My favourite books of 2018

Now that 2018 is behind us, it's time to share with you my favourite reads of the year! I didn't want to write this post while we were still in 2018, just in case my very last read of the year became a new favourite, and in the end, that was a very wise decision! For this post, I ordered my favourites through chronological order, because I couldn't choose between some of them, but also because chronological order reflects my reading year more. That being said, let's jump right into it!

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Daphne du Maurier might be my favourite author, but I waited for as long as I could before diving into Rebecca. It's her most famous work - with reason -, but she wanted to be known for more than *just* that one, and I wanted to respect her in that. I had also watched 1997 mini-series years ago, so I already knew everything that happened. Yet, nothing can ever prepare you for the beauty of du Maurier's words. Rebecca is intoxicating, with an amazing gothic atmosphere and a fascinating plot. Like all of du Maurier's works, it made me want to visit Cornwall so much and I'm aching for the day I'll finally be able to go there. While I already knew the story, it still took me by surprise and upon finishing it, I had to go back to reread the first chapters of the story. Daphne du Maurier, I love you so much.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

At the time I read Renegades, I hadn't fallen in love with a young adult novel in six months. However, from the moment I picked that one up, I knew that my problem was fixed, because Renegades was everything I could have asked for. As I adore slow-paced plots and super abilities, this one was perfect for me and I couldn't get enough! This novel is about people you'd call superheroes, villains, but also secret identities and humanity, while giving you the points of view of characters who belong to two different sides. It has a very rich world, full of politics, and you're left wondering who the villains of the story are, which is something I adore. I have yet to pick up the sequel, but I'm so excited to see where this story is going!

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Ah, Children of Blood and Bone. One of the two books that put me in a fantasy slump for most of the year, because I loved it too much. I am often scared of the hype, but Children of Blood and Bone amazed me. The world-building was spectacular, it flew perfectly and introduced everything you need to know about Orïsha, where the series takes place. This book focused on racism, fear and hatred of people who are different from you and how those feelings can lead to prejudice, violence and even slaughter; it echoes our society, especially the stories about unarmed black men, women, and children shot by the police and it makes the story even more important. I also fell for all our main characters, without being able to pick a favourite and I've been missing them for months. 

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass is the second book that contributed to my fantasy slump. After these two, I couldn't read fantasy anymore without being disappointed, because they were too good. This novel is a Middle-East inspired fantasy novel (it's set in 18th century Cairo at first!) with a very dense plot and so many layers weren't revealed until the very end, which made me love it even more. I couldn't catch my breath because I always wanted to know what would happen next. As I have a soft spot for morally grey characters and The City of Brass had several, I couldn't help but love them. Moreover, I loved how it didn't make it easy for its characters mastering new abilities, because it can be the case in fantasy, but The City of Brass didn't suffer from it at all! It was such an amazing fantasy novel.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Sometimes, you are lucky enough to find a book that feels so much like you and you can't get enough of it. You know that this book and you will stand the test of time. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of mine. To be honest, it never is a good idea to make me talk about it, because that's it: I want to reread it again, as it feels so much like home. This book introduced me to one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read, as well as to one of my favourite fictional characters, Juliet Ashton. She inspires me so much and we share many similarities! Besides, I loved how much this novel was about reading and loving books, how books can bring us together during tough times. It also had so many different book references and I loved it all the more because of that: from the fact that Juliet was a writer who published a biography about Anne Brontë to the fact that it was set on Guernsey, where Victor Hugo was exiled (and wrote Les Misérables aka my favourite book), I couldn't have been happier. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo at the right time in my life and from the very beginning, I already knew it would end up being one of my favourite books ever and I already wanted to reread it. This book is about Evelyn Hugo, a very famous Hollywood actress, her life from the 1950s to today, her career and her seven husbands. I can't say too much, but I am thankful I've read this, I am thankful for what it brought me and I will reread it for the rest of my life. Evelyn Hugo was such an interesting character, she was ruthless, ambitious and so inspiring, she will stay with me for a very long time. I'm not saying anymore, but anyone who has read this will know what I'm talking about, but just thank you for it all Taylor Jenkins Reid. I reread it just recently, and I want to do so again.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman's books were so special to me this year, I binge-read them all back to back in a week (I rarely ever do that for a series or an author) and Alice Oseman became my newest favourite author. I read this one in June, when I was terrified of what my future would hold and it helped me so much. Frances Janvier became one of the characters I relate to the most and I am beyond grateful she exists in this amazing novel. Everyone has read this one years ago, so I'm very late to the party, but I am so thankful for this book, how nerdy it is, for Frances and Aled and for what it brought me. I adore Alice Oseman's words so much and I would read her grocery shopping list. It's been months now and I still can't put into proper words how much this means to me. That's just about it.

