Friday 23 April 2021

What Mrs Hallow Read This Quarter [January - March]

 


The first of our quarterly round-up posts of what we have read in 2021 is here! The year started off slow. I began with picking back up a book that I actually started in September 2020 and because it was still taking so long to get through I had to put it down or risk not finishing anything in January at all! 
As the months have passed, I've fallen back into a good rhythm. See below to find out what I've been reading. 


January 

The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The sequel to The Twisted Tree. I adored the first book and had been waiting and waiting for this, so when my pre-order arrived I threw my other book to the side and whipped my way through this. I loved it just as much, if not more than the first book and hope to goodness Rachel writes more!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1) by Lewis Carroll, Jodie Comer (Narrator)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It seems sacrilege to rate an Alice in Wonderland book less than 5 stars, but this was an audiobook and although it's the same story, I just didn't enjoy this audio version as much.


February

Animals (Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge #1) by Sergio Frugis
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have the full set of Disney's Wonderful World of Knowledge books from the 1970s and instead of them taking up a huge chunk of bookcase space for no reason I am going to slowly make my way through them all. The first was obviously something that greatly interests me - Animals. However, considering the age of the 

Through The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #2) by Lewis Carroll, Harlan Ellison (Narrator)
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ditto to the above!

The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Controversial I know, however, this had been pre-ordered and I was interested in the story. I in no way agree with many of this authors opinions and fully support all LGBTQIA+ communities. 
So removing the stain of the author's name, the story itself was a fairytale style that I very much enjoy and the inclusion of illustrations from children around the world was a lovely touch.

A Tangle of Spells (A Pinch of Magic #3) by Michelle Harrison
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
More!! I adored 1 and 2 so obviously, 3 was going to be a hit. 


March

Viva Durant and The Secret of the Silver Buttons by Ashli St. Armant, Bahni Turpin (Narrator)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was an audiobook I found while searching the free Audible Stories website and I liked the sound of the synopsis. I enjoyed this so incredibly much and can only hope it gets turned into a series. Not only did the whole storyline move at a good pace, with fantastic characters but the narration, music and overall audio experience took it to a completely different level! 

The Desolations of Devil's Acre (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #6) by Ransom Riggs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Having also had the signed hardback of this pre-ordered, it was another I had to get to as soon as possible. Despite the length of these books being greater than my current reads (most of which are middle grade) I still fly through them because they are just right up my street, this entry in the series is no exception.

Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) by Victoria Schwab
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The 4th five star in a row?! Indeed! And yet another pre-order from an already loved series.

The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7) by Lemony Snicket
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm still slowly working my way through the Series of Unfortunate Events and you can look back at my previous Quarterly Round-Ups for my feelings on these books because I have repeated myself too many times at this point. 

Aesop's Fables with Colin Hay by Tom Graves
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Considering my enjoyment of fairytales and fables, from the Brothers Grimm to Hans Christian Andersen, it's surprising I had never read Aesop's Fables. I very much enjoyed listening to this, Colin Hay's accent was a nice touch.

Rumaysa: A Fairytale by Radiya Hafiz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*Klaxon Sound* Another 5 star!!! The last book of the quarter was also a pre-order and something that I fell in love with before even opening the cover. Encompassing 3 separate, popular fairytales into one inclusive, magical, beautiful story featuring inspiring strong females and cultures other than the 'norm', I think anyone with a child or an adult fan of fairytales needs a copy of this.


12 books over 3 months and a good start to the reading year! 50% of those were 5-star ratings which makes it even better. Here's to continuing the good reading into the second quarter.


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