The end of my British authors month...

And that's it! I hope you've all enjoyed November's themed month. I know I certainly enjoyed it. It's been really fun talking about and reading books by British authors. And even though November is finished, I will continue to support and celebrate my favourite homegrown authors, you can be sure of that!

Here's a look at all the posts which went up... Thank you all for your support, comments, retweets, posts about the month. A huge thank you also to my absolutely wonderful and lovely guest posters and guest reviewers, I really don't know how I could have managed the month without you! Thank you so much for writing such brilliant and thoughtful posts!


Introducing British authors month

Reviews

Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie
The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight by Jenny Valentine
Naked by Kevin Brooks
0.4 by Mike Lancaster
Numbers by Rachel Ward
Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja
The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
The Medusa Project: The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie
Big Woo by Susie Day
Wasted by Nicola Morgan
Pretty Things by Sarra Manning
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick
Rich and Mad by William Nicholson
Lucas by Kevin Brooks
Divided City by Theresa Breslin
Exodus by Julie Bertagna
From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma
Sea of Tears by Floella Benjamin

Posts

Some of my favourite books by British authors
Jenny Valentine (Awesome Women)
Peter Pan
Reading the not-quite-blockbusters, Part 2
Reading Roald Dahl
Books that make me want to travel to ... the UK
Favourite bookish websites
Books by British authors I'm dying to read


Guest posts


British Book Destinations Tour by Raimy from Readaraptor
Gritty Teen/YA fiction in the UK by Savita Kalhan
How the British seaside inspires my writing by Jill Hucklesby
A literary tour of London by Laura from SisterSpooky: Book Fangirl
What makes a novel British? by Catherine Bruton
Two British settings by Luisa Plaja
The most bookish place in the UK? by Jenni from Juniper's Jungle
Enid Blyton by Zoe from Bookhi
Ten British books that I love from Hayley Long
Location, Location, Location by Sophia Bennett
Weird Things You Learn When Writing by Jo Cotterill
Confessions of a Word Nerd by Luisa Plaja

What do you think? Should I make this an annual event?

REVIEW: From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma

Tabitha Suzuma writes some really powerful books. I first came across her name when Forbidden was published. So many people were talking about this wonderful consensual incest love story that I had to pick it up. And it shocked and surprised me how much I began to root for this unusual romantic couple.

So I picked up another of her books, this time about a young man struggling with the pressures of a prestigious music academy and manic depression called A Note of Madness and again she blew me away. I became determined to read Tabitha Suzuma's entire backlist as I'm intrigued and excited about where this author will take me next.

From Where I Stand is an unusual little book. It seems rather straight-forward at first glance - our main character, Raven witnesses the death of his mother and he's placed in a foster care. He's taken in by a great family, but he's so troubled and traumatised by the death of his mother that he can't really deal.

Despite being bullied at his new school and being befriended by Lotte, a girl in his class, all Raven really wants to do is gather some evidence in order to prove guilty the person he knows killed his mother. Despite her death being ruled as accidental, Raven has other ideas. So together, Raven and Lotte start their search.

I really didn't have a clue where this story was heading until the last third of the book. Then it becomes more obvious how much Raven has been affected by his mother's death. You start noticing some similarities between Raven's tormentors and the way in which Raven treats his ex-step father. There's this growing sense throughout the novel that Raven and Lotte are really in over their heads in the way the go about their investigation.

I wasn't sure what to make of Lotte at all. It's nice for Raven to have a friend, but it was constantly at the back of my mind that perhaps Lotte isn't as genuine as she makes out to be. I did however LOVE Ella, Raven's new little sister where he's staying. She was a really bright spot in this otherwise gritty and darkish thriller. Plus, everything takes place in West London, where I used to live. It's always nice to see familiar places.

On the whole, I enjoyed From Where I Stand. I really felt for Raven and wanted him to be happy in his new family but could really believe how broken he had become from what he had experienced. His quest for the truth and for some answers took me to a surprising place. I look forward to reading more books by Tabitha Suzuma!

Some of my favourite bookish websites

I've had SUCH fun producing reviews and posts to fill up this month. I'm so inspired by the wonderful selection of books by British authors that I've read this month and throughout the year, and having reading them, I continue to want more and more.

Today, I thought I would share with you some bookish links just in case you were also interesting in finding out more about these wonderful authors that I've been reading about lately. And I've also included some of my favourite fellow book bloggers who spend a considerable amount of time and energy reading and reviewing. I don't think book bloggers ever truly get the recognition they deserve for their incredible work.

Please do feel free to share in comments YOUR favourite bookish links that promote books by British authors, whether it be a favourite UK book blogger or British author blog.

