The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!
-----------------------------------
This week, I'm going to showcase Jon for Short! As it's Halloween, I just had to review a slightly scary-looking book for my FTRP feature this week! Ashamedly, I haven't actually read anything by Malorie Blackman before, despite hearing multiple times of her great talent. Jon for Short is a reasonably short story and so may be a good idea for me to try this book to sample her writing!
Jon for Short by Malorie Blackman
Paperback, 72 pages
Published 1st March 2013 by Barrington Stoke
Jon keeps waking up from a recurring bad dream to find that he is missing his arms and parts of his legs. Kept constantly sedated, as Jon's body disappears his nightmare gets worse. The nurses seem to hate him and the doctor won't answer his questions. Who is Joe? Why do they keep calling him by that name? Tense and horrifying, this story compels the reader to its chilling climax.
She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life.
Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then.
Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she’s made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life.
But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that’s starting to happen?
How to Fall in Love is a book that, thankfully, has a really exciting blurb on the cover. I openly admit that having read one of Ahern's other books (The Gift) I wasn't overly eager to pick up more of her books, but thanks to the description of this one, I overcame my apprehensiveness and I could not be happier that I did!
I am immediately sold to any book which features characters that are emotionally or mentally troubled, so what could be more appealing than this one? Christine, our protagonist, hasn't had an easy time since she met a man called Simon, a man who she believed she had talked down from suicide until he suddenly shot himself in front of her, leaving him in a coma. From that night, almost everything changed for her as she began to live with a feeling of guilt and as she also decided to change her home life, leaving her husband. What happens next is the main focus of this story - As Christine is walking through Dublin, she approaches the Ha'penny Bridge and sees a man, Adam, about to jump. Christine felt as though she failed with Simon and so she wasn't going to let Adam go. Christine and Adam make a deal, Christine has up until Adam's next birthday (only two weeks!) in order to make him love his life, otherwise, he is free to do as he wishes.
There is a lot of things that I could go into detail about in this book, because there are a lot of things that happen in the two weeks that Christine and Adam have together. A lot of things that they do are in an attempt to try and get Adam's ex-girlfriend, Maria, to fall in love with him again. Adam planned to become engaged to Maria, but was devastated when he found out that his girlfriend and best friend were having an affair. Christine also helps Adam to try and manage his life, sorting through issues with both the family business and family feuds. Christine herself also faces some inner battles, issues with her ex-husband and still finds time to help her friend both cope with a loss and a life-changing revelation.
From the first time that Christine and Adam meet, we know that their relationship isn't going to be easy or 'normal' - Christine has agreed to turn the suicidal Adam into someone happier. There is a slight awkwardness between the two of them, a natural awkwardness, something that you would expect to be there, something that feels so real and which adds a sense of authenticity. There are some truly beautiful moments between the couple and it is hard to pinpoint a favourite scene of mine because all of their time together did seem precious, though I did particularly enjoy the more light-hearted and fun times that they had as they began to relax into each others company. The two characters as individuals were well formed, their personalities were both very level and they both seemed very genuine, but when the two characters were together, they both sparked to life - the chemistry between them was incredible, they complimented each other and definitely had one of the best relationships that I've read.
How to Fall in Love is a very appropriate title for this book, this story itself has multiple chapters with 'How To' titles and I really enjoyed the format. At the beginning, Christine is a firm believer that there is a 'How To' self-help book for every topic and for every person - she uses those books as emotional crutches and as guidance for her everyday life and of course, she turns to them when she is trying to help Adam. As Christine helps Adam with each step of his changes, we notice that she is altering both of their lives and the chapter headings cleverly reflect that. The book title is appropriate to both the characters inside and to me, as I most definitely fell in love with both the charming characters and heartwarming story.
How To Fall In Love is undoubtedly one of the best chick-lit books of 2013 and one of the best I've ever read. I absolutely devoured this book, though I never wanted it to end. This is a perfect book to pick up and become lost in - you will find your mind wandering off into the captivating Dublin setting with these two characters, willing them on along their journey. I completely, wholeheartedly fell in love with Christine, Adam and their emotional story and I'm sure that they will stay in my mind for quite some time. Needless to say, Ahern has certainly taught me 'How To Fall In Love'.
