My Top Books of 2015

Boy, has this been quite the reading year! It was the one where I emerged myself in YA, discovered many of my favourite novels, and met many extraordinary characters, most of whom I felt were my very best friends. Of course, in a year of so many books there were some that exceptionally stood out to me, ones I know I will forever remember, as well as read time and time again!

I couldn’t possibily narrow them down to only five or so, here they are, in no particular order:

                                                                                                                    Anne of Green Gables for me was a classic I feel I can never part without, because the characters in it were ones that would stay with me forever. I loved the world L.M Montgomery created, and all the adventures (not to mention trouble) Anne got into! She and I are kindred spirits for sure 🙂

Fangirl was the book I re-read the most this year, with a grand total of FOUR TIMES! I started reading it on an e-reader, but even a few chapters in I knew I needed the hard copy in my hands, and my friend bought it for me for my birthday. After I finished it the first time, I went right back to page one and started again, because it was a story I didn’t ever want to leave.

And because I have Fangirl, I’ll follow it right up with Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, a fantasy that started off as just a seedling in Fangirl. I loved it so much, with great voice and a page-turning plot. Rowell strikes again!

All the Bright Places was also a favourite this year, written by the delightful Jennifer Niven. It was such a deep and thought-provoking story, with wonderful characters and the best kind of romance. I couldn’t get enough of it, dreading the moment when I was too tired to even turn the next page, because all I wanted to was to continue reading!

Red Queen, as some of you know, was definitely one of my top books of the year. Beautifully written by debut author Victoria Aveyard, it was all anyone would want in a book.  Find out why everyone should read Red Queen.

I also really, truly loved Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. The friendship that bonded the characters together was so strong and the story just plain incredible. Emmy & Oliver have become one of my favourite literary couples, adding yet another one to my list!

And then, of course, we have a A Little Something Different! Sandy Hall just has this knack for writing the most adorable romances ever, and her debut was just a pleasure to read. I’m also going to put her second novel, Signs Point to Yes, because I loved it nearly as much.

I’m going to follow Sandy Hall’s work with other Swoon Reads titles, including Kimberly Karalius’s Love Fortunes and Other Disasters (I got the priviledge to do an interview with the wonderful author, as well as a book review, so check them out if you’re interested in reading about the whimsical world of Grimbaud!) and Temple West’s Velvet. I was never one for vampire romances, but this book might have turned me. (Pun intended!)

There have also been so many others- 2015 truly was a spectacular year for reading! Other favourites have been A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern, Finding Audrey by Sopie Kinsella, First & Then by Emma Mills, The Distance from Me to You by Marina Gessner, Kissing in America by Margo Rabb, Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat, and None of the Above by I.W Gregorio.

Hopefully 2016 has just as many great books to offer!

Cheers to the new year,

Zoie 🙂

 

April

I want to apologize for not updating in a while! It’s halfway through May and still I haven’t done my reads for April… Better move forward then. Here are April’s reads!

Looking for Anne, by Irene Gammel 

Anne of a Windy Poplars, by L.M Montgomery 

Anne’s House of Dreams, by L.M Montgomery 

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Looking for Anne, I have to say, was a wonderful read! Written by Irene Gammel, it is the “Untold Story of a Literary Classic” as the back text suggests. For any fans of Anne of Green Gables, I strongly recommend it. This takes us to Maud’s past, where readers are able to make connections as to how Lucy Maud was able to take parts of her life and spin it into the writing of Anne. It was extremely intriguing and definitely gave me a deeper understanding of the series and the author.

But of course, I needed to continue on with the Anne stories as well! Anne of Windy Poplars took us to her life in Summerside, as she worked as a teacher. It was a new setting with new characters to meet, and was refreshing. Although I prefer Anne as a child, it was fun to see her all grown up and taking a new path in life!

Anne’s House of Dreams, I have to admit, has become my favourite Anne sequel! I loved meeting Leslie Moore and Captain Jim, and even Miss Cornelia Bryant! This book is about Anne’s married life, living in her little House o’ Dreams. It was such a sweet book to cuddle up to, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Now first- I have a confession to make! After Anne’s House of Dreams I did attempt to read the last Anne book, Anne of Ingleside. I made it more than halfway but soon was distracted by the world of YA. I do hope Miss Montgomery will forgive me. Maybe one day I will return to finishing it, but in my heart I know that NONE can compete with the original. And for this reason I decided to put the book down and pick up Divergent again.