Author websites of the books I've reviewed this month/author contributors

Floella Benjamin
Sophia Bennett
Theresa Breslin
Julie Bretagna
Kevin Brooks
Catherine Bruton
Jo Cotterill
Keren David
Susie Day
Joseph Delaney
Jill Hucklesby
Savita Kalhan
Mike Lancaster
Hayley Long
Sarra Manning
Jill Mansell
Sophie McKenzie
Nicola Morgan
William Nicholson
Luisa Plaja
Joss Stirling
Tabitha Suzuma
Jenny Valentine
Marcus Sedgwick
Rachel Ward


UK Author blogs I love


Keris Stainton - Keris is quite obviously one of my favourite people. But she's also the person I'd say has most inspired me to keep blogging, to keep trying new things and to strive for more and better. I will always read Keris' blog. It's filled with such a wonderful variety of things that make me smile or stop to think.


Zoe Marriott - Zoe's blog is something newish for me. I hadn't really heard of Zoe or her books until earlier in the year. Just before Shadows on the Moon came out, I believe. I'd been sent a review copy of the book and took the book away on holiday with me. Shadows absolutely blew me away and I've been a huge fan of Zoe's ever since. And her blog is absolutely wonderful. She writes really interesting detailed posts about writing that fascinate me.


Keren David - I started following Keren's blog last year after reading the amazing When I Was Joe and the sequel, Almost True. Just like with Keren's books (which I adore) I find her blog posts to be very emotional and intelligent. She writes about her writing and about books and recent news events in such a way that it always makes me interested. I do love reading her blog.


Cat Clarke - I think what I like so much about Cat's blog is the tone used. I think for most of the authors blogs I've come across, it feels as though something is being held back or that some authors feel like they have to appear in a certain way. And with Cat Clarke's blog, I don't feel that same hesitation. Her posts are also about books and writing, but it feels very conversational and a bit fun, with the photos of hot guys and her adorable puppy and the music videos.



Collab author blogs

Girls Heart Books - Here is a wonderful, wonderful collab blog. I absolutely ADORE it. There's 30 or so authors who write books for girls aged usually between 8-14 and have banded together to write blog posts about their books, writing, inspiration, names. It's a really lovely mix of topics and authors to discover here. One of my absolute favourite blogs to read on a daily basis.


The History Girls - For those of you interesting in history, fiction or writing, this is the place for you! I always find the most entertaining and interesting posts written about on The History Girls. They cover nearly every historical period of time and have such fun things to share.


The Edge - The lovely Edge authors have all made an appearance on my blog at one time or another, and for good reason. These authors are all writing my favourite type of YA books. Sure, I like light and fluffy and dystopian and paranormal and occasionally historical, but where my heart truly lies is with the stories with a layer of grit and ..edge about them. And this blog delivers in that area and allows me to better get to know this group of authors. Well worth a visit.


My favourite UK YA book blogs


Wondrous Reads - I don't think Jenny needs any introduction, do you?! I think most people would immediately think of Wondrous Reads when thinking of UK book bloggers!


Serendipity Reviews - Vivienne is one of my favourite bloggers, and I think what I love so much about her blog is how hard she works at bringing us more than just wonderful reviews but also fascinating interviews with authors about writing. It's always wonderful to read new posts.


The Book Memoirs - It is the same with these two lovely ladies, Elle and Kate. I love their rating system, their discussions on different topics and especially the very many different themed events going on! A fairly recent discovery of mine, The Book Memoirs is a firm favourite.

Chicklish - Chicklish will always be one of my favourite YA book blogs. It's probably the first review site in the UK and is always filled with fab books and giveaways and news. Plus, it's run by the wonderful Luisa Plaja, who is just an angel.


New-to-me blogs that I've come across lately

Anna Scott Reads

Wear the old Coat

I would love to hear which blog sites are your favourites! Please do share in comments! Thanks.

REVIEW: Sea of Tears by Floella Benjamin

Guest review from Kulsuma of sunshine and stardust

Sea of Tears by Floella Benjamin was a thought-provoking, coming of age story. The story starts as Jasmine is saying goodbye to her South London home and then journeys back to when Jasmine’s parents tell her that they will be leaving England for Barbados due to the dangers of London.

At first, I was a slightly surprised that Jasmine was so against moving to Barbados as it is Barbados after all! I felt slightly put off by her defiance. But then I thought about my own experiences and it became complex. Having lived in London my whole life, going on a ten week holiday to Bangladesh two years ago brought the question of my identity to the forefront. Like Jasmine, I asked myself several questions, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where do I belong?’

Jasmine has to leave her friends and everything she knows behind and go to a place she has only experienced second-hand through her father. Jasmine, of course, has to grudgingly go along with it, but even though her home in Barbados is beautiful and she makes a new friend called Devlin, Jasmine cannot forget the life she left back in London. More to the point, she tries everything she possibly can to get that life back, both by herself and with Devlin’s help.

I really enjoyed Sea of Tears as it dealt with a major issue that is important to teens; the question of identity. Jasmine’s journey is a turbulent one; at different points of Sea of Tears she is bullied, lost and isolated, sometimes all three at once. However, in the end, all her questions about who she is, who her friends are and where her home is are answered.

