Don’t judge me! (actually, I judge me for liking this book so, I can’t really say anything if you’re looking down on me). I’d also better warn for spoilers ahead.

So for anyone who somehow missed the phenomenon that is Twilight, and it’s many hardcore fans, here’s a summary. The Twilight series (4 books) is about a teenager called Bella Swan, and it follows her as she moves to a town called Forks, to live with her dad. It soon becomes clear that a boy in her school, Edward Cullen, is a vampire and that she may have accidentally fallen in love with him. Over the four books she almost dies a few times and discovers some other mystical people but, she also gets a cool vampire family so, who cares?(!)

I both love and hate this book. I love it because it’s a cheesy romance and it’s fun to read, and I just really enjoyed it when I first read it aged 12, but then I hate it for pretty much the same reasons.

Because, my love for it exists, despite the fact that Bella is completely useless and relies completely on Edward – which is a terrible example to set to any young girl. And then, Edward is kind of possessive and stalkerish which isn’t great. So my message here is, don’t read this book if you’re looking for good moral lessons, only if you want a fun story to read …oh, and if you like werewolves and vampires.

Personally I much prefer the werewolves in this book to the vampires, I think they’re much less creepy (except for the imprinting on a baby and a two year old – that’s creepy as hell), and also they’re much more fun to be around. Plies, with a werewolf, you get your own personal hot water bottle for the winter, and a dog that understands everything your saying so, all wins in my opinion.

I suggest this book for age 11+, although maybe I’d be a bit careful with the last book as that has more mature themes. I think this is a fun book to read, just don’t give it to anyone who’s easily influenced by books.

So, anyone who is following me on Twitter has most likely noticed that I read a hell of a lot less than I used to. At one point I was reading 50+ books per week – that’s not happening these days.

Honestly, I don’t really have an excuse, I just want to say that life has got in the way a bit. Things like school, gym coaching, homework, Duke Of Edinburgh, after school clubs, my phone, babysitting etc. And also, I just generally don’t read as much as I used to.

However, this does not mean that I don’t still love reading, because I genuinely do. It still cheers me up when I’m sad or angry, it still helps me escape when I need to, and I still love getting lost in a new story. It’s just that I’ve gone down from three books a day, to a slightly more average three books a week.

My apologies to anyone who wants me to start reading more again. The photos in this post, each represent one month’s worth of my reading this year ….once upon a time I read 160 books in a month 🤣

For anyone else who is having a similar problem, read when you want to read, not when other people tell you, otherwise it won’t be fun anymore.

I don’t understand the misconception that picture books are just for little kids. Books are books, and books are to read, and reading is for everybody.

Although i am 14 years old, I do still read picture books *GASP*. Horrible, yes, I know. But personally, I don’t see the problem with it. I mean, there are some picture books which have such amazing ideas behind them and teach such great morals. And, even if they aren’t teaching you something, they can still be funny, or sad, or scary, just like a YA or MG, or adult book.

As far as I’m concerned picture books are just books that happen to be shorter, so they are good for when you don’t have much time. Plus, they have amazing illustrations, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

So, I challenge everyone, next time they go to a bookshop or a library, to pick up a picture book along with their 28 other books (maybe that’s just me).

Everybody re-reads I think, and if you don’t then I really don’t understand you, and (controversial statement!) you’re obviously not enough of a bookworm.

So, re-reading is exactly what it sounds like. It’s when you read a book (or part of a book) that you’ve read before, or if you’re like me and are slightly obsessive, you re-read it fifty times, rather than once.

I love re-reading books especially my favourites (Harry Potter, The Glory, Heartland, The Girl Who Walked On Air, One Silver Summer, any Holly Webb books… ) because, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as reading a book too many times. Those people who say “knowing what happens ruins it” are wrong. If it’s a truly good book, and you genuinely love it, then knowing the plot doesn’t ruin it at all.

Re-reading is also great for if you have just read something scary and can’t sleep *cough* Stephen King *cough*, then picking up an old lighthearted book and re-reading a favourite chapter can help you sleep, or if you’re feeling sad a familiar story and characters can cheer you up.

And MAYBE i should re-read a little less, as I have a to-read bookcase filled with about 500 books, but you know what, I will read what I want to read, when I want to read it, and either way it’s reading, right?

I think everyone, of every age, needs to re-read their favourite books.

Super Duper You

Everybody loves a picture book, right?

Super Duper You is from the perspective of a brother who is talking to his little sister, and telling her to be a “super duper her”. He talks about all the different things that make her herself.

I think this book is so cute. The illustrations are adorable and the story concept is really good. It’s a great book, both to read aloud to younger kids, and then to help them read it themselves because it’s quite short and has big text.

As well as being adorable, and easy to read, it somehow manages to teach some amazing morals; that every weird or unusual thing about you is just a part of what makes you uniquely you, and that this is a good thing. This is so important because the older kids get, the more different and out of place they’re likely to feel but, this book tells them that it’s great to just be yourself.

I suggest this book for every age, but especially up to 5 or 6 years olds. And I think it’s a perfect book for homes, libraries, nurseries and primary schools.

Can You See Me? is written by Libby Scott & Rebecca Westcott, and published by Scholastic.

For anyone out there who thinks they’re the only weird one, or the only one who doesn’t know how to act in certain situations, or doesn’t like what everyone else likes, don’t worry, you’re not the only one – I can prove it as I feel like that every day, and this is one of those books that helps you to see how different we all are.

Can You See Me is about 11 year old Tally. She’s just starting year 7, and so far it’s not going well. Her friends have changed over the summer, high school is a lot harder than primary school, and her sister hates her. She’s also autistic, but is determined no one will know, because otherwise how will she learn to be “normal”?