Now, I have read the trilogy before and remember liking it a lot, but for all of my thinking I could not remember much of it! But after finishing it I know why I liked it so! I really do love dystopian plots and felt that Veronica Roth really made a refreshing one. In Divergent you must choose which faction you will belong to- Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), or Erudite (the intelligent). I just admired how unlike many other dystopian novels you had a choice of where you belonged, instead of being born into a faction/district/caste. But in Divergent, one choice can transform you. It follows Beatrice Prior as she takes her journey as an initiate in a world where choices are everything.

Well, it was only four books but each was exciting and unique in their own way! Thanks for being patient with my posts. I’m sure to be back in track with them now!

Your fellow bookworm,

Zoie 📚

March

Oh, after a long and brutal winter comes spring, and with this new season comes a new month: April! But of course this means it’s due time I updated my reads for March. So, without further ado, let’s go!

Anne of Avonlea, by L.M Montgomery 

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell 

Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell 

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell

Anne of the Island, by L.M Montgomery 

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M Montgomery 

Okay, so yes, this month I only read works by Rainbow Rowell and L.M Montgomery.

Fangirl, first of all, was amazing! The plot line was pretty simple, taking place during freshman Cath’s first year of college. But it took us inside the life of a hard core fangirl, who writes fanfiction for her favourite series. Each chapter was symbolic, progressing the story further and each one meaningful. It was so good that I had to read the book three times! I just didn’t want to leave Cath’s world, and by rereading it I didn’t have to.

Eleanor & Park, on the other hand, somewhat disappointed me. (Shh! Don’t tell Rainbow!) I had to regain my faith in her by reading Fangirl directly after, which certainly made me fall in love with her all over again. I just found that the ending of Eleanor & Park was not enough to tie the book together in a nice little bow. It was too sudden, and made me wonder what was left of the unlikely couple…

Now, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island are both sequels of Anne of Green Gables. None compared to the original, and that is the reason I reread it at the very end of the month. And wow! I just find that child Anne is so imaginative and wonderful and that L.M Montgomery’s writing is truly a masterpiece. But I’ve said this all before 🙂

Anne of Avonlea takes us during the two years that Anne is a teacher in her beloved town, while Anne of the Island is during her college years at Redmond. The next in the series is Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne’s House of Dreams, followed by Anne of Ingleside. Which is great, because I know I’ll never run out of Anne!

Okay, so that was last month’s read… who knows what April will bring?!

Favourite Book Quotes I

Happy first day of March! To start off the new month, I have a special edition of Quote of the Week! I’m going to be putting several of my favourite book quotes on this post… I know I haven’t updated much with this feature so I’m hoping all of these will make up for the absence! So without further ado, here’s this week’s quotes:

You have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life?

-Lousia May Alcott, Little Woman

Here’s another one from Little Woman:

Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.

-Louisa May Alcott

Now, for some Anne of Green Gables! Here’s my all time favourite:

Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?

– L.M Montgomery

And this one is a quote that is so very true:

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

– L.M Montgomery

Of course we’re going to need some Pride and Prejudice quotes! I suppose it wouldn’t make do if we didn’t start with the novel’s opening line:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

-Jane Austen

And here’s another one that I find sums up Mr. Darcy at the beginning of Pride and Prejudice…

She is tolerable; but not handsome enough.

-Jane Austen

So I think you’d understand when Elizabeth Bennet thought this of him:

A most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing

-Jane Austen

Phew, that’s a lot of quotes! And yet there is so many more I’d like to share! So I decided that this is only part one, and I focused on more classic novel quotes than others. Next time I’ll have more modern books, so watch out for part two!

Zoie ❤

January

The first month of the New Year! The first month of a whole new reading list for 2015! Here’s what I’ve read this January:

Dear Pen Pal, by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Boundless, by Kenneth Oppel

Pies & Prejudice, by Heather Vogel Frederick

Home for the Holidays, by Heather Vogel Frederick

Wish you were Eyre, by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden, by Phillipa Dawding

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M Montgomery 

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Unspeakable, by Caroline Pignat

These were all very good books, and of course it was great being able to re-read one of my favourite series, The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick.

Some of the standouts this month were:

Unspeakable. It is about the drowning of the Empress of Ireland, which took place two years after the Titanic. The story was incredibly well-written with a great plot and had me wanting to turn the pages for more! It kept me on edge, and honestly was like no other book I’ve ever read before. So good!

Then there’s Anne of Green Gables, which I’ve done a review on. As you know it has now become one of my favourites. It was a masterpiece. Need I say more?

I’ll keep you posted fellow bookworms! Until next time, keep reading!

Zoie 📚