Check out my free ecourse Ignite Your Passion for Reading: Fall in Love With Books!
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Better Than Dreams

  • About Me
  • Archives
  • Courses
  • Newsletter
  • YouTube
  • Unlucky in Lockdown
  • Christmas Book Finder
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Vimeo
    • YouTube
You are here: Home / Archives for Book Chat

Book Chat

August 2018 Wrap-Up: No Print Books!

14th September 2018 By Julianne Leave a Comment

In August I didn’t finish any print books at all! Hoping September will be very different as it’s Short Books September and I want to get as much of that TBR read as possible!

Books mentioned:

The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp, by Sarra Manning

This retelling of Vanity Fair was an absolute delight, my favourite book this month. It’s funny, fast-paced and fabulously fun. I sped through it and loved every second. Thanks to the publisher for letting me read it via NetGalley.

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson

I was excited to read this because I loved Suite Scarlett but unfortunately I didn’t really get on with it. I found the main character frustratingly uninterested in her surroundings and unexcited by the adventures she was having and there were some inaccurate descriptions of my university in it.

Tiny Pretty Things, by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton

This is basically Dance Academy but set at a ballet school in New York City and with a darker tone. It follows three aspiring ballet soloists as they practice, party, and plot their way to success. I really enjoyed it but the ending is very open so I need to start the second one soon!

The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara

I thought this was incredibly well-written and compelling but I can’t say I enjoyed it! Inspired by the life of Daniel Carleton Gajdusek, a successful scientist who was convicted of child molestation, it tells the story of a young man in the 1950s who travels to a remote island and discovers a group of people who have stopped ageing and will seemingly live forever.

Giant Days, Vols. 2-8, by John Allison et al

I am completely in love with Giant Days and desperately need to read the rest of the series! It’s a charming series about three young women at university in Sheffield. It’s funny and beautifully drawn. More please!

Filed Under: Book Chat, Reviews, YouTube

Short Books September 2018 (#sbksept)

30th August 2018 By Julianne 1 Comment

What?

Short Books September is a month-long challenge to read short books! For the purposes of this challenge, I am defining ‘short books’ as 250 pages or less, but feel free to set your own limit. You can also set your own goals. If you haven’t been reading regularly for a while, I suggest you aim to read one book. As I read quite quickly, my goal is to read four short books.

When?

The second Short Books September will run from 1st-30th September 2018. Hence the hashtag #sbksept!

Why?

One fine day last summer, I gathered my short books together one day to take an Instagram photo and realised that I had quite a lot of them. This gave me the idea to run a short books themed reading challenge. I thought for a while about the best time to run it and settled on September, as that’s always a busy month for me. I was also on the verge of getting behind on my Goodreads challenge, so…

This year that’s not an issue as I’ve actually already completed my Goodreads challenge, but I had so much fun doing it last year I thought, why not go again. I decided to rename the challenge to Short Books September as ‘The Short Short Books Reading Challenge’ is a bit of a mouthful!

Where?

Wherever you like! I’ll be posting about the challenge here, on my YouTube channel, on Twitter, and on Litsy (@juliannebenford). I’ll also be doing Instagram Live to review each book as I read it and let you know how I’m doing. All you need to do to join in is share your goals and progress using the hashtag #sbksept on whatever platforms you prefer!

What are you going to be reading?

Watch my TBR here:

Filed Under: Book Chat, Challenges, YouTube

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 34
  • Page 35
  • Page 36
  • Page 37
  • Page 38
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 71
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Julianne and this is my book blog. Click my picture to read more about me.

Explore By Category

Explore By Date

Search

Footer

Privacy Notice
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in