Friday 31 August 2012

Follow Friday (21)


Q. Best Cover? What is the best cover of a book you didn't like?

Lauren's Answer: Hands down The Lovely Bones. Its not the worlds most beautiful cover but its simple and pretty and for once relates to the story but I absolutely hated the ending with every ounce of myself. I'd be happy to sit here all day and rant about how wrong it was to include that scene for now, if its in high demand I'll make a post about it, I think this is also the only book where I will say the movie is better for simply changing the ending.






Nia Jones: The best cover of a book I don't like . Wow that's a hard one these days I try my best not to choose a book buy its cover, but if I had to choose one it would probably be I am Number 4. The cover screams space and Sci-Fi both of which I love and when I opened it i just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. 

Thursday 30 August 2012

Review: The Paladin Prophecy

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost 

Published: 25th September 2012
Publisher: Random House books for young readers 
Page Count: 560
Synopsis: Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents’ insistence, he’s made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam.
Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and is being followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he must flee to the school. There he begins to explore all that he’s capable of—physical and mental feats that should be impossible—and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.
 




Review: I absolutely loved this book, I requested it for review from NetGalley and I'm so glad I did. The book has a wonderfully well written plot, and its paced very well so your always jumping from one situation to the next without the usual pile of annoying filler. One of my favorite things about the book is the fact you know as much as the main character does, you learn things as Will does which I think always makes a book more fun to read.
I didn't think I was going to like Will, I usually don't like the overly intelligent characters unless they're extremely well written like Sherlock Holmes, but I enjoyed reading Will. Although he was clever I didn't get that cocky "I'm better than everyone" feeling from him. The other characters are a bit underdeveloped because I think the main point of this book is plot development, but I could find bits in every character that I really enjoyed and a books always a better read when you enjoy the characters.
Recently i haven't been able to get into most of the books I've been reading, I was honestly gutted every time I had to put this down, and that's a serious complement because if I'm not interested in reading further after the first chapter then I find it hard to pick up that book again. 
Recommend: Hell yes I absolutely loved this.

Amazon: US | UK
Mark Frost: Website | GR | Twitter


Wednesday 29 August 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (13)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)Again The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare is another series I have yet to start, I really want too! I'm kicking myself I still haven't gotten to it.
GR: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.



I've been wanting to read a Neil Gaiman book for awhile and The Graveyard book sounds like the one to begin with.  

GR:After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . 
Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.


Sunday 26 August 2012

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (16+17)


Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 
(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)
This week will be a catch up week because I was so busy with bout of books the days blurred together. Hope you've all had a good two weeks and some fabulous books.

Bagged:
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Won from BoutofBooks challenged hosted by Kristilyn, thank you.
Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely, #2)

Amazon Freebies
Thirst by Claire Farrell, Dead[ish] by Naomi Kramer, Once Bitten by Trina M. Lee, Draykon by Charlotte E. English, The Book of Deacon by Joseph Lallo, Veiled Eyes by C. L. Bevill, Death Drop by Sean Allen, Deja Vu: A Technothriller by Ian Hocking, Kimi's Secret by John Hudspith, Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder by Derek Gunn, Nocturnal by Chelsea M. Cameron, Song of the Fairy Queen by Valerie Douglas and Madly by M. Leighton.
Once Bitten (Alexa O’Brien, Huntress, #1)DEAD[ish]Thirst (Ava Delaney, #1)Draykon (Draykon, #1)The Book of Deacon (The Book of Deacon, #1)Veiled Eyes (Lake People, #1)Death DropDéjà Vu: A Technothriller (The Saskia Brandt Series, #1)Kimi's SecretVampire Apocalypse: A World Torn AsunderNocturnal (The Noctalis Chronicles, #1)Song of the Fairy QueenMadly (Madly, #1)

These past weeks on Northern Plunder:
Bout of Books Day 1
Bout of Books Day 2
Wishlist Wednesday
Bout of Books Day 3
Follow Friday
Bout of Books Day 5
Bout of Books Day 6
Bout of Books Wrap Up
Review: Troll or Derby
Review: Enthralled (Part Two)
Wishlist Wednesday
Book Tour Review: Section 132
Vlogging with Fanatical about Fiction

