However, I couldn't not post my March book haul! The last month was one of the best I have had in so long in terms of what I read and enjoying what I read. I am aware with my exams coming up that it's probably time to cut out my beloved fiction books and replace them with text books for a little while. As a result, I wanted to make sure that I read as much as possible and I had a really great time!
I began the month by rereading my favourite book ever, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Luckily for me, this is one of my A Level English Literature texts and by far one of my go to books to read quickly. I managed to re read it in a day. I love how concise the writing is and how beautifully it was constructed. There is so much meaning and symbolism packed into around 200 pages. Fitzgerald is my favourite writer; revising for this particular exam paper is an absolute joy! 
Sometimes when you're exposed to the adult world for a long time, you need to submerge yourself into a good childrens story. When exams and uni prep get a little too much for me, I like to read a good Michael Morpurgo or Philip Pullman classic. For Christmas I recieved this gorgeous illustrated copy of Pax by Sara Pennypacker and so last month, when I found myself overwhelmed, I reached for this. It was such a heartbreaking story. The first chapters had me almost in tears, desperately trying to cuddle my dog who just wasn't having any of it. Such a simple idea creates a beautiful story of love and perseverance and friendship. Never underestimate the power of a children's book. The illustrations in this copy are just stunning as well. I love this book so much. 
The next book I read is definitely one of my most treasured favourites. I bought it to help me get my head around the wider context of my Russian History course. It follows the story of a historian investigating the fate of a priest who was sent to a gulag back in the 50s for writing an anti-soviet poem. Usually I find non-fiction books a little hard to get into. The Last Man in Russia is so beautifully written and poetic that I was gripped from the first page. I remember being so excited to sit down and read it. I have been telling so many people about this book and I think I managed to persuade my History teacher to read it too! If you're interested in history and Russia then it's definitely worth a read. 
We Were Liars was recommended to me by a friend in my Creative Writing group about a year ago. I managed to read it in a day; luckily I started it on a day where I only had one college lesson and so I had enough free time to get it finished. This book made me sob uncontrollably. I have never read a book with a twist like it. It is so clever and so heartbreaking. It's the kind of book I wish I could forget so that I can experience it again. I think every book lover should read this because there is nothing else like it.
The next book I reached for was a title I wrote down on my Christmas list without really thinking about it. If you've been following my blog/instagram for a while then you'll know about my blogging notebook. I write down any blog/video ideas in a notebook and I've also been writing down any books that catch my eye in the back. I had no idea what All The Ugly and Wonderful Things was about, but the cover looked so beautiful that I just had to write it down. It turned out to be a beautifully awful story! I couldn't tell throughout the whole thing who's side I was on or whether the events were wrong or not. I don't want to give too much away because I think not knowing adds to the impact; but this is the perfect story to convey the tragic impact of drugs and alcohol and also to get people questioning the justice system. It was difficult for me to read in places because I have a history with the kind of age gap in question and at times, it had me questioning what happened to me. Without going off on a tangent, the book is beautiful. And it's horrible. The title sums it up perfectly and Bryn Greenwood is now on my list of most admired writers. She grew up around drugs herself and she should be so proud of the wisdom she has managed to carry from it. My book hauls may be a little smaller over the next couple of months while I sit my exams; however, I'm planning on getting a bulk of new books AND starting a YouTube channel this Summer so do keep following my blog and social medias. Exciting things await...
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