It was great to see London portrayed authentically in Sea of Tears; however, I wished more of its positive aspects were depicted. There was a high concentration of negative events such as bringing knives to school, shoplifting, internet grooming and being kidnapped in such a short space that it left me questioning why Jasmine would want to stay in London at all.

Sea of Tears also had a lot of ‘telling’ and not ‘showing’ at the beginning which stymied the flow of the book and makes the book suitable for younger readers. Once the main action of the story started however, it was very interesting and exciting to read about. Furthermore, the climax could have been protracted as it felt slightly rushed. However, the ending was satisfying and was what I expected it to be.

I liked the characters that Benjamin created and believe that teens will be able to relate to them. Jasmine matures as a character throughout the book. I really liked Devlin and Jasmine’s grandmother as they were easy-going and helped Jasmine to become the girl she eventually becomes.

Overall, I liked Sea of Tears and would recommend it to those interested in identity, friendship and family.


I'm intrigued by the issues of identity. Thank you so much for this review Kulsuma!

Books by British authors that I'm dying to read

And because I've had so much fun with this British themed month and reading so many brilliant books by British authors, I will continue to read as many books by British authors as I can get my hands on.

Here is a small list of some of the books I'm dying to read which are not yet published. Links shall go to the books' GoodReads pages.




Torn by Cat Clarke - Bah to all of you bloggers out there who have already recieved ARCs of Torn by Cat Clarke. I am absolutely desperate to read anything written by Cat Clarke EVER after her amazing debut, Entangled. I loved Entangled so much and I fully expect to love Torn just as much. This book is officially published on 5th January by Quercus.


Adorkable by Sarra Manning - No cover image for this one as yet, but it is due to be published by Atom the 24th of May (is that right?) so there is a bit of a wait for this one. I'm just so excited for it. I absolutely adore Sarra Manning and I shall always look forward to more of her books. This one sounds brilliant. I really just can't get enough of Sarra Manning.


Kiss, Date, Love, Hate by Luisa Plaja - Luisa Plaja is, of course, one my favourite authors, bloggers and people. I've loved all of her books that I've read so far and I think Kiss, Date, Love, Hate sounds absolutely brilliant. I love the mixture of love with a computer game. It speaks to the romantic inside of me as well as the huge nerd that hides away most of the time. I can't wait to find out more. This book is published by Corgi Children's on 2nd February!


Saving Daisy by Phil Earle - This is a sort of prequel to Being Billy, which I read earlier in the year and I absolutely loved. I mentioned Being Billy on my list of favouite books by British authors earlier in the month and I completely stand by it. It's such a moving, and emotional book about an angry boy trying to get by living in a care home. I have very high hopes that Saving Daisy will be just as wonderful. It is being published by Puffin on the 5th of January.


Fifteen Days Without A Head by Dave Cousins - Earlier in the year, my attention was brought to a group of writers blogging about edgy YA fiction, including Dave Cousins. I was lucky enough to interview each of the The Edge authors and after hearing about this book, Fifteen Days Without A Head has sat firmly on my wishlist of books I'm gasping to read. Especially after a fair few early reviews of the book have compared the book to Being Billy by Phil Earle. Look for it in January of next year!


Nine Uses for an Ex-Boyfriend by Sarra Manning - Oh! I've just seen the cover art for this! And again, it's Sarra Manning so it has to be on my list. I adore her. I absolutely love her YA stuff, but I'm in love with her adult books as well. If there are any two books I re-read the most recently, it has to be Unsticky and You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, because I feel such strong emotional connections to the two main characters Grace and Neve. So yes, I will have extremely high expectations for this book, and I'm sure that I won't be disappointed. I expect this book to be in my hands on or around the 2nd of February. Preferably earlier.


Hollow Pike by James Dawson - I was beginning to struggle with more titles for this list, until some lovely people on Twitter reminded me of some fab titles that I'd had on my mental wishlist and not on my actual one (this has since been corrected!). First up is Hollow Pike by James Dawson. I remember when the cover of this book was released it caused huge excitement on Twitter and just to see what everyone was going on about, I started clicking links. And this one sounds really good! Witches and ritual killings and mysterious figures, oh my! I've been recently converted to YA thrillers and hope to continue my love of them with this book. Out on the 2nd of February.


A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton - And carrying on with the witch theme, there's this book. Which has a very pretty cover! I have high hopes that there will be something different in this paranormal offering. And I absolutely adore the name 'Seth'!

This book is out in January of 2012! So mark your calendars.



Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale - Katie Dale is another author from The Edge blog, who I interviewed earlier in the year. I really love the sound of her debut novel! Lots of uncovering of dark family secrets and lies, including a trip to California with an ex-boyfriend. It sounds as though it could really be really emotional. I'm really looking forward to it. Published 2nd February 2012.


Night School by CJ Daughterty - And finally, to wound up this list of exciting books, we have Night School by CJ Daughterty. Not British as such, but has lived here long enough for me to include her.

