Month in Review: June

Why does it seem like the moment I am done school, I actually find I have less time to read? I think it's because breaks in between classes and obviously required reading makes me read more. But now that I'm working eight hour shifts at a time, I have less time to crack open a book. Anyways, here's an update on a not so productive reading month:

What I Read: 

The Sands of Ammon (Alexandros #2) by: Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Iain Holliday (Translator): 2/5 stars

And that's it. This is the only book I read in June. I'll post a full review of this book, but basically I wouldn't call it my favourite book of the month (even if it was my only book), because it was just: meh.

What I Blogged: 

Blogging wasn't very productive either. However, I did finally post my review of My Lady Jane, which was so awesome to write because the book was, well, AWESOME. You should check it out.

Favourite Blog Posts: 

Cee talks Anxiety and Worrying about Sh*t She Doesn't Care About 

Erin discusses The Redundancy in A Court of Frost and Starlight 

Veronika talks about All the Stuff that Annoys Her in Book Reviews 


Life Stuff: 

All work and no play makes Emily a sad girl. I feel like I missed out on a lot of fun things this month because it's all just work, work, and more work. I know the money pays off but, when I see my friends all doing fun stuff without me, it does dampen my mood.

However, my manager has been so gracious to give me July 1st off, which for those of you who don't know, is Canada Day, and I am so excited about it!! I've gotten used to having to work through summer holidays, so the day off to just be patriotic af will be great. I'm looking forward to it.

So that was my June. Kinda boring if you ask me. But, I do have some fun things to look forward to in July.

How was your June?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

My Lady Jane by: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Published: June 7, 2016 by: HarperTeen
Pages: 491
Rating: 5/5 stars

Sixteen year old Edward is king of England, though he is much more interested in finding a nice lady to share his first kiss with rather than running an empire. He is also dying of a mysterious illness, and must find a successor. Edward's cousin Jane is a smart young woman with her nose in the books, who is less than enthused when Edward marries her off to Lord Gifford, an awkward man with an interesting secret, he shape-shifts into a horse. When Edward, Jane, and Gifford get caught up in a conspiracy for the crown, it is up to the trio to put aside their differences, before someone takes their heads.

If you have followed my blog for a long time you might know that I have been DYING to read this book for a long time. I just never really got the chance... until now. I was so happy to have finally experienced this hilarious masterpiece, and boy did I fly through this novel.

The commentary in this book is witty, charming, and so easy to get through. The authors continuously break down the fourth wall by incorporating their thoughts into the story, and there are little remarks here and there that would make any history or pop culture aficionado chuckle. (That Red Wedding reference.)

The characters are so lovable and incredibly well-written. Jane is smart and level-headed, Gifford is awkward but oh so charming, and Edward is sarcastic and pure. I was rooting for every single one of them and I think the authors did a great job at making their personalities add such wit into the story.

Let me get this straight, this book is a far-stretch from the actual story of Lady Jane Grey, but the premise is incredibly unique that I think even historians would let it slide. I have always been interested in British history, and this book takes a well-known story and puts a funny twist to it. The ending is a lot less dark than in the real tale, and I think that's what makes this story really heartwarming. It was just so fun.

Have you read My Lady Jane? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Month in Review: May

Emily continues to win at blogging by posting her May monthly review into June. *sighs.* ANYWAYS, if you still care, here's what I got up to in May:

What I Read:

Dear Evan Hansen by: Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul: 4/5 stars
Love from A to Z by: S.K. Ali: 4/5 stars
Crazy Rich Asians by: Kevin Kwan: 5/5 stars
Children of Blood and Bone by: Tomi Adeyemi: 2/5 stars

Favourite book: I flew through Crazy Rich Asians! It's a pretty hefty novel for being a romance, but it was funny, informative, and so addictive. I have also finally watched the movie and I am just in love with this whole story.

What I Blogged:

I actually did well in scheduling posts ahead of time in May. Well, besides this post. My favourite blog post in May was My Favourite Resources for Writing for Fun. It was fun sharing some tips!

Favourite Blog Posts:

Cee asks, "Is this Dystopia?"

Lais discusses Her Favourite Bookish Names 

Shayna reveals Characters that Remind her of Herself 

Life Stuff:

The most exciting thing that happened in May is that I bought my first car! It is really great to have some independence now and I am really happy with it. I feel so grown up lol.

I also have been working a lot more, which is good on the idea that I have to make more money, but it also means that I have had less time to do more fun stuff. Oh well, it'll all pay off in the end!

Since having a car means I can come and go as I please, I have been utilizing my library a lot more! It wasn't always accessible for me to go often, but now I am checking out a ton of books at a time lol. Hopefully this means more reading!

That was my May! How was yours?

Emily @ Paperback Princess