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.
Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books,
whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.
I received two books for review this week as well as purchasing one The books for review are entitled The Lives She Left Behind and Lighthouse Bay. Though I haven't read any reviews about it, I randomly saw Dangerous Girls in a bookshop and bought that book on impulse - it sounds exciting! Have a happy weekend!
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!
-----------------------------------
This week, I'm going to showcase Rags & Bones! This is a rather new book to feature and it's one that I want to get around to reading as soon as possible! I love the whole look of this book and the sound of it. I especially love reading this kind of thing in October (Halloween month!), and I think this will appeal to a lot of my blog readers too.
Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales by Various Authors
Hardback, 384 pages
Expected Publication 22nd October 2013 by Headline(UK)
A MAGICAL, UNIQUE COLLECTION OF STORIES: RETELLINGS OF TIMELESS TALES. FEATURING STORIES BY NEIL GAIMAN AND GARTH NIX.
Featuring stories by Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix and the authors ofBeautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this is a unique and imaginative collection for readers of all ages. There are some stories that will always be told, tales as timeless as they are gripping. There are some authors who can tell any story.
In RAGS & BONES, award-winning and bestselling authors retell classic fairytales and twisted tales in the way that only they can. With magic and love, they bring these stories - whether much loved or overlooked - back to life. Read 'SleepingBeauty' as only Neil Gaiman can tell it. See 'Rumpelstiltskin' through the eyes of Kami Garcia. And learn of Rudyard Kipling's 'The Man Who Would Be King' from the inimitable Garth Nix.
Published 26th September by Quercus Shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, chick-lit, cover-appeal, mum-has, read, read-in-2013, realistic-fiction
Amelia has a dream: toasting chestnuts by the fire with her husband Jack in their own cosy cottage. Their real life is another world - a cramped one-bedroom flat in Hackney. But when life takes a surprising turn, removal vans are soon heading to the Kent countryside.
They soon realise the cottage makeover is a far bigger project than they'd anticipated. On top of that, there's Amelia's newly loved-up mum and her tearaway half-sister, Mirabel, to contend with - pushing Amelia and Jack's marriage to breaking point.
Amelia begins to strip back the wallpaper and fittings in the cottage and discovers the story of the cottage's previous owner - and a hidden secret. As Amelia's ideas about love and family change, will her fireside dream finally come true?
Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is one of those books that I just looked at and sighed - for positive reasons! As soon as I saw the gorgeous seasonal cover with the shiny autumnal covers and the soothing mention of a fireside, I knew that this would be a perfect book to read as the nights started drawing in.
This book introduces us to Amelia, our protagonist, who has, after years, grown tired of her urban home and lifestyle. Amelia isn't completely unhappy though, as she lives with her long-term partner, lives nearby to some close friends and has a job that she's passionate about, teaching kids at St. Catherine's school. Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream is about Amelia making her 'Fireside dream' come true, as she moves out of the city and into the countryside with the aim of having a more relaxed, rural life. As always in life, unfortunately not everything can be perfect, and we follow Amelia as she works hard to make her newly-bought, but rather outdated, country house into a home.
Amelia is a wonderful protagonist because she is simply human - the author doesn't make any attempts to make her a particularly remarkable character in any way, which is exactly why she is so easy to connect with - Amelia is certainly not perfect, but she tries her best and makes an effort in what she does, she's ambitious but somewhat cautious and yes, she makes quite a few mistakes. What I liked reading about most in regards to Amelia was her relationships - those with her friends, her partner and her family. Amelia's two best friends, Carly and Sunita, live in the city and I really liked reading about their close friendships, there was a real sense of comfort and trust between them which was really comforting to read about. I liked reading about Amelia's relationship with her family too, her parents, but mostly her sister, Mirabel who is a bit of a teenage rebel, but who Amelia manages to really take under her wing.
