great feature created by GingerReadsLainey. To find out more about Top 5 Wednesday and the upcoming topics, check out its Goodreads page. This week it’s all about book hangovers, you know when you finish a book and you just don’t know how to feel because it was so good and it takes you a while to read anything else – that’s a book hangover.

So without further ado, here are five books that gave me the biggest book hangovers.

harry potter 7 book coverHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
This was like the end of an era for me when I finished Deathly Hallows. I had all the emotions when reading it, I was gripped, I laughed and I cried – a lot! I felt emotionally drained at the end of it and it’s still one of the best endings to a series I’ve ever read.

 

 

FullSizeRender (99)A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I went into this book thinking it wasn’t for me but I was sorely mistaken. I was surprised by how much I adored the Monsters stories, how they made me think and feel. A Monster Calls stayed with me for days after I finished reading it.

 

 

Abhorsen_novelAbhorsen by Garth Nix
I think the reason this book gave me a book hangover was because it was the first book that made me cry. I had never experienced that before so really wasn’t sure what to do or how to feel about it.

 

 

secret avengers vol 3Secret Avengers Vol. 3: God Level by Ales Kot and Michael Walsh
I absolutely loved this series and the third and final volume was well worth the wait. All the threads came together, there was a big showdown and it gave me all the emotions. This comic is one of the few comics to give me a book hangover, I loved everything about it and it took me a while to pick up anything else.

 

Inheritance2011Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
This is one of those series I started when I was 10 years old and I grew up with the series so when the final book came out when I was 20 it was a huge part of me. Inheritance gave me a mixture of emotions, on the most part I loved it and how the characters stories ended but there was a bit with Ayra that seemed a little too neat and cliché for me. Still, it was a book that made me feel a lot and I wasn’t sure what to read next once I finished it.

The Harry Potter Spells Book Tag

Here is the first tag I’ve done in 2016. I wasn’t tagged or anything but I saw this one on Charlotte Bibliophile‘s blog and it looked like fun.

Accio – an upcoming release you wish you could get your hands on right now
The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin
This is the third book in a trilogy that I love! It’s a dystopian with vampire like creatures and the military and groups of people trying to survive and it’s so good! It’s out in June and I can’t wait to see how it all finishes!

Alohomora – a favourite series starter
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I love this series and Eragon does such a great job in setting everything up. It builds the world and introduces all the main players – it’s perfect!

Cheering Charm – a book that gave you the warm fuzzies
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
This is a total comfort read. I love the characters, the love interest and the humour. It’s just sch a fun, quick and comforting read.

Aguamenti – a book that made you ugly cry
The Bridge in the Clouds by William Corlett
This is the last book in the series and I cried so much at the end. I was pretty young at the time, and I think it was one of the first books that made me cry.

Expecto Patronum – a bookish hero or heroine you want around to protect you in real life
Arya from The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Arya is a warrior elf! She is more than a match for just about anyone, she’s good with a sword and she’s smart too. I’d totally put my life in her hands. (more…)

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature run by BrokeAndBookish each week – I’m thinking I might not take part every week but just see if a week takes my fancy. Where has this year gone?! As we’ve only got a few weeks left, here’s the ten books I’ve loved the most this year. In June I talked about my favourite books I’d read so far this year so if you want to know about some other awesome books and to see which ones made both lists shimmy over here.

For once I’ve put these in order, going from ten to my number one book of the year.

FullSizeRender (91)10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
I love me some thrillers with unreliable narrators and The Girl on the Train certainly has that! I loved how Rachel wasn’t reliable or even likable a lot of the time and it was one of those mysteries that left me guessing till the gripping finale.

 
FullSizeRender (82)9. Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona vs Real Madrid by Sid Lowe
Barcelona and Real Madrid’s rivalry is legendary and Fear and Loathing in La Liga delves deep into both clubs history and looks at Spain’s history too. This was a fascinating read, it was sometimes a bit dense and a little dull when it was talking about players I didn’t know about but on the whole it was great read.

 
FullSizeRender (99)8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I thought A Monster Calls was just a children’s book and I was so wrong! Yes it has illustrations and is about a young boy but it deals with grief and death and abandonment so well. It really makes you think and the beautiful passages go so well with the often scary drawings.

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Why I love… Secret Avengers

Secret Avengers is one of my favourite comics in the year or so I’ve been reading them. I first picked it up because I knew the majority of the characters thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes TV show so figured it was a pretty good place to start in the vast world of Marvel comics. Also it has Hawkeye in it and I’ll pick up anything that features Hawkeye.

Secret Avengers Spencer and RossI haven’t read Ed Brubaker’s or Rick Remender’s story arcs yet. Instead I started with Nick Spencer and Luke Ross’s run, because that’s the one that featured the most characters I already knew about. I did find their run a bit confusing as the main story was to do with memory wipes and you never knew entirely what was going on but I liked be art and the relationships between various characters – especially Nick Fury and Phil Coulson’s friendship.