I absolutely love the sound of Night School! What is it about boarding schools that attract me so much?! And Cimmeria Academy sounds like an unnerving place as our main character is attacked, someone's killed and of course there's this mystery to solve. Which I fully plan on doing in January of next year!

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So, these are the books by British authors that I'm most looking forward to reading. Which books would YOU put on your list? I really want to know. Let's share the excitement!

REVIEW: Exodus by Julie Bertagna

Reviewed by Carrie from Teabelly

Exodus by Julie Bertagna is set less than a 100 years in the future in a world ravaged by global warming and rising sea levels. The ice caps have melted and most of Earth is under water. 15 year old Mara Bell lives on the isolated island of Wing with her family, trying to survive the stormy seasons and advancing tides. Many on the island cling to the idea that they are safe, but Mara can see they need to move before their home disappears altogether. There’s little time for anything except survival, but she has close friends and an annoying little brother to contend with. She also has The Weave, a sort of defunct version of the Internet, which she pokes around in trying to find information on the past, and ways to save her island.

She gets unexpected help from Fox, another traveller on the Weave, who gives her hope that the rest of the world may not be lost. He tells her of giant sky cities where civilisation is thriving and, armed with this knowledge, she convinces her people they must leave Wing in search of this new world.

I did have some problems with this book. At its core it is a well written, well meaning story with some compelling themes and terrifying ‘what-ifs’, but it’s also missing a lot of things that could have moved it from merely competent to great. One of its main strengths is Mara, a wonderful character who carries the burden of saving her people (and another group thanks to a prophecy), and never gives up even when everything seems lost. She’s smart, loyal and brave and you want things to work out for her. Unfortunately the book moves at such a fast pace that those around her do not get the same treatment, character-building wise. We go from the threat of disaster on Wing, the exodus, arriving at the sky city of New Mungo, being a refugee, finding the Treenesters and coming up with a rescue plan, to getting into New Mungo in not very many pages. There’s no real time to relax into it and enjoy what’s happening or get to know the people Mara meets. It all feels very superficial and makes it hard to connect. Therefore moments which should have been affecting just did not touch me at all. There’s no impact, and that’s a shame given what goes on.

I think if it had been a longer book, with more of a slow burn and higher tension it could have been much better. I never really felt that Mara was in real danger, or would not succeed. It all happens quite easily, despite the losses she sustains. A lot more could have been explored – the horrors of their journey to New Mungo and the first days in the boat camp. And it’s not because it’s trying to sugar coat it exactly, there are still deaths and truly horrible things that happen, I just had no emotional connection to them.

I also wasn’t totally sold on the world Mara lives in. I could just about picture Wing, but when she goes into the Weave I was lost. Likewise with the sky cities. These are massive feats of engineering that house thousands of people over vast oceans of water, but I could not imagine them at all given the descriptions here. A little more world building would have gone a long way to making this book more enjoyable.

It may be that this book is just aimed at a younger audience, and they would love it immensely, but I’m not sure if this is the case or not. I feel like the language would suit such an audience, but some of the subject matter it tackles might be a bit much for them, so I’m not sure where it fits. And there may be more to come in the trilogy, picking up the threads of storylines that seemed incomplete or abandoned here, but as a first book it hasn’t really held my interest enough to make me want to continue Mara’s journey. Maybe I will, but I was hoping for more.

Very interesting review, thank you so much Carrie!

REVIEW: Divided City by Theresa Breslin

The thing that I love the best about starting this themed event is that when I began talking about my plans for this month, I recieved some of the most interesting reading recommendations from people. And for books I'd never have considered or thought of before. Books like Divided City by Theresa Breslin. Theresa Breslin is, of course, an author I recognise but not somebody whose books I've read a great deal about.

And when I heard about Divided City and the ways in which the book has helped bridge a massive gap between the people and the teenagers of Glasgow, I knew that it was the perfect book for me to read.

I can't say that I know a huge deal about the religious and cultural tensions in Glasgow. I still don't. The really basic story is that there's a split between Catholics and Protestants and that is in some way connected to which football team to support, the Rangers or Celtics. There also seems to be a negative view of asylum seekers or of racial minorities. And what is so great about this book is that in Divided City, Theresa Breslin really tries to address these huge divides in an interesting and non-judgemental fashion.

By giving a more personal perspective of these issues and also by allowing both sides of the story to give their points of view, I found it a really effective and wonderful way to spread a message of tolerance and acceptance. And it has had some really positive results in Glasgow.

The story itself is of two teenage boys, Graham and Joe, who meet at a city-wide football club for young people. They find that they got on well both on the pitch and off and would like nothing more than to hang out and be friends. When Graham witnesses a brutal stabbing in the streets of Glasgow, he'd really rather not get involved. But the man pleads with him to pass a message onto his girlfriend and soon, both Graham and Joe are involved in helping this young asylum seeker as well as identifying and questioning their held beliefs and rivalries.

