February round up.

In February the books I read were:

1. The Compulsive Spike Milligan by Spike Milligan
2. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
3. The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan
4. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

I'm a little disappointed with how many books I've read but I'm still ahead of the other people reading 70 books on Goodreads so I'm ok with that.

Out of all the books I'd have to say Unearthly has been the best read of this month. I still need to write a review for it and a few more books but they'll get on here eventually.

NEWS: J. K. Rowling to write her first adult novel

J.K. Rowling has a new publishing deal with Little, Brown Book (UK) Group and Little, Brown and Company (US) to publish her first novel for adults.

Although the publisher has not yet revealed the title or publication date (further details about the novel will be announced later in the year) they did reveal the novel will be published in print and eBook formats; a thing that many of us are still impatiently waiting to happen to the Harry Potter books.

Little, Brown Book Group publisher David Shelley will edit and publish for UK readers and Michael Pietsch will publish in the United States.

Rowling released this statement: “Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life.”

David Shelley said: "For me, quite simply, it is a personal and professional dream come true to be working with J.K. Rowling. She is one of the best storytellers in the world, and I am looking forward enormously to helping bring her new novel for adults to her fans and admirers, and to introducing her writing to new readers the world over."

Will you be reading Rowling's new book? I probably will be regardless of the storyline because I love her writing style but I'd like to see what she writes about and how much of a change it is from Harry Potter before I say 100% if I will.

March 2012 UK Novel Debuts

This is going to become a monthly feature on my blog. It features debut UK novelists books that are being released through out the month. I haven't got many for March.

1st of March:


The Witch of Turlington Academy by Ellie Boswell. Published by: Atom. Genre: YA
Here's an extract

Bunheads by Sophie Flack. Published by: Atom. Genre: YA

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Published by: Simon & Schuster Children's Books. Genre: YA

Slide by Jill Hathaway. Published by: HarperCollins Children's Books. Genre: YA

Repossession by Sam Hawksmoor. Published by: Hodder Children's Books. Genre: YA

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

If I could describe this book with only one word I would describe it as: Quirky. It is most definitely a quirky book, but I love it so for that.

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

It’s been about a month since I’ve read this book so my review is going to be a little vague but I still wanted to write one because this is a beautiful book in my opinion.

In My Mail Box

I recently bought a lot of books on Amazon so I thought I would do an In My Mail Box post. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they've borrowed, received or bought in the past week.

This week I bought:

The pictures are a little dark and blurry, I know. I need a better stills camera.



The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

Dark Matter A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell









Dark Fever by Karen Marie Moning

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Update

Long time no blogging. Sorry guys, I've just had a week off from college and I've taken time off from blogging as well just to get a break from everything.

I also just found out that I am going to be a World Book Night Giver which makes me really happy. I'm giving away I Capture the Castle, which seems like a great book. I might give away a copy on here as well if I have few more followers by then.I'm also changing my blog background, I don't like my current one.

I'm going to get back to blogging and reviewing properly ASAP. Keep Calm and Carry On Reading!

10% Off books?

Hey guys, just a quick post to tell you if you want 10% off books at the book depository and you have two email accounts then enter your first email account in to the 'your details' bit here and then refer your self. Easy peasy.

This isn't a sponsored post.

Book Trailers

I'm a huge media nerd. I love Films, and I'm even doing a degree in media production so don't think I'm just against anything but books when I say this but... I really don't see the point in book trailers. For the most part they are badly produced, badly edited and they usually don't tell you anything that you can't find out from reading the blurb. They are effectively pointless.

Or at least that's what I thought until I saw the one for The Butterfly Clue.

Now because I'm a film student there are places in this trailer that look a little amateur but for the most part I think it is brilliantly filmed, well edited and tells me more than just reading the blurb can without giving anything away.