Books like this are so important as, way too often people like Tally are dismissed, as crazy or stupid, when that’s obviously not true and they are just as much “people” as all the neurotypical folk. Also, it’s just generally a really good book.

Tally is definitely my favourite character, with Rupert as a close second, but so many of the situations Tally faces, although they’re made harder by her autism, are issues that every teenager can relate to. I can also relate to Tally’s family, because my brother has ADHD, so it was really interesting to see a story told from the perspective of a person with a similar condition.

I suggest this book for probably age 9+, and I think it’s a really important book for all schools to get.

Stunt Double is written by Tamsin Cooke, has a front cover designed by Lizzie Robertson, and is published by OUP.

Finn gets to ride a motorbike, I am extremely jealous, and he gets paid to do really awesome stunts. This sounds like an amazing job.

Stunt Double, and it’s sequel Jungle Curse, are about Finn, a teenager with a talent for free running and acting, so when a job opportunity as a stunt double appears, it seems perfect. However when he gets to the film set, not everything is as it seems.

This is a really good series, mostly because it’s awesome reading about all the stunts he gets to do, and also about all the random stupid stuff Finn does for fun. As in, stuff that would take normal people years to learn, and that sounds impossible , but also that I’d really like to try.

The books have got fantastic plots, and characters that I love. Another really great thing about it, is that it’s definitely one of those series that’s going to appeal equally to boys and girls …there should definitely be more books like that.

I suggest this book for probably age 9+ and, I think it’s a great book for primary schools and libraries, and for any kid who fancies a bit of adrenaline filled adventure.

The Magnus Chase books are written by Rick Riordan and published by Puffin.

Potentially controversial opinion? I think the Magnus Chase series is better than the Percy Jackson series.

So, these books are about teenager Magnus Chase. After a pack of mysterious wolves kill his mum he is left homeless. Then, one day, after a very weird fight with a guy on a bridge, he finds himself in the Norse afterlife, and the series documents all his adventures.

Magnus Chase is amazing, probably because Rick Riordan is an amazing writer – I wasn’t throwing any shade at Percy Jackson before, I love those books too, it’s just that I love the Magnus Chase books more! Rick Riordan’s books have great storylines, are kind of vaguely educational, very funny and there is diversity too which, of course, we love.

I also think it’s really great that this is a book that appeals to boys, because although OBVIOUSLY everyone can read whatever they want to, it can be harder to start reading if the only book you see is romance, and lots of children’s and YA books are more focused on girls. My 11 year old brother also loves Magnus Chase (that’s him posing with a pile of the books) and we never agree on ANYTHING!

I do have a few favourite characters in this book, particularly Magnus and Alex, but honestly all the characters are so well written and funny that it’s quite hard not to love most of them.

I would suggest these books for probably age 9/10+ and I think all primary & secondary schools should have them, and bookshops and libraries need to stock them too.

Harry Potter is written by J.K. Rowling and published by Bloomsbury.

I’m not completely obsessed with this series, what are you talking about?!?!?!

If you don’t know what Harry Potter is, you’ve been living under a rock for 20 years but, I’ll be nice and tell you anyway. It’s about a boy called Harry who, on his 11th birthday, finds out he’s a wizard, goes off to a magic school called Hogwarts and finds out he is also The Chosen One. There are seven books in the series, and they document his adventures.

So, my mum probably won’t be too pleased with this review because, although she also loves Harry Potter (honestly, people who don’t are weirdos – I respect you completely, but you’re weird), she thinks that too many people like it for me to say it’s a favourite. But, the thing is, I genuinely love this series …and the movies, and the fandom (fan art, fanfic etc), and I could spout off random facts to you about it all day.

Harry Potter is also actually one of the books that got me into reading, because for those who don’t know I essentially couldn’t read at all until like year 4, and my mum reading all the Potter books to me is one of the things which finally made reading click for me.

Weirdly enough, for my 1st birthday, my aunt and uncle bought me a copy of Half-Blood Prince …it’s like they had a prophecy about me becoming a Harry Potter obsessed bookworm!!

I have like ten different favourite characters, including; Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Fred and George. On the other hand I have some serious dislikes; Snape, Vernon Dursley …and UMBRIDGE – honestly, she can die in a hole, and I’m not kidding, I want her dead more than Voldemort, she’s an evil she beast.

Although I know there are many things that people have pointed out as wrong with these books, I love them, and I think everyone should have the chance to read it. Therefore…

I recommend these books for every age and every place, and absolutely everyone should try them.

Slay is written by Kim Curran and is published by Usborne.

I’m doing this review purely from my very bad memory (again, I know I do this a lot but, I can’t ONLY recommend books I’m reading now!) so if it’s bad I apologise.

Slay (and it’s equally brilliant sequel Slay On Tour) is a book is about a teenage, demon fighting, boy band (yes, it’s cheesy but I 100% mean that in a good way!) and Milly, a girl with a famous mother. The book documents what happens when their lives intertwine.

Although it’s actually a while since I read these books, I really enjoyed them, and now that I have my blog, I can spread the word! Because, who doesn’t love a group of demon fighting boys, with the added bonus of being able to sing, and an awesome woman taking back her power from her mother?!

Anyway this is a really good book, and great fun to read, which a lot of the time is exactly what you need

Oh, and *maybe* my love for these books has something to do with my love of One Direction and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Maybe.

I’d recommend these books for age 10+, and think they’d be great for schools and libraries (& for Buffy & 1D fans!)