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier

What. A. Surprise. I have two of Daphne du Maurier's novels in my favourite books of 2018 list. I just couldn't help myself. I have often written that Daphne du Maurier was probably my soulmate and have always meant it: no one gets me as much as she does and I will forever be heartbroken not to have lived at the same time as she had. But anyway. In this novel, I fell in love with the descriptions of Cornwall, with the atmosphere, with the way the pirate's life was described. I adored Dona St Columb, because I could relate to her so much, she felt so modern, was so smart, witty, independent and fierce, she also needed more from her life, and I get that. Frenchman's Creek is a story about finding who you are after having to hide it for so long, about sexual awakening, about duty, about family, about passion. It's very far from the "silly" love story some people want to make of it. It means the world to me, feels like home, and I'm so glad that Daphne du Maurier wrote it.

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Remember when I mentioned my fantasy slump? Well, I eventually got out of it and it's all thanks to the Farseer Trilogy. Special thanks to my parents and my boyfriend for making me read it, even though I got a book hangover from it. This time, I'm not talking about one book, I'm talking about the trilogy, because I think about it as a whole and it's spectacular throughout. If I had to choose, Royal Assassin would be my favourite, but I just love the trilogy more, if that makes sense? This series is a medieval fantasy following FitzChivalry, the illegitimate son of a prince, who comes to court and secretly learns to be an assassin for his king. The Farseer Trilogy is full of court politics, has such a spectacular world-building, fleshed-out characters (I feel like I know them all by heart!) and while its slow pace isn't for everyone, I didn't really mind. I haven't been able to get this story out of my mind ever since I started it in November, even though I've tried. Even today, weeks later, all I want to do is dive into the next trilogy, The Liveship Traders. I'm so happy that Robin Hobb's world is made of so many series, I wish they could last forever.

A Game of Thrones by by George R.R. Martin

Last, but certainly not least, A Game of Thrones was the last book I read in 2018 and it became one of my favourites. I've been watching Game of Thrones (the show) for years, sometimes I adore it, sometimes I'm feeling a bit meh about it, so I was always unsure whether I wanted to read the books or not. However, everyone kept saying that the books were way better, so I gave in... And while I only read the first one, I'm already in agreement (it might also be because I like fantasy more in books than in movies/TV shows). I already knew most of the story, but it's a complete different experience through George R.R. Martin's words: the world is richer, the characters more fleshed out and I just appreciate it more? I'm not quite sure I can explain, but I was so excited to go back to it every time (even though I read it slowly) and I need to buy A Clash of Kings tomorrow so I can take it to Algeria with me the day after. Oh, and while we're at it, I need all things Westeros, thank you very much.

So that's it for my favourite books of the year! I'm so happy I got to discover all the books I mentioned in this post in 2018 and I already miss them, I cannot wait to reread them over and over again. If I had to pick just one favourite, I could almost do it... I'd just have to pick two instead, aka The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but I'm sure most of you knew that already. 2018 was such an amazing year for me and I'm sad to see it go, but having all those books to look back on is everything I need.

What were your favourite books of 2018?

Happy New Year + Goals for 2019

Hello, beautiful people! Happy New Year!

I wish you to have an amazing year, to accomplish your dreams, to find new ones, to have good health, to laugh, to be happy, to discover amazing fictional worlds and so much more!

