December Wrap Up

Better late than never, right? Due to exams I did not have the time to post my December wrap up earlier.

These are the books I read in December 2017! Luckily I read a lot more in December than in November and I ultimately read 92 books in 2017! I'm quite pleased about that!

1. Kulti by Mariana Zapata
2. Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata 

Really enjoyed Mariana Zapata's books! Can't wait to read more! I gave them both 3 stars!

3. The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais

I got an e-arc from Netgalley and you can read my review here!

4. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

I was very productive in December, so you can read my review here.

5. Disney Manga: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Jun Asuka

You can find my review here!

6. Herding Cats (Sarah's Scribbles, #3) by Sarah Andersen 

You can find my fantastic review here :)

7. Night of Cake & Puppets (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2.5) by Laini Taylor 

This was lovely! I love Mik and Zusanna! Gorgeous illustrations and cute story! 4 stars!

8. The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral, #1) by C.L. Wilson

I liked this but I felt it could have been a little shorter. Definitely interested in reading the sequel. 3 stars!

9. The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming

This was fun! 4 stars!

10. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

I adored this book! Definitely my favourite of the month! It was absolutely fantastic! 5 stars!

11. Giant Days, Vol. 4 (Giant Days, #4) by John Allison

Love Giant Days and this volume was no exception! 5 stars!


Have you read any of the books mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

January wrap up coming soon! Have a great week everyone!



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My Bookish New Year's Resolutions

Better late than never, right? Since I have exams this month, I won't be able to post a lot but you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads to have some updates. These are my New Year's resolutions.

1. Goodreads challenge

I talked about this before but my Goodreads goal is to read 30 books (I hope to read way more but I don't want to feel pressured).

2. Read the Backlist Challenge

This is the first time I am participating in a challenge and I'm really enjoying it so far. I want to read the books that have been on my shelves forever like Vicious, Ready Player-One, The Bookthief and Fangirl. I say this every year but it never happens. This year will hopefully be different! I'm proud to be a Dewey Dragon, by the way!

3. Read 5 books over 500 pages long.

4. Read at least 5 adult fantasy books

5. Read at least 3 classics

6. Read at least 5 literary fiction books

7. Don't buy too many books when I don't have the space to store them

This is becoming a real problem. My shelves are too full and I have no space to add another bookshelf. A booklover's life is difficult!

8. Write at least 100 blogposts. 

I almost got there last year (94 blogposts) but my teaching practice schedule was insane (I basically did it in one semester but ideally it is spread over two) and I wasn't able to blog and read as much as I wanted.

9. Catch up on my Netgalley reads.

I now have 20 books approved and still need to read and review five of them. My current ratio is 75% which is not bad but I want to read the others before I request new books. The only problem with this is that I can't access most of these any longer and they are long overdue. I feel bad that I haven't read them yet.

10. Be more active in the book community!

I love this community and I feel like I'm doing better now that I have Twitter, Instagram and I am participating in a challenge, but I like to be even more active. The problem is, I don't really know where to start.

Which bookish resolutions do you have? Leave your thoughts down below!

Stacking the Shelves: New Year's Eve Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves is a meme co-hosted by Reading Reality and Tynga's Reviews. Each week bloggers share the books they got. These are the books I received on New Year's Eve from my family!

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot

I've heard great things about George Eliot and I can't wait to read one of her books! Middlemarch is quite intimidating, though! My parents got me this wonderful Penguin clothbound edition!

2. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

I've only read A Christmas Carol by Dickens but I hope to change that soon!

3. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

I've heard good things about this book, so I'm eager to read it, because MAGICIANS!

4. A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

Yes, I've already read this series and yes I already own two copies of this book, but I just couldn't resist adding this gorgeous collector's edition on my wishlist!

5. The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden

I finally got my hands on this book! I've been wanting to read it since it came out! 

They also got me the Dunkirk DVD! Haven't seen it yet, but really excited to do so!


Which books did you recently get? Have you read any of the books mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

Beat the Backlist Challenge

This year I would like to participate in more challenges. My Goodreads challenge is to read about 30 books. I am graduating in February (if all goes well during this month's exams) and then I'll be looking for a job, I don't know how much reading I will have left if I find one. I also want to read bigger books and not feel stressed about how many books I read this year. I do believe I will read a lot more books than 30, though.

