2015: A Year in Review

2015 is over? Nope. I refuse to believe it. Come back in a few weeks and then we'll talk about new year.

In all seriousness, I can't believe that 2015 has come and gone. I've had a pretty good reading year, and although I haven't read as much as I wanted to in the latter half of the year (A Levels are slowly killing my soul) I did manage to read 66 books. Yay! Here's what that looks like broken down:

Books: 43

Graphic Novels: 2

Rereads: 21

According to Goodreads, this is what my stats for 2015 look like. 

Although a vast majority of the books I read this year were rereads (I actually read the Throne of Glass series twice this year), I'm pretty happy with all the books I got round to reading considering that it's been very busy. I don't know if I'll have more or less time in 2016, but either way I'm still looking forward to finding some amazing new books to read. 

2015 FAVOURITES

There have been so many great books that I've read this year and I couldn't possibly rank them all, so instead I've decided to choose a couple of categories and select a book for each. 

FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2015 

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

FAVOURITE COVER OF 2015

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF 2015

Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR OF 2015

Sara Raasch (author of Snow Like Ashes)

 NON BOOKISH THINGS 

Here are a few of my favourite places/things/memories from 2015, including
my Hamilton/Buffy obsessions, prom, my trip to North Carolina and one of
my favourite albums!

So, 2015 is definitely over. Woah. I still can't process that properly. Still, all I can say now is that I hope you have a great 2016!

Things I'm Thankful For in 2015

I can't believe 2015 is over in less than two hours (I can believe that I have no New Years Eve plans aside from reading, however). So much has changed in the past twelve months and I'm struggling to work out how time has gone so fast. I've always hated New Years Eve because it makes me feel overly nostalgic. It has a sense of closure to it, and I just don't like it.

This year, I'm determined not to be so mopey. I'm not going to wallow in self pity or make resolutions that I definitely won't keep. Instead I'm hoping for an amazing 2016, and although this year hasn't been perfect I've still made lots of memories that I'll definitely look back on fondly. These are just some of the things that I'm grateful for in 2015.

STARTING MY BLOG

Okay, so technically my first blog post is dated 30th December 2014, and I know that there were a couple of earlier ones that I deleted. Even so, I began to frequently use this blog around April 2015 and that was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know I've been absolutely hopeless at posting regularly these past few months, but because of this blog I've made so many great friends and read so many amazing books.

LEAVING BAD FRIENDS BEHIND

At the beginning of 2015, I had a completely different group of friends to the ones I have now. I'm not saying that they're bad people but they definitely weren't the right friends for me, and I was not the right friend for them. I felt like I had literally zero close friends and that majorly sucked. Most of my old friends went to a different place from me to do their A Levels, and in all honesty I'm not sad that we don't talk anymore. I feel so much better now I'm not surrounded by people I couldn't be myself with, and 2015 really was the year where I decided to let go of people who made my life worse rather than better.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 

I know that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is just a TV show and putting it on the list of things I'm thankful for is kind of trivial, but I honestly don't care. It's been just over six months since I cried my eyes out over the ending of Chosen, and I'm still just as obsessed with the show. Buffy is just one of those shows that made me care so deeply about the characters, has something important to say and  inspired my writing. Buffy, I love you.

MEETING MY FAVOURITE AUTHOR

Meeting Sarah J. Maas and getting my books signed was just amazing. I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to meet her, and I hope that hers won't be the last book signing I get to go to.

PASSING MY GCSE'S

It's pretty self explanatory why I'm glad I did well in my exams. In all honesty I didn't revise as much as I should have (the night before my physics exam I decided to read the entirety of The Order of the Phoenix instead of doing revision) but thankfully I still got good grades. It's also such a relief to know I'll never have to study science or maths again.

MAKING NEW INTERNET FRIENDS

I'm so thankful for the wonderful people I've spoken to and the friends I've made in 2015, whether it be through Twitter or this blog. Where would I be without the conversations I've had on twitter with Erin and Rebekah? Internet people are honestly so great, and I'm grateful for every tweet and each and every blog comment.

MAKING NEW REAL LIFE FRIENDS 

Like I said earlier, I didn't start out 2015 with the best group of friends. I'm now ending it having people in my life who I can completely be myself around. I'm beyond thankful for the two people I met in my politics class who tolerate my weirdness, and the acquaintances from my old school who I've started to become close with. Surrounding myself with positive people is honestly one of the best things I've ever done.

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

As with Buffy, it may seem trivial to put Lin Manuel Miranda on this list. Considering how much I love and adore Hamilton, the word trivial doesn't come into the equation one bit. I've also fallen in love with In the Heights and 21 Chump Street, and can't wait to watch Moana (his next project). The obsession with Hamilton has also brought me closer to two of my friends, and that alone has made the tears worth it (I can't be the only one who cries over the last song. Lin also wrote music for The Force Awakens, so that's another reason to love him.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH BOOKS

It's not a surprise that there have been some wonderful books that I've read and loved this year. I'm grateful for each and every one of them. Queen of Shadows, Uprooted, Vicious, The Raven Boys, The Hero of Ages, The Wrath and the Dawn, Maya's Notebook... The list goes on and on.

I just want to say a final thank you to every person who made my 2015 memorable, and to the people who I can't wait to spend 2016 with. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Review: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

THE PENELOPIAD BY MARGARET ATWOOD
Publisher: Canongate BooksFormat: Paperback
Series: No
Pages: 199
Date Finished: 13.11.15
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making.

In Homer’s account in The Odyssey, Penelope—wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy—is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan War after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumors, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters, and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and—curiously—twelve of her maids.

In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged maids, asking: “What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?” In Atwood’s dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the story-telling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality—and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.

“Now that I am dead, I know everything.”

I'm currently studying Classical Civilisations for one of my A Levels, and a huge part of our course centres around Homer's The Odyssey. If you weren't aware, The Odyssey is an epic poem that follows the journey of Odysseus as he tries to make his way to Ithaca (his home) from the Trojan wars. To put it eloquently, he kills a lot of shit and shags his way around the Mediterranean.

Personally, I don't find Odysseus a very compelling character. Even though he yearns to get home to his wife Penelope, that doesn't stop him sleeping with at least two other woman (a witch and a nymph, no less). He's also rude, abrasive, selfish, arrogant and occasionally foolish. I understand that The Odyssey was written in a different era, but that doesn't change the fact that Odysseus still pisses me off. 

Maybe that's why I love The Penelopiad so much. It's a relatively simple story, retelling The Odyssey from the point of view of the woman Odysseus sought to return to: Penelope. Instead of focusing on the hero who killed monsters and men alike, it tells the story of a strong woman using her own wit to stop the advances of hundreds of suitors. It gives justice to the twelve maids that were cruelly murdered in The Odyssey for crimes that a modern day audience would barely batter an eyelid to. In short, The Penelopiad is as wonderfully feminist as it is enjoyable. 

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

It is so wonderful to read a novel devoted to Penelope. She's one of my favourite characters in The Odyssey, however Atwood creates her into a well rounded and developed heroine. She's surprisingly sarcastic and sassy (which I just loved), yet still closely resembles the Penelope we're all familiar with. Every characterisation feels true to the original and I loved it. 

One of the best things about The Penelopiad is how Atwood interprets and adapts aspects of The Odyssey. Characters are given more agency, and certain situations are shown in a new light. 

"Odysseus was the guest of a goddess on an enchanted isle, said some; she'd turned his men into pigs -- not a hard job in my view."

If I have to give any criticism to The Penelopiad is that I don't think it would work very well on its own. It's more like a short companion to The Odyssey that presents the poem in a feminist 21st century perspective rather than a novel on it's own. There are wonderful references to The Odyssey however that do really enhance the narrative. 

I'm saving the best part about The Penelopiad till last. As much as I love The Odyssey, it bothers me a lot how the twelve maids are treated. Essentially I feel like it's unjust, wrong and downright disgusting. It makes the feminist in me want to punch someone. But not in The Penelopiad. The way Atwood handles it is just beautiful, and I am so, so glad this book exists. The fact that Melantho, one of my favourite characters in The Odyssey gets her own justification makes me so happy. 

"I had the highest confidence in him, and considered him to be a sea captain who could not fail."

If you've read The Odyssey you'll appreciate how bloody hilarious that last quote is. 

April Wrap Up/Book Haul

April was not a good reading month for me. I'm now nine books behind on my Goodreads schedule which is just hopeless, considering I read twenty books in April 2014. I blame GCSE's (on a plus note, this time tomorrow I'll have finished my Art GCSE for good! Hurrah!)

I only read four books this much which isn't that many (for me, at least). Without further ado, here's my April wrap up!

Read

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Date Read: 5th April

Rating: ****

Info: I remember reading this book back about four or five years ago and I loved the whole series. It was funny, relatable (even if I'm not a princess *sigh*) and heartwarming. I bought it on my Kindle at the beginning of the month and decided to give it a quick re-read to see if it was just as good a read at aged sixteen rather than eleven. You know what? I still love it. After my exams, I'll probably download the rest of the series and read them too.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Date Read: 8th April

Rating: **

Info: The real rating for this is 2.5 because to me it was just okay. I saw this book in Waterstones and I had to buy it because of the kickass summary (librarian spies collecting books from parallel worlds? Yes puhlease). I was so excited to read this but when I did, I just found it to be too much. There was everything and the kitchen sink in this book, and whatever enjoyable elements there were were crushed by an eye roll. Even if I did enjoy it, I was just so disappointed that it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Date Read: 11th April

Rating: *****

Info: I reviewed this one so I won't go into too much detail, but this book was my second most anticipated of the year (behind Queen of Shadows) and it did not disappoint. I am so in love with this world and I cannot wait to read the next two instalments, even if I have to wait another year for them. Excuse me whilst I go hide in a corner until I can see my beloved Tamlin and Lucien again.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Date Read: 15th April 

Rating: *****

Info: I reviewed this as well, but in short I loved it. It was everything I expected and more. I got this book from my dad for my birthday and I may or may not have jumped up and down like a crazy person when I opened it. It was such a wonderful book and now I really want to read more by V.E. Schwab.

Book Haul

Now this is where I'd like to say that I didn't buy many books in April, but I'd be telling a big whopper. In my defence, all of the books I bought were either cheap in the Kindle store, pre-orders or bought from a charity shop so it isn't that bad. I'm trying to buy more books on my Kindle so I can read them on holiday this year.

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Assassins Quest by Robin Hobb

Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister by George R.R. Martin

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Dangerous Women by George R.R. Martin and Gardener Dozois

Rogues by George R.R. Martin and Gardener Dozois

Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson

The City & the City by China Miéville 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Yeah, that's a lot of books. Either way, I hope you had a good month and that May will be even better!