As this is my very first blog post of 2019, I wanted to write a bit about what I wanted to accomplish in 2019, whether it was personal or about reading. I already did something like that last year, so I thought it would motivate me to make 2019 a great year. To be honest, 2018 was the best year of my life and I intend this year to be amazing as well.

L I F E  G O A L S

I just reread my life goals for 2018 and they made me cry... What a fun way to start this year, haha. This time last year, I was so lost within my own life, I had no idea what would happen in 2018. I wanted to find out what I wanted to do with my life and to be more like myself every day. We're exactly a year later and I did more than I thought I would do: I graduated from my old master to find the right one, I'm starting an amazing internship in nine days and I know where I'm going. A year ago, I wanted to be more like myself, and now I finally am, I'm finally breathing again. Everything changed since I embraced my own sexuality. I haven't told a lot of people yet, but it feels so good to think "I'm bisexual. There, I can think about it now." I still have so much to learn and to figure out, but I am finally myself. 

I feel like any of my life goals would feel like nothing now, because in the end, I made last year the best year in my life. But of course, there is always room for improvment. In a few months, I will have graduated from my second master and will be trying to find a job and that will be life-changing. If I have one goal for myself this year, it is to remember that I am enough. I achieved so many things in the past few years and the best part is, I own it all to myself. I can do so many more wonderful things with my life, and I will. I will find a job, I will be responsible of myself financially, it'll all come in good time.

If there's another goal I want to pursue in 2019, it's to write more. At the end of 2018, a new novel idea came to me and by that, I mean that my characters haven't stopped talking to me in about two weeks. I have notes all over my phone about them, their aesthetics, some scenes, parts of an outline. This year, I want to have an entire outline and to write as much of it as possible. There's so much of myself in this story that it's the continuation of how much I grew in 2018, so yup, I'll do that too. For blogging, I'm going to attempt once again to post once a week. I have so many blog posts ideas, but I rarely make the time to write them. I really want to find that time again; I managed to write 45 blog posts in 2018, so I'm sure I can write 52 this year!

Last but not least, I want to be even more like myself. I want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to travel, I want to get out of my comfort zone more, I want the good and I'll survive the bad, I want everything.

R E A D I N G  G O A L S

Like last year, I have decided  that I wouldn't set up a real Goodreads challenge. I put one book in it to be able to track down my reading, but that's about it. I've been living my non-TBR life for months now, which I'm beyond happy about, so it quite goes with it. My reading life is a big Carpe Diem, lately.

I realised throughout 2018 that I wasn't looking at my challenge unless someone would ask me about it, and it was the same thing for wrap-ups: I made lists without counting how many books I had read, with the exception of my 31 books in 31 days in July, obviously. I also read the books I had on my 2018 book bucket list, so truly, last year was a success for my reading goals (I could have done better with broadening the classics I read, but that's it).

Last year, I challenged myself to read one of Agatha Christie's novels each month and it was so much fun! Discovering an author's works this way was very interesting and I really want to do it this year, once again. This summer, I decided that the author I'd discover that way in 2019 would be...

I've read some of his plays in French, but I've always been a bit scared to read them in English. However, in 2019, that fear will be no more! I have so many of his plays that I want to read, so I'll have to get over myself and read one of them every month (I'll read his poetry too at some point, of course!). If any of you are interested in this challenge, please go ahead and join me! I know I motivated some of my friends to read Agatha Christie last year, so I'd love to hear about anyone reading Shakespeare this year too. I'm calling this challenge 12 Months with Shakespeare and I'll talk about it some more on my Instagram.

Other than that, I really want to continue reading more non-fiction, as it was a success last year. I added so many non-fiction books on Goodreads, so I have to get to more of them and I'm so excited about it! I am going to try to read at least a non-fiction book each month, but it's an unofficial challenge, so we'll see how it goes. 

Moreover, now that I'm over my fantasy slump - I finished A Game of Thrones yesterday and I miss it so much, I need to buy the second book! -, I also want to get back into fantasy. I want to read as many of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin's works as possible this year, obviously, but also to discover more fantasy authors. I'll be taking part in the fantasy challenge hosted by Annemieke @ A Dance With Books, which I'm super excited about and I will talk about my TBR ideas for it a bit more in another blog post!