A large part of this book is focused on Amelia's relationship with her long term partner Jack. Initially, Jack isn't completely sold on moving to the countryside, but despite that, they take the leap and purchase a house which needs a lot of work. As there is so much to do with the house and as Jack has a lot on at work, things become stretched. Their relationship was certainly not perfect, there were some quite significant flaws and weaknesses, but again this really made the book feel realistic. Despite the issues, it was very clear that there was chemistry between the couple and I could see that the two had a loving relationship. I was torn with what would become of the couple as the book progressed - I really couldn't predict what would happen with them or if their relationship under the new circumstances.
I also can't forget to mention that there is a fantastic subplot to this book where we are introduced to some mystery items which have been left in the house by the previous owner - I became so excited at these parts, wondering who they belonged to, what the story was behind the letters and items. Though everything was tied up at the end, I do wish that there was even more exploration of this subplot as it did have me on the edge of my seat.
As this is a book about restoring and redecorating an old country house, any of you who are interested in interior design, homeware, crafts and/or Pinterest will definitely have a soft-spot for this book! Many of the chapters in this book start with mood boards, conjuring up Amelia's dream designs for her home and it will definitely get your imagination going, if not making you want to start handcrafting things for your own home!
Overall, this was a really pleasant read which I enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who is wanting something that is easy to read and relax with. The pace of this book is relaxed though never boring and you will find the time slipping away without you noticing as you keep turning page after page. Highly recommended!
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.
Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books,
whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.
I made two book purchases this week! I have been meaning to buy a copy of Heart-Shaped Bruise since...well, it seems like forever, so I finally bought it and I really can't wait to have some time to read it! I also bought a copy of Meet me Under the Mistletoe because I can't resist a Christmassy read and it's by an author who I've just read a book by and really enjoyed (review of that to come in a few days!). Hope you've all had a good week!
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!
-----------------------------------
This week, I'm going to showcase Resist! Sarah Crossan is definitely one of my favourite authors so it's always exciting to hear new news about her books! I read the Breathe before it was published and I absolutely loved it, so I can't wait to see how the conclusion works out!
Resist by Sarah Crossan
Paperback, 400 pages
Expected Publication 10th October 2013 by Bloomsbury (UK)
The sequel—and conclusion—to Sarah Crossan's Breathe. Three teen outlaws must survive on their own in a world without air, exiled outside the glass dome that protects what's left of human civilization. Gripping action, provocative ideas, and shocking revelations in a dystopian novel that fans of Patrick Ness and Veronica Roth will devour.
Bea, Alina, and Quinn are on the run. They started a rebellion and were thrown out of the pod, the only place where there's enough oxygen to breathe. Bea has lost her family. Alina has lost her home. And Quinn has lost his privileged life. Can they survive in the perilous Outlands? Can they finish the revolution they began? Especially when a young operative from the pod's Special Forces is sent after them. Their only chance is to stand together, even when terrible circumstances force them apart. When the future of human society is in danger, these four teens must decide where their allegiances lie. Sarah Crossan has created a dangerous, and shattered society in this wrenching, thought-provoking, and unforgettable post-apocalyptic novel.
All her life, Elise Dembowski has been an outsider. Starting a new school, she dreams of fitting in at last – but when her best attempts at popularity fail, she almost gives up. Then she stumbles upon a secret warehouse party. There, at night, Elise can be a different person, making real friends, falling in love for the first time, and finding her true passion – DJ’ing. But when her real and secret lives collide, she has to make a decision once and for all: just who is the real Elise?
An irresistible novel about hope, heartbreak and the power of music to bring people together.
It seems like I haven't given five stars to a book for a very long time, because that honour only goes to books that have a profound effect on me, something that really pulls me in and more often than not, leaves me emotionally battered (though thankfully I escaped that this time). This Song Will Save Your Life is one of, if not the best contemporary book that I've read in years.