Other News:
It feels great to be reading again and I can't put the books down, I look forward to attempting my first video review very soon! Also I watched The Bourne Legacy, Cabin in the Woods, 1,000 Words, The Evil Dead and Battleship this week, I'd recommend all but 1,000 Words - I'm not a big Eddie Murphey fan so to me the movie was only ok - I can't wait to watch The Evil Dead sequels though - Lauren



Saturday 25 August 2012

Vlogging with Fanatical about Fiction (6)

Welcome back! I missed my video this week being all caught up with reviews from Bout of Books and it was good to be back reading again but I did manage to throw a tiny one in. Luckily though the others girls have been getting videos up and we have a new member - Jay! But her video wont be up just yet ;)

Thursday 23 August 2012

Book Tour Review: Section 132 + Giveaway

I have been lucky enough to be part of the book tour for this great read by Helga Zeiner, don't forget to stick with for the giveaway ;)

Helga Zeiner
Helga Zeiner is a Canadian and German citizen, at the age of 18 she completed her arts degree at the Art School of Bavaria and left Germany. Since then she has lived and worked in Australia for two years and Hong Kong for twelve, but since 2004 has lived with her husband in the wilderness of British Columbia where they own over 500 acres and developed into a gated cabin community - The Rainbow County Estate. For as long as Helga can remember she has been writing novels, usually in her spare time, and though most of her time today is devoted to writing she also manages the land development company, is politically acitve, enjoys outdoor spots and loves smoking cigars.

Section 132
Published: 1st July 2011
Publisher: POW WOW Books
Page Count: 458
Synopsis: Lillian is only 13 when her parents marry her to a middle-aged Bishop of a fundamentalist sect who practices polygamy. She is forced to live with her new husband’s many wives and children on his compound tucked away in the Canadian wilderness. The hardships of poverty and isolation have crushed the will of just about everybody in his flock. They suffer in silent submissiveness, trying to please their despotic leader. He justifies the humiliating treatment of his dependents by citing ‘Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenants’ of his fundamentalist religion. Until, one day, Lillian had enough. But it is dangerous to try and escape the Bishop’s iron rule. He practices blood-atonement, which is quietly sanctioned by the ‘Gatekeepers’, an American secret society within the Fundamentalist Mormon Church. Lillian must find out-side help if she ever wants to leave the Bishop’s compound – but how can she do this if she is locked up without any means of communication? Lillian doesn’t know how life outside a compound functions. She only knows that she can not live like this much longer. Many questions plaque her troubled mind. Why do her sister-wives put up with this hardship, knowing only a bleak future lies ahead of them? Where do the child-brides come from, the Bishop keeps adding to his family? Where do some of his daughters disappear to, once they come of age? Lillian’s defiance grows with every injustice she witnesses – until she can’t hide her rebellion any longer.Her desperate struggle to escape draws the reader into a very dark, very dangerous place. But not all is hopeless. When land developer Richard Bergman buys the neighboring property, Lillian’s luck seems to be changing…
Review: Wow, this book is definitely very different to my usual reads so different that I'm going to have to discuss a few subjects that you may find sensitive. I decided to give myself a week to read this book thinking I could do that easily, but boy was I wrong, in fact I think this book needs to come with a warning cause it really effected me and was super heavy to read. For most books about religion I tend to steer clear because I don't find it that interesting nor do I follow any religion, but I decided to give this book a chance because I wanted to know what the mystery was that surrounded Lillian. The book for the most part is from two characters points of view Lillian the thirteen year old child bride to the "Bishop" and Richard who is in short a big time redeveloper, the main trouble I had with his chapters were that he'd go into so much into the business side of things that it went over my head and I had no idea what was going on but I soon learned to skim parts of what he was saying so that I wouldn't be so confused which helped moved the story on a lot quicker but I appreciated them all the same because I realised the author was using her own knowledge within his chapters, as for Lillian's chapters I initially struggled with them for a completely different reason, they were interesting but I had such a hard time coping with the idea of a thirteen year old being sold into a marriage to a 40 year old man who already had over 10 wives, not to mention the chapters where he forced himself on her to the point she threw up in his face, *shudder*. So you're probably sat here thinking wow she didn't think much of this book but quiet the opposite, whilst what happened in the book tormented me I enjoyed how powerful the writing was to make me feel such a way and also want to throw up, but I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened not just with her but with the other wives and children and whether the Gatekeepers could actually be of any help, it was all very tense. 
Recommend? Yes if you can handle it.
(3.5 to be completely honest)
GR