Divided City was a real eye-opener for me. It is obviously centred around the troubles and problems arising from a specific situation in Glasgow, but it can certainly be applied anywhere else. Racial tension, prejudices and fears seen in this book are not restricted to Celtic and Rangers supporters! I highly recommend this book.

Confessions of a British Word Nerd by Luisa Plaja

Luisa Plaja is definitely one of my favourite people. Like, ever, in the entire world. So I'm very happy that Luisa agreed to write this post on language differences. Luisa Plaja is definitely a wonderful British author that needs celebrating.

Not only is she a linguist, and author of several funny, romantic YA novels (Split By A Kiss, Extreme Kissing, Swapped By A Kiss, Diary of A Mall Girl and soon to be published Kiss, Date, Love, Hate), but she also runs the ever-wonderful YA book site, Chicklish. Find out more about Luisa and her books on the following websites:

Luisa Plaja ... Luisa on Twitter ... Luisa on Facebook ... Chicklish

Confession: I am a word nerd. As well as being a writer, with all the in-built word-nerdery this brings (I have been known to spend an hour thinking about the placement of a hyphen), I'm a Linguist who has spent years analysing UK English and comparing it to other varieties. I still work on ‘translating’ computer documents from US to UK and Australian English, and in the past I've worked on many different dictionaries – both the conventional sit-on-your-shelf tomes and the invisible varieties that lurk in computer programs and attempt to give you the impression that microchips understand you better than you understand yourself. *evil Linguist laugh*



For British Month on Fluttering Butterflies, I decided I'd like to write about UK English in Young Adult books. When I started thinking about it, though, I realised that there's just too much to say on this huge subject - more than I can fit into a humble blog post. Most people are familiar with many of the vocabulary differences between the US and UK English. (Cookies, biscuits, pants, knickers, jello, jelly... Let's call the whole thing off!) (Or see this Wikipedia entry for a non-exhaustive list of British words not widely used in the US. One of my favourite anecdotes from my dictionary days is about the time I carefully compiled a list of every curse/swear word I could find for both US and UK English, and the UK list was at least three times as long...

There are also, of course, many differences in sentence construction, and subtle nuances in meaning that we might not notice on either side of the pond until a misunderstanding comes to light. I highly recommend a fabulous blog on the subject of UK/US language differences, run by lynneguist and appropriately named "Separated by a Common Language". It was there that I finally understood the differences in the US and UK terms for shoes, among many other fascinating linguistic points. lynneguist's tweets are also recommended.

I know that many British-authored books have their language lightly (or less lightly) Americanised before publication on the other side of the Atlantic. For books that haven't been through this process – and even for books that have – I often see reviews that say things like: 'This book is very British.' It's something which always makes me stop and think. Are there degrees of Britishness in the storytelling? Or does this just mean: "it contains British cultural references" and/or "if you're unfamiliar with British English, you'll need a glossary". (In fact, I believe the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison WAS published with a glossary in the States.)

I love reading, and writing, about linguistic and cultural differences. My first novel was partly inspired by an article I’d read about the differences in US and UK attitudes to romantic relationships. The piece argued that these were influenced by the national sports of the respective countries – baseball versus soccer, ‘reaching bases’ versus ‘going for the goal’. I wouldn't say I agreed with this, but I did set out to explore it when I wrote Split by a Kiss.

Which brings me to... romance! I can think of quite a few books, including my own, where relationships develop between British and American characters. After all, what better way to bridge that cultural divide? Here is a quick list of YA/teen books which feature at least a little across-the-pond love. I know there are many, many more, and I welcome all suggestions in the comments. I'd love to add to the lists!

Books containing transatlantic romance, by US Authors

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Life Swap by Abby McDonald, titled Sophomore Switch in the US
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Books containing transatlantic romance, by UK Authors

Split by a Kiss/Swapped by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja
Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
Finding Sky by Joss Stirling
Jumping to Confusions by Liz Rettig
Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning

Thanks for having me on Fluttering Butterflies!

REVIEW: Lucas by Kevin Brooks

I've had a copy of Lucas by Kevin Brooks unread on my shelves for ages now. I've read a few other books by Kevin Brooks and I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of his! If I'm honest, I had no idea what the story was about before I picked it up. Kevin Brooks is a name that I trust and will most likely read his entire backlist. But I was a little nervous about reading Lucas as so many people rave about it. And for good reason, I think. There's something a bit special about this one, and I think I will find it hard to accurately describe just what about this book sets it apart. I shall try through.

Lucas takes place over a single month in summer. Caitlin lives with her father and her older brother who is home visiting over the summer. They live on this isolated little island and Caitlin is on the edge of something, growing up maybe. She worries about her older brother and also about her best friend and neighbour who seem to be getting caught up in a bad crowd.

And during this pivotal summer month, Caitlin meets Lucas and it changes her view of life forever. Not much is known about Lucas - he's utterly mysterious and different. He is sort of a drifter, moving and living however he likes and that freedom and that sense of being different really draws Cait to him. She falls for him quite hard, almost immediately and without them quite meeting yet.

