Happy New Year!

So this is the end of 2011! So far, and I think it's unlikely that I'll finish any more books so just quickly some stats:

I finished 17 books in December, bringing my yearly total to 209 books. I'm also really proud of the fact that 105 of those books were by new-to-me authors and that 68 of them were written by British authors.

I shall be writing a post about my reading, blogging and personal goals for the new year very soon but for now, I hope you all have safe and happy celebrations tonight and that 2012 is a wonderful year! See you on the other side.

Top Ten Books of 2011

OK folks. It's the end of the year and the time where everyone gathers together their lists of the top books they've read throughout 2011. And here is mine.

I don't think that there are many surprises here, I feel like I've been quite vocal about my love for each of these books. Some though, I've really struggled to find the words to express that, and for that I'm sorry. On with the list though... (in no particular order!)


The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta - The Piper's Son absolutely blew me away. Melina Marchetta just blows my mind with the amount of emotion and fantastic characters that she writes. It's no mistake that TWO books by the same author is on my favourites list this year. I'm such a huge of her, especially after reading the incredible The Piper's Son.

It's a sequel to Saving Francesca, but told from a different perspective. Instead of it being Francesca's story, everything shifts over the Thomas Mackee as he struggles both with his family, with himself, and with his feelings for Tara Finke. It's a fantastic book, one that broke my heart into teeny tiny little pieces. A book that once finished reading it meant that I would never be the same again. Incredible.


Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck - I really wanted to include all three books that I've read so far in this series onto this list, Tiger's Curse, Tiger's Voyage and Tiger's Quest, but I felt like that would be cheating. But just know that they are all worthy of this list. It's been a really long since I've come across a series of books like this, in which I'm so addicted and captivated by that I would consider putting my life on hold until the end of the book.

With each book, I felt myself falling more in love with these characters, with the world that Houck has created and the story she's telling. It's a really wonderful series, one that I'm super excited to continue. I love these books with my whole heart.


A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd - Writing about A Monster Calls makes me nervous, because I know that I'll never find the right words to tell you exactly how I feel about this one. It's a book I loved so much that I never reviewed it. It's such a beautiful and heartbreaking story about a young boy trying to deal with his mother's illness.

Not only is it a gorgeous story, but it is also gorgeous in the way that is presented, with the pretty illustrations. If I could bear to part with it, the book would make a really lovely present for people of any age.


Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott - I read this book on holiday and I loved it so, but it probably wasn't the best book to read when I was away. This book is really a book to read when you have plenty of time to lose yourself completely in the story and the characters and the setting. It is truly a beautiful book - from the outside cover art to the beautiful story inside.

A retelling of Cinderella, set in a fantasy feudal Japan, this book takes a really familiar story and makes it entirely unique. Suzume is a wonderfully drawn character, who is both strong and vulnerable as she struggles with the grief that comes with witnessing her father and cousin's deaths. In order to survive some of life's cruelties, Suzume, with the help of some wonderful friends, transforms herself into different people in order to focus herself on avenging her family's deaths. I absolutely love the characters of this book from Suzume to Akira and Youta, and especially, especially the lovely Otieno. I think if I were to pick a book that I'd like to live in, Shadows on the Moon would be right up there on my list!


Going Bovine by Libba Bray - What a wonderful, wonderful book Going Bovine is. This is the first book of Libba Bray's that I've read and already I can feel her becoming one of my favourite ever authors. And Going Bovine would count not only on my list of favourite books read this year, but read ever. It's really that good of a book.

Going Bovine is so much more than just a crazy road trip story. It's emotional, hilarious, sad and beautiful story about a boy trying to come to terms with both his life and his death. It's one of the most intelligent books I've read in awhile as well as the most downright weird. There is a talking yard gnome and a punk rocker angel and a hypochondriac dwarf. There's sarcasm and music and a big dose of poking fun at popular culture. Going Bovine had me laughing on one page and crying the next. Outstanding book.


Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - Yes, you did read that correctly. There ARE two books by Melina Marchetta on my list of favourite books read in 2011. What can I say? I'm a huge fan of Melina Marchetta's. I think she's genius. Which is why I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to pick up and read Jellicoe Road. Everyone raves about it, and for good reason. It's amazing.

I really love the depth of this story, how it combines the lives of two sets of friends in two different time periods and also how the two stories overlap and intertwine. I loved unwrapped that little mystery and discovering these relationships and friendships for myself. I love how real it all felt, how emotional and sad and beautiful it is. Everything feels a little broken and I love that about this book. I thought all of the characters felt so life-like to me and I especially adore Taylor and Jonah. Melina Marchetta, I love you.


Divergent by Veronica Roth - Ahhhh! What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? It's hugely exciting and feels like a fresh and unique dystopian book. I started reading it while on the train and I had daydreams about being in Dauntless and jumping off and on the moving train I was on.

I loved the idea of the different factions and wondering to which faction I'd belong... I loved the action and the training involved with Tris in Dauntless, I loved the growing attraction between Tris and Four. I loved that this book is incredibly addictive reading, that it's by a debut author. I love that it's the first in a series. There's so much to love about this book that I could talk about it all day if I could!


Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley - This is the most recent book that I've read to appear on this list. What I love so much about this book is how addictive this book was to read. On the night I read it, I had no intention of reading. I had fully planned an evening of vegging out in front of the television. But I'd been having problems charging my Kindle and decided to check out one of the books on it just to make sure that my problem had been solved. And it just so happened that I clicked on Graffiti Moon that night.

And that was it. After the first page, my plans for that night changed entirely. I knew straight away that that night was only for falling in love with Graffiti Moon. So that's what I did. I did nothing until I'd finished it. I really adored the characters of this story. I loved how everything occurs over one eventful night. I love how much art is central to the story and how inspired I was while reading it to find out more about the artists and poets that inspired the characters. I love that this book is so sweet and romantic, and I especially love discovering a new author whose other books I shall soon be reading!


Where She Went by Gayle Forman - I absolutely adored If I Stay by Gayle Forman, so when I first heard of this sequel, I was instantly wary that it wouldn't live up to the first book - especially in terms of emotion. How can anybody top the heart-rending reading experience of Teddy?! I didn't think it possible, but I felt even more emotional and drawn into the character and story during Where She Went.

If I were to describe Where She Went in as few words as I could, I'd probably choose 'heartbreaking, beautiful and hopeful.' It's such a great story about what happens to Adam and Mia after the horrific car accident that took Mia's family. It's several years after, and despite it being Adam who asks Mia to stay, the two have broken up and are no longer speaking to each other. That is, until this one fateful night, in which the two catch up in New York and begin asking each other all the questions that have been building up over the years in which they have been apart. The anticipation of the 'why?' that builds up as the story goes along is almost unbelievable.