That story arc came to an end in the middle of last year and then the series was taken over by Ales Kot and Michael Walsh and now Secret Avengers is definitely my favourite comic book series. (more…)

Book Haul

I don’t think I’ve ever done a Book Haul post on here. That’s mainly because I don’t often buy books at all or I just get one or two during the month and it’s nothing special to write home about. Over the past month though I have accumulated a lot of books. So without further ado here’s what I’ve got.

IMG_2909

These books come from everywhere, Orbital Comics, my buddy Julie via the mini NinjaBookSwap, having poor impulse control in WHSmith’s and Waterstones and then having poor impulse control and taking advantage of the Booktubeathon discount at the Book Depository – go here for 100 books at a discount if you use the code BOOKTUBEATHON10 at the checkout – this offer ends soon.

So what do you guys think? Have you read any of the above and what do you recommend? I probably shouldn’t have acquired so many books recently but oh well – we all have these moments of weakness.

List of books:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden
Night Owls by Jenn Bennett
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet
The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Time in Between by Nancy Tucker
#GirlBoss by Sophie Amoruso
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Secret Avengers Volume: 3 God Level by Ales Kot and Michael Walsh
Thor: Goddess of Thunder by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman
Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona

WWW Wednesday – 29 July 2015

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. It’s a simple meme where you just have to answer three questions:
– What are you currently reading?
– What did you recently finish reading?
– What do you think you’ll read next?

I think it’s a great way to share my recent reads as my reviews are always way behind what I’m actually reading.

So here’s my answers!

What am I currently reading?FullSizeRender (96)
The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden
This is a non-fiction book about the true story of David Oluwale, a homeless black man in Leeds who was found dead in the river. It then looks at how and why he ended up there and how the police were involved. It’s a short book but because it’s quite a tough read it’s taking me a while to read it, I do find it interesting though.

What did I recently finish reading?FullSizeRender (95)
Slashback by Rob Thurman
I really enjoyed this book – I always feel like returning to the Cal Leandros series is like returning home – a home full of violence and monsters. It’s a world I know well and it’s comforting and easy being around familiar characters.

What do I think I’ll read next?51wzxNR-D8L._SX323_BO1,204,203,200_
Secret Avengers Vol. 3: God Level by Ales Kot and Michael Walsh
I’ve been really looking forward to seeing how this run of Secret Avengers ends. It’s definitely been one of my favourite comics I’ve read so far – the characters are great, it’s funny, the art is quirky and it’s just a lot of fun. I have a lot of love for this series.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten Books I’ve Read This Year So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature run by BrokeAndBookish each week – I’m thinking I might not take part every week but just see if a week takes my fancy. As we are now half way through the year (how has that happened?!) today’s Top Ten Tuesday is the ten best books you’ve read so far this year. If I’ve reviewed the book mentioned, its title will go to my review where you can see me gush even more about it.

The Martian by Andy WeirFullSizeRender (75)
I loved the humour in this book. Mark Watney has such a realistic voice, I can image him being on Mars and being like “Well now what? Guess I’ll grow some potatoes.” All the characters were interesting and flawed and the story was gripping and funny. I cannot wait for the film adaptation – it’s probably one of the films I’m most looking forward to this year.

FullSizeRender (90)Doubletake by Rob Thurman
It was great to return to the Cal Leandros series after so long. Robin Goodfellow was still his usual self – though a little on edge due to family stuff and it was nice to learn more about Nico’s side of the family. I’ve still got more books in this series to catch up on which I’m looking forward to doing.

Secret Avengers by Ales Kot and Michael WalshFullSizeRender (57)
Secret Avengers is a lot of fun. The characters are great, the story’s exciting and fun, and the art is wonderful. If you’re not sure where to start with Marvel comics – give Secret Avengers a go. (more…)

January Favourites

So this is something that a lot of bloggers/vloggers do a lot and I thought I’d give it a go. I can’t quite believe that the first month of 2015 has already come to an end! Where does the time go?!

Herman Ze German
One day this month I was working in Soho at a press junket and I had a very short lunch so I went out to find food. I was looking for a Costa or some other coffee shop but then I stumbled across Herman Ze German. I’d seen a couple of people I follow on Twitter tweet about it so thought I’d give it a go – it was so good. I had a Bockwurst in a bun and if I could have sat in the restaurant I’d totally would have had their chips too because they looked great. If you’re in London you should totally check the place out – the staff are super lovely too.

Enemy
This was a crazy film but I was sucked into and riveted by Jake Gyllennhaal’s performance as two guys who look exactly the same. Enemy is a strange yet captivating movie that definitely needs to be seen more than once to fully grasp what’s going on. I’d recommend you watch it though be prepared to be left a bit confused. It’s brilliant to watch a film that makes you think and is quieter and a lot different to typical Hollywood films.

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