December Wrap Up + Stacking The Shelves


News

Happy 2023!

I’ve been spending time away from my computer lately, playing the new Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. I haven’t been reading as much, but that’s okay. I only just scraped by into my reading goal of 50 books this year.

I was reading a lot of books at the same time this year and generally less organised with my reading schedule, which is absolutely fine. I basically stopped doing ARCs and wanted to focus more on my enormous TBR and indie titles, the latter of which I definitely did. I read a lot less traditionally published YA this year, which is why after 10 years of reviewing there was less consistent content.

I did struggle with picking unread books off my 3 overflowing bookcases, mostly because after nearly 3 years of Covid-19 I got back into using my library in person and borrowing physical books. Previously I was a huge fan of borrowing digital books, both ebooks and audiobooks from my library, but this year I also expanded into buying audiobooks if my library didn’t have them, which was mostly indie books anyway so I was happier to do that and give back to those wonderful authors.

I also think I did better for my pocket in terms of buying books this year. I’m aware that I have no more room for physical books, so I really want to tackle my overflowing bookcases and make some more room for the books I did buy this year.

According to my stats I bought 46 books, however I believe about half of that were indie ebooks/audiobooks so they didn’t contribute to my overflowing bookcases.

The books I bought this year ranged from indie digital only to trad publishing for both adults and YA, but of course I still gravitate towards YA. I just think that after 10 years of reviewing YA, my tastes are changing a bit and I’m mixing it up more often.

I’m really looking forward to an awesome reading year for 2023 reading whatever I want! Because of this approach, I will continue with no posting schedule and post YA reviews if and when I feel like it.


Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews and hosted by Reading Reality.
It’s all about sharing the books we’ve picked up for the week, whether they are bought, borrowed, gifted, galleys, physical or virtual.
Share your shelves and remember to visit Reading Reality to find more great books!


Purchased

Princess of Souls

Return to the world of TO KILL A KINGDOM for a brand-new fantasy adventure about a young witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.

For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as the King’s Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King’s immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.

A soldier in the King’s army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.

Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.

A feast of storytelling, featuring breathtaking journeys, nail-biting battles and powerful magic.


All the Best Liars

A dark, modern psychological thriller of obsession, manipulation and the intensity of friendship.

Tic tac toe, three girls in a row. Nine years old and inseparable. Friends for life, or so they think…

Best friends Syd, Rain and Brie grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the stifling California desert, desperately wishing for a way out.

In the end, each of them will escape, but not in the way they expect. One will do it by dying, another by lying, a third by taking the fall. A deadly fire is set two weeks before the end of their senior year of high school and nothing will ever be the same.

With gorgeous, taut prose and twists to the very last page, All the Best Liars switches between the present and the past to unravel the truth behind the fire and the cost of the secrets at the heart of their friendship.


Invisibly Grace

High school is hard enough when you’re healthy. When you’ve got some weird, undiagnosable chronic illness, it’s a special hell.

Invisibly Grace is a contemporary young adult novel set in a fictional suburb of Launceston about a young woman with an autoimmune disease. Her family is new to the state and, to seem normal, Grace tries to hide her invisible illness at her new school. Through the course of the novel Grace makes friends and enemies, adores her sister, gets diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder, and looks to a future that she knows isn’t guaranteed.

 

Monthly Wrap Up

Book Stuff

  • Number of books read: 3
  • Finished a series: No
  • Started a series: No
  • New to me authors: Avery McDougall, Astra Rose
  • Favourite book: Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Book Reviews:

Nemo
Nemo

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.

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