This book is so filled with grief and confusion and tension and love that I almost can't stand it. Such a beautiful, beautiful book.


Wood Angel by Erin Bow - And finally, I think it fitting to end this list with a book that I read and loved at the beginning of the year. Wood Angel really touches on something that really means a lot to me and which I strive for and yearn for in my own life - belonging. It's such a huge part of this book that I couldn't help but be won over by this beautiful little book.

But it isn't just the belonging aspect that made me fall in love with this book. It's Erin Bow's wonderful and magical writing style, it's the flawed characters and the melancholy that seems to surround our main character, Plain Kate. I found her search for family and a place to belong absolutely heartbreaking. Plus I absolutely ADORE Taggle, her gorgeous talking cat. This is such a beautiful book and I felt so incredibly emotional whilst reading it. A very worthy entry in my favourite books, both of this year and in general!

What books were your favourite in 2011?

REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor was SUCH a good book. I'd heard that it was, but I still didn't believe it. Not until I picked it up and by the first page I was convinced. There's just somthing really beautiful and captivating about Laini Taylor's writing style that pulled me in immediately. So if you're still on the fence about this one, please don't hesitate! Pick this book up right now, don't lose anymore time!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is such a magical treat to read. It's filled with so many fantastic things, from a wishmonger that deals in teeth and wishes. There's interesting and exciting characters, a real sense of mystery as well as setting. There's fantasy and friendship and love. Angels, chimaera, art, Prague.

Karou is no typical teenager. In one aspect of her life, she is an art student in Prague, having fun with her best friend Zuzana. But on the other, she is the apprentice to these fantastical creature, gathering teeth for him from many different places in the world. She can step through doors and end up in Paris and Morocco. But Karou has grown up knowing very little about this world of angels and demons. Instead she collects languages and draws the chimaera that she impresses the other students at her art college with.

But things are beginning to become more dangerous and Karou is soon drawn into this battle that she had no knowledge of and in order to get her ragtag collection of 'family' back, Karou must start learning more about the wishmonger and the things that she's been protected from knowing for so many years.

It's been a long time since I read a book that was so exciting and that was so atmospheric and detailed and interesting like Daughter of Smoke and Bone. While I did feel like it lost its way a little bit towards the end, I felt like the strongness of the characters, the story and especially the setting more than made up for this. Every detail of Prague and of the chimaera, Karou and all of the characters, everything about this book made me feel as though it were real and that I was right in the middle of the action.

I loved feeling a part of this book and already I feel a little bit sad that I will never again be able to read this book like it were the first time again. A beautiful, brilliant story, one in which I highly recommend!

REVIEW: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Out of all the 2012 releases that I've been sent so far to review, Fracture by Megan Miranda is my favourite. It's the book that I'm most excited for other people to read because I love it so. There's just something about it which appeals to me and I was immediately drawn into the story and the characters and the emotion of the book. I love when a book surprises me as much as Fracture did!

Megan Miranda is a debut author and this book is published in early January, so please do look out for it. It's the story of 17 year old Delaney and what happens to her about a terrible accident. It's about the many things that can happen in 11 minutes as Delaney falls through the ice of a local pond. It's about what happens to Delaney afterwards as she defies all the doctors and medical knowledge that says she should be dead. But Delaney isn't dead, and what's more, she's now able to sense when someone is about to die. What seems coincidence at first seems more sinister once Delaney realises there is another person out there like her ywhen she meets Troy Varga. But all is not as it seems with Troy, as Delaney soon finds out.

Having an interest in psychology, just like the author, I have a huge interest in how much is unknown about the brain and how much that it is capable of that we're not aware of yet. I love the idea of Delaney defying all the odds to survive and so even from the premise I was sold to this book. But what's better is that the characters are sympathetically written, all flawed and imperfect but still relateable, especially the main character Delaney. And also her best friend, Decker, who goes to great lengths in order to rescue Delaney from the freezing water. I really welled up at the relationship between Decker and Delaney. It's hugely emotional and moving. Decker and Delaney are by far my favourite relationship of recent!

I love how this story combines a bit of romance, and the mystery that surrounds Delaney and Troy's new ability with a big dash of deciding what's important in life. It's about friendship and love and about how a few short minutes can change everything!

Merry Christmas!

To all my lovely friends and blog readers, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! I shall be taking a few days off to relax and enjoy my time with my family.

It's always a lovely time of year, having two small children, I wouldn't want to miss out on any of their excitement or fun!

I hope that you too have a wonderful, relaxing and magical Christmas, however you spend it!

Books that make me want to travel... to New Orleans

I love the idea of travelling. I don't think I've done very much of it in my nearly 30 years, but I'd like to. I sit and daydream all of the time about the different places I'd like to see and what I'd do there. It's a fun pasttime. And something that really helps is when I read about a place and the author describes it in such a way that makes me absolutely PINE to visit. And so my 'Books that make me want to travel' feature was born.



Today I'd like to talk about a few books I've read recently which have included, even briefly, New Orleans. I love books about the South of the United States, I really do. I think it's a place that I'd love to visit, even just for the food some time. But after Hurricane Katrina it just felt like whenever I thought of New Orleans, I thought of sadness and the huge destruction that it caused.

And then, I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but three books recently mentioned New Orleans and it got me feeling excited about NOLA all over again. To visit, not just because of Mardi Gras, but for the music and the history and the food.

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - Obviously The Iron Fey series of books takes place mostly in a fairy realm away from the world we all live in. But in The Iron Queen, which I read recently, there was this really interesting scene early on in the book. In order for Meghan to barter for something she needs back, she had to locate an object of power, this token. To do this, she and Prince Ash journey into a cemetery in New Orleans and Prince Ash tells Meghan of this lovely and sad story of two lovers.

It wasn't much about New Orleans, not a great deal of time was spent there, but the story really stuck in my mind. It was enough.


Going Bovine by Libba Bray - Going Bovine is one of my favourite books that I've read in recent years. It's so weird and emotional and heart-felt that it will forever stay in my mind. I really, truly adore this book. The characters and the story and some of things that are covered in this book were just done so well. It's this really bizarre road trip through America on a quest that is both strange and wonderful. And there's quite a bit in the book about music, particularly jazz music, which of course, New Orleans is sort of known for. There's a whole sequence in the book about our main character, Cameron, in a jazz club in New Orleans and it really is unforgettable.


Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton - I really was surprised by this book. I had no idea what it would be about when I first started, but I jumped in anyway and it was such an interesting and different story combining both paranormal creatures such as shape-shifters and vampires together with Greek mythology. It was such a fun book to read. I've recently read the sequel and loved that as well. But what I also think is great about this series is how it encorporates New Orleans into the story. Everything takes place in a fictionalised version of New Orleans called New 2. After the mass destruction of Hurricane Katrina, a private group of individuals (the heads of 9 witches, vampires and shape-shifter families) buy the land around New Orleans and the area becomes a haven for the weird and paranormal.