So there you have it, here is what I want to accomplish in 2019. I cannot wait to see what this new year has in store for me and I hope that I'll be able to make the most of it. I mainly want to pursue everything I started in 2018 and most importantly, to be myself!

Do you have any goals for 2019? For your life, reading or blogging?

Lots of love,

Lucie

Most anticipated releases of Winter 2019 | Grabby Hands

Hello, beautiful people!

Phew, can you believe this? It's already time to get all excited about 2019 book releases and I find this astonishing. Didn't 2018 start, like, yesterday? It was a really good year in terms of new releases, and I'm sure 2019 will be just like that as well. So, like I did in 2018, I'll be talking about my most anticipated releases every three months so I don't overwhelm you all at once! Anyhoo, it's time to talk about the Winter 2019 releases I'm most anticipating (from January to March).

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2), by Holly Black
Published: January 8th 2019, by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: young adult, fantasy

I am so excited to see how The Folk of the Air trilogy will continue in this second book. I adored The Cruel Prince so much, it was so addicting and the world-building was fascinating, so I cannot wait to read about Black's cruel faeries once again. She proved once again that she was the queen of faeries and can we also scream at how stunning that cover is? Give it to me.

The Gilded Wolves, by Roshani Chokshi
Published: January 15th 2019, by Wednesday Books
Genres: young adult, fantasy, historical fiction

Roshani Chokshi weren't off to a good start, because I did not finish The Star-Touched Queen a few years ago, but I've heard such good things about her writing that I am determined to try again and this one sounds really good! From what I've gathered, this book is set in 1889 Paris, at the time of the Exposition Universelle (the one the Eiffel Tower was built for!) and it's about finding a mysterious artifact for an all-powerful organization, I am so intrigued! My standards are pretty hard for books set in Paris as I'm French and live there, so I hope I'll love it! *hides*

The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2), by S.A. Chakraborty
Published: January 22nd 2019, by Harper Voyager
Genre: fantasy

The City of Brass was one of my favourite books of 2018 and one of the two books that caused my fantasy slump for most of the year, so of course I'm SO anticipating its sequel. If you haven't read the first book yet, I'll strongly urge you to, because it's an amazing fantasy novel set in 18th century Cairo, the main character, Nahri, is a con woman and she accidentally summons a dark and mysterious djinn (!!). Honestly talking about sequels makes me want to reread so many first books in series, oops.

King of Scars, by Leigh Bardugo
Published: January 29th 2019, by Imprint
Genres: young adult, fantasy

Can we talk about how long we've been waiting for the Nikolai book? Can we? Okay so you might not know that, but I met Leigh Bardugo in Rotterdam in 2015 and she said that everyone was pressuring her to write a Nikolai Lantsov book and now we're actually having a duology? We have so been blessed. I can't really say much about this one because that would be spoilers for the Grisha trilogy, but I cannot wait to have Nikolai, my favourite character of the trilogy, back. I've waited long enough.

Courting Darkness, by Robin LaFevers
Published: February 5th 2019, by HMH Books for Young Readers
Genres: young adult, fantasy, historical fiction

I discovered the awesomeness that is the His Fair Assassin trilogy two years ago and I couldn't get enough of it, so I was over the moon when I heard there would be a follow-up duology. The first series followed the path of three girls trained as assassins in a convent in 15th century Brittany and it was spectacular, the world was interesting, the plot full of court politics and action, the characters so fleshed-out that I still remember all of them... Those are definitely my kind of books. Courting Darkness will follow Sybella (whom we met in Dark Triumph) and a new character called Genevieve. I am beyond excited for that and it makes me want to reread the entire trilogy first, I mean, I do have an excuse now, right?