The book introduces us to Elise, a teenage schoolgirl who never seems to fit in with anyone else, no matter how hard she tries. Elise has gotten so tired of trying and failing at making friends that one night, she decides to attempt suicide, only being saved by a phone call. I knew from the first chapter that I was going to give this book a high rating because something about Elise triggered something within me. Though I won't go into detail in a review, when I was at school, I suffered severe clinical depression and so I could relate to a lot of things that Elise was saying and I could understand why she thought it was logical to kill herself - I had been in the same position, considering the same things. Elise's thoughts really, really struck a chord with me and I think it will with others who have had similar experiences. The writing and thoughts were just so matter of fact and raw and above all, realistic. It really felt like Sales was getting in my head and writing from the heart. I enjoyed sitting back and really absorbing the writing. There is no pretension, there is no elaborate sentences, Sales didn't need to do much more than to state the real, emotional truth to make her impact and leave us with a very quotable book.
On one of her nightly walks, Elise comes across a couple of girls who invite her into their secret club, a place where Elise soon begins to feel some form of acceptance and she seems to make friends with the girl, particularly Vicky, the bouncer of the club, Mel, and the DJ, known as Char or 'This Charming Man'. In the club, Elise realises that there are other people who share the same interests as her, music in particular, and through this, her character seems to open up a bit more and both this and her personality gain her the acceptance that she has wished for. Elise's relationships with Vicky and Char were certainly not straight forward, but the natural awkwardness that you'd expect was there, making them feel genuine. There is a sort of 'romance' between Char and Elise which I enjoyed reading about as I was curious about their chemistry. I loved Char's working attitude towards Elise as he taught her about DJing and all of the things that come with being a popular DJ and a young adult, too.
It was so fantastic to see Elise at her element in the club as she gained popularity by learning to DJ - there is a scene in the book where she looks at a photograph of herself in front of the crowd and it is a really striking moment and I felt a lot of pride for her. Music is obviously a big part of this book, so of course it's important to mention that aspect - this book is sprinkled with mentions of singers, bands and songs. I absolutely loved the playlist to this book - I'm a fan of 80's music, probably more so than modern music, so the mentions of songs from the likes of The Smiths, Depeche Mode and Erasure were exciting and even the slightly more modern stuff, such as Born Slippy NUXX livened up that Trainspotting fanatic inside me. The mentions of these artists brought me closer to the characters in the book in the same way that the music brought the characters closer to each other, and that is such an great feeling.
Another important aspect of this book that I don't want to leave out is Elise's relationship with her family. Her parents are divorced, and so she split her time between her parents. Due to the location of the club, Elise starts to spend less time with her father. I think that a lot of the emotion between Elise and both her parents and her young sister were actually left unsaid, but came across very well in just their behaviour and actions. One of the most humbling scenes in the book, for me, was between Elise and her sister towards the end of the book, which really hit me hard.
In my opinion, This Song Will Save Your Life is the best coming-of-age, contemporary book since The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Leila Sales truly captivated me with her fantastic writing and definitely got me thinking about the importance of individualism, the effects of change and the importance of acceptance - accepting who you are and being you, whatever people think.
This book has an absolutely AMAZING soundtrack to go alongside it - you can check it out on Spotify, if you use it. As both the characters in the book and I personally have a lot of love for The Smiths, I can't resist sharing what is perhaps my favourite song of theirs:
These memes are a replacement of The Story Siren's In My Mailbox.
Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday make a place to showcase your new books,
whether you obtained them through the post or otherwise.
I received three unexpected but fantastic-sounding (and looking!) books this week. Firstly, I received a copy of How to Fall in Love which I've actually already started to read because I liked the premise so much. I also received a gorgeous hardback of Rags and Bones which looks like a great read for around Halloween time, and a copy of The Queen of Dreams.
The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.
I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!
-----------------------------------
This week, I'm going to showcase Death of a Saint! I recieved this book for review relatively recently and I'm really hoping to pick it up sometime soon. You may have seen my review of the first book in the Mall Rats series, Deadlands, and if you did, you would know how fantastic I thought it was. I really loved reading Deadlands, so I am hoping that this will continue the story well. I can't wait to see what happens!