I really enjoyed reading of the different quarters of New Orleans and how our main character, Ari, wanders through them and learns more about this city she's now living in.

Have you read any books recently that involve New Orleans? Or the South? that made you want to travel?

On my way to school (Musical Memories)

I don't generally listen to a lot of music. In many ways, I think my musical preferences have been stuck in a couple periods of time, generally to 50s/60s and the late 90s, and haven't moved on very much from that. Still, I need music at certain points during my day, every day. I like listening to music in the car, whilst running, and most especially when walking to school to pick up my Eldest.

We don't live very far away from either E's primary school or the Littlest' nursery, so I usually walk to drop off and collect both boys. Because of the hours that the nursery is open, every day I walk to pick up my Eldest all by myself. It's a 20 minute walk, if that, very peaceful. I have to admit that that walk is one of my favourite times of my day, putting in my headphones and walking to school.

I have several different playlists that I use to listen to music. The most popular playlist is one where I've just dumped lots of individual songs that I love. And for whatever reason, I listen to a lot of the same music day after day. I think I shall always remember these last two years, when my beautiful E has just started primary school, every time I hear the following songs.




Geek Love by Nerina Pallot - I don't even remember how or when I came across Nerina Pallot. I think it was down to N when we were in New York on a holiday browsing through a music store, but I'm not sure. As soon as I heard Geek Love, I knew that it would be a favourite of mine, and it has been. I'm not sure that I could ever get tired of this song and have been known to listen to it on repeat!





I Shall Believe by Sheryl Crow - I think this song was first brought to my attention after watching Roswell, that fantastic alien teen TV programme (which I loved! seriously). It was in that episode where Liz is visited by Future-Max and despite hearing that in that future Liz and Max get married and dance to this song, Liz has to do everything she can to make Max fall out of love with her so it doesn't happen. For the sake of the whole world. Ahhhh, what angst and drama! But still, I think this song is gorgeous.





Defying Gravity from the Wicked OST - This song never fails to give me goosebumps. I have both the Wicked soundtrack with Idina Menzel and the Glee version with Rachel and Kurt. I love both versions, but I listen to the original more, I think. Such a beautiful song, that despite my very little talent for singing, I'm tempted to belt out the lyrics to this song as I'm strolling along. When this song comes up, I usually have a big grin on my face. I would LOVE to see Wicked again, I really would.





Since You've Been Around by Rosie Thomas - It was a lovely friend that I used to work with at Books Etc who introduced me to Rosie Thomas' music. We even went to one of Rosie's gigs which was beautiful as well as .. unusual. Her music is very soothing and relaxing and while I don't know the titles of all her songs or even all the lyrics to the albums of hers I have, I still just really love the sound of her voice and her songs.

And that's it for me. Do you have any favourite songs or music that you've been listening to lately? Any music suggestions for me?

REVIEW: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Earlier in the year, I read and loved Sisters Red, so I was always going to be hugely excited to read Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. I really love her retellings of popular fairy tales. She has a great eye for turning a story we're all familiar with and giving it a new twist and for seeing things in a new and different way. While I may have liked Sisters Red a little bit more than Sweetly because of the relationship between the sisters, I also found Sweetly to be very entertaining and interesting and I flew right through the pages, desperate to find out what happens.

Sweetly begins our our two main characters, Ansel and Gretchen, and an unnamed twin sister of Gretchen's exploring the woods. My attention was immediately grabbed by the addition of a third sibling in this story, one that disappears after a witch chases the three of them in these woods. The idea that this twin sister is unnamed and unspoken of, because of Ansel, Gretchen's and their parents' grief and also because of their guilt is an intriguing one.

Despite this being a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, we never hear of Ansel's point of view and this too, I find surprising, I was really expecting a dual-perspective. Instead, we get Gretchen's view of the world. It's many years after the death of her sister and Gretchen is plagued by the question 'why?' Why when the two girls were identical, did one sister live and the other did not? Gretchen has sort of fallen apart over the loss of her twin sister, and has relied on her older brother to be her rock, to be dependable and to always be there. So when she suggests they travel to the other side of the country to see the ocean, Ansel is there for her. But things don't go to plan, as their car breaks down in a small village and they have no money to carry on without it or to fix the car.

When Sophia, the local chocolatier, offers to let Ansel and Gretchen stay with her in exchange for some help around the house and with her chocolate stop, the two agree. Everything seems to be going right for them, as they've finally found a place where the two feel as though they belong and with somebody who really cares for them. Despite the nearness of the forest, which still terrifies Gretchen, she does her best to carry on and surmount her fears. It doesn't help that there are rumours floating around about Sophia and her annual chocolate festival. Girls in town disappear every year after attending Sophia's event, and fear and mistrust of Sophia lodges in Gretchen's heart. But Gretchen is determined to be different, to fight against her fears of the witch and of the forest and to survive.

While I thought the story and the retelling of this classic fairy tale was done well and in a way that was different and interesting, I didn't feel as though I connected emotionally as strongly as I wanted. I loved Gretchen's struggles with her fear of the forest and the way in which she begins to change her fear into something else, into a way to protect herself if the witch ever attacked again. I also thought the interactions between Gretchen and Samuel were fun. But I wanted to see more between the three main characters - Gretchen, Ansel and Sophia.

Still, a very fun read! I'm really looking forward to more from Jackson Pearce, she's becoming an author that I'm excited about.

REVIEW: Trapped by Michael Northrop

Trapped by Michael Northrop isn't a book I'd heard a great deal about before I picked it up to read. It's an interesting book to read as the weather is getting colder and the days are getting darker. I found it very atmospheric - as I turned the pages of Trapped I found myself getting colder and colder as well as feeling slightly claustrophobic to be outside and to be free. Unlike these seven teenagers, trapped in their high school during the worst snow storm of the century.

What helped along this feeling of unease and discomfort as I was reading is that each chapter shows a little picture of the snow falling, and as the chapters go along and the snow rises higher and higher, it really made me aware of how I'd feel in the same position. I've never been in a situation where there might be three foot of snow falling in one day, but I imagine it to be terrifying. Especially as a teenager, isolated from everyone.

Trapped tells the story of seven teenagers who have been left behind during a huge snow storm. Our main character is Scotty Weems, a sophomore basketball player, and we see all the events from his perspective. He's stayed behind with two best mates in order to work on this go-cart they're making for shop class. The other students left behind include two freshman girls, a trouble-maker and a loner Goth boy. And as the hours pass, and then the days pass, things within this small high school in the middle of nowhere began to get really desperate.