Bloodwitch (The Witchlands, #3) by Susan Dennard
Published: February 12th 2019, by Tor Teen
Genres: young adult, fantasy

Everyone can tell I'm over my fantasy slump because I'm excited for so many fantasy novels and it makes me so happy! I've loved Susan Dennard's works even since I've started reading them (please read Something Strange and Deadly, it's amazing!) and The Witchlands series is no exception. It's a very complex fantasy world, full of elemental magic, but it's really worth it once that you get everything and the characters have always intrigued me. Truly, this series has everything I love about fantasy. I really need to reread Truthwitch and Windwitch before this one though, as well as to read Sightwitch (a shorter prequel novel) to be all caught up, but I cannot wait to go back to this world, I had missed it!

The Familiars, by Stacey Halls
Published: February 19th, by Mira Books
Genres: historical fiction, paranormal

I was browsing through Netgalley (as one does) when I discovered The Familiars, which sounds like a spectacular debut! This novel is set during the Pendle Hill Witch Trials in the 17th century and it sounds so intriguing (and it's probably gonna break my heart as it's set during that time period). It follows a noblewoman who has been through several failed pregnancies, but as she's with child again, she discovers that according to the doctor, she won't survive another childbirth. By chance, she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. It explores the rights of women in that time period, as well as the fact that witch-hunting mostly was women-hunting. I truly cannot wait to read that one and I'm super excited to have an early copy of it!

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon
Published: February 26th 2019, by Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre: fantasy

THIS. This. As I was writing this, I stumbled upon Samantha Shannon's tweet on how big this book was and now I need even more. Am I living for really long fantasy books? The answer is yes, absolutely. This fantasy novel seems to be full of amazing female characters, it is set in a queendom and there are dragons? It sounds absolutely amazing and out of all the fantasy novels I've listed there, it's the one I'm most excited about. I hope I'll adore this one and that it'll motivate me to pick up The Bone Season at long last!

Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published: March 5th 2019, by Hutchinson
Genre: historical fiction

Now moving on, this one is my most anticipated winter 2019 release and that's about it. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favourite book of the year (along with another one because I can't choose *wink wink*), so I am eagerly awaiting Taylor Jenkins Reid's next book. This book is about a fictional iconic 1970s rock band, which split up in 1979. This will be made of interviews, emails, transcripts and lyrics, which I am absolutely living for. I've been screaming quietly about how much I need it for months now and it's getting closer every day. Taylor Jenkins Reid, I'm ready for anything you're throwing at me/writing about (or not, can't wait to sob again).

Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha, #2), by Tomi Adeyemi

Published: March 5th 2019, by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genres: young adult, fantasy

The other book that got me into my great 2018 fantasy slump was... Children of Blood and Bone. So obviously, I need Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I'm a bit worried because we still don't have a cover and it's supposed to come out next March? I hope it hasn't been pushed back? But anyway, I can't wait to see the gang again and to finally know how the book will continue (that cliffhangerrrrr). Also if you haven't read Children of Virtue and Vengeance, please do, it's one of the best YA fantasy out there!

Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston
Published: March 5th 2019 Disney Lucasfilm Press
Genres: science fiction

It's no secret that I am a huge Star Wars fan and this year, I've started reading the canon novels (I'm still new at it, though) and I watched the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was SO GOOD (I miss it, can't wait for the new episodes next year!!). So basically, I've started to realise that I actually love the Republic era, because I discovered so much about it. Now, they keep announcing Republic era novels and I need them all. This one follows Padmé when she becomes the Naboo's representative in the Galactic Senate and I am so ready for it. Give me all the books about female Star Wars characters, please and thank you.

The Bird King, by G. Willow Wilson
Published: March 12th 2019, by Grove Press
Genres: historical fiction, fantasy

I stumbled upon this one on Goodreads and the synopsis got me so intrigued. You *might* know G. Willow Wilson for the awesomeness that is Ms. Marvel (at least, that's how I know her) and I'm so curious to read one of her novels. The Bird King tells the story of Fatima, a concubine in the royal court of Granada, the last emirate of Muslim Spain, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. Her friend has a secret, for he can draw maps of places he has never seen and bend the shape of reality. The two of them have to escape when Hassan's gift is seen as a threat to the newly formed Spanish monarchy, helped with a clever jinn. You had me at Muslim Spain (I studied it for an entire semester) and mapmaker. That's it. I need it.

What are your most anticipated releases for this winter? Do we share any?

