Top Ten Tuesday: The first ten books I reviewed on The Review Diaries

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

Ah those were the days! The ones when I first started blogging and frankly was not the best, but I was young and bright eyed and eager to share my love of the books with the world!

It's been nine years, and looking back I fear that I somewhat questionable taste in some of my first reads and reviews for the blog. But it's always fun to dig them out and see how far I've come. So without further ado, here are the first ten book reviews I wrote for this site!

Matched by Ally Condie

A weirdly strange dystopian that never managed to capture my heart enough for me to finish reading the trilogy. It was still enjoyable, and I can recall a few of the details of the story, but not enough to make me want to revisit it.

You can read my full review here.

From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamara

Gosh I still love this book. A pitch perfect romance that takes some of the best parts of my very favourite rom coms and weaves them into a truly stunning debut. It's been years since I last read this one, but I'm feeling super nostalgic now and want to go back for a re-read!

You can read my full review here.

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn still holds my heart for the best historical murder mystery novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading. This book marked a shift in the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, stepping away from the will they/won't they of the first three novels, and showcasing what life together looks like for Julia and Brisbane. I still love this book and I revisit it frequently.

You can read my full review here.

Entice by Carrie Jones

I have vague memories of a super cold setting, faeries, and some norse mythology thrown in, but I couldn't tell you anything more about this book. Oh, the covers are quite cool. Yeah, that's it.

You can read my full review here.

Strictly Shimmer by Amanda Roberts

This was a terrible decision. No matter how much I enjoyed Strictly Come Dancing, this book was a poor life choice. I hadn't quite worked out how to review a book that I didn't like by this point, so I mostly just got frustrated. Spoiler alert, despite my intentions, I did not go back and subject myself to the second book - in fact I've no idea if it was even published.

You can read my full review here.

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Despite my better judgement and general vampire fatigue of the time, I actually enjoyed this vampire filled story. What I most remember about reading this one, was the feeling of sinking into a good story and becoming utterly lost inside it. It's not one I've revisited since, but I have fond recollections of reading it.

You can read my full review here.

New Cardiff by Charles Webb

I found the film (Hope Springs, starring Colin Firth) first and thoroughly love it, so I was intrigued to find out what the book was like. In answer, not at all like the film. A curious, fascinatingly written story, I found myself appreciating the book as its own entity and finished loving both.

You can read my full review here.

When the Duke Returns by Eloisa James

My love affair with Eloisa James was only really beginning way back when nine years ago. Thankfully it's still going strong, and her Desperate Duchesses series remains my favourite of all her works. Plus I love the UK covers.

You can read my full review here.

Entangled by Cat Clarke

A gorgeous debut novel I loved Clarke's writing, and have come back to her and her startlingly real stories many times over the years.

You can read my full review here.

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

This novel still makes me cry. All of Ali's do. It's beautiful, captivating, heart breaking, dark and twisty and filled with unexpected magic. It's a quiet novel that utterly ruined me, but I still think of it often.

You can read my full review here.

So there you have the first ten book reviews I posted on this site! I have to admit, it's been a blast going back and digging through my first few posts - working out which books I started with and what I remember of them. 

Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Standalone books I don't want a sequel for because they were perfect, but I still want to spend more time in the world

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

Well that title is a bit of a mouthful... And also is a little off-piste to what the topic actually is this week, which is standalone novels that I want a sequel for. But the problem is that a lot of the standalone novels that I love, I love because they are complete and whole entities on their own. I don't want more, but at the same time I wish I could go back and spend more time in the world... Dilemma.

Here are ten dilemmaful books that I both love and don't want more of at the same time. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Oh "the sky, and the sand, and the sea, and Corr." I would happily sell my soul for a chance to go back to Thisby, but equally I love this strange and perfect novel so much that it might break my heart to get more of this story. As it is now, it stands as this pinnacle of wonder and magic that I adore in so many ways, and return to often.
You can read my original review here, and see how my feelings changed on my re-read.