In some ways, I think I was expecting for the means of survival to be a little more extreme with this book. And if I'm honest, that's probably just because I'm used to the over-dramatisation of disaster movies that I wasn't expecting there to be blankets in the nurse's office or that (of course!) there'd be a huge supply of food in the cafeteria that could feed a handful of kids for a week. I kind of wanted more drama though. It is a high school though, and of course they would be there.

And while I did enjoy Scotty's observations of this weird collection of students and the way in which he began to see the other people in a different light, especially in regards to the Goth boy and the troublemaker, I also wanted more interactions between them. Because this book has been mentioned in the same sentence as The Breakfast Club (one of my favourite films!) I think I was expecting for these kids to open up a little more, share some secrets or to dance about in the library. But towards the end, it is mentioned that this book is more about survival than anything else.

And keeping that in mind, Trapped is subtly scary. The idea of the snow continuing to fall, no way to contact the outside world, having no idea of if somebody is coming for them. With the temperature dropping and no electricity and the roof beginning to cave in, things are looking pretty bad.

Semi-regular giveaway time!

I am so lucky to recieve so many review copies of books from publishers lately. I really do value and appreciate reading these books and I really do know how lucky I am to be involved in book blogging and being friendly with many different UK publishers.

Every once in awhile, I like to share with you, my lovely blog readers some books that I've been sent for review and really loved. I hope to pass on some of these books so that you too can read them and love them too.

So it's time for a semi-regular giveaway. The rules are simple, just leave a comment on this post and let me know which (if any!) of the books below you'd like to read. If the account that you use isn't connected with an email address, please do leave some way to contact you as well. This can be an email address or a Twitter account. I shall choose at least 1 winner and will hopefully send books out before Christmas! Good luck.


The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman (bound manuscript)

Deception by Lee Nichols (finished copy)

Betrayal by Lee Nichols (finished copy)

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (finished copy)

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton (ARC)

Heart of Stone by ML Welsh (bound manuscript)

This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees (ARC)

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker (ARC)

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (ARC)

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver (ARC)

Trapped by Michael Northrop (finished copy)

Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs (finished copy)

REVIEW: Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Reviewed by Carrie from Teabelly

The best way I can think of to describe Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison is as a snarky version of Before I Fall, (with a little touch of It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol thrown in). It’s not exactly original, but it’s enjoyable enough.

Bridget Duke is the most popular girl in school, and in keeping with that stereotype she’s also mean. She keeps others in line by death glares and digs at them, making even her so-called best friends’ lives miserable. After following her through a few days of her life, and seeing how a ‘misunderstanding’ leads to Bridget alienating her friends, ruining someone’s career and causing problems in her family, we find her on trial for her life. After a car accident she wakes up in an unknown place, surrounded by those she has injured, and having to see life through their eyes. It is only after these revelations that she begins to understand how her actions have affected them, and she hopes to fix it.

Bridget is, frankly, detestable, and is so for most of the book. I can only hope there aren’t actually girls like this out there, so selfish and arrogant, and if there are I am especially glad I am no longer in school to deal with them. For two thirds of the book I wanted really terrible things to happen to her, and I wouldn’t have been at all upset if she had died. Part of the problem with the book is that it makes it too easy to hate Bridget, and it’s also hard to understand how someone can be so oblivious to their own actions. She honestly seems to have no idea that how she acts is wrong, or that her words can hurt. Everyone else is the problem, everyone else is just being too
sensitive, while she’s just being real. If she had actually been straight out horrible and known it, but had reasons (whatever they might be – the loss of her mother is sort of glossed over, as is her absent father), she might have been more relatable, and her change of heart more believable.

Thankfully the last part reigned it in a bit, and gave us more to Bridget than just being mean to anyone who might be stupid enough to care about her. Sure, this is done through oft-used tropes, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. It’s not particularly subtle – a main character named Anna Judge for example – and there’s a bit too much ‘And it was all a dream’ about it, but it’s fun, and it has a decent message that will hopefully come across to any teen who might be a Bridget in the making. Don’t do it kids.

Thank you Carrie!

Vampires on film and TV

Vampires have always had a place in popular culture. I remember growing up seeing numerous different film versions of Dracula (which creeped me out, if I'm honest!), I remember reading some Christopher Pike books about vampires. There were other movies that really stuck in my mind (like The Lost Boys, which I'll discuss in a minute) but for me, vampires became something I was really interested in after watching the TV programme, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Was it the same for you?!)

I loved Angel right from the start, but in the end, I think I preferred him as Angelus. And then there was Spike. I was completely sold from there. But of course there have been other very popular books and TV shows and films since then about vampires. There's crazy popular TV programmes like Twilight and True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.

While I do hear quite a lot of people braying about how they're tired or fed up with vampires and paranormal fiction, I can also see how vampires seem here to stay for awhile longer. I just hope that they aren't all sparkly or emo, as I prefer vamps when they're bad but perhaps that's just me.

Here are some of my favourite vampires from TV and film.




Eric from True Blood - Oh hello Eric Northman. You are pretty much the only reason I continued to watch True Blood for as long as I did. Sadly, even your gorgeous face isn't enough to keep me watching forever. I just don't have the time or energy to keep up with many shows and I found my interest waning after some of the crazier storylines that have appeared in the show that don't quite match up with the books. Still.




Stefan and Damon from The Vampire Diaries - I think the point at which I stopped watching the television show was when I'd heard that the author was forbidden to carry on with any sort of Damon-Elena storyline. I don't know if those rumours were true or not, but the idea of Damon and Elena maybe-possibly ending up together was something I was really rooting for. I don't like for hope to be all crushed like that. Still, the Salvatore brothers are very good-looking. It was also the inclusion of (boring to me) historical episodes which shifted my interest away from regularly watching. Perhaps I'll return to the show to watch more kick-ass Caroline though? I'm undecided.




Spike and Angel/Angelus from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I've already briefly mentioned Spike and Angel, but it has to be said that I'm a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and I was so completely emotionally involved in this entire series and all of the characters. I think Joss Whedon did a fantastic job of world-building and characterisation and the mythology of the different mythical creatures. I did think Angel left at the right time (too much tortured brooding for me!) and that Spike was the perfect replacement. I love his attitude and Spike scenes always made me laugh.




Louis and Lestat from Interview With the Vampire - It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually read the book by Anne Rice. I didn't much care for it, as I thought Lestat to be a little bit on the whingey side, but I remember watching and enjoying the film when I was little. It seemed like a film I shouldn't be watching and so that whole I'm-too-young-to-be-watching-this-grown-up-film aspect of it makes me remember it more fondly than I probably should. I remember being quite creeped out by a lot of it, but I also really liked the different settings and the period clothing in some parts. But then, I'm quite shallow!