Amazon: UK | US
Helga Zeiner: Website | Twitter | Facebook

But you wanted to know more, right?
EXCERPT:
Martha knew the Bishop was coming for her. His boots stomped toward the office, and when he unlocked the door, she moved back to the opposite wall, trying to melt into it. The room was only about ten feet deep, and he was threateningly close as soon as he had entered. She saw the gun strap slung over his shoulder. Marion was beside him, her face still wet from crying, but already setting into a mask of acceptance and denial. Empty eyes buried in a stone hard expression. With only minimal movement of her body, she looked like a motionless statue, placed there only as an accessory to her husband, an extension of his wrath, coming alive only to cater to his demands. For the moment, he needed nothing of her except to observe him in all his glory as the executor of the faith. Martha was not scared of him, but she was terrified of the unknown. What cruelty had he planned for her? Would she have to suffer long? It would be easier to bear if she knew what to expect. She didn’t have to wait long. “Get out of here, you worthless piece of shit!” he snapped at her. He slipped the gun strap off his shoulder and casually swung the hunting rifle in front of his massive torso like a trophy. “Here, see this! Fear this! It is the Lord’s instrument of vengeance. He has appointed me to be his executioner. Commanded me to exterminate filthy vermin like you. Get out, you slut, so I can punish you for your sins!” He came closer, lowered the weapon and prodded her thigh with the tip of the rifle. Martha jumped sideways and was forced to move forward and slide past him to the door. He directed her with his weapon. “Bitch! Out with you! Outside! We don’t want a mess in here. Out you go, you miserable creature! I’ll show you who your master is. Move it, bitch, don’t drag your feet.” Martha moved a little faster. She was numb, didn’t even feel herself walking past Marion who remained grotesquely frozen in her stance. The Bishop kept pushing her forward, down the hallway, to the back entrance of the house. “Go, go, go. Let’s have a little target practise. You’d better move a bit faster, or it won’t be fun at all. Outside you go.” He pushed her through the back door and out into the yard. “When I count to three, you run. If you make it over there, I’ll let you live. The Lord will decide.” The distance from the house to the trees was much larger than she remembered. But it didn’t matter; he would get her anyway. Best to go slow, otherwise he might miss and only injure her. “One!” Martha took a deep breath. He slammed his rifle painfully into her back. She nearly lost her balance. “Two!” She forgot her resolution to be an easy target and instinctively started to run. “Threeeee….” She ran as fast as she could, trying to get away from his horrible ‘eeeee’. She practically flew over the ground, driven by her survival instinct, until she stumbled, lost her balance and fell face down on the ground. A sharp slash whipped viciously through her whole body, ripping her insides apart. She was surprised to hear herself groaning, although the excruciating pain of a moment ago subsided into shocked numbness. He had not finished her! Mixed into her total confusion of being shot at, lying on the ground and not feeling any pain, was the realization that something did not fit into the whole scenario. Something did not make sense. She had heard him counting and his final endless, blood curling “eeeeeeeee” still rang in her ears. She was on her knees now, slumped forward to steady herself with her hands, and turning sideways to look behind her. He was also on the ground, holding his side with one hand, the rifle lying next to him. His “eeeeee” had evaporated into a whimper. At the same instant Martha saw the shape of a woman running away from him. Nothing but billowing skirts in a hasty retreat, impetuously heading for the protection of the trees. Anna! Already she had reached the trees. A safe haven for the fleeing Anna; as it would be for her, if she could reach it before he recovered from the injury Anna had inflicted on him. He was already shaking his head like a wounded bear, groaning in an effort to get the nasty foreign object that incapacitated him out of his flank. Martha did not see what had injured him so badly that the air had been knocked out of his lungs, but it must have weakened him considerably. He was wheezing, coughing and gurgling in his angry attempts to regain his stability and was slowly steadying himself. If only she had not been hurt – if only she could reach the cover of the forest before he recovered from the surprise attack. She forced herself to try and scramble to her feet, surprised that she was still in one piece and not cut into two like she had thought. Where did it hurt? Even more surprised, she realized that she was not hurting at all. Her brain finally solved the mystery that had puzzled her before. No shot had been fired! On his last count she had only heard his scream but no shot - no bullet had been flying in her direction. She had stumbled and fallen, that was all. The pain had been imaginary. By now her legs were firmly on the ground, holding her weight, and she started to run. She looked back once and increased her efforts to reach the tree line when she saw that he was already on his knees, groping blindly for his weapon. She literally flew across the yard, her skirt bunched up high, with her feet barely touching the ground. The forest. The trees. There they were. She ran past the first few trees, getting deeper into the woods before she pressed herself behind one wide trunk, panting heavily. She dared to look back. He was nowhere to be seen. He had moved. Where to? She knew her panting was too loud, but she could not stop it, her lungs were screaming for oxygen. It was mercifully dark in the forest, but he only needed to follow the wheezing sounds she made to find her. Anger welled up inside her. She wanted to live! Why hadn’t Anna finished him! She must have been too weak. If only she had a weapon. The frustration of being so helpless made her even more angry. I will fight him, she thought. This time, I will scratch his eyes out before he can hurt me again. Martha slid down the tree trunk until she cowered on the wet cold ground, making herself as small a target as possible. She concentrated on the sounds of the night. He was injured and furious, he would not approach like a seasoned hunter but would storm through the darkness in search of her. When she heard him coming, she could hide or run away from him. She wasn’t quite sure what she would do, but this time she would not make it easy for him.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (12)


Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.


Strange Angels (Strange Angels, #1)Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow reminds me of Supernatural when Sam is all hung up on Demon blood only different of course!
GR: In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?


I just love the sound of Angelfall by Susan Ee and I really really want to read it but as always I seem to lack the time.
GR: 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.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

 

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Review: Enthralled (Part Two)

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong
Published: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
Page Count: 452
Synopsis: A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire. Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved."Enthralled" is a collection of 14 original teen paranormal short stories from some of today's bestselling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips.
Review: As you may already be aware this is part two of the review as I decided to split it up with there being so many short stories, if you'd like to see part one first please click here.
Let's Get this Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan
What happens when you leave a vampire and three humans in a locked room with only food supplied for the humans? Well this story actually, and boy I loved it.
Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready
This short story took a new approach to the ghost story, not only was it written in verse it was also from the ghosts point of view, said ghost was a teenager following the lives of his brother and loved ones from the other side and with the help of a female stranger was able to stop another disaster from happening.
Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
I think this was easily the most tense and heartbreaking story of them all as it follows a young boy who has dreams of the future, and not good ones either. These are dreams that only provide terror and worry to any who care a lot about their loved ones.
Leaving by Ally Condie
This is the oddest concept I've read for a while, in short everyone lives inside of large globes because the outside is unsafe and one girl plans to leave to a past time, our time. Its rather wonderful really and I highly recommend seeking this story out if not the others.
At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday
I only wanted The Rocky Horror Picture Show last year and its a good job I did or all these references wouldn't have made any sense! This was a weird story about a girl hunting cannibal girl scouts, I mean what an odd concept? Now you're like how does TRHPS have anything to do with this, well she then stumbles across a car full of vampires cosplaying for a Rocky Horror event haha.
IV League by Margarent Stohl
I didn't really like this story until the end, it was slow and not as exciting as the other but its about young vampires trying to enrol into schools but struggle due to their vampire state. I'm pretty sure they had a dog vampire at the end...
Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
This tale was beautiful, its about a Gargouille that was capture and had their wings clipped and is loosing her memory because of it, its really heartbreaking as she's recently fallen in love too! But it has a really lovely ending :3
The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This was also one of the slower ones, it follows a pair of sisters - one who has "pulses" every now and then about certain things she has to do and this time it involves leaving in the very earlier hours of the morning for safety reasons. It turns out to be more complicated than just these pulses as others decided its murdering time!
Automatic by Rachel Caine
Last but not least we have another vampire story but this one is super amusing as its about a vending machine for cans of blood, it really tickled me this one and I really want to read something by Rachel Caine now.
GR
Amazon: UK | US