I wish more book trailers were like this. Sigh.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

I had heard a lot of good reviews about this book, it seemed to be one that had a well-built dystopian world and well developed character. And as I, and apparently most female teenage/ Young adult readers, have now become obsessed with dystopian novels I had to read it.
But once again it feels like this book has something missing. I have noticed with a lot of dystopian and fantasy novels nowadays that either the world or the characters are sacrificed to get a story written quickly. With this book I felt like the world was a bit sacrificed.


I liked the characters, although they were nothing special and I have now forgotten their names (Note to self: Take notes when reading for review purposes) but I really did not like the world they were set in. It seemed very flimsy.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

This is the debut novel from Susan Ee and considering it was less than a pound on Amazon I did not expect to be very impressed with this book. However I cannot get enough of Angel stories and so I bought it figuring it would be a quick unimpressive read and then I could move on to something more stimulating. Oh boy was I wrong and may I just say that I am so glad to finally have a book where angels are actually bad-asses and bad guys.

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
So of course and Angel apocalypse sounds freaking cool to begin with and when you throw in a bad ass chick with an (ok slightly mangled but still) incredibly hot, witty and angry Angel what’s not to love, and this book should have been nothing more than a bit of fun to satisfy my fangirl side, but oh no it was so much more.

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Originally posted: 2nd of February

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

I did like this book very much; I like the world the author has created and the characters within it. Charlie is a very likeable character, her friends are very interesting, her parents are what parents should be and her little sister is so cute, but I also had a few problems with it.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Originally Posted: January 15th

I 'literally' feel like my heart has been walked all over by Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters. Ha ha If you read the book do you like my pun?

This book has left me honestly distraught and many people will not understand getting distraught over literary fiction, but if you can cry over a film why can you not cry over a book? I am a true believer that words have more power than anything else. And the words in The Fault in Our Stars have been strung together in such a beautiful way that they have reached deep inside me and changed the very fabric of who I am. That is worth crying over

I almost do not want to read another book or watch another movie because I am terrified that I will forget Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, or at the very least that their impression on me will fade, and at this moment in time I could not bear that.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal. Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal"

This book should have been one I liked. It has a very well constructed urban mythological world where humans make sure to keep dangerous paranormals in order and out of the public eye and through out the book, which didn't take me very long to read, I kept wanting to like it but I just couldn't. I think the main reason is I did not like this book is the characters. There wasn't a single main character to me that seemed to be believable or even anything but a hollow shell of a good idea.The relationship between Evelyn and her Fey ex, who's name I can't even remember, seemed unbelievable. It is a stereotypical manipulative relationship but It has no depth and I felt no connection or even reason for Evie to feel so drawn to him and unable to walk away. The author missed out on a big possibility of exploring abusive relationships here.

My Changed Opinion On My Kindle.

I have had my kindle since I turned 18, which was 9 months ago, and at first I loved it. Don't get me wrong, it is a great invention. Instant books that are cheaper than their paper counterpart which is perfect for me because I am a student and while I love to read I also need to be able to eat and pay for my accommodation.

However I have a few issues with it which are increasingly worrying me. Firstly, the fact that Amazon dominates the eBook market. I am not a fan of the idea of Amazon being able to monopolise anything because then they will have complete control over the market, which in the 21st century is something that should never happen and scare us into doing something about it if it comes close to happening. I do think that Amazon are going to end up needing to be taken down a peg or two because, while I love amazon, they are getting too big for their boots.

Another thing is the intangibleness of my kindle. I love being able to read what I want where I want, absorbing all the knowledge I possibly can instantaneously, however it’s just not the same. I love the feel of a book, the smell and the way it looks on my bookshelf. A kindle is perfect for instant knowledge but I am not savouring it or truly absorbing it in the way I do with a tangible paper and glue bound book. I find for some reason I connect far better with the story in a ‘real’ book than I do with an eBook. Perhaps that is because I can hold a real book in my hands and that makes the characters and their stories more real to me. I’m not sure, I know it makes no sense but I am also aware that many book readers have these same problems.