David from The Lost Boys - Here's one that I can't say very much about. I watched this when I was very, very young. I remember that it gave me nightmares and was one of the scariest films I'd ever seen in my entire life. And of course, as I had an older brother, he liked to torment me by watching this film over and again for the sole reason that it scared me. Still. An 80s film starring Kiefer Sutherland as a bad-ass vampire? Sounds like a film I should probably re-watch at some stage.




Edward Cullen from Twilight - I felt like I should include Edward on the list, as he's one of my favourite vampires in general, though not necessarily because of the films. I've only seen the first film and I wasn't overly impressed. Don't hate me!

Do you have a favourite vampire from film or television? Do you agree with any of my choices? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

REVIEW: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver is such a beautiful and sweet book. I'm not surprised - Lauren Oliver has quickly become one of my favourite authors after falling hard in love with both Before I Fall and Delirium. Whilst Liesl and Po is definitely aimed at a younger audience than her previous books, it's written in a really wonderful way with great feeling. Plus, it's also just a stunning book physically. I love that it's a small hardback book with gorgeous (seriously! gorgeous!) illustrations that suit the story perfectly. I think this book would make for a very wonderful present, both for Christmas or at any time of the year.

What I love so much about Liesl and Po is how the story and the characters overlap and connect to each other. It really put a smile on my face to see how all of the mishaps and events lead into each other. Plus the characters are all wonderful. I immediately felt emotionally connected to poor Liesl, who is grieving the loss of her father, and has been stowed in the attic by her evil stepmother. And also of Will, an overworked apprentice, who wonders about the sad-looking girl in the attic window.

One day, when Liesl is approached by two ghostly figures - Po and Bundle, it sets off this fun, and slightly sad series of events that changes so many lives. Everything combined, from the illustrations, the beautiful writing style, Liesl's grief, the adorable ghosts, the brief glance at the Other Side and the most powerful magic in the whole world make this a story that I won't forget.

I know I've been a bit scarce on the details of this book, but only because I really want people to experience the wonder of this book first hand. It really is a book not to miss!

REVIEW: Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

Guest review by Kulsuma of sunshine and stardust

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy was a memorable, vivid and bittersweet book. It tells the story of a young Afghan girl called Zulaikha who has a cleft lip. Due to this deformity, she is cruelly bullied by the local boys who call her ‘Donkeyface’ and she is even verbally abused at one point by her brother which is heart-breaking in itself. All Zulaikha wants is to be normal like her sister, Zeynab and to one day get married. With her cleft lip, however, she knows this is impossible.

One day, Zulaikha meets her deceased mother’s old teacher, Meena, who introduces her to poetry and teaches her how to read and write. Though Zulaikha knows she will be in great trouble if her lessons with Meena were ever to be found out, Zulaikha perseveres.

At the same time, American soldiers enter the Afghan town, aiming to build the infrastructure of the area; however Zulaikha is warned to stay away from them. Even so, one of the soldiers sees her cleft lip and all that Zulaikha thought was impossible suddenly becomes possible.

With Zeynab’s marriage on the horizon, Zulaikha believes her life will improve infinitely after the surgery. But then things take a turn for the worse- surgery is out of her grasp and her sister’s fiancé isn’t at all what they’d expected. Zulaikha’s hopes for the future were gone as quickly as they had come.

Could things get any worse?

I really enjoyed reading Words in the Dust as Zulaikha was a likeable character. There were so many obstacles in her way; her cleft lip, the people around her such as her stepmother and to an extent, her culture. I wanted to reach inside the book and say to her ‘Keep going, don’t give up!’

Zeynab’s engagement and marriage is a focal point of Words in the Dust and it was fascinating to read about Afghan customs, such as looking at your intended partner in a mirror on the wedding day. The relationship between Zulaikha and Zeynab was integral to the book and I liked their bond of sisterly affection.

The other characters were believable and I think this is why I enjoyed Words in the Dust as much as I did. Some of the characters surprised me when I least expected them to. Though Zulaikha’s story and the issues along with it are complex, it is definitely worth reading.

The shocking and graphic turn in the story left me reeling, engraving the story into my mind. I won’t spoil it, but I will say it is tragic. Overall, the ending was bittersweet and I had mixed feelings; I don’t know whether I can be truly happy for the way Zulaikha’s life turns out due to the events leading up to the end of Words in the Dust. Words in the Dust tells us to make the most of our opportunities and to make every second count.

Words in the Dust is a fantastic debut from Trent Reedy, an American soldier who went to Afghanistan. I would recommend Words in the Dust to all those interested in Afghanistan, family dynamics and a struggle for happiness.

Thank you for that thoughtful review, Kulsuma!

REVIEW: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Oh I do adore the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa! And this, The Iron Queen, the third in the series is absolutely brilliant. I don't know how Julie Kagawa manages to consistently write books that will suck me in so utterly and have me care so completely about the world, the characters and the relationships.

Because it is the third book in the series it will be hard for me to review this book without spoiling some aspects of the two previous books, but I will not spoil anything within this book! I promise.

The Iron Queen begins roughly where The Iron Daughter finished. Meghan Chase and Prince Ash have both been banished from the faery world for admitting their love for each other and their refusal in face of the faery courts to give each other up. They think that it's all over and that they can lead normal lives from here on. But on their way back to Meghan's home and family, she fears her arrival will mean that her family will come to harm.

The False King of the Iron realm is after Meghan and the iron glamour she has recieved after killing Machina. The false king won't stop until he defeats Meghan and his attack on the lands of the Summer and Winter fey continue. Meghan and Ash must once again journey back and into a conflict so large and very nearly hopeless. But as Meghan and Ash begin to prepare themselves for war, they find they have some very surprising allies on their side. For once, Summer and Winter are joined to defeat the Iron fey, but they rely solely on Meghan, the only person able to withstand the Iron and get close enough to destroy the False King once and for all.

I adore the characters that Julie Kagawa has brought to us in this series. From self-sacrificing Meghan Chase, to cold and aloof Prince Ash. I adore Puck, with his goofy humour and his loyalty. And I can barely put into words how much I love Grimalkin. I didn't think it possible for me to care more about these characters then I already did, but the events of The Iron Queen really ramped up all of my feelings. I was heartbroken for Puck, I was desperate for Meghan and Ash to have happiness whilst being surrounded by the grimness of war and battle.

The battle sequences were breath-taking, as were the tender and at times painful moments between Meghan and Ash. This book was explosive and it makes me year for more!

