A Summer of Reading...

As expected, I managed to get through a lovely little pile of books whilst on holiday in Menorca. The relaxed atmosphere gave me the perfect opportunity to spend almost every single day with my head stuck in a book, which is my dream life I'll be totally honest. I read four and a half altogether - not bad for 2 weeks. It was so nice to have all that time to myself to read when I've been stressed with work and assignments while I've been at home. 

So, without further ado, I'll jump straight into it!


All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 

My mum recommended this book to me, and I was actually reading if before I went on holiday. It took me a little while to finish it but I'm so glad that I did. I found it to be such an interesting concept - mixing truths we know from history with an element of the supernatural in the form of the stone from the museum in Paris. 

The story follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a young, blind French girl living in Paris with her father, and Werner Pfennig, an orphaned, young German soldier in the midst of the Second World War. The plot is essentially split into two parts, and we weave back and forth through time, until everything begins to tie itself together. I really enjoyed the way that Doerr chose to structure the novel, because it gives the reader the chance to see where both characters are at the end of the novel, whilst also discovering their journey at exactly the same time. I've read books before with time jumps like this and its really bothered me, but I actually feel like it really worked for this novel.

Marie-Laure was a wonderfully gutsy character, and I definitely feel like I connected with her the most in the novel. She was beautifully written - her disability didn't define her as a person, and was simply something she dealt with day to day. It didn't stop her doing anything, or limit her in any way, and I really loved that.  

All the Light We Cannot See touched on some really important themes; the notion of good and evil and how doing nothing makes you complicit, the importance of communication through letters and through the radio transmissions that Marie-Laure and her Uncle Etienne use, the idea of luck and questioning whether it really does exist or not. 

Ordinarily, this isn't a book I'd go for, but I'm so glad I picked it up, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants an engaging, gripping book to read next. 


My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood

I was incredibly lucky to have been sent this by Viking Books UK as part of their Instagram book tour for the publication of the paperback version of the novel. Thrillers and Crime novels aren't usually my cup of tea, but I loved The Girl on the Train, and immediate comparisons between the two books had me excited from the off. 

I enjoyed the suspense, and the twists and turns, and was genuinely surprised the deeper I got myself into the book. I'll be honest and say I read it in about a day, which is seriously fast for me, I don't often do that. But I think the fast paced plot, paired with the fact I really wanted to know how everything was going to turn out in the end just kept me going and going and refusing to put it down. 

One thing I really admired about My Sister's Bones was the fact that it dealt with PTSD in such a raw and honest way. I haven't ever read a novel that has dealt with that before, but it's obvious that a massive amount of research and hard work went into that element of the plot, so huge kudos to Nuala Ellwood for that. 

I'll be totally honest and say that I didn't enjoy My Sister's Bones as much as I enjoyed The Girl on the Train, however I would definitely recommend it (and already have - my mum read it straight after me). If you love Thrillers, then you'll enjoy it, and even if you've never ventured into the Crime/Thriller genre then it's a great place to start!

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Have I gushed over this wonderful author's work before? I think I have, and I'm about to do it again. This book was beyond beautiful whilst dealing with incredibly poignant subject matter. I really struggled to put this book down and do other things whilst I was away, and managed to finish it in a couple of days. It was one of those books that I didn't want to finish though, because I didn't want the magic to end.

Honestly, I just love how Kiran creates such strong, young heroines in her novels, and I know for a fact that my younger self would have read her books over and over and over again. Amihan is a fantastic role model for younger readers for so many different reasons. 

I think what I loved most was the truth to the whole story. It's based around historical events and the island of Culion in the Philippines, and isn't something that would normally be considered subject matter for children. Telling the story from a child's perspective really does make the story hit home - families were torn apart, children taken away from their parents and a whole island ripped in two. Despite the very real human element of the story, Kiran's language and imagery really makes The Island at the End of Everything a stunning read. I loved the imagery of butterflies throughout, and the rich description of colour, from the orange of the mangoes to the house with a blue roof and red flowers growing up the walls. It all creates such vivid imagery in your mind. 

"Some butterflies only live a day, some a week, some a month. But they spend every one of those days busy living. And they make the world a more beautiful place, however brief their time." 

Personally, I think the butterfly's way of life is a good one, living each and every day to its fullest. 

To top the whole book off, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, and is one of the things that would instantly draw me to it, had I not already read some of Kiran's work. I'd 100% recommend this book to anyone. Child, young adult, adult - there's something in it for everyone!


Rebel of the Sands & Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

I honestly didn't expect to love Rebel of the Sands as much as I did. I bought it specifically for my holiday after seeing a picture of it on Instagram and thinking it looked like an interesting read, and I was definitely right! I was absolutely hooked from the very start - I love Hamilton's style of writing and I adore Amani as a character and a heroine. The story itself, for me, felt like a cross between Aladdin and The Hunger Games which was amazing because I love the both of them. It's been a very long time since I've read a book or a series of novels that really made me sit back and think "oh my god, this is so good". Rebel of the Sands and Traitor to the Throne both did exactly that.