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
I just read this one a couple of weeks ago and I cannot get it out of my head. It was beautiful, startling, and utterly gripping. I can't shake the world from my head - the layered approach to the story, the characters that evolve over the course of the novel, the tightly compacted sprawling mess of world that is unknotted through these handful of interconnected characters. I love it.
You can read my full review here.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning... From the first, I was completely captivated by this lyrical, beautiful tale. There is nothing else quite like it. I could have spent so much longer exploring the circus tents alone, never mind spending more time with the characters. However as with everything on this list, it's another one that is perfect in its singular whole, and I wouldn't want to mess with that and risk being disappointed by a sequel.
You can read my full review here.

Fire by Kristin Cashore
After Graceling I never thought I could love another set of characters by Cashore in the same way as I did Katsa and Po. Then I met Fire and Brigan and I was utterly lost. This novel is gorgeous. A wonderful world, with complex and layered characters and such a stunningly beautiful story that weaves everything together. Yes we get a brief cameo for Fire in Bitterblue, but I want to just spend more time with Fire and Brigan in their day to day lives.
You can read my full review here.

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
It's been well over a decade since I've read this one, so I don't remember details, more a vague blurry feeling from when I read it. I loved it. It broke my heart, I sobbed over this book in a way I rarely do. It was perfect and strange and wonderful and I wanted more, but at the same time not, because I loved it as it was. I think it might be time for a re-read.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
My first foray into Novik's writing, this one made a definite mark. It was such a twisty tale, one that refused to be pigeonholed. Every time I thought I had a grasp of the kind of story being told, she'd flip everything on its head and leave me scrambling. It was a really exciting and vivid world, with some really wonderful character development, and I'd love to spend some more time delving into spin offs without touching on the main story thread.
You can read my full review here.

Speak Easy, Speak Love by George McKelle
Much Ado About Nothing, set in 1920s America. I didn't think this could possibly work, but work it did, and swiftly turned into one of my favourites.

It's a wonderful retelling, full of favourite moments from the original, as well as fresh twists and new perspectives. I loved these characters so much, and was sad when I reached the end of the tale. Sure, that was the end of the play, but part of me really wanted to spend more time with these people, after the final act.

You can read my full review here.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
I adore all of Sarah's books - they're sassy, filled with brilliant characters and wonderful twisty plots. "In Other Lands", her most recent novel, is a standalone that combines all of the above, with a brilliant Harry Potter esq vibe magic school. Don't worry, nothing that similar, but that gives you a feel for the scope and design behind the book. Years of schooling crammed into one book, the story doesn't feel rushed, giving you a wonderful view in on Elliot's life and world. Plus amazing romance, glorious characters, and an all round amazing story. I adore this book and I want more.

The Game of Love & Death by Martha Brockenbrough
Oh this book. It's such a beautiful story, and one that haunts me to this day. I adored Flora and Henry, watching them come together and find themselves, each other, and their places in the world. The concept is stunning and Martha writes with a deft poetical magic that left me captivated and spellbound.
You can read my full review here.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Quiet, haunting, this was such an unexpected delight when I found this one. Eowyn's debut was absolutely spot on, filled with desolation and loneliness, but suffused with a perfect, impossible to capture, magic. Even though it's been years since I've read this one, it's a story that hit some nerve within me and stayed embedded in my heart long after I finished it. One day I'll go back and recapture that.
You can read my full review here.

There you have ten of my favourite standalone novels that I both want more of and really want them to be left solitary and perfect. It's a confusing state! Tell me some of yours in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Places I want to visit after reading about them

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

I've gotten a lot of my wanderlust from reading - there's nothing like a well written book that opens up new places and makes you want to go and visit them for yourself. Some of them I've already managed to visit, but there are still plenty on my wish list!

Here are five places that I would absolutely love to visit, and the books (and in one case TV show) that have inspired that.

Capri
"I Love Capri" by Belinda Jones
One day, I will get there. This book has inspired my desperate yearning to visit Capri for nearly twenty years. I loved all of Belinda's books and exploring these romantic and beautiful places, but something about this book and the descriptions of Capri, has set off a desperate desire to see the place for myself. Who knows, maybe this year will finally be the year I escape to Capri...