Lots of love,

Lucie

Christmas books recommendations

Hello, beautiful people!

Wow, December definitely flew by, we're three days away from Christmas Eve and four days away from Christmas, how did that happen? I am SO LATE for Christmas shopping, you have no idea, oops. But anyway, I thought that it would be fun to recommend you four books that I've read that are set during Christmas, whether you want to get in a Christmas mood or read them at Christmas.

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings, by Charles Dickens

Genres: classics, short stories

Of course, I had to start with this classic, you know how much I love Charles Dickens. We all know A Christmas Carol, the story of the awful Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, but it's always great to revisit it during Christmas. The Penguin Clothbound edition not only is stunning, but it includes some of his other Christmas writings, so I'd recommend you to check that out as well! I recently saw my friend Fatima talking about Neil Gaiman's reading of A Christmas Carol and I intend to listen to it this year, it must be amazing. You can find that there if you're interested.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas, by Agatha Christie
Genres: mystery

I got back into Agatha Christie's mystery novels last year and of course I had to read this one over Christmas. In Hercule Poirot's Christmas, it's Christmas Eve and the Lee family is having a reunion in their mansion for the occasion... Until it goes horribly wrong, because the tyrannical Simon Lee has been murdered and Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate. This one is a perfect cosy Christmas murder mystery (if I dare say so) and I loved that it was centered around family dynamics! As always, Agatha Christie's characterization is on point and I loved the resolution! I still have The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding to read this year and I'm excited!

The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand
Genres: young adult, paranormal, retelling

Cynthia Hand has been one of my favourite YA authors for a long time, so of course I was delighted to get to this one, for it is a retelling of A Christmas Carol. It's about Holly, who was visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve five years ago. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. Only, she didn't... and then she died. But it wasn't the end for her, because she's now stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge, as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch, while Holly stays frozen at seventeen and her loved ones continue living without her. But this year, everything is about to change... I adored this novel, it has a wonderful message and it got me so much. I might even reread it this year!

Mr. Dickens and His Carol, by Samantha Silva
Genres: historical fiction

Last, but not least, I recently read this historical novel which is a reimagining of how Charles Dickens came up with A Christmas Carol. A lot of it is fictionalized of course, but reading about Charles Dickens and his struggles was wonderful to me, because I've always been curious about him and it motivated me even more to read a biography about him. It was a lovely and heartwarming read, reminding us of what's important in life and what the Christmas spirit is about. I would have loved to stay with Charles Dickens a bit longer and all the references to his works made me so happy!

So that's it for my books set during Christmas recommendations! I'd love to discover more books set during/about Christmas, so if you know any, please give me your recommendations! I also read Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, which I liked, but didn't adore, so that's pretty much it.

Thank you for reading and I hope you'll have wonderful holidays if you have some,

Lots of love,

Lucie

Reading wrap-up + Favourites | November 2018

Hello, beautiful people!

November is finally over, which means that we have entered the very last month of 2018 and I cannot believe this. Where did this year go? I felt like November lasted forever, because as usual with each November, it was a very busy month at uni and as I have to find an internship on top of getting through uni, well... I didn't have time blog. I'm so sorry about that, I was consistent in October and so happy with my content, then I disappeared. Well, oops? Let's hope I'll do better in December and in the meantime, let's wrap up November!

W H A T  I  R E A D

Once again, I'm only managing to read my "usual" amount of books for two reasons: a) audiobooks and b) participating in a 24h readathon. Here are the books that I read:

• Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell, 3/5 stars
• Aime-moi, je te fuis, by Morgane Moncomble, 4/5 stars
• Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb, 4.5/5 stars
• Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay, by J.K. Rowling
• Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, by Val Emmich, 3.5/5 stars
• The ABC Murders, by Agatha Christie, 3/5 stars
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 5/5 stars (reread)
• Royal Assassin, by Robin Hobb, 5/5 stars
• Poirot's Early Cases, by Agatha Christie, 3/5 stars
• Lady Midnight, by Cassandra Clare, 5/5 stars (reread)
• A Deeper Love, by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson, 3/5 stars
• The Wicked Ones, by Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman, 4.5/5 stars
• The Land I Lost, by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan, 4.5/5 stars
• Through Blood, Through Fire, by Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman, 3.5/5 stars

November was such a great reading month, I caught up with my Agatha Christie challenge (I was one book behind), as well as with the Ghosts of the Shadow Market novellas, so I could be ready for Queen of Air and Darkness (I am so not ready). I also finally started the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb and I adore it so much, I cannot wait to finish it in December!