Amani's relationship with Jin is electric, and the chemistry they share is clear in every scene they have together. I love the fire between them and the playful banter they share throughout the books. I also loved the other relationships that Amani builds throughout both novels - they feel real and human and organic, which just makes them all the more enjoyable to see play out. Also, the fact that Hamilton writes such complex characters makes me all the more emotionally invested in them, which makes for a rollercoaster of a reading experience! 

I finished the first book while I was still on holiday, and loved it so much that I just had to buy the second one on my Kindle straight away so I could remain immersed in the magic.

If you've read any of my book review posts before then you'll know I'm a sucker for mythology and the Rebel of the Sands trilogy certainly didn't disappoint on that front. The lore surrounding the Djinn and Buraqi and Skinwalkers, etc. just fascinated me - everything was so cleverly constructed and I loved it. 

I don't want to spoil the plot, simply because it's so so worth reading it and discovering all the twists and turns for yourself. I can't recommend this series of books enough and I'm so excited for the last in the trilogy to be released! Yeah, it's Young Adult fiction, but literally anyone can enjoy it.


I'm thrilled that I enjoyed all of my holiday reading. What books have you taken away with you this year? If you have any recommendations then feel free to leave them in the comments! :)


~ C xxx

Visiting Menorca

Just like anyone else, I love going abroad. I'm not hugely well travelled, but I plan to spend my whole life changing that fact. Having two weeks away from real life and responsibilities was wonderful and much needed.

I've been to Menorca with my family about three or four times, and it's such a beautiful island. The quietest of the Balaeric Islands, it spans 697km squared and is lined with gorgeous beaches and quaint, little towns. I love the calmness of Menorca in comparison to other places. Everything feels so relaxed and slow-paced - it was the perfect holiday for me after the past few weeks of stress I've been feeling. 

We stayed for two weeks in Cala'n Bosch in the smartline Cala'n Bosch Hotel. I've never been on an all inclusive holiday before (because I'm such a fussy eater) but I really wasn't disappointed by our hotel at all. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, the place itself was incredibly clean, and it was in an ideal location for getting to and from different places. The food was lovely as well - everything was really fresh, which surprised me as I had a pre-conceived idea that it would all be processed food. I was wrong. 

Over the two weeks we were there, the weather was mostly good. A couple of rainy days showered us, but that's nothing us Brits aren't already accustomed to. With the price we paid for the hotel, we also had access to the water park Aqua Rock. I've been there several times and it's great. I didn't make the most of all the water slides this time, and instead I just used it as a great place to sunbathe & take a dip in the pool.  

Sunbathing played a huge part in my holiday (of course), and I spent the majority of my time reading. I managed to get through four books & started a fifth and a sixth because I was feeling greedy. I'm planning to write a separate post about my books though because there's far too much to include in this one!

In terms of nightlife, if you're anything like me then Menorca will be perfect for you. The Marina was roughly a five minute walk from our hotel and it's filled with bars, restaurants and shops which was enough to keep us busy during the nights when we weren't elsewhere. The Med Bar does the best waffles & nutella and I'll admit I devoured more than one while I was there. The bar at the Valentin Star has some brilliant entertainment every night in the form of musicians and tribute acts, and there was rarely a night when it wasn't full or very nearly so. My dad enjoyed a Brandy Alexander every time we went in. 

Ciutadella is one of my favourite places in Menorca. A beautiful, rustic, traditional port city just a half an hour bus ride from Cala'n Bosch, it's busy both day and night for all the right reasons. Personally, I prefer to go late afternoon/evening time to give myself plenty of time to amble around. There's plenty to see and do, and the photographer in me took so many pictures while I was there. 

There's a shop I love there called Pachamama, which sells beautiful clothes & jewellery. There was the prettiest handled mirror in there that I wish I'd bought but sadly didn't. The traditional stalls in Ciutadella are amazing as well. I much prefer buying handmade products from people because you can see that a lot of time and effort has gone into making them. 

I've posted a lot of pictures on my photography instagram, but here are a few shots I took in Ciutadella.

I hope my photography can do it even a little bit of justice. 

Our trip to Mahon was the only small spanner in the works. It was supposed to be an organised trip to a Fiesta - a traditional Spanish celebration with music, dancers, acrobats etc. Sadly it was more like a fun fair in a car park, which was really disappointing. But we did go off to do our own thing, and found a lovely little restaurant and enjoyed some delicious paella & sangria. The rain did put a dampner on things (ha! I'm puntastic) but I'll never rid my mind of the memory of traipsing around Mahon in the rain, with my parents, wearing a black bin liner. Yes, really. 

I was so sad to come home and back to normality, but it won't be long before I book my next holiday. Who knows where it'll be to next year...

If you fancy seeing any more of my holiday photos, feel free to check out my photography instagram page here. 


~ C xxx