Characters that are mixed race/caught between cultures

I've been thinking a lot about myself and N recently. We've been married for many years now (our anniversary was last week!) and there's something I've only recently discovered we have in common.

Perhaps you know this about me already, but I'm half Native American. My mother is from the Tlingit tribe in Southeast Alaska. Before the divorce and before she moved out and away, Native American arts and crafts and that whole community was something she and I did together. When she became no longer a part of my life, I really felt a bit lost and like I was missing out on more than just my mother.

Growing up, I've always had that confusion about being mixed-race. I was never sure where I fit in, it seemed like everyone else viewed me in a way that I didn't see myself. And what I have always needed and wanted was to see more mixed race characters in the books that I was reading. I wanted to see myself in the books I loved. And I haven't come across very many.


After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel - I really wasn't sure what to make of After Obsession when it arrived for review. I hadn't heard of it before and the back cover seemed a little vague about what we're dealing with. It's actually about demon possession, and is quite good. It's written from a dual-perspective and what I found really kept me reading is the fact that one of the main characters, Alan, is half Native American. Just like me!

Hurrah! I found Alan's character to be really interesting as he embraces his Native American side and uses his knowledge and connection to his spiritual side in order to help and prevent his cousin's possession. I was really rooting for him throughout the entire book.


Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott - And in this offering from one of my favourite YA authors, Elizabeth Scott, we have something very different. Eli isn't the main character, he's the love interest. And we don't get to see any of the story from his point of view, which is a shame.

I can't quite recall the details, but Eli is this beautiful black/Asian boy who our main character, Abby, meets in a hospital as she's waiting for her sister, Tess, to wake up from a coma. She feels like some outside help would benefit her sister and she convinces Eli to come sit with Tess and talk to her. I think a lot of the story is very far-fetched and that some of it just didn't work for me, but there were bits of Eli's story which showed how conflicted he is in the way that people percieve him based on his appearance.


But what I realised recently, is that N shares a similar confusion and a sense of 'where do I belong?' in his own way. His parents are both of Indian descent and immigrated to the UK more than 30 years ago, but N was born and raised here in England. As a second generation immigrant, I think he feels caught between cultures in the same way that I do being mixed-race. He has no personal ties to India at all, but at the same time doesn't feel properly British, as that is not how he is seen by other people. I think it's quite hard for both of us.


Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier - I seriously love this book. It's one of those books that I continually read and re-read because I can't get enough of it. And that's mostly because of how much I can relate to the characters and the situations covered in Born Confused. I love the main character, Dimple's insecurities about herself and her size. I love her struggles and conflict with her best friend and also her parents. And Karsh is a pretty great romantic lead!

But it's really her struggle with who she is as an American born Indian that had me captivated. She had this wonderful relationship with her grandfather that transcended language differences using photography which was just so sweet and lovely. But as Dimple's parents try to set her up with a 'suitable boy' Dimple comes to realise that this divide between old-school traditional values and her more modern upbringing in the United States will have to be addressed at some point.


Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta - Melina Marchetta is definitely one my favourite authors and Looking For Alibrandi was the first book of hers that I read. I was blown away by the characters and the story and the emotion that I felt whilst reading it. I really thought that this book was incredible and it made me desperate to read everything of Melina Marchetta's!

Josephine Alibrandi is a great character as she struggles with the old-fashioned traditions of her Italian family and that of growing up in modern Australia. She's finding it hard to manage the two at school and with her family and in her burgeoning new relationships. Fantastic book, I thought it really explored this feeling of being caught between cultures really well.

Have you come across any mixed race characters or characters who are caught between cultures lately? I'd love to hear your thoughts or recommendations!

REVIEW: Betrayal by Lee Nichols

I was so excited to read Betrayal, the second book in the Haunting Emma series by Lee Nichols. The first book, Deception, was a huge surprise for me and I loved being so utterly gripped and addicted to finishing a book like I was with that book.

And while Betrayal is every bit as exciting and interesting and action-packed as the first book, I felt like a little of the exciting new-ness was missing in this book, which was a shame. Still, I enjoyed it enormously. We have Emma Vaile, a teenage girl, who has learned that she's the most powerful ghostkeeper in hundreds of years. As Emma is facing a huge battle and the threat of evil Neos, she rallies together with a group of friendly ghosts and other ghostkeepers in order to train, prepare and gather whatever knowledge they can.

I really loved the tenseness between Emma and Bennett Stern in the previous book, whereas Betrayal sees them more apart as the temptation of being together is too great for them to handle. If they are together, the weaker ghostkeeper (Bennett) will lose his powers and that cannot happen before he avenges his sister's death. While I was really keen to see more heart-break and drama between Emma and Bennett, I'm not entirely sure I'm liking where this relationship is going. I can only wait desperately for the third book in the series to find out for sure!

We know from the title of the book that someone close to Emma will betray her and I loved guessing (and getting it wrong!) who the traitor is. There's so many wonderful characters that surround Emma, from Natalie, to the Rake, to Coby her recently dead friend.

I thought Betrayal was an excellent second book in the series, one that ties together plotlines from the first book, has enough development and mystery to keep my entertained throughout the book and that left me eager in anticipation for the third book! Let's hope it's soon!

Reading challenges for 2012

I've considered joining other reading challenges for next year and then decided that I don't need the added stress! So it's just the one for me. The new British Books challenge that began this year with Becky from The Bookette and has now been handed over to Kirsty from The Overflowing Library. I hear she has great plans and ideas for the challenge in 2012, I'm really looking forward to it.

Here is my proposed list of books that I'd like to tackle in 2012. This list is obviously subject to change... and by 'change' I just mean that it will grow even larger as next year goes on!

(wishlist)

Saving Daisy by Phil Earle
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Kiss, Date, Love, Hate by Luisa Plaja
Hollow Pike by James Dawson
Torn by Cat Clarke
15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
Adorkable by Sarra Manning
Nine Uses for an Ex-Boyfriend by Sarra Manning
Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott
Frostfire by Zoe Marriott

(own)

Heart of Stone by ML Welsh
Mist by Kathryn James
Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz
Waves by Sharon Dogar
Candy by Kevin Brooks
The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner
Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse
Mondays Are Red by Nicola Morgan
One Seriously Messed-Up Week by Tom Clempson
My Swordhand Is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
The Dead by Charlie Higson
The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick
The Dark Flight Down by Marcus Sedgwick
Numbers 2: The Chaos by Rachel Ward
Hunted by Sophie McKenzie
The Rescue by Sophie McKenzie
Hostage by Sophie McKenzie

Hurrah for books by British authors! I'm going to have a lot of fun continuing with this challenge.