Death of A Saint by Lily Herne
Paperback, 384 pages
Expected Publication 17th October 2013 by Much In Little
Some secrets are so unthinkable you can't even admit them to yourself . . . Lele, Ginger, Ash and Saint - aka the Mall Rats - are hiding out in the Deadlands, a once-prosperous area of Cape Town, now swarming with the living dead. Exiled from the city enclave for crimes against the Resurrectionist State, the Rats face a stark choice: return and risk capture - or leave Cape Town and go in search of other survivors.But what if the rest of South Africa is nothing but a zombie-riddled wasteland? Now Lele has discovered the truth about why the lurching dead leave them alone, she can't bring herself to tell the rest of the gang. And she's not the only Mall Rat harbouring a dangerous secret . . . Can the friends' survive on the road if all they have is each other? Or will their secrets tear them apart?
This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.
This is real. This is life. This is how to love.
BEFORE: Reena has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember. But he’s never noticed her, until one day… he does. They fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town, leaving a devastated – and pregnant – Reena behind.
AFTER: Three years later and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter Hannah. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again.
After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer again?
How to Love was a book that I immediately wanted to pick up as soon as it came through my door - I loved the bright cover, the intriguing title and the fact that it was a contemporary new adult book, something that I always want to read more of. I literally couldn't wait to start this and so I opened it up and read - it didn't take me long at all to become hooked!
How To Love was one of those books that I knew that I would enjoy after only a couple of chapters. The writing felt very natural, the story seemed both effortlessly but fantastically written. Though this is a debut novel, it is clear that the author has a true talent. I felt completely at ease when reading and it was so easy to get a real sense of the setting and the characters. Reena, especially, felt more like a real friend rather than a fictional character. Though it was so easy to get absorbed into this book, it was also often interesting to sit back and try and look at the big picture, looking and seeing how different people are affected by different things, and how things may not always be how they are perceived.
This book revolves around Reena and Sawyer, two people who have a difficult past. Firstly, we're introduced to Reena and her young daughter, Hannah who are living in their hometown with Aaron, her boyfriend, and nearby to Reena's religious father and step-mother. Sawyer hasn't been in the neighbourhood for a long time, but now he is back and he's seeking out both Reena and Hannah, his daughter. Reena is not how she used to be, and Sawyer is not how he used to be either - it's very easy to see the changes, however subtle, that their separation and independence has made. Cotugno manages to switch between past and present, before and after Sawyer's disappearance, in a very readable way - sometimes it can be difficult and feel 'jumpy' to move between different times, but the changes flowed very well and really made the book what it is - captivating.
This book is so captivating because despite it being very easy to read, it is very complex and also very realistic. The realism of this book is admirable, it is so easy to imagine the characters acting out their movements, reacting to each others behaviour. Cotugno really got into my mind with this story and got me thinking, how would I have reacted in the position of Reena? Would I have done anything differently? The complexity lies within this novel in many ways. There are so many different and very genuine issues that one would have to consider in the position of either Reena or Sawyer. I thought that Reena was an incredible character - she was strong and she always seemed to try her best, she fought to hold her own and do what was best for her daughter under difficult circumstances. I also liked Sawyer - I wasn't all that taken by 'before' Sawyer, but he really did seem to grow during his time away and the apparent changes are both admirable and loveable. Despite all of Sawyer's problems and his (what initially seems like) quite poor action of leaving, we get to learn a lot about him as the book progresses and by the end, I had absolutely fallen for him and I was willing Reena to take a risk and be with him!
Overall, this is a book that is rather difficult to review as to really appreciate it, you need to pick it up and connect with the story and the characters yourself. I think this would be a great book for any young adults or adults wondering whether or not to venture into this new new adult category of books - I can definitely see both age groups being able to appreciate this one. Cotugno is an absolutely incredible writer, destined to be a favourite. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
