Lotte's Shelves

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST BY MASON DEAVER 12/7/22 Wow. What can I say. This story was beautiful. Granted, it starts off pretty rough for Ben, but the overall story is wonderful. It was so good in fact, that I literally read it in one sitting. I think it was so easy to read because there was a lot of dialogue and that’s what draws you in, you feel very connected to the characters. What I also loved is it was very real, the accepting characters saying they might get pronouns wrong when they first learn Ben is non-binary, but apologising to them and really trying their best. (We don’t talk about the parents in this though. Ew.) I also liked that we got to hear Ben’s inner thoughts about how they felt about certain situations. Especially the anxiety of everything as it’s just all so realistic. A beautiful read and I urge everyone to read it. NOW. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

 RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE BY CASEY MCQUISTON 11/7/22 This is a classic love story of enemies to lovers which is always great but what make it even better is that it's gay! This is such a gripping story, I read most of it in one sitting! I didn't really like Alex to begin with, I was actually more enamoured with the character of Henry (and no, not just because he's the British one!)  Over time though, Alex grew on me and by the end I loved them both. My only fault (if you could call it that) with this story is that the young boys are sex-obsessed and I know that's what a lot of relationships are like, especially in the beginning, but I would love to  read a book where the characters aren't constantly on each other like bunnies. That being said, I guess it shows their love for each other and let's us know they are definitely infatuated with each other. I'm very excited to see the movie when it comes out! Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES BY SUZANNE COLLINS 20/6/22 I think I read this trilogy many years ago but I didn’t remember enough of the details so thought I’d reread them. They did not disappoint. I think the second book “Catching Fire” was my favourite of the three, maybe because you’re familiar with the characters and know their mannerism’s. The third book is a lot more complicated than the first two but just as enjoyable and it’s a good ending to the series. I now need to watch all of the films (and read the latest edition to the series, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” which is a prequel!) as I would love to compare them. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

THE WINDSOR KNOT BY S.J. BENNETT 11/5/22  This book was very compelling for me from the get-go as I'm interested in the Royal Family in general, but also it's a murder-mystery which is one of my favourite genre's of books. I loved all of the twists and turns the story had, and it was very amusing. I don't know how much of the Queen's behaviour/ dialogue is accurate to what she's really like, but it was great nonetheless. I will say though, it did get quite confusing at times. Whether it's because there were so many character names in the story, or because it's based in Windsor and there's a lot of place names in the castle, sometimes I just got a bit lost. I would say I know a lot about the royals but even I got confused occasionally. But it was still a fun book. Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

  WITH THIS KISS BY CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER 11/5/22 What I love about Carrie’s writing is there’s always an aspect of magical realism that makes you feel like it almost could happen in the real world. Whether you want it to or not (especially with this story!) When I first read the blurb of this book, I thought it was such an interesting concept, like nothing I’ve ever heard of before so I was very excited to read it. I have to tell you, I was not disappointed!! It was a highly compelling read from start to finish, I really did find it hard to put down! I personally don’t think it was predictable at all, there were things I hoped would happen that did by all means, but I found it twisted and turned in ways you least expected from the get go. And that always keeps a story interesting. The only thing I’ll mention is the fact that the trans character that was introduced in the book wasn’t quite executed as well as they could have been. And they were only mentioned once which kind of felt...

  THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY BY MATT HAIG 2/4/22 This was such an inspirational read. From the start I thought it was going to be quite sad and thought I may not enjoy it but how wrong I was! I feel truly uplifted after reading this and, not to sound cringey, but it really makes you grateful for life and think about how truly wonderful it is. I really liked the whole philosophical aspect of the story too. As someone who doesn’t know much about that topic (it’s quite vast and I do not have the kind of brain to understand it all!) I really enjoyed learning little theories that were thrown in. The main character studied philosophy and university so she would often relate back to things she’d learnt and I think that’s what made it even more interesting. I hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I did, and I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Has it changed anyone’s perspective of life? It’s sure changed mine slightly! Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx

THE VIRALS SERIES BY KATHY REICHS 1/4/22 Hello to you all, It’s been 3 months since I posted on here as life has gotten in the way a little. That and the fact that I was reading a 6-book series so that took some time. The Virals series is by Kathy Reichs, notorious for her “Bones” series. These are like the teenage version of those; her character “Temperance Brennan” features in this series as her grandniece “Tory Brennan” is the main character here. The stories are truly wonderful, gripping from start to finish, throwing curveball after curveball at you to always throw you off the scent of who the bad guys are. I’m sad I have no finished the 5 part series (the 6th book being a collection of short stories that slot in between a few of the main 5). However, it has definitely urged me to delve into the world of “Bones” so if you see me reading that 24-part series later in the year, you know why! As per, if you have any book recommendations for me, let me know! Happy reading! Lotte :) xxx...

I’M COMING FOR YOU 2022! 31/12/21 This year I should have read more books than I did. I easily could have, but I always felt there was something more important to be doing. Which there often was, but not always 😂 Anyway, I’m pleased to say that apart from rereading Harry Potter at the start of the year, the other books I read this year were all new; I’d never read them before. And that’s going to be my aim for 2022 too. That and read more than 12 books which is how many I managed in 2021. I also started a BookTube but I wasn’t very consistent in posting on there. I just haven’t had the inspiration that I had when I first started the channel. So I might post on there this year but who knows. My first book of the year is going to be “Virals” by Kathy Reichs. It’s the first in a series of 5 books and a 6th book which has 4 relating short stories in it. I think I may have read “Virals” years ago but only the first book and I can’t remember any of it so I’m excited to read this whole serie...