THIS BOOK YOU GUYS

Sophie Cameron's debut novel was STUNNING. Seriously. I never thought I could love a book about angels falling from the sky so much but I REALLY REALLY DO. As usual, I never do synopsis' justice so I'll copy the goodreads one for you all!
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Today I want to share with you guys the popular books that I haven't read! I narrowed my list down to 14 books but I definitely had plenty more, as well as who knows how many that I don't actually own so there may be a part 2 at some point in the future!

Hello readers!

I decided to try something new for my blog tour stop for the lovely Akemi Dawn Bowman's book Starfish. I thought I'd attempt a reading vlog so you could get my thoughts as they happened rather than a review that consists of "OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK UGHHHH" because you deserve better content than just that! 

However, I spend 90% of this vlog hating on Kiko's mum and I also spend a good chunk of time trying to figure out why someone like Kiko's mum was even with a Japanese guy in the first place since she can't stand her kids heritage... I also swear far too much but I'm Scottish and angry because Kiko is so precious and I love her and her damn mother is a hot mess who needs therapy and a good slap.

I'm still mad... can you tell? I'll stop rambling now and leave you guys with my vlog below! Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful bloggers who are taking part in the blog tour and be sure to pick up a copy of this stunning book! 

From April 2-29th, the O.W.L Examinations - Ordinary Wizarding Levels - are being held and I'm so excited to sit mine!! G at BookRoast has created this readathon and you can get all your information about it on her announcement video.

I am planning to take at least 4 O.W.Ls though I have books picked out for all 12 subjects so I can pick and choose - plus, I need 5 to get an Outstanding! 

Each subject has a challenge and you cannot double up a book. If you want 12 O.W.Ls you must read 12 books! I will detail below each subject and what their challenge is as well as my pick! Head on over to my BOOKTUBE channel and leave a comment letting me know what you're reading and be sure to subscribe <3

OH.

MY.

GOD.

1 YEAR.

It really doesn't feel like a year ago I was sat in a caravan setting up "booklycat.weebly.com". It's been a crazy year with domain purchases and name changes but it's also been so much fun! From chairing my first event to receiving some amazing ARCs and best of all, sharing my thoughts with everyone who reads I've come a long way in a year. 

This blogiversary happens to coincide with my return to booktube and reaching 100 subscribers there so to celebrate I thought I'd give you all a good giggle... I decided to react to my first ever TBR video.

It's been three years since I shared all the books I owned at the time and was yet to read and you'd think with the title "teeny tiny TBR" that it would have been easy to read them all within a year... let me know in the comments how many you think I'll have read - there's 23 books in total!

If you enjoyed the video please be sure to like the video and if you feel like it, leave a comment letting me know if you want to see more reaction videos! Also, to let my blog readers in on a secret - when I hit 1000 subscribers I'll be hosting an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! So be sure to subscribe now to be in with a chance :)

// emma

Across the Galaxy is not a theme I would usually find myself interested in unless it involves Doctor Who, but even though Sci-Fi isn't my thing and this box wasn't my favourite I still enjoyed this months Owlcrate and I hope you guys enjoy my unboxing!

I've hit 100 subscribers on my youtube channel (emmanovella) and it's almost my first blog birthday soon so there *might* be something exciting coming your way in a few days!! <3

// emmanovella

I'm sure you all saw the news that Little, Brown UK are publishing the screenplay for The Crimes of Grindelwald and I'm also sure you fall in to one of two camps: hyped and uhhhh how shall I say it?? pissed.

This announcement comes not too long after that of the paperback editions of the illustrated Harry Potter books and at this point I just feel a little... frustrated. It feels like... in fact I KNOW that we, the Harry Potter fans, are being taken for as mugs. Not muggles - just downright mugs. 

They KNOW we will pay the money for more *official* books EVEN if we already own it... in several different editions. I currently have SEVEN editions of Philosopher's Stone.

Wait... no... I have 8.

It's crazy and completely unnecessary but I like collecting books. Even so, I collect books in different editions, cover changes, foreign countries and even in different languages yet I haven't been meaning to collect the philosopher's stone. Four of the 8 copes have the original cover art. I haven't collected any of the other UK covers. I have so many copies not because I want them, but because there is such a buzz surrounding a "new" Harry Potter that I feel I have to buy it, or I think I "need" it. I don't. 

I don't need nor want to spend my money adding more and more of the same book to my collection. I don't want a screenplay or a script. I read Cursed Child when it came out and DEVOURED it but a year and a half later when I saw the stage show I realised how bad the book was. The book wasn't there for us to read (trust me, the play is INCREDIBLE but the book does absolutely no justice to the story) it was there so we'd all rush out at midnight (ahem... WORK yup. I had to work the midnight release. Madness that was) and spend our money on it. 

It's the same with this. It's to make money. I know that's what all book releases are about but there's a difference. Books are written to tell and share a story. This screenplay was written to make a film. A film everyone will want to see and will make millions at the box office. This screenplay was obsolete. The film is made. They don't need it. It's redundant. So how to make even more money off a fandom who will throw any amount of money at anything saying "JK ROWLING OFFICIAL"? Bind it and sell it. 

Don't get me wrong - I probably will do the same as I did when I saw Fantastic Beasts on release day: go straight round to Waterstones and grab the book and a pop figure or two (Grindelwald pleaseeee).

But I can't help feeling a little disgruntled by the blatant money grabbing now. It's been nearly four years since the first illustrated edition came out so why only now are they announcing the paperbacks? It's like the forgot about them and in some meeting someone just went 'umm... you know we could totally convince people to buy the illustrated books if they were cheaper so why not make them paperback? and I don't know... include a poster of a dragon or something". 

I don't know guys. I love that the magic is still alive but I'm a bit fed up of screenplays and new editions. Give us a marauders book or something and if JK doesn't want to write that then stop milking a book that came out 21 years ago? 
It's getting to the point that it has more editions than classics have (not quite but you get my drift). 

I know, I know, it's us the readers and fans who keep buying them but they could make it seem a little less... ugh I don't know. I guess I just think that in the last year and a half since the Cursed Child release it's been non-stop new editions and I'm just over it. Gimmie a break in between lads.

What do you think? Should we be getting so many editions or should they chill? Would you like to see more books/series get special editions?

// emmanovella

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a musical. Dear Evan Hansen is one of the few I adore just from listening to the soundtrack. I have a rough idea on what the story follows but I haven't seen the show so I don't quite know the full story. 

But I just found out that author Val Emmich is writing an adaptation that will be published by Little, Brown in October. Are you excited? Because I am SO excited!!

The best part is that I'll be in NYC the just after publication so if it doesn't get picked up in the UK for release around that time I can grab my copy then.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with DEH, goodreads provides this for a synopsis:

I absolutely cannot wait to read this book and I am a BIG fan of that cover. Let me know what you guys think: is this a good idea and would you like to see more musical to book adaptations? 

// emmanovella

Well... if getting a new John Green* last year was exciting, Markus Zusak sure knows how to up the game.

Obviously, nothing will ever replace The Book Thief, but I have high hopes for anything that comes from its author so you can imagine my delight when I received an email from Waterstones informing me that after over a decade of work on it, Bridge of Clay is finally ready for publication... ON MY BIRTHDAY!
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I don't have words to talk about my love for Jerry Spinelli. He's not a hugely talked about YA author and most people only know him as the author of Stargirl - which is definitely one of my favourite books. 

When I was in Paris, I spotted his name in the YA section of Shakespeare and Co and as it was a nice floppy paperback in a slightly larger size for only €11 I knew I had to buy it.
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