F A V O U R I T E S 

EVENT & MOVIE // Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

As I was mentioning in my October wrap-up, I attended the worldwide premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in November and it was probably the best night of my life. I won tickets last minute, after thinking for weeks that I wouldn't be able to attend and I had such a blast. Before the premiere, we went to the Harry Potter pop-up store so I could buy Newt's scarf, then we did the photocalls in the Galeries Lafayette and had so much fun! At the premiere, we saw the red carpet on the big screen, Eddie Redmayne spoke French and I almost fell off my seat, while my boyfriend, who had red carpet access, got my screenplay of the first Fantastic Beasts signed by J.K. Rowling and Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein)!

Now, when it comes to the movie, there are many things that I love about it: Newt Scamander still owns my whole heart, it was a wild ride and I loved seeing the French Wizarding World. Still, I know it's not perfect and I agree with everyone who has been calling out the problematic aspects of the movie, I truly do and those aspects make me so angry. I still love the franchise though, because the first movie means the world to me and watching the second one manages to calm me down, but I acknowledge those aspects.

BOOKS // The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Since the beginning of the year, I've been in a huge fantasy slump. I read some outstanding fantasy novels at the beginning of the year, such as City of Brass or Children of Blood and Bone, and then... I got disappointed by almost every fantasy sequel I was anticipating and I barely read any fantasy at all. However, a few months ago, my boyfriend started reading the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb and he loved it. Between him and my parents, who have ben talking about it for YEARS, I decided to give it a go, and became really obsessed with it as well. I am fascinated by this world, I love how fleshed out the characters are and I always want to keep reading it. It's getting me out of my fantasy slump, which is amazing, because I have four other trilogies waiting for me in this world, so I won't have to leave it for a long time. I cannot wait to get back to Assassin's Quest once I'm done with The Dark Artifices trilogy!

MUSIC // Alison Sudol's Moon

Even if you don't know her name, you probably know Alison Sudol. She plays Queenie Goldstein in the Fantastic Beasts movies, but her acting skills aren't her only talents, for she also is a musician (you might know Almost Lover from a few years back, she recorded it under the name A Fine Frenzy). Anyway, she released her new EP in November and I so fell in love with it. Alison is such a talented, inspiring and kind woman, which shows in her songs. They make me feel good, they make me feel safe and they're pretty much all I've listened to in November. There are only five of them, so it's hard to pick favourites, but I think that mine are Escape the Blade and It's Really Raining.

STUDENT LIFE // Bullet journaling

Last, but not least, I started bullet journaling again at the end of September and it's been so helpful. I kept making lists everywhere on my phone (which was ridiculous), as I was stressed with everything I had to do for uni, while maintaining my regular life habits. I've kept with it since then, it calms down my anxiety to organize myself in such a way, it also helps me to feel more productive. I'm also a bit more creative than before with it now, my bujo was in earthy tones during the Fall. Now that Christmas is approaching, it's full of red, green and blue, and I can finally use the Christmas masking tape that my boyfriend offered me last year!

L O O K I N G  A H E A D

I couldn't be happier to be in December, I have been in a Christmas mood for a while and I can now express it at its fullest! When it comes to uni, I only have two weeks left before being on holidays (I'll still have projects to turn in during the holidays, but I'll be able to breathe), so the end is in sight for the semester and I'm so happy about that. Other than that, Queen of Air and Darkness is coming out in two days, and I have movies I'm excited to finally watch, such as Mary Poppins Returns, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (that's mainly why I read the Spider-Gwen comics this summer) and Aquaman. I also have all my favourites of the year posts to write for here and I cannot wait to do that!

Lots of love,

Lucie