Another challenge I would like to participate in, is the Beat the Backlist Challenge. I just discovered this challenge on NovelKnight's blog and it looks a doable and fun challenge. It will also help me read more books I already own. I hope to read at least 12 backlist books (meaning books published before 2018). 

This is the first time I'm participating in the Beat the Backlist Challenge and I'm not quite sure what to expect but I'm really excited to join!

Here are some of the books I would love to read this year for the Beat the Backlist Challenge!

- Vicious by V. E. Schwab

- The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

- The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

- Dark Matter by Black Crouch

and so many others! I never do well with TBR lists, so I am going to limit myself to these four.


Are participating in any challenges this year? Have you participated in this challenge before or are you planning to do so this year? Leave your thoughts down below!

My Favourite TV Shows of 2017

These are my favourite TV shows that I watched in 2017 for the first time, which means not all of them came out last year. These are in no particular order.

1. Las Chicas del Cable

I studied English and Spanish literature and linguistics and I started to watch this show because it was an original Netflix show in Spanish. I immediately got hooked to this period drama. There is so much drama, heartache and plot twists! And a lot of romance! Can't wait to watch season 3!

You can find my review of the first season here!

2. Firefly

In Belgium we have a Flemish version of Comic Con called Facts. Both Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin were guests at this event and I hadn't watched Firefly before, so I immediately needed to rectify that. From the first episode on, I fell in love with this show. It's a great tragedy it one got one season.

You can find my review here.

3. Stranger Things

I watched the first season last year, but the second one was equally as great. The ending was so cute! I can never get enough of this show and I am constantly complaining that their seasons should have more episodes!

4. Godless

Another wonderful Netflix creation I just recently watched with my dad (who LOVES Westerns). This is an incredibly good feminist western absolutely everyone needs to watch!

5. Sense8

The worst news of 2017 was the cancellation of this incredible diverse and awesome show. Can't wait to see how they wrap things up but I'm still hoping they will be able to continue the show after all (I feel the same about Firefly). If you haven't watched this yet, what are you doing with your life? Go watch it right now!

6. Sherlock

One of my all-time favourite shows. IT. IS. JUST. THE. BEST.

7. Vikings

If you like Game of Thrones, you should definitely be watching Vikings as well. Lagertha is my favourite character, she can rival any man. Ragnar, Rollo and Floki are close up there as well.

8. The Handmaid's Tale

It's not surprising that this would be on my list since Atwood's book is one of my favourites this year as well. Probably the best book to movie adaption I've seen all year. A must see for everyone!



Other shows I loved last year include: The Crown, Twin Peaks, Victoria, Poldark season 3, Daredevil, The Good Place (season 2), Girlboss, Game of Thrones, Glow, Lucifer, New Girl, Once Upon a Time and Santa Clarita Diet.



Which were your favourite TV shows last? I can always use more recommendations! Have you watched any of the shows mentioned above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

Top Ten Favourite Books I Read in 2017

These are the best books I read in 2017! They are listed in no particular order.

1. Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor 

This was just such a wonderful story! Laini Taylor has an incredible writing style and I can't wait to read the sequel, probably my most anticipated book this year!

2. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1) by Mackenzi Lee

This was such a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed every page! And the author actually interacted with me on Twitter! I want to read everything she publishes in the future! She writes the most amazing characters!

3. Giant Days volumes 1-4 by John Allison, etc.

This has quickly become one of my favourite comic series! It's such fun and the illustrations are so vivid and colourful!

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Loved the book and the TV show! Highly recommend both!

5. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Read this before the TV show came out, still need to watch it. The book was incredible, though! Atwood is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors!

6. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This book was incredible! Read it!

7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I had watched the movies several times but I know finally read the book as well! You are never too old enough to read this story!

8. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 

Mystery is a genre I almost never read, but this book was such a pleasant surprise! I just couldn't put it down!

9. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

I read three non-fiction books this year and I really liked all of them. I'm glad I'm branching out in so many different genres. Also really enjoyed the movie! I now always associate Simon and Garfunkel with this story.

10. Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab 

I now have three copies of the first book and I'm not even the least bit ashamed! Really enjoyed this series! I kind of hope Schwab will write more stories in this world!




I need some recommendations! Which books did you love last year? Have you read any of the ones above or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!