Book Series I Need to Start

I have always been something of a lurker around blogs and BookTube. I am well aware of all the popular books and series out there that I am missing out on. However, I plan to put that right and am buying my way through Amazon and have purchased the first book to several series now. I thought I would share three of these  that I am most excited about starting!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (take from Goodreads):

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore. 

I really like the premise of this book. I have read Maggie Stiefvater's other book, Shiver and I have to be honest, I didn't think much of it! However, I've heard so many good things about this book, I can't wait to start it!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Summary (take from Goodreads): 

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

This book sounds epic! I cannot wait to start this and think it may be the series I start first. I have heard so many amazing things about Sarah J Maas and am excited to start it.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Summary (take from Goodreads):

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I want to watch the tv series- but there are so many good things said about this book that I really like I ought to read it before watching it!

Have you read any of these books? What series do you recommend?

Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian by Andy Weir

My Rating: 5/5 

Description (taken from Goodreads): 

A mission to Mars.
A freak accident.
One man's struggle to survive.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. 

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars' surface, completely alone, with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive. And even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone years before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, Mark won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. 

But Mark's not ready to quit. Armed with nothing but his ingenuity and his engineering skills—and a gallows sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of strength–he embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive, using his botany expertise to grow food and even hatching a mad plan to contact NASA back on Earth.

As he overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next, Mark begins to let himself believe he might make it off the planet alive.

But Mars has plenty of surprises in store for him yet.

Grounded in real, present-day science from the first page to the last, yet propelled by a brilliantly ingenious plot that surprises the reader again and again, The Martian is a truly remarkable thriller: an impossible-to-put-down suspense novel that manages to read like a real-life survival tale.

My Thoughts:

Recently I've been trying to broaden my reading horizons- and this was the right book at the right time. It's funny how you can stumble upon (well not really, it's a very well known book since the film!) exactly what you need when you need it. I needed something to distract me- to take me somewhere else and get me lost in a completely engrossing story. This was the ticket!

I loved this book. It was fast paced, exciting, action-packed and funny. Reading the synopsis- it's not the first thought many people would have, but it is actually laugh-out-loud funny. Mark Watney as a character is so sarcastic and resilient in his situation it was hard not to love him. He's a down-to-earth guy (see what I did there?) and is so genuine. I feel like I could go down to my local pub and have a drink with him. Despite his tough situation, he is just very positive. It was the positivity I needed. Plus, as you're in his head for the majority of the book, you really are rooting for him by the end.

Plot and whatnot was brilliant. I won't lie, there's a lot of science-y things in this book. But for the most part it's explained in a way I could follow- and I'm no Scientist! I didn't find myself glossing over parts or explainations because it was just so interesting. Between the Science and the humour, there was action. Something was happening all.the.time. By the end of the book I was, quite literally, on the edge of my seat and holding my breath. I needed to know what happened.

I haven't watched the film, and I don't know if I will. I didn't expect to feel quite so strongly about this book, but I loved it. And I adored Mark Watney, I urge you to read this if you haven't yet- even if it's not your usual thing!

For those of you who have read it, what did you think?

WWW Wednesday- 15th June

I found this weekly meme being hosted on Sam's blog Taking on a World of Words and thought I would participate in it too! It's open to all to participate.

All you have to do is simply answer the following three questions:


What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?


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Currently Reading: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is the second book in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (you will see a recurring theme here). Although I have read this and the first one previously- I have absolutely no recollection of what happens in either of them! This is terrible, but in my defence- I read them years ago. Anyway, reading them now is like reading them for the first time and I have to say, I'm really enjoying them. They are set in her Shadow Hunters world and are full of action, history and urban fantasy. And Cassandra Clare's romance plots are just the best!

Recently Finished: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

This is the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. I tore through this in less than 2 days, and it's a pretty chunky book. I adored it and even upped my original Goodreads rating from 4 to 5/5 stars. Action, adventure, world building and bad boys to drool over- what more could I want? Some of the 'plot twists' were a little predictable, although I don't know if that was just because deep down inside my brain I could remember what happened, or because I'm familiar with Clare's style of writing. Either way, it didn't bother me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Reading Next: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Did you guess? This is the only one of the trilogy I haven't read previously and I cannot wait. I have heard so many good things about this book I'm sure I'll get through it quickly.

My WWW Wednesday this week really isn't very diverse- but you can't beat a good series binge, right?

Share what you're currently reading- or thoughts on this trilogy in the comments!

Some of my Important Books

Welcome to my blog- grab a cup of tea and sit down and enjoy. I have started blogs several times in the past, and the first post is always the most daunting- you need to set the tone, right? Well I figured what better way to set the tone of my Book Blog, than to tell you a bit about my favourite books? I'm going to keep this list short and sweet today- it's by no means ALL of my favourite books. But it's a good start.

Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

Because: Duhh. Lets just get the obvious one out of the way, shall we? I grew up with these books. They were a huge part of my reading life- and I will always treasure them. I don't know if there will be anything that can quite live up to these ones!

Noughts and Crosses Trilogy by Malory Blackman 

Because: This, as well as Harry Potter, is probably one of the books that influenced me the most while growing up- and yet it's not as often heard of. I fondly think of this book as 'the first book to make me cry'. It deals with racial issues in a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. And there's four books! I cannot tell enough people to read this!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Because: Jane Eyre is my favourite classic. (Shhh, don't tell Pride and Prejudice). I love plain Jane- she's such a strong character. I love Mr Rochester. I love the history and the setting. Ahh, bliss! My copy is so dog-eared, a page has fallen out. Note to self- buy a new copy.

These are only three examples of books that have really shaped me as a reader- there's loads more I could add in a favourite category, but how many have a huge impact? I'm curious to know some or your important books?