10 Questions.

As I am new to the whole book blog thing, I thought I would answer some bookish questions so you can get to know me and all about my love for books & reading.

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I remember having a huge bookcase in my family home, downstairs in the front room, just filled with books. A mixture of children's books and collectors editions of Dickens and Shakespeare. The books that always stand out in my memory are 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury (which my parents got me for my 2nd birthday!) and 'Meet The Jam Pandas' by Caroline Repchuck, which was a series all about a family of pandas, all named after different flavoured jams....I have no idea why they stick out to me but I loved them!

2. Bookmark or fold the page?

Definitely a bookmark. My bookmark is actually a laminated card we got from the funeral home after my Grandma died. I know this may sound a little morbid, but I just love having it with me at all times. It has all her details on the front and then a lovely poem on the back. My Brother also got me a set of metal Harry Potter bookmarks that I have on display on my bookshelf.

3. One book at a time, or several at once?

One at a time! I can't handle two at once. I like dedicating all my reading time to one specific book. I don't know how people read more than one at a time. TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!

4. What is your favourite genre?

I love all genres, well, the majority. I love young adult, new adult (for a lil bit of sauciness *wink wink*) thrillers, mysteries and chick lit are also amazing. Along with dystopian..ARGH there are too many!

5. Where do you usually read?

Literally anywhere I can. My bed, the sofa, at work in the canteen, outside..anywhere. 

6. Do you have a favourite book?

Aside from the Harry Potter series..obviously..Me Before You by JoJo Moyes is just..yes. I absolutely loved it so so much. It gave me a whole new perspective on people's situations and thoughts during those situations. I just..yes. Love. 

7. Books that you didn't think were worth the hype?

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower which I think I ruined myself because I watched the film first. Silly, silly Rachael. I have never watched a film before i've read the book, since! Also, Looking For Alaska. It fell kind of flat for me. I just didn't see what all the fuss was about.

8. What is the last book you bought?

Hmm..erm... I bought a few a couple of weeks ago from Waterstones (a.k.a the mothership!)..What's A Girl Gotta Do? By Holly Bourne, If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo and The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. 

9. Do you write in your books?

Never, ever, ever. No. Not even in pencil. If I want to take notes, I write in my notebook. 

10. What are you currently reading?

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. I've been reading the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices for what feels like forever, i'm just really struggling to get into them and completely commit to the series. I'll read one, then read a light hearted contemporary or ten, then go back to the series. I will finish them all eventually!

I'd love to hear what your answers would be to some of these questions! What is your favourite childhood book?

You can find me on Instagram at @bookish_grl  , i'd love for you to follow me on there or leave any comments.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child | Review & SPOILERS.

    

When I found out there was going to be a new Harry Potter based book, I could hardly contain my excitement. I'd have absolutely loved to watch the play, but with tickets selling out in around 3 seconds and the fact that it is London..it didn't look very likely. So when I found out they were releasing the script, I couldn't pre-order quick enough!

Harry Potter is a huge part of my life. I read them when they were originally released and I can remember the excitement of release day for them all, rushing to get home from school where my Mum always had a copy waiting. I would get in my comfiest pyjamas, snuggle up on the sofa and lose myself in the world for hours and hours. I have re-read the books so many times and I love them just as much now at 24 years old as I did back then. That's the thing with Harry Potter, you are never too old. After I had finished reading them I passed them on to my Mum & Dad who loved them just as much.

I'll start by saying that although JK Rowling is listed as one of the writers of the play, it was predominantly written by playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, and it is blatantly obvious. Although we do experience some HP nostalgia in the sense of flashbacks, the rest is written like a really bad fan-fiction.

Set 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, follows Harry, now a over-worked Ministry of Magic employee and his son Albus.
The story's main focus is Albus and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy on their struggle with living up to their parents legacy. Albus fails to meet his father's expectations and struggles to meet the same level of greatness.Whilst Scorpius struggles to deal with the rumours that he is Voldermort's son...I know right. WTF. There will be spoilers in this review so please bare that in mind if you continue reading!

Books That Every Young Adult Should Read.

   

My name is Rachael and I am a book addict. I absolutely love reading and would literally read all day, everyday if I could. Apparently that's unsociable. Pfft, bollocks. I have a Bookstagram account (a Instagram account dedicated to books FYI) where I post pictures all about what I am currently reading, my favourites books ect. You can find that @ Bookish_Grl. 

Some of my favourite books are classed as young adult which are aimed at people between the ages of sixteen and mid-twenties. I thought i'd put together a post about my current favourite books, whether you're classed as a 'young adult' or not, these books are brilliant for everyone!

Ways To Love Forever//Sally Nicholls.

"My name is Sam. I am eleven years old. I collect stories and fantastic facts. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead." Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukaemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer.

Wonder//R.J.Palacio.

You can't blend in when you were born to stand out. My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.
But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Aristotle & Dante Discover The Secrets of The Universe//Benjamin Alire Saenz.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

All I Know Now//Carrie Hope Fletcher.

We all know that growing up is hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functioning adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person.* Thanks to her phenomenally popular YouTube videos, Carrie has become an 'honorary big sister' to hundreds of thousands of young people who turn to her for advice, friendship and, most of all, the knowledge that things will get better.

Carrie has created a safe and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first book, ALL I KNOW NOW. Part memoir, part advice guide, it will include Carrie's thoughts on some of the topics she's asked about most regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and perhaps the scariest question of all: what does the future hold for me? With warmth, wit and a sprinkling of hard-won wisdom, Carrie will provide the essential tools for growing up gracefully . . . most of the time.

Finding Audrey//Sophie Kinsella.

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

These are just a small selection of the YA books I love, so I may do another segment on this featuring more!

I'd love to know what your favourite books are at the minute?