REVIEW: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

Reviewed by Carrie from Teabelly

I wasn’t expecting to overly like I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have Kill You by Ally Carter. I mean, just look at that title. It was going to be silly and cheesy and I probably wouldn’t like the characters all that much, but maybe it’d be a cute enough way to pass the time. Oh I do like being wrong about books.

I’d Tell You I Love You is set in the world of the Gallagher Academy. On the outside it’s a private school for over privileged girls, on the inside you have to be careful what you touch, lest poison gas suddenly erupts from a statue. See, the Gallagher Academy is a school for spies. Cammie ‘The Chameleon’ Morgan is in her third year and about to take Covert Operations. Cammie’s mother is the headmistress of the school, also a spy, and they came here after Cammie’s father died during a mission. Cammie is known as The Chameleon due to her uncanny ability to disappear in plain sight.

On her first mission for covert ops, Cammie meets Josh, an ordinary boy from the town near to where the Academy is based. Of course, Josh can never know who Cammie really is, but she likes him and, more importantly, he seems to like her. Cammie’s friends Liz and Bex decide to do a background check on Josh, to see if he’s not actually been sent to infiltrate the Academy though Cammie. And hijinks ensue. Hijinks including Liz and Bex abseiling down the side of Josh’s house while he’s right there under their noses, and intricate plots to help Cammie go on dates.

This book is incredibly good fun, it had me chuckling quite a lot over what Cammie and her friends got up to, and I loved all the characters. Cammie narrates as if she’s writing a report on a mission, and there are fun notes dropped in like ’18.30 hours: The operative realised it’s almost impossible to look pretty and/or seductive if you SERIOUSLY have to go pee.’ Cammie is funny but also smart, and loyal to her friends. She’s also hurting after the loss of her father and starting to realise the effect this has had on her and her mother. And also how dangerous spying can be. Is a life in the field really what she wants? Josh is a part of her escape from that life, if only for a little while.

Even though it’s a book about teenage spies, the things that happen to the girls are relatable. I also like that a new girl appears on the scene, but that storyline doesn’t go where you necessarily thought it would. For a book about girls living in close quarters, there are very few ‘bitchy’ moments, and mostly they’ve got each other’s backs. As you would expect from spies I suppose. Still, it’s always nice to see books that don’t go the easy or obvious routes. I’d definitely recommend this one, and will happily continue with the series.

Thank you for that Carrie!

REVIEW: Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck

I am so in love with this series! I did my happy dance when Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck arrived as the previous two books, Tiger's Curse and Tiger's Quest, were so wonderful and I had such high hopes for this third book in the series that I was absolutely desperate to find out where the story would go. And Tiger's Voyage is just as exciting and addictive and heart-breaking! This series just gets better and better.

And Tiger's Voyage really has so many wonderful things going for it. I feel like India is the perfect setting as it is filled with great history and culture and the these books' exploration of different religious stories and fantasy creatures is amazing. I love how Tiger's Voyage focuses mostly on the underwater and we come face-to-face with dragons! Dragons, my heart sings!

As always, Kelsey and the two tiger princes, together with loyal Mr. Kadam must unravel the clues given by the goddess Durga in order to break this curse on Ren and Kishan put in place hundreds of years ago. The three of them begin training to dive underwater and, Kelsey in particular, steel themselves for the many hardships they will face. But of course, it's the many romantic problems that causes Kelsey the most concern. With Ren's memory of her and their relationship completely gone, she must decide if it will be better in the long term for her to wait for his memory to return or to move on and begin something with Kishan.

In the previous book, I really went back and forth about which tiger I'd like to see Kelsey end up with, but I didn't have that problem in Tiger's Voyage. For me, there's a clear winner, but I still found it interesting watching Kelsey making up her mind. There was lots of conflict and drama here, not only between the two brothers but also a third guy (!) It can be painful watching Ren and Kishan be jealous over each other, and I felt a lot of sympathy for both brothers as Kelsey does not seem to be the more self-aware character and found it really difficult to realise what it is that she wants. There's still more books to come, so I'm still hoping desperately for a happy ending for all three major characters.

What I love most about these books is the mixture of so many different things - from the romance, to the action sequences, the fantasy elements, the history and folklore that everything is drawn for, but most especially the detail of these books which really make everything stand out so brilliantly.

A fab book, one that I highly recommend!

In My Mailbox 42

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...


Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

After recieving Clockwork Prince last week, I figured I really should read the first book in the series! Luckily I was able to swap for this book on ReadItSwapIt. I'm looking forward to it!

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My Beating Teenage Heart by CK Kelly Martin - Ashlyn Baptiste is falling. One moment she was nothing—no memories, no self—and then suddenly, she's plummeting through a sea of stars. Is she in a coma? She doesn't remember dying, and she has no memories of the life she left behind. All she knows is that she's trapped in a consciousness without a body and she's spending every moment watching a stranger.

Breckon Cody's on the edge. He's being ripped apart by grief so intense it literally hurts to breathe. On the surface, Breckon is trying to hold it together for his family and his girlfriend, but underneath he's barely hanging on.

Even though she didn't know him in life, Ashlyn sees Breckon's pain, and she's determined to find a way help him. As her own distressing memories emerge from the darkness, she struggles to communicate with the boy who can't see her, but whose life is suddenly intertwined with hers. In alternating voices of the main characters, My Beating Teenage Heart paints a devastatingly vivid picture of both the heartbreak and the promise of teenage life—a life Ashlyn would do anything to recover and Breckon seems desperate to destroy—and will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, John Green, and David Levithan.

CK Kelly Martin is just one of those authors that I've always heard about and that I've always wanted to try. Again, this book was swapped for using ReadItSwapIt. I really love that website, and of course the wonderful people who use it and agree to my swaps! :)

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Dark Parties by Sara Grant - Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

I've been looking forward to reading this one for awhile! I really hope it lives up to my expectations! :)

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The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan - How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

Thrilled to have swapped for this book using ReadItSwapIt! I'm trying hard to track down all of David Levithan's books as I've enjoyed his stories very much. It seems a pretty slim novel, so I'm sure I'll fly right through it. (I have since already finished this one!)

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The Memory Cage byRuth Eastham - Alex's Grandfather keeps forgetting things. Desperate to help him remember, Alex starts collecting old photographs. Bust as Alex digs into his grandfather's past, he stumbles across secrets that have been buried since World War II. Uncovering the truth could save Grandad ... but it might also tear Alex apart.

I've always heard such good things about this one, so I was thrilled to win this signed copy from Mostly Reading YA, so thank you very much! :)

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Night School by CJ Daugherty - Sometimes school is murder.

Allie Sheridan's world is falling apart. She hates her school. Her brother has run away from home. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have finally had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to a boarding school for problem teenagers.

But Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Its rules are strangely archaic. It allows no computers or phones. Its students are an odd mixture of the gifted, the tough and the privileged. And then there's the secretive Night School, whose activities other students are forbidden even to watch.

When Allie is attacked one night the incident sets off a chain of events leading to the violent death of a girl at the summer ball. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, Allie must learn who she can trust. And what's really going on at Cimmeria Academy.

Hooray, I was really hoping this book would make it into the goodie bags :) CJ was at the Atom blogger party and we heard her talk about her inspiration for Night School and she was there afterwards to sign copies of her book! We're both American expats who moved here 11 years ago, so I found it very cool to meet her and talk with her :)

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Trapped by Michael Northrop - The Breakfast Club meets The Blizzard of the Century: A young adult suspense novel from PW Flying Start author Michael Northrop.

Scotty and his friends Pete and Tommy are among the last kids waiting to get picked up at their high school. The snow has been coming down for hours, and it's starting to look like no one is coming for them. As the snow piles higher, their teacher Mr. Gossell leaves them behind to seek help--and disappears into the drifts outside. Now the seven remaining students are on their own, with no food and no electricity, facing a night of sleeping on classroom floors. Will their friendships survive the night . . . and will THEY?

I hadn't heard of this one before attending the Atom blogger event earlier in the week, but it sounds really good! Creepy and atmospheric, I'm looking forward to it!

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The Witch of Turlingham Academy by Ellie Boswell - It's not easy being the only day girl at Turlingham boarding school: Sophie misses out on all the midnight feasts and late night gossip. Things take a turn for the worse when a new girl - Katy - shows up and all Sophie hears is Katy, Katy, Katy from her friends. It's like she's put a spell on everyone. Katy's no witch, but there is a witch at Turlingham. Katy comes from a long line of witch hunters whose fate is to stop evil magic once and for all. Sophie is going to help her - anything to get Katy out of her life and get things back to normal. But what she finds out means nothing will ever be normal again!

This book isn't out until March of next year! Atom are soon to be launching a range of books for aimed at a younger than YA audience, and I'm really looking forward to it. Especially this book, as it sounds quite fun. Yay for boarding schools! :)

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172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad - Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back. It's been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2 - a place that no one but top government officials even knew existed until now. The three winners, Antoine, Midori, and Mia, come from all over the world. But just before the scheduled launch, the teenagers each experience strange, inexplicable events. Little do they know that there was a reason NASA never sent anyone back there until now - a sinister reason. But the countdown has already begun..

Couldn't find the cover art of this one easily, but we heard talk of it at the Atom party and it really sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to it. Not out until April of next year though!

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Halo by Alexandra Adornetto - Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They must work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.
Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.
The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

I've been hearing mixed things about this book, but I really want to give it a try to see what I think of it! It was on offer at the Atom blogger party, so I snapped it up :)

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Hades by Alexandra Adornetto - IS LOVE A GREAT ENOUGH POWER AGAINST EVIL?

Bethany Church believes so- after all, the love of her angel siblings and her boyfriend Xavier saved her from the clutches of hell itself.

But when Jake Thorn returns to town, determined to take Beth away with him, it seems he may be able to destroy everything she cares about.

Will Jake's actions shatter Beth's faith in love? Or can she overcome heartache and betrayal to fulfil her role on Earth?

I figured I may as well pick up the sequel while I had the chance!

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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - Set initially in a future shanty town in America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being dissembled for parts by a rag tag group of workers, we meet Nailer, a teenage boy working the light crew, searching for copper wiring to make quota and live another day. The harsh realities of this life, from his abusive father, to his hand to mouth existence, echo the worst poverty in the present day third world. When an accident leads Nailer to discover an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, and the lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl, Nailer finds himself at a crossroads. Should he strip the ship and live a life of relative wealth, or rescue the girl, Nita, at great risk to himself and hope she'll lead him to a better life. This is a novel that illuminates a world where oil has been replaced by necessity, and where the gap between the haves and have-nots is now an abyss. Yet amidst the shadows of degradation, hope lies ahead.

This is another book that was up for grabs at the Atom blogger party. I seem to remember Hank Green enthusing about this one recently and it sounds interesting! I'm glad I now have the chance to read it.

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Breakfast at Darcy's by Ali McNamara - When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn't expect any sort of inheritance - let alone a small island. Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn't been lived on for years, but according to Molly's will Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit, and she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there, too. Darcy has to leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, Darcy meets confident Conor and ever-grumpy Dermot - but who will make her feel really at home?

Earlier in the year, I read and absolutely adored Ali McNamara's From Notting Hill, With Love ... Actually and have been excited to read more from her. The wait is over, and I'm really looking forward to this one!

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Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor - Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now, aged twenty-four, she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after. She lives by the seaside, works in the Picturebox - a charming but rundown independent cinema - and has a boyfriend who's so debonair and charming she can't believe her luck!

There's just one problem - none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her and it doesn't look like Aiden's going to say it any time soon.

Desperate to hear I love you' for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and instantly wishes she hadn't. Just when it seems like her luck can't get any worse, bad news arrives in the devilishly handsome shape of Matt Jones. Matt is the regional director of a multiplex cinema and he's determined to get his hands on the Picturebox by Christmas.

Can Beth keep her job, her man and her home or is her romantic-comedy life about to turn into a disaster movie?

I don't normally read adult books, but I read Cally Taylor's Heaven Can Wait awhile back and I thought it was absolutely wonderful. Very sweet, so when I saw this book on the shelves, I snapped it up quick. And have already finished it, review soon!

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Six Days by Philip Webb - For Cass, the life of a 'scav' is all she’s ever known – scavenging what’s left of London in search of a precious relic no-one, not even her new Russian masters, has ever seen.

But when two survivors from another time show up, claiming they hold the key to the whereabouts of the missing ‘artefact’, scavving will never be the same again. They have six days to find it before their world will come to an end.

A gripping post-apocalyptical adventure set in the ruins of London about a desperate race to find a relic of extraordinary power. Spectacular science-fiction debut from Philip Webb.

Doesn't this one sound wonderful?! Lovely Tina from Chicken House kindly sent it over. I'm very much looking forward to reading it. London in ruins, can you imagine? :)

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Vixen by Jillian Larkin - Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.

This one showed up unexpectedly, could be quite fun! :)

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Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella - Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true - a shopping friend for life. But it's trickier than she thought - two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening.

I wasn't sure that I was going to read this book. I haven't been enjoying the last few Shopaholic books, but I saw this book in a charity shop for 50p and thought 'why not?'

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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - In 1799, Jacob de Zoet disembarks on the tiny island of Dejima, the Dutch East India Company’s remotest trading post in a Japan otherwise closed to the outside world. A junior clerk, his task is to uncover evidence of the previous Chief Resident’s corruption.

Cold-shouldