top 10 most anticipated releases | fall 2018

Hello!
There are so many books coming out this fall that I've been beyond excited about for ages and I decided to share my top ten most anticipated releases here with you.

Wildcard by Marie Lu (September 18)
Wildcard is the sequel to Warcross which I read earlier this year and which follows Emika Chan, who is a bounty hunter and a hacker and is surprisingly getting invited to be a player in the year's tournament for the game Warcross after having hacked into it. But not only does she get to play, she is also sent on a secret mission by the founder of the game, Hideo Tanaka, himself, to possibly uncover a security problem.
From that point on, Enikas life completely changes and I'm so thrilled to read Wildcard to find out what happens next in the story and how the plot twist at the end of Warcross is going to play out!

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Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (September 25)
Vengeful is the second book to the Villains series by V.E. Schwab who hasn't ever disappointed me with her books. Vicious follows Victor and Eli, two friends from college who make a  discovery that doesn't only change the world but also their friendship. The story is told in two different timelines and honestly, it's far too layered for me to give a summary that would do the story justice. But I'm so excited to finally see where Eli's and Victor's story is going after the ending of Vicious!

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Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (October 2)
Apparently, fall is the season for sequels, as Muse of Nightmares is the sequel and conclusion to Strange the Dreamer which is one of my absolute favourite books! Essentially, it's about Lazlo Strange, a librarian, who has dreamt about the lost city of Weep ever since he was a little boy. Finally, he gets the chance to go to Weep and find out what happened there 200 years ago that cut Weep off from the rest of the world.
Since Strange the Dreamer ended on quite a cliffhanger, I CAN'T WAIT to finally read Muse of Nightmares - to be honest, this might be my top 1 most anticipated release on this list (or ever, for that matter).

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The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee (October 2)
This is for once, not a sequel, but the companion novel to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue which I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. In The Lady's Guide, we follow Felicity Montague, who we already got to know in the first book. She is rather unconvential for her time as she likes to read and would like to attent medical school more than be a proper lady and I'm excited to follow her journey which is surely going to be as funny, crazy and offbeat as her brother's!

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Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman (October 2)
In Neal Shusterman's newest release, which he wrote together with his son, we follow the story of Alyssa, who lives in Los Angeles at a time when water is rare and suddenly, the taps run dry.
I'm sure Dry will be another mind-boggling what-if-story as we're used to from Neal Shusterman and as I was absolutely blown away by the other books I read by him, I'm thrilled to read his latest book!

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A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs (October 2)
Apparently, it has become a new fashion amongst authors to write sequels to series that have already been declared as over - which I'm not complaining about though because I love the Miss Peregrine's series so far! Since I haven't read all the books yet, I'm not going to read anything about the plot, but I know this is going to be a perfect, eerie Halloween read. As we're used to from Ransom Riggs.

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What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (October 9)
What If It's Us is about two boys meeting at a post office and apparently, falling for each other although they get seperated quite quickly.
I can't wait to see how Becky Albertalli's cute, heart-warming writing and Adam Silvera's heart-breaking, epic style will play out together - I don't know if this is going to break my heart or make me smile. I hope it'll do both, but anyway, I'm probably gonna love it - I mean, you can't do anything wrong with this author collab, can you?

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Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (October 9)
I decided I didn't want to go into Bridge of Clay knowing all too much about it because for me, that's the way to go with Markus Zusak's books. I'm a huge fan of both The Book Thief and I am the Messenger and I'm sure Markus Zusak will once again convince me with a beautiful, heart-wrenching and unconventional story!

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A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi (October 18)
This book is an own-voices novel set in 2002 about the effects 9/11 has on a young, muslim girl who is tired of being stereotyped. I've never read anything like that before and I'm excited to see how Tahereh Mafi's beautiful, lyrical writing style is going to play out in a story that is not only an important story to tell, but also most likely going to be heartbreaking and very emotional.

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Archenemies by Marissa Meyer (November 6)
This is, along with Muse of Nightmares, my most anticipated book on this list! It's the sequel to Renegades which follows the stories of Nova and Adrian who live in a futuristic world ruled by superheroes. Their city is torn apart by a long history of alternating opposing governments and basically, Renegades is about them saving the world and being everything superheroes need to be.
Renegades was one of my favourite books this year so far and it ended on such a huge cliffhanger, I don't know how I'll bear not being able to read Archenemies for another two months!

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exploring my bookshelves pt. 2

Hey bookworms!
I really liked going through my bookshelves and sharing my books with you (which some of them I hadn't held in my hands in ages before that) and I thought it was time for a second round of showing you what's on my shelves!
We're still on the very top shelf on my big bookshelf, moving on with the books next to the stack on the left:

Touched by Corrine Jackson

I only read this once, years ago and I barely remember anything about the plot, just that it's one of those typical YA paranormal stories with a bad boy and lots of drama. I did enjoy it at the time but I never continued reading the series and I probably never will because I think it's just not right up my alley anymore. 

this is the German cover

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

I don't know if you know The Penderwicks which is a book series that I loved when I was younger. One of the characters in it always read books by Eva Ibbotson which made me pick this one up and I really loved it (although I, again, don't really remember much about the plot)

and again, German cover

Als Zeus der Kragen platzte: Griechische Sagen by Dimiter Inkiow

This is a children's book containing a lot of stories about Greek mythology which I read when I hadn't even read Percy Jackson! I can highly recommend the book to all children who like sagas and mythology and that kind of stuff (it also helped me in school when we read Ovid in Latin haha)

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 

To be very honest, I don't remember anything about this book. Somehow, Zafón's books blur together for me so I don't know where one story ends and the other begins, they just all have that very specific vibe to them. I did really like the book though - it's the second book in the Shadow of the Wind series which enjoyed a lot!

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

This is the tenth (and last) book to the Princess Diaries series and fun fact: I only read the first two and the tenth book. For whatever reason, don't ask me.

Didn't keep me from enjoying the story though, although I don't think it would be my cup of tea if I reread it now.

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

This is actually a book that I remember quite vividly, probably because it's very unique - it's told from 2nd person singular point of view and I was very moved by the story and the author's way of telling it.

Wir Kinder aus dem Möwenweg by Kirsten Boie

So many memories with this book... it was one of my absolute favourites as a child and I read it many, many times! I never finished the whole series but I will definitely by it for my future children and read it to them!

why a little life is my favourite book of all time

Hello everyone!
Ever since I read A Little Life, I wanted to talk about it. I remember reading it and being so desperate for someone who understood what I was going through, I was begging both my mom and my best friend to read the book.
So naturally, I want to talk about it on here.
Be aware - this is going to take a while because I am going to pour my heart out. So I'm sorry if this is gonna be a rather long blog post. But well, what can you do, right?

Before I read A Little Life, I didn't really have a favourite book. I used to say the Harry Potter books were my favourites (and in a way, they are because they're like a part of me) but they weren't my favourite books of all time with all that is to them although they really mean much to me.
But I didn't really know what a favourite book was before I read A Little Life.

While I was reading it, I thought: This is it. I have found it. This is the book. The Book, capital letters.
I think no other book made me feel the way A Little Life did.

To understand this, you've got to know what reading means to me. Reading is an escape for me, a way to live hundreds and thousands of other lives, being able to travel to other worlds, being someone else, living another life. A Little Life, quite literally.
And I've never felt so much like actually living another life like I did with A Little Life. 
I don't know what exactly about the book made me feel that way - I mean, we do get to know a person's whole life story in a very detailed way but I've read similar books and never before - and after - have I felt so close to a character in a book.

Writing this, I'm still tearing up because all the emotions that I had reading the book are coming back to me.
Usually, I don't really cry reading books. If a book makes me cry, it's got to be a good one. And normally I don't even really cry cry, I just shed some tears and that's it.
Again, A Little Life changed that.
Nothing, ever, in my whole entire life, made me sob so hard.
I remember reading one particular part of the book (the ones amongst you who've read the book probably know which part I'm talking about) and I just couldn't cope with my feelings. I was crying so hard, I had to close the book and pick it up the next day again because I simply could not handle it. It was too much.

This book destroyed me. I mean, I'm literally sitting here crying just because I'm thinking about it and I've read it months ago. A Little Life is easily the most emotional book I've ever read. Actually, it's the book of superlatives. It's the most emotional, the saddest and happiest, the best, best, best book I've ever read.

I've also written that in my Goodreads review that I wrote right after finishing the book, but I'm writing it here again because I can't say it often enough: For me, A Little Life is the embodiment of literature. If literature was one book, it would be A Little Life. 
That's quite a statement to make, isn't it?
See, that's how much I love this book.

I'm sure I'll never read a book I love as much as  A Little Life ever again. Never say never, but I say never. Ever.
Maybe that makes me stubborn or close minded but really, it doesn't because there's no way another book will ever make me feel that way again.
If you think there is, I challenge you to write it. I'll happily read it but I don't think it'll compete. Sorry.

Anyway, I feel better now after having poured my heart out and finally, the only thing I can say is: Read the book. Period.
xxx

source - I do own this book but I lent my copy to someone so I can't take pictures with it

REVIEW | "The Secret History" by Donna Dartt

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Title: The Secret History
Author: Donna Tartt
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: adult fiction
ISBN: 978-0804111355
Page Number: 640 pages






Blurb
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.

Execution
This book was utterly dazing - in the best way possible.
It's the kind of book I couldn't read too much of at a time, the kind of book that you have to put aside every other few dozen pages to let it all sink in.
It's the kind of book that is slowly taking over your life until everything else seems petty.
It's not full of twists and turns (at least considering the length of the novel) and it doesn't leave you sitting with your mouth open the entire time but it's got something to it that pulls you into that world and let's you feel like you're part of it.
I've never read anything like it before. It's not that unique and special at first glance, but rather on a very profound, deep level that sets the whole tone for the story.
Donna Tartt has, in my humble opinion, created an absolute masterpiece with this book.

Characters
The funny thing about the characters in this book is that although I didn't like any of them, I still cared for all of them.
Every character serves a very specific purpose - everyone has their own, special role to play and contributes to the story in some way.
All of the characters are incredibly well crafted and although you can't fully comprehend their motivations sometimes, it all comes together in the end.
Again, I've never read about characters like these before (in a way though, they reminded me a bit of the students in How to Get Away With Murder) and although (like I said) I didn't like them, I already miss them (which is very weird, but still)

Emotions
This book wasn't exactly thrilling or keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time, but still, I was very much emotionally attached to the story.
While reading this book, I had big problems concentrating on other stories at the same time (because I'm reading more than one book at a time) because honestly, I think this book kind of consumed me.
I even find myself wishing there was more to the story but at the same time, I know it's over and there isn't anything more to tell.

Overall
Altogether, this was one of the most unique reading experiences I had in my entire life. It keeps me longing for more books like this and I can truly not wait to read more books by Donna Tartt!

top ten love stories in non-romance books

Hi bookworms!
When I was younger, I was all for love stories. I mostly read fantasy books, but very rarely did I enjoy them for the fantasy aspect and rather for the love story that you would always find as a subplot.
Then, as I wasn't very experienced both as a reader and in life, it was really easy for me to fall in love with a love story, but as I got older and became more critical with my reading, it got harder and harder to find a good love story in a non-romance book.
As I like to believe there are more people out there who (just like me) crave gut-wrenching (in the best way possible gut-wrenching, of course) love stories as subplots to books that mainly deal with other things - may that be fantasy stuff or whatever - I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my top ten side plot love stories/ OTPs.
So without further ado, here they are (in no particular order):
(Also, be warned I might spoil some love stories here!)

1. Jesper and Wylan from the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
You can't imagine how badly I wanted those two to be together. I loved how throughout both of the books, Jesper always seemed to tease Wylan and how shyly Wylan reacted to his banters and when they finally got together, fireworks literally exploded in my gut because I was so happy.
Also, I can't wait to see their relationship play out in the third book that was just announced a few weeks ago!

2. Kaz and Inej from the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
Well, what can I say... those books are just full of loveable relationships.
Again, this is a very angsty relationship and Kaz and Inej are both characters that are emotionally quite unstable but I just love how they learn to trust and rely on each other. Also, can we just talk about the fact that there are literally no scenes of them kissing each other (at least if I didn't forget something which would be embarassing haha) but still, I just love their relationship so much and they're the cutest couple ever and they're both just so precious!

3. Inan and Zélie from Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
To be honest, their relationship was my favourite part of the book. Which doesn't mean I didn't love the rest of the book, but dear God, INAN AND ZÉLIE! The two of them started out as enemies and since the hate-to-love trope is one of my absolute favourites in romances, I just couldn't help but root for them. Which is why that ending broke my heart and I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW!

4. Alucard and Rhy from the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab
This is one of the OTPs that, before I read about them, I didn't know I wanted them to happen. (SPOILERS!) Like, literally, I had no idea that the two of them together might be a possibility until that one scene in A Gathering of Shadows in Rhy's bedroom, when Alucard comes visiting him and you get to know they have a history together and it's just the sweetest scene ever. Every time I feel bad, I go back to that scene and reread it and it never fails to make me feel better.

5. Nova and Adrian from Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Technically, they haven't gotten together yet but I still root for them because they're just the absolute CUTEST. Their relationship involves a lot of angst and could very well go in a complete other direction than I want it to in the next books but I really want them to be together!
I feel like Marissa Meyer really does a great job in creating tension between characters and also, I loved both Nova and Adrian so much, aarrgh!

6. Adam and Ronan from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
God, how I loved them both. I loved how wild and untameable Ronan is throughout the entire series, but when it comes to Adam, he's just SO CUTE! The only thing I wish for is more scenes of them together.
Also, I love how technically, they should be so clichée (I mean, Rowan is the definition of bad boy and Adam is just so neat and decent) but somehow, Maggie Stiefvater manages to not portray their relationship as stereotypical which I LOVED.

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7. Tengo and Aomame from 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
I don't know if you can consider their love story a side plot in 1Q84 since it's a very essential part of the story, but still, I wouldn't consider 1Q84 a romance novel.
I have never read a love story with so much build up, ever. Tengo and Aomame's relationship is definitely one that shouldn't have worked, but it did. Like hell did it work.
Their love story is the most unique one I've ever read and so, so beautiful!

8. Tella and Dante from Legendary by Stephanie Garber
This is a rather untypical constellation because while normally, you see the bad boy and the shy, innocent girl falling in love, in Legendary both Tella and Dante have their dark sides. When I say they deserve each other though, I mean it in the best way possible. I love both of their characters so much which is why that ending KILLED me and I can't wait to see their relationship in Finale. 

9. Paige and Warden from The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
I remember when I first read The Bone Season, The Mime Order wasn't out yet and the first book ended on such a cliffhanger according to their relationship, I was DEVASTATED. I know a lot of people consider their relationship problematic and I totally see why they would. At the time when I read it though, I wasn't very critical as a reader so I just remember swooning over their relationship. I am planning a reread of this series though in order to finally read The Song Rising but so far, I absolutely love Paige and Warden.

10. Simon and Baz from Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
This was one that I wished would happen, but never believed it would until it did. I don't know how many times I reread just the parts of them together in this book and how much I swooned over them. Also, my heart stopped for a moment when I saw that Wayward Son was going to be a thing. I still can't believe we're going to get more of Simon and Baz. And I CAN'T WAIT!

REVIEW | "The Diviners" by Libba Bray

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Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Publisher: Atom
Genre: YA, paranormal, historical fiction
ISBN: 978-1907410406
Page Number: 592 pages






Blurb
Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Execution
I had very high expectations going into The Diviners because even though I wasn't a big fan of A Great and Terrible Beauty, the only other book I had read by the author, I had heard high praise about this book by people whose opinions I trust.

And I wasn't let down at all.

Admittedly, the idea didn't blow me away and although the plot wasn't foreseeable, it wasn't very unique either. But there is something about this book that made me fall in love with every aspect of it, so none of that really mattered. 

This book is one that I could fully immerge myself in so that the pages flew by without me even realising. It absolutely lived from its amazing characters and the sometimes eerie, sometimes glorious, typically roaring 20's atmosphere.

I enjoyed every second of it!

Characters

The story is fully character driven - which I like, since for me, good characters is the most important part of a book. 

We follow multiple character's points of view whose stories aren't connected in the beginning, but throughout the book, their paths start overlapping and intertwining and I loved seeing them all get together!

All of the characters are incredibly well created and although they all have their flaws and edges, I couldn't help but fall in love with them.

Also, I think I've never read a historical fiction book with such a diverse cast of characters. 

They were just perfect and everything I could have ever wished for!

Emotions

This is, once again proof, that if you care about the characters in the book, you will inevitably get emotionally invested in the story.

Which I did.

And I'm a bit scared to go on reading with the series because I've heard a lot of people say the third book completely broke them. Don't know if I'm ready for that yet.

Overall

Altogether, this was a solid 5 star book for me.

I loved everything about it and I can highly recommend it to anyone who likes a strong, phenomenal character cast and a classical setting like 1920's New York City. 

Can't wait to read the next book (although, again, I'm a bit scared)

summer book tag

Hi everyone!
Since summer is approaching (or actually, it's not approaching because it's already all around us) I thought it would be fun to do more summery posts, starting with the summer book tag!
I don't know who created it in the first place but I got the questions from readrantrockandroll.
I tag everyone who wants to do this!

1. What book cover makes you think of summer?
I'm currently reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the version I have reminds me a lot of summer with all the flowers and the bright colours.

2. What book has brightened your day?

The first one that came to mind is definitely Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I love this book to pieces and whenever I am having a bad day and reading it or even just skimming through it, it makes me feel better in an instant. There's just something about the characters and especially Simon that isn't just comforting but also makes me smile and be happy☺

3. Find a book cover with yellow on it.

That's not hard. My version of Carry On has a lot of yellow on it. This, again, is a very happy book for me. I absolutely love Rainbow Rowell's books and I was so excited when she announced there was going to be a sequel to Carry On, Wayward Son! I can't wait for that!

4. What is your favourite summer beach read?

I don't have a specific favourite summer beach read but I remember reading one particular book on the beach a few years ago and it still feels salty when I touch it, oops.

I read All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven three years ago but I remember absolutely loving it!

5. What action book had you running for the ice cream man?

Well... I don't read action, tbh. I think the book that comes closest to action that I've read is Renegades by Marissa Meyer because there are a lot of super heroes and such. Don't kill me for saying that, I know super hero books aren't action books, but there is a lot of action going on. Also, I read that book in a day although it's HUGE so it's incredibly fast paced which kind of reminds me of running which is a part of the question...? 

6. (Sunburn) What book has left you with a bad and/ or painful ending?

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan. Like, seriously? In the beginning of the next book, he even apologised for leaving us with such a DEVASTATING cliffhanger. 

7. (Sunset) What book gave you the happiest feeling when it ended?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz has such a cute ending! I LOVED it and I'm still feeling all fuzzy and warm when I think about it.

8. What book cover reminds you of a sunset?

The colours look like the sun and I think the orange on the cover is exactly the shade of orange the sun sometimes has while setting.

9. What is one book or series you hope to read this summer?

I really, finally want to read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with summer but I still want to get to it asap.

REVIEW | "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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Title: Hollow City
Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Random House UK
Genre: YA paranormal, fantasy
ISBN: 978-1594747359
Page Number: 416 pages






Blurb
This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.
Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerising) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Execution

While I did like the first book, I didn't LOVE it (which I totally blame me for because I watched the movie first and that kind of destroyed my experience with the book a bit) but the second book doesn't have anything to do with the movie anymore, so the plot was a complete surprise.

And a very pleasant surprise, to be exact. 

From start to finish, this book was gripping, enthralling and full of plot twists that I didn't see coming at all. Especially the end had me gasping because I was so shocked and I cannot wait for the third book.

Characters

The more you read about all the characters, the more you fall in love with them.

They are all so incredibly well created and I loved how we got to see them develop and go through all that stuff together. Their group dynamic is exactly how I want a good friend's group to be in a book - realistically, they do disagree and fight from time to time, but in crucial moments, they all stick together and don't let anything or anyone come between them.

All of them are special and important to the story in their own way and everyone serves a purpose in the book, which I really liked as well.

Emotions

This was kind of an emotional rollercoaster for me. I swear, I was literally biting my nails out of excitement sometimes because I was so invested in the story.

It's hard not to be emotionally invested in a story if you care so much about the characters, and I cared a lot!

(And I'm so scared something bad might happen to one of them in the next books!)

Overall

Altogether, Hollow City wasn't just a solid sequel in this series, it also exceeded my expectations and absolutely met the high standard that was set in the first book.

If you're not sure whether to continue with the series after the first book, I highly recommend doing so! Absolutely loved it! (If I didn't make that clear enough yet haha)

finding your inspiration | WRITER'S WEDNESDAY

Hello!
I'm very excited to announce that I'll be doing a new blog format called Writer's Wednesday!
Since writing is an equally big part of my life as reading and the two of them basically go hand in hand together, I decided to include my thoughts/ experiences/ tips about writing on my blog.
I'm currently working on my very first novel so I'm far from experienced in this business.
However, this is not supposed to be about me being the ultimate writer's guide, it's rather about sharing my experiences and exchanging tips - I would like this format to be an open discussion where everyone can throw in some ideas.

For this first post, I wanted to start off by talking about where everyone has to start when writing: finding inspiration.
This is a very personal and individual process, but I'll introduce some of my ways of how I get inspired here - this may not work for everyone, but I hope it'll help you and I'd love to see some of your ideas in the comments!

Reading
This is the Captain Obvious amongst ways of finding inspiration but at the same time, it's one of the most effective ones for me. Sometimes, I'll read a book or a passage and I'll just get struck by inspiration and have an amazing idea (that often later, turns out to be not so amazing at all, but that's not the point) and other times, I am amazed by an author's writing style and it encourages me to work on my own style.
Essentially, reading is important in order for you to understand how books work and to learn what you like to read. Of course, you should never copy another person's work, but you can always get inspired by another author's writing and learn from their craft.

Keeping a journal
I've always had a diary but lately, I've been getting more and more into journaling daily. I feel like keeping a journal is a whole science for itself and if you need inspiration for that, I strongly recommend using Pinterest. However, I'm skipping all the fancy stuff like drawing and decorating and sticking stuff in my journal: the only thing I ever do with it is write.
And that's absolutely enough. What you write is completely up to you, but I always just sit down and write whatever comes to my mind. Thus, my journal is a wild mixture of poems, random sentences and just what I like to call mind spatter.
I would recommend keeping it as unfiltered as possible - after all, it's not there for other people to read but for you to empty your mind (again, you can of course do it differently, but that's how I use it).
Keeping my journal really helps me getting my head clear and also, sometimes I produce some halfway decent poems that I might even find use for in the future.

Meditating
Similar to keeping a journal, I use meditation to clear my mind.
If you're new to that whole zen and meditation thing, I highly recommend checking out The Mindful Movement on Youtube because they have some really good guided meditation videos.
I usually take ten minutes to meditate in the morning, right before getting out of bed. The effect of meditation gets stronger the longer and more frequently you meditate (at least that's what I feel like) but even ten minutes a day make a big difference for me.
It really helps my mind focus and clear my head. Thus, I am better at observing my surroundings and seeing things that I would have ignored otherwise which makes my mind more correspondant to inspiration.

Living your life
I guess very few people get struck by inspiration while just sitting around at home and waiting for wonders to occur.
Nobody wants to read about a person doing nothing and in order to be able to write about your character's life, you need to know how to live.
Go out with friends, travel around, take a walk,... even when you're not a very outgoing person (like me), there are plenty of ways to experience life to it's full extend, also for introverts.
You don't need to go partying every weekend, but don't sit at home all the time, get out of your comfort zone (even though it's hard, I know).

Be in the right environment
I know from experience that being around negative people can really affect your mind and thus, your inspiration, pejoratively. It may not be that obvious at first but longterm, toxic people really get to your soul.
I'm lucky to have supportive friends that constantly push me and make me feel better but have been in relationships that haven't exactly enhanced by personal growth.
Your environment is essential to your creative process - being around inspiring and positive people is genuinely uplifting and you shouldn't let negative energies intrude your path.

Write
Nobody will ever be creative while waiting to get creative. If that makes sense.
Essentially: just start. By writing anything.
May that be in your journal or in a blank document - what matters is that you start writing.
Creativity comes with being creative. It'll come as you write or even just as you think about your work.
You can have all the inspiration in the world and it won't help if you just sit around not using it.

So on this note, I encourage all of you writers to take a piece of paper - or a word document or whatever your preferred writing material is - and write.
Have fun!
xxx

REVIEW | "Our Dark Duet" by Victoria Schwab

Title: Our Dark Duet
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genre: YA, fantasy
ISBN: 978-0062380883
Page Number: 528 pages





Blurb
THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.
KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it.
AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.
THE WAR HAS BEGUN.
THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.
Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons.
Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

Execution
While I did like This Savage Song, I didn't LOVE it so I put off reading Our Dark Duet until I picked it up in the bookstore last week and started reading it on a whim.
And hell, it blew me away.
I hadn't even realised how much I loved Kate and August until I started Our Dark Duet. 
Victoria Schwab's books are always very character driven and this one is no excpetion.
We start off six months after This Savage Song ended but it was no problem for me getting back into the story whatsoever. Not only that, I even, head over heels, fell in love with the story.
Reading the whole Monsters of Verity duology was a very unique experience for me: it almost felt like falling in love with a human being - This Savage Song was the getting to know part and realising that you might have found someone you could potentially really love, and Our Dark Duet was the devoting oneself to someone else, the realisation that you've gotten yourself into something that won't be easy to get out of, but you still enjoy every second of your being together and don't ever want it to end.
Yep, that's what it felt like reading this book.
Needless to say I think the execution was exceptionally well done. Although 'well done' doesn't really cover it - that's what my English teacher used to write under my papers, so maybe 'masterpiece' would be more fitting.

Characters
I love, love, love Kate and August.
I love how fierce and strong and smart they are, both in their very own ways.
Kate is not easy to love but I did it anyway, although I feel like she wouldn't like how I feel about her - she's my precious baby (and she would totally kill me for writing that), and so is August.
August is everything to me and throughout the first half of the book, he kept breaking my heart.
I don't even know how to express my feelings towards Kate and August into words anymore.
Victoria Schwab is a master of creating characters that seem incredibly real and reflect the world and humankind in a way that I see very rarely in literature.
I just never want to stop reading about her characters, especially Kate and August. I just love them to pieces.

Emotions
I was warned before going into this book that it would destroy me.
Well, it did.
I really don't know how to move on with life now - I'm sitting here, writing this not an hour after having finished the book (I just NEEDED to express my feelings about it!) and I'm tearing up all the time because I can't get over it.
Throughout the entire book, I was anxious because I knew something was going to happen that would wreck me but when it finally did, it killed me nonetheless because nothing in the world could have prepared me for my feelings.
This was such an emotional read for me, I'm not sure I have any emotions left for other books right now.

Overall
Our Dark Duet has become one of my favourites, no doubt. It was everything I ever wanted a book to be, and everything I never knew I needed in a book.
I'm so sad this duology is over now but I'm so glad it exists and I read it and I want everyone else in the world to read it now.

favorite books of all time #2

Hey!
I really liked sharing some of my all time favorite books with you so I thought I'd continue with this format and introduce some more favorites of mine. Have fun reading!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
It's very hard to explain why I loved this book so much.
I thought the writing was exceptionally beautiful.
I loved how character-driven the story was. Naturally, I fell in love with Ari and Dante. Like, deeply, madly in love.
And their relationship... Gods, I think it's one of the cutest and purest relationships I've ever read about. I loved their talks and them being together and well... I loved everything.
So yeah, that's the best I can do to explain my love for this book. This is one you've got to read yourself though to understand what I mean, I think.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
And here we are again with a Khaled Hosseini book. This was actually the first one I read by this author, hence it was the one that made me fall in love with his writing for the first time.
The story is told in a very unique way: it is one single story, but told from so many people who have an influence on the story and each of them kind of tell their own story. In the end, everything comes together and it's so beautifully crafted. My heart aches thinking about this book, and there is really no other word to describe it other than beautiful.

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Mirrorworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Naturally, I couldn't write this list without mentioning at least one book by my favorite childhood author, Cornelia Funke. Her ideas are always very magical and unique and the Mirrorworld trilogy is no exception to that. I don't only love the fairy-tale-esque, kind of whimsical world but also (so, so much!) the characters and the journey they go on.
If you like fantasy and fairy tales, you'll definitely love these books!

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
I guess this one is on everyone's favorites list, isn't it? I think it's not a good sign when a person hasn't read Harry Potter (or at least watched the movies) and it's even more suspicious when they didn't like it. Like, how can you not like Harry Potter? How can you not LOVE Harry Potter?
I don't want to explain why I love it so much though, that would take too long. I will do a whole post dedicated to Harry Potter one day (though even that would probably not be enough lol)

Was fehlt, wenn ich verschwunden bin (literally translated: What's missing when I'm gone) by Lilly Lindner
Unfortunately, this book hasn't been translated into English yet but I'm still gonna write about it in English.
I read this only a few months ago but I instantly knew it was going to be a favorite. I loved Lilly Lindners autobiography and it wasn't hard to figure out that this book also has some autobiographical features - it's an own-voices novel about a girl struggling with anorexia.
Lilly Lindners writing is incredibly magniloquent, even from the perspective of a little child who doesn't understand what's going on with her big sister (who is the one with the anorexia). It's actually too much to explain here but this book is both so important and so beautifully done.

REVIEW | "Unearthed" by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

scroll down for English translation

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Titel: Undying - Das Vermächtnis
Autorinnen: Amie Kaufman und Meagan Spooner
Verlag: FISCHER Sauerländer
Genre: Jugendbuch, Science Fiction
ISBN: 978-3737356008
Seitenzahl: 496 Seiten
Preis: 19,00 €





Umsetzung
Ich wollte das Buch wirklich mögen. Ich mochte These Broken Stars, was ebenfalls von den beiden Autorinnen in Kooperation geschrieben wurde, und ich bin auch ein Fan von Illuminae, was Amie Kaufman in Zusammenarbeit mit Jay Kristoff geschrieben hat, also hatte ich recht hohe Erwartungen an Undying - Das Vermächtnis.
Und leider wurde ich enttäuscht.
Generell denke ich, wird es sicher vielen gefallen, und ich glaube, hätte ich es vor ein paar Jahren gelesen, hätte ich es auch noch gemocht. Aber inzwischen ist es einfach nichts mehr für mich.
Das größte Problem, das ich mit dem Buch hatte - und am Ende auch der Hauptgrund, warum es mir nicht gefallen hat - ist, dass ich den Weltenbau viel zu oberflächlich fand.
Man wird am Anfang direkt ins Geschehen geworden und auch wenn die Handlung dadurch tempogeladen ist, hätte ich mir ein wenig Vorgeschichte gewünscht.
Diese wurde dafür in meiner Meinung nach viel zu vielen inneren Monologen aufgearbeitet, von denen ich generell eher kein Fan bin, denn für mich ist es viel effektiver, Szenen tatsächlich zu zeigen, anstatt nur die Gefühle der Charaktere darüber zu analysieren.
Dadurch bin ich überhaupt nicht mit den Charakteren warm geworden.
Zum anderen hat mich gestört, dass sehr viel Fokus auf die Romanze gelegt wurde. In Büchern, die hauptsächlich einem anderen Genre zugeordnet werden, sind für mich unterschwellige, sich langsam aufbauende Liebesgeschichten am schönsten, doch leider hatte ich hier eher das Gefühl, es wäre andersherum: ich würde eine Romanze lesen mit unterschwelligen Sci-Fi-Elementen.

Charaktere
Ich muss zugeben, dass ich die Charaktere in der Theorie durchaus mochte.
Jules als privilegierten, gebildeten kleinen Streber und Amelia als Bad Girl - die Konstellation ist auf jeden Fall ansprechend, in der Praxis jedoch nicht so optimal umgesetzt worden.
Auch hier wieder denke ich, hätte es geholfen, mehr zu zeigen und weniger zu reden. Sprich, auf die endlosen inneren Monologe zu verzichten und die Protagonisten mehr durch die witzigen Unterhaltungen zu charakterisieren, von denen viel zu wenige im Buch vorkamen.

Emotionen
Leider hat mich das Buch emotional nicht berührt. Da ich die ganze Umsetzung ein wenig zu oberflächlich fand, konnte mich auch die Geschichte nicht mitreißen und die Charaktere lagen mir ebenfalls nicht allzu sehr am Herzen.

Insgesamt
Ich glaube wirklich, es liegt an mir, dass mir das Buch nicht gefallen hat, denn theoretisch hat es alles, was ein gutes Buch braucht - tolle Charaktere, eine interessante Idee und viel Action. Nur für mich war es leider nichts, was ich darauf schiebe, dass ich dem Ganzen einfach entwachsen bin.
Demnach kann ich das Buch nur Menschen empfehlen, die vielleicht noch neuer sind in dem ganzen Genre und die etwas für Zwischendurch lesen möchten.

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Title: Unearthed
Authors: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA, sci-fi
ISBN: 978-1484758052
Page Number: 336 pages






Blurb
When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...

Execution
I really wanted to like this book. I liked These Broken Stars which the authors cowrote and I'm a big fan of Illuminae which Amie Kaufman wrote together with Jay Kristoff. So I did have high expectations reading Unearthed. 
Unfortunately, I was let down.
Generally, I think this is a book that a lot of people could actually like a lot and honestly, a few years ago I would have liked it either. But since I've changed as a reader, I think I've kind of outgrown this book.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the world building which I think was a bit shallow. In the beginning, you get thrown right into the plot and while that definitely made the story seem fast paced, I felt a bit overwhelmed and I would have liked some back story to warm up to the characters.
There were far too many inner monologues for my taste, I would have liked to see a bit more interaction between the characters instead of reading about their thoughts about each other for endless pages.

Additionally, I didn't like the focus of the story being so much on the romance. In books like this, that are mainly another genre but romance, I like a slowly developing, subtle romance but here I felt like it was just the other way around: like Unearthed was really a romance story with some subliminal sci fi elements.

Characters
I do have to admit that I liked the characters - at least in theory.
Jules as a privileged, well educated nerd and Amelia as bad girl - that constellation intrigued me a lot, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat in practice.
Again, I think it would have helped showing a bit more and not thinking so much. In other words, to quit the endless inner monologues and to characterize the protagonists through those funny dialogues that were perfect, but that we didn't get enough of!

Emotions
Unfortunately, this book didn't touch me at all. Because the exection was too shallow for me I couldn't really get involved into the story and I just didn't really care for the characters either.

Overall
I strongly believe it's my fault that I didn't like the book because technically, it has everything a good book needs to have - great characters, an intriguing premise and much action to keep the plot going. It just wasn't for me because I feel like I have grown out of those kind of books. I do recommend it to anyone who is new to the genre and not as experienced of a reader though.