However, the other people in this small town just don't understand him and seem to be afraid and wary of that which they don't understand. Caitlin and Lucas both get drawn into events beyond their control - events which are serious and big. Accusations are made, and things happen in this book that left me breathless and emotional. Despite this book having rather a dreary setting and an almost-heavy feeling atmosphere, I flew through the pages, desperate to know what happens.

There's a sense of really seeing the dark side of humanity whilst reading this book. The negative way in which Lucas is recieved into this small town, some rather nasty individuals and the horrible crimes that are committed. But through it all, we have this lovely, innocent and honest boy, Lucas, who just seems to shine. Lucas is a character and a book that will stay with me for a very, very long time.

Weird Things You Learn When Writing by Jo Cotterill

I'm so pleased to welcome lovely Jo Cotterill to my blog today! Hello! Jo writes the super-sweet Sweet Heart series of books, of which the fourth book, Ice Dreams, was recently published. These books discuss friendship, families, first love and relateable girls for readers 10 and over.

Jo is also one of the contributors to Girls Heart Books, a really wonderful collaborative author website with loads of authors writing daily blog posts about fab books for young girls. To find out more about Jo or the Sweet Heart series, please do visit the following websites:

Sweethearts ... Jo's blog ... Sweet Hearts on Facebook ... Girls Heart Books

Many people think that ‘research’ is boring. Of course, if you’re researching something you don’t care about, then I guess it could be very boring. But when you’re writing a story, you often need to find out things in order to put them into the book. For example, when I wrote ‘Ice Dreams’, I needed to find out quite a lot about ice skating, so that I could write about practising. Do you know which side of the blade you use when taking off for a Lutz jump? No, neither did I, so I had to find out.



Similarly, when I was writing ‘Forget Me Not’, I came up with a plot in which someone broke into a garden centre at night and sprayed all the plants with something that killed them. ‘Acid’ I thought at first – but that had problems. Where do you get acid from? The only time I’ve seen acid is in school science cupboards, which are firmly locked with staff keys. My family has got used to being asked odd questions, so when I said to my dad, ‘What could destroy a plant within minutes of being sprayed, but is easy to get hold of?’ he said helpfully, ‘Caustic soda’ which is
something you use for cleaning drains and is very nasty stuff but you can buy it in the shops!



Other weird things I have learned whilst writing:

• people who work at animal sanctuaries are usually quite badly paid

• synchronised swimmers are among the fittest athletes there are

• an ‘olly’ is one of the first tricks you learn on a skateboard

• angioplasty is a type of heart surgery where the doctors insert a little balloon into an artery to clear a blockage

• If a vandalism attack causes more than £5000 worth of damage, the investigation will be handled by the Criminal Investigation Department (plain-clothes detectives) not uniformed officers

And if you’re having a heart attack, you should chew aspirin, not dissolve it in water or swallow it. Oh, and the new Aquatics Centre on the Olympic Park in London can hold seventeen and a half thousand people.

Finding out weird and wonderful things is a great perk of being a writer. And people are usually only too willing to help. I have visited the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary and interviewed the manager (for ‘Model Behaviour’, out Feb 2012) and also been to watch a practice session of the fantastic British Synchronised Swimming Team (for ‘Deep Water’, out June 2012) among other fab things.

I am SO LUCKY to be a writer, and I can’t wait to see what exciting new weird and wonderful facts the next book brings!

Jo Cotterill writes the romantic series ‘Sweet Hearts’ for girls aged 10 upwards. The latest in the series, ‘Ice Dreams’, was published in September 2011

REVIEW: Rich and Mad by William Nicholson

I've been curious about reading something by William Nicholson for awhile, but I hadn't quite gotten around to anything of his before Rich and Mad. And if I'm honest, I had a few problems with this book, so I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced as yet to pick anything else up.

It is a shame, because I was quite looking forward to Rich and Mad. It's the story of two teenagers who have never been properly in love and they'd like to be. They want to get lost in someone else so entirely and be loved in return. Fair enough, I think, a lot of YA books explore love, but in order to get past my issues with Rich and Maddy loving near-strangers, I started to think of their sort of love in a different way.

Rich has a huge crush on mysterious and unattainable Grace, whereas Maddy thinks she loves Joe, but he has a girlfriend. Still, neither Rich or Maddy are put off by these facts and pine away, getting hurt and heartbroken in the process. The entire novel seemed to be a study on relationships and sex and love. Unrequited love, crushes from afar, damaged relationships, first time having sex, relationships falling apart, relationships that have strong and dependable. I thought a lot of the book was very interesting, but aside from the love issue, which I didn't feel was love, I thought that the story was let down by the characters and the dialogue.

I didn't really believe Rich and Maddy spoke like teenagers. The dialogue felt weird in lots of places, like the characters were visiting from a different era. And there was lots of dialogue, which slightly put me off. I was creeped out by certain characters and other friends of Rich or Maddy annoyed me a great deal. And yet, I kept reading. I did think that Rich and Maddy's relationship was sort of sweet in parts, but I wanted to hear their story in a different way. Can't win them all, I guess.