New York
"City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare
This was the first book where I really felt an attachment to this city, where I found myself wanting to experience this slightly crazy place for myself. The seeds were planted many years ago reading "Drina dances in New York" by Jean Estoril - as well as wanting to sail there instead of flying, but that's beside the point... But it was with this book that that really flowered into a desperate need to see this city for myself instead of through the eyes of other people.

Japan
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden
Ok, Japan is quite a large area compared to the other more specific places on this list, but it's more a specific event that I want to experience, and this book was the start of that. I desperately want to see the cherry blossom trees one spring. Every description, every instance in fiction, cements that desire, and the certainty that it would be one of the most beautiful things to witness.


Versailles
"Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon
There have been several books exploring Versailles, but none has stuck with me like this one. I want to see this incredible place for myself, wander the halls, see all the opulence, and then find myself an incredible dress to waft around pretending I'm royalty for a while...

New Orleans
TV: The Originals / "The Casquette Girls" by Alys Arden
It just looks and sounds like such an incredible city, and I want to meander the French Quarter for myself. Over the course of five seasons of the show, New Orleans came to feel a bit like another home - and I wanted nothing more than to go and explore these streets for myself. Reading The Casquette Girls only cemented that feeling.

And five that I've managed to tick off already.

Prague
"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor
Although I was incredibly sad not to be able to visit Poison (it's now a karaoke bar) it was still incredibly exciting to wander the streets of Prague and try and find some of the places that Karou goes to.

Paris
"Anna and the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins
Anna exploring Paris was exactly what I needed to make living in France less scary. So when I had the chance to take a few days to explore the city for myself, I was incredibly excited. Seeing all these places that Anna had described for me, and chasing in her footsteps was such a fun experience.

Edinburgh
"Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon
Alright, technically I had already visited Edinburgh (a lot) before I read "Dragonfly in Amber", but I happened to read this book whilst I was staying there. I read the chapters set in Holyrood Palace, and then spent the following day wandering the Palace for myself. There's something incredibly exciting about being able to find the places in reality after reading them in fiction.

Venice
Too many books to count...
Venice has always been on my desperate wish list. From exploring it in Belinda Jones' "The Love Academy" to more recent excursions in "The Book of Life" by Deborah Harkness. It was one of those magical places that I was terrified couldn't live up to my imaginings. Yet it did. It was an astonishing, incredible, wonderful place to visit. Full of colour and life and magic, it opened up before me as though lifted from my dreams.

Dubrovnik
"A Game of Thrones" by George R R Martin
Alright, technically this is based on the TV show, I admit. But after seeing so many of these incredible places stand in for locations in Weteros and Essos, I was desperate to see them in real life. It was incredible and really surreal to find the steps outside the sept of Baelor, to see the view from the blacksmiths that Gendry worked at, and to visit the insanely beautiful and peaceful island of Lokrum to find the Qarth garden party.

There you have mine, now tell me some of yours! What are some places you've been inspired to visit because of books you've read? And are there any you'd still love to go to? Tell me in the comments below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Totally Meant to Read in 2018 and Failed to

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

Sure, 2018 was a year of me finally climbing (slowly) out of my reading slump, but there were a whole load of books that sat forlornly on my to read pile as I kept promising I'd get to them and (repeatedly) failed to. This year, books, I promise...

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
I loved Seraphina and then loathed Shadow Scale. So I both desperately want to read and don't want to read this latest from Hartman. I'm working up to it slowly. I'll start it when it least expects me to and take it by surprise.

Onyx & Ivory by Mindee Arnett
I totally meant to read this one over the festive break but never quite got to it. It's another one that I'm super excited to read though, so it won't be long before I get there. And I totally haven't been saying that since I bought it in July...

Hunted by Meagan Spooner
So many good things have been floating around about this, and I've picked it up to start it several times, only to get side-tracked by other things. I'm probably mostly just afraid it won't live up to my high hopes.

A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
I seem to be a year behind on these... I read book two as book three was coming out, and now I'm getting to the third book just as the fourth book is released. One day I'll catch up!

The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
I adore Julia Quinn's books so I have no idea why I've failed so terribly at getting on to this one. Maybe I'm just saving it for a rainy day when I really need a burst of sunshine and happy romance.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
I'd hoped to read this one before the fourth season came out, but I think I missed that window of opportunity. Alas, it will wait and tide me over when the season is over and I'm missing Claire and Jamie.

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
I've finally caught up with Strange the Dreamer in the first few weeks of this year, but I still haven't caught up with everyone else and read the sequel to the dark and beautiful tale from Laini Taylor. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the first book, and going into the second I still don't really know, but I'm excited. 

Prudence by Gail Carriger
Following the completion of The Parasol Protectorate series, I've managed to miss all of Gail's new novels. They're stacking up nicely on my to read pile for an excellent binge session soon.

The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
I really loved the first book, I found the second one really weird and thoroughly baffling, and as a result the third book has just sat in perpetual anticipation for me finally finishing this trilogy.

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
I adored the first two books, yet something didn't quite work when I picked up this third one. I think I must have been in the wrong frame of mind, so I'm waiting for the right moment to go back to it.

Now over to you, tell me some of the books you wanted to get to and didn't quite make it to in time last year!

Top Ten Tuesday: New to me Authors in 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the fabulous Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl. You can join in with future topics here!

2018 was a bit more of a return to my old reading habits, and I tried to mix up favourite authors with some new discoveries. Some of these worked out better than others, so I've got a few new favourites to add to my auto-buy list, and a few that I probably won't try again.

Naomi Novik
Read: Uprooted
A really fantastic standalone and a great introduction to Novik's writing, I'm now really excited to find more by her and see what I've been missing over the last few years.

Deborah Harkness
Read: The All Souls Trilogy
I'm late to the party, I know, but with the arrival of the TV series these books cropped up on my radar again. I finally gave them a go, and whilst there was a bit of a wobble mid way through the trilogy, on the whole I loved these and they proved to be a highlight of my reading year.

Rebecca Ross
Read: The Queen's Rising
A truly gorgeous book, this one shot straight onto my list of favourites and I am desperately waiting for the second book in the series this spring.

McKelle George
Read: Speak Easy, Speak Love
A curious and gorgeous 1920s retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, this book just worked for me. I loved it, and I'm really curious to read more from George now.

Sandhya Menon
Read: When Dimple Met Rishi
A bright, light, wonderful young adult romance. I absolutely adored this one and I am so excited to read Menon's next novel. This just perfectly captured first love, with a really great cast of characters.

Shea Ernshaw
Read: The Wicked Deep
Lyrical, haunting, with a glorious heart to it, I adored this novel from Ernshaw. It was one of my favourite reads of 2018, and I'm really excited to see what she write's next.

Amanda Bouchet
Read: The Kingmaker Chronicles
These books had been calling to me ever since the first book came out and I read the first few pages and was suitably intrigued. I never got round to actually reading them until last year, and suddenly I couldn't get enough. I stormed through the trilogy in a matter of days, but I think the first book, "A Promise of Fire" remains my favourite.

Becky Albertalli
Read: Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda
A fresh and wonderful story, I read this around the same time the film came out and loved both. I finally know why everyone has been raving about this one, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to catch up...

Tahereh Mafi
Read: Shatter Me
I'd heard so much about this series, yet I never really caught the spark. It was enough to keep me entertained for a few hours, but not enough to make me go out and buy the rest of the series.

Kevin Kwan
Read: Crazy Rich Asians
Another instance of 'oh the trailer looks good I should really read the book!' I felt mixed about this book. It got a little bit heavy towards the end, and I've resisted picking up book two, but after really enjoying the film adaptation I think I've re-found my impetus to keep reading.

There you have ten new discoveries for me - are any of these new for you? Or are you shaking your head at how long it took me to pick some of these up?