Part One

Sunday 19 August 2012

Bout of Books: Wrap Up

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
Oh man, I have a lot of reading to do today, my days are so messed up I just went "oh my god it's Sunday" I was so sure it was Friday haha. Woops. Hopefully I can finish Switched by the end of the day which I'm really enjoying even if Wendy is a little slow with catching onto things and such. Edit: I totally finished Switched cause I am amazing and all ;) and with it being the last day I'm going to include al my progress and goal information!
13.08
Enthralled by Melissa Marr & Others
Pages Read: 51
Time Read For: 45 minutes
Paper Towns
Pages Read: 26
Time Read For: 22 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 1
Overall Pages Read: 77
Overall Time Read For: 1 hour 7 minutes

14.08
Paper Towns
Pages Read: 51
Time Read For: 54 minutes
Troll or Derby
Percent Read: 11%
Time Read For: 31 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 2
Overall Page Count: 128 + 11%
Overall Time Read For: 2 hours 32 minutes

15.08
Troll or Derby
Percent Read: 22%
Time Read For: 55 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 2
Overall Page Count: 128 + 33%
Overall Time Read For: 3 hours 27 minutes

16.08
Troll or Derby
Percent Read: 24%
Time Read For: 54 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 128 + 68% (178ish)
Overall Time Read For: 4 hours 21 minutes
I also won the A Book For Every Season challenge!

17.08
Switched
Pages Read: 86
Time Read For: 1 hour 12 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 382
Overall Time Read For: 5 hours 33 minutes

18.08
Switched
Pages Read: 96
Time Read For: 1 hour 7 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 478
Overall Time Read For: 6 hours 40 minutes

19.08
Switched
Pages Read: 173
Time Read For: 1 hour 23 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 4
Overall Pages Read: 651
Overall Time Read For: 8 hours 3 minutes
Enthralled: Paranormal DiversionsPaper TownsTroll Or DerbySwitched
When I first signed up to the read-a-thon I decided that I wanted to out do my own achievements from last time but unfortunately I wasn't 100% up to it this week, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't achieve what I set out to do but I'm happy with my outcomes due to the fact after having a month of not reading this is a vast improvement! I hope you all have had a lovely week, and I'll be stopping by every wrap up post over the next week or two depending on how many there are ;) Below I'm going to include synopsis' of the books I've read - I hope you see something you like.
Enthralled: Paranormal Diversion by Melissa Marr: A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire. Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart. Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.
Paper Towns by John Green: When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.
Troll or Derby by Red Tash: In Troll Or Derby, fifteen-year-old Roller Deb is singled out by town bullies for both her skates, and for being different. When her popular homecoming queen of a sister is kidnapped by a scuzzy drug dealer, Deb must flee the trailer park in which she's grown up, and rescue her. Along the way, Deb becomes enmeshed in the magical realm of trolls and fairies, and the blood-thirsty version of roller derby at which these beings excel. But spending too much time among the fairies comes with a price. Will Deb choose to save her sister, with the aid of a mysterious troll? Or will she be lost to the lures of roller derby, and the blonde temptress April, forever?
Switched by Amanda Hocking: What if your entire world was built on a lie? Wendy Everly knew she was different the day her mother tried to kill her and accused her of having been switched at birth. Although certain she’s not the monster her mother claims she is – she does feel that she doesn’t quite fit in... She’s bored and frustrated by her small town life – and then there’s the secret that she can’t tell anyone. Her mysterious ability – she can influence people’s decisions, without knowing how, or why... When the intense and darkly handsome newcomer Finn suddenly turns up at her bedroom window one night – her world is turned upside down. He holds the key to her past, the answers to her strange powers and is the doorway to a place she never imagined could exist. Förening, the home of the Trylle. Finally everything makes sense. Among the Trylle, Wendy is not just different, but special. But what marks her out as chosen for greatness in this world also places her in grave danger. With everything around her changing, Finn is the only person she can trust. But dark forces are conspiring – not only to separate them, but to see the downfall everything that Wendy cares about. The fate of Förening rests in Wendy’s hands, and the decisions she and Finn make could change all their lives forever...

Saturday 18 August 2012

Bout of Books: Day 6

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
I decided to let myself focus on my briefs that I've been set for starting college at the end of this month today,    I hope everyone is doing really well with their challenges so far :D

Updates:
Book Read:
Switched
Pages Read: 96
Time Read For: 1 hour 7 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 478
Overall Time Read For: 6 hours 40 minutes

Its nice to see I'm over half way on my time goal and just under half way on my pages goal, unfortunately its way passing the halfway mark on the read-a-thon, I'm really going to push through some books the last day!

Friday 17 August 2012

Bout of Books: Day 5

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
Started Switched by Amanda Hocking today, I'm really enjoying the style of it so far and have high hopes for the rest of the story, how has your day been?


Updates:

Book Read: Switched
Pages Read: 86
Time Read For: 1 hour 12 minutes
-
Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 382
Overall Time Read For: 5 hours 33 minutes

Don't forget to check out the challenges for today, I'm not taking part today cause I've been busy and I'm tired now. As its not the end of the day yet I haven't added my time or page count but I've read a fair bit today, going to really push myself tomorrow :D

Follow Friday (20)


Q: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a book blog.

Lauren's Answer: Truth be told I could list many people right now and for many different reasons, first up is PrettyBooks because it was thanks to her blog that I decided to get up and make my own book blog. Soon after I stumbled across BookChickCity and eventually BookExhibitionism, and these have continued to stay some of my favourite reads. Of course there are many other blogs I could mention, some that aren't even to do with books but I decided to name just three or I'd be here all day!

Nia's Answer: I'm honestly sad to say that I don't follow many book blogs and what brought me into this whole wonderful community was Lauren and Fanatical about Fiction which you should check out if you haven't already, so I'm not really sure which of the few I follow do inspire me.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Bout of Books: Day 4

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
Today has easily been my best day by far and its not even over yet. I've already finished up my third book, not to mention the fact it is results day too! I did really well and either got my predicted grades or better. Hope everyone else is having a good week.

Updates:
Book Finished: Troll or Derby
Percent Read: 24%
Time Read For: 54 minutes
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Overall Books Completed: 3
Overall Pages Read: 128 + 68% (178ish)
Overall Time Read For: 4 hours 21 minutes
Challenges:
Reading In Winter has lovely challenge up called "A Book For Every Season" where we have to select a book for each season whether it be because it was set during the season or because the season is in the name of the book title.
As I have a really hard time remembering when/where a lot of the books I've read where set or they've not played much attention to the season I've done with picking titles instead, for Summer I've chose Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull which I haven't read but has been on my wishlist for a month, the cover for Autumn by David Moody caught my eye and it sounds fabulous so I've added it to my wishlist now, on my to be read pile from NetGalley I have Blades of Winter by G.T. Almasi which I may actually start during boutofbooks cause I honestly forgot about it, and last but not least for Spring we have Spring-Heeled Jack by Philip Pullman cause I'm about 80% sure I read this during school!
Summer and BirdAutumnBlades of Winter (Shadowstorm, #1)Spring-Heeled Jack
Book Smartie would like to know what our favourite snack whilst reading is, do we even snack at all or do you try and eat or drink exactly what the characters in the story are having?
It's funny she asks this because whilst I was reading Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowan I wanted nothing more to eat plate after plate of small fancy chicken wings, maybe in a BBQ sauce? but alas there were none in the house and my kindle would've been very messy. I also have a glass of water or mug of tea handy when reading and food wise I try to avoid things that make your hands messy to avoid ruining the books so when I do have a packet of crisps I use one hand only and refuse to touch the book with that hand again haha! I drink more than I eat when reading :)
Last but not least Books With Cass has a few question on contemporary novels which I've decided not to participate in right now - I might do later - but I really want to go and read some more, make sure you check it out though.