In My Mailbox 41

Welcome to another edition of In My Mailbox. IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren in which bloggers get the chance to share with their readers the books that have recently come into their possession. I really love this meme and I look forward to seeing all my favourite blogger's books each week. Thank you to Kristi for hosting something that is such fun!

Here are the books that I acquired this week...


This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees - Everyone says that Caro is bad ...but Jamie can't help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can't believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn't know why, but there's no way he's going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro. But as Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is more to Caro - much more. There are the times when she disappears and doesn't get in touch, the small scars on her wrists, her talk about revolutions and taking action, not to mention the rumours he hears about the other men in her life. And then always in the background there is Rob, Jamie's older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach. With Caro, the summer should have been perfect ...but that isn't how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way. This taut psychological drama is the brilliant new novel from acclaimed Celia Rees.

I'm really excited about this one. Celia Rees is an author that I keep meaning to read more of!

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Tempest by Julie Cross - The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

I'm reading this book at the moment, and I'm really loving it! It's not at all the book I expected it to be, and I really love it when a book surprises me as much as this book has!

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As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott - Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

This was something I acquired from a book swap. It sounds a little strange, but I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Scott, so I'll read anything she's written!

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Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver - I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

AHHHHH! How much am I looking forward to this one?! I'm also sort of nervous about reading it as I loved Delirium so much. I'm holding off on it for a little while as it's not published for awhile, but I'm sure I'll cave soon.

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Velvet by Mary Hooper - Rose is a laundress in a Victorian steam laundry. With both her mother and father dead, she is an orphan and has to rely upon her own wits to make a living. The laundry is scalding, back-breaking work and Rose is desperate to create a better life for herself. Then Rose is noticed by Madame X, a famed medium, who asks Rose to come to work for her. Rose is dazzled at first by the young yet beautifully dressed and bejewelled Madame. But soon Rose realises that Madame X is not all that she says she is, and Rose's very life is in danger ...A romantic and thrillingly exciting new novel from an acclaimed and much-loved historical writer for teens.


This is a book I won from Becky at The Bookette! I was the October winner for her British Books Challenge :) Thanks Becky!

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Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan - I'm just completing the first draft of a novel called The Brides of Rollrock Island, which is about selkies - that is, seals that come up out of the sea and transform into humans, and live among people. It's a very sad, strange story; a lot of people in it make themselves wretched with magic. But of course it's beautiful and atmospheric too - the selkies themselves are beautiful, but so is the landscape, the seascape, the weather, and some of the humans. This novel is also less violent than Tender Morsels, so a lot more readers will find it easier to stomach, I hope. I believe it'll come out as YA here in Australia and in the US, but as a crossover, in adult and YA editions, in the UK, as Tender Morsels did.

I'm not really sure what to make of this one. I think I've tried reading other books by Margo Lanagan and I didn't get very far. Always willing to give her another shot though!

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Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare - In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

This one's very exciting, isn't it? Although *whispers* I haven't yet read Clockwork Angel. Though I'm hoping to soon!

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And those are the books that came into my house this week. What books did you get?

Location, Location, Location by Sophia Bennett

I am so pleased to welcome to the blog today, Sophia Bennett, the lovely author of the wonderful Threads trilogy (as well as a new book out early next year!) The first book, Threads is soon to be turned into a TV series and Sophia is here today talking about different (and important!) locations from the book.

Honestly, I'm so thrilled to be able to get to know Sophia over the planning of this event, she's brilliant. To find out more about Sophia or about the Threads books, please do visit the following websites:

Sophia Bennett ... Sophia's blog ... Sophia on Twitter ... Sophia on Facebook ... Girls Heart Books

I tend to go on and on about the potential TV series of Threads, my debut book, and for this I’m sorry. But it’s on my mind a lot at the moment, and particularly when it comes to talking about London – which I promised Clover I would do for this post – and where the book is set.

The TV company hopes to do some location shooting early next year and in my fantasy life a location manager will approach me at some stage soon and ask what the London of Threads consists of, so he can go out and shoot it in glorious Technicolor. Just in case that actually happens, here are my top 5 locations, and 3 to be avoided at all costs.

Thank you so much, Clover, for giving me the opportunity to do this. You read it here first.

The top 5

1. The Victoria and Albert Museum – the V&A to its friends – where Nonie and co. meet each other, drink smoothie, get artistic inspiration (Crow), hide behind sunglasses (Jenny, doing ‘actress under cover’) and eventually meet their heroes (Nonie chatting to Vivienne Westwood, lalala). I visit often. It’s free and amazing.

Whenever I hear that a reader of Threads has dragged her mother there on a cultural pilgrimage, I woop for joy. In its reception area alone, it has the most outrageous green Venetian chandelier in England. It also has a marble statue with a rather nice bottom, which I admire greatly but probably wouldn’t make it onscreen in children’s TV, I’m guessing.


2. The Portobello Road street market - It should capture the mishmash of local billionaires and It-girls rubbing shoulders with immigrants, refugees and market traders. It should be full of colour, life and vintage.

(Is this the point where I admit that, despite making it central to the book, I’ve never actually visited because I’m too lazy to get up early enough in the morning to cross town and catch a bargain? Probably not. Moving swiftly on …)


3. Hoxton Square - Old fashioned East End poverty rubs shoulders with visionary regeneration, and some of the most creative people on the planet, who have their studios there. The East End has always been a source of new people and new ideas. Around Hoxton, everything is constantly being reinvented.

It’s slightly mad and I love it. That’s why Threads opens right in the heart of it.


4. The Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern - It’s a vast space, built to house a power station and now home to some of the most interesting conceptual art you’re ever likely to see.

I’ve lain on the floor there and watched an eerie fake sunrise, I’ve admired multiple thousands of porcelain sunflower seeds, designed by ‘the most powerful artist in the world’, Ai Weiwei. And I’ve imagined a fashion party there to celebrate the launch of Crow’s high street collection. I drag my children there whenever they’ll let me. Simply running down the shiny concrete slope to get to the bottom fills you with joy.


5. Leicester Square during a movie premiere - I was taking pictures of London for my blog when I happened to see tall towers with flags flying for a quidditch match, down the road from Piccadilly Circus. What the ….? On investigation, it turned out to be one of the Harry Potter premieres, naturally, and the place was packed. I waited around in the rain for a couple of hours, until I realised it could be a couple of hours more before anything actually happened. But even watching TV presenters getting wet while hoping for a glimpse of Emma Watson’s dress was pretty thrilling in that atmosphere. And again, quite crazy. Which is good.


To be avoided …


1. Big Ben - Perfectly lovely, but come on. Londoners hardly notice it. It’s a big tower with a clock in, people. Get over it.


2. Buckingham Palace - Only interesting if some fresh, new royal is waving from the balcony, which happens rarely. Otherwise, fairly meh. We mostly tend to think of it as ‘the big white thing next to the roundabout’.


3. The Tower of London, complete with Beefeaters - Actually, it’s fascinating if you want to visit (I recently went for the first time in 30 years and it was great), but Londoners tend to think of it as ‘the big grey thing next to the roundabout’. Only to be included with a strong sense of irony, or if Crow is hosting a fashion show among the Crown Jewels. Which would be FAB, come to think of it. Wait! I suddenly feel a new episode coming on …


And there you have it! Thank you so much Sophia, I think you've chosen the perfect locations for a Threads TV programme. I, for one, am very excited! What does everyone else think?

Books that make me want to travel to ... the UK

When I started this series of posts, Books that make me want to travel..., I thought of faraway places - India, Italy, NYC, Japan. All the places that I *really* want to travel to. And it never really occurred to me, until now, to also think of the places a bit closer to home that I'm inspired to visit. Because the UK is filled with really wonderful places full of history or interest and there are awesome authors out there who write about such places.




Here is a very small list of books that I've read recently which has made me curious to visit a place within the UK. Please, please, please do leave in comments any books that you've read and lved which made you yearn for the UK!

Highgate Cemetery



By Midnight and Darkness Falls by Mia James - There's something really creepy and eerie about the Ravenwood series by Mia James. I always thought it was the private school, Ravenwood Academy that really did it, and that helps. As do the erm... vampires in the story.

But no. What really drew me into this series of books is the inclusion of Highgate Cemetery. Something about this really old and spooky sounding (and looking!) cemetery is the perfect place for me to imagine these characters and this story. It's in North London, and I really want to make my way over there at some point!

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Bath



A Tangle of Magicks by Stephanie Burgis - OK, I really, really love this series by Stephanie Burgis! Kat Stephenson is one of my all-time favourite female characters in a book. I think she's fantastic. And what's wonderful about this second book in the series is that all the action takes place in Bath. Specifically around the Roman Baths and the Pump Room next to it.

Now I've been to Bath several times - the first, was sort of an impulsive stop there during a free afternoon and the second was on a weeklong uni course. And both times, I didn't quite make it to the Roman Baths or the Pump Room. It's a busy attraction. But seriously, after reading A Tangle of Magicks, I'm pretty desperate to visit and stand near these healing waters and imagine what Kat looked like as she was battling dark magic.

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Oxford



Northern Lights by Philip Pullman - I love the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, I really do. And I think Northern Lights is my favourite book in the series. There's just something so likeable and feisty about Lyra. While I did like Sam in The Subtle Knife but I did get slightly confused during the third book, I liked that Northern Lights is Lyra's story. Lyra and Pantalaimon, of course. Pantalaimon being one of my all-time favourite characters in any book. Loved him.

And I can just picture Lyra running around the streets of Oxford, roaming through the university buildings, up to mischief and getting grubby. And the image of that in my head just makes me happy.

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Please do tell me which books inspire YOU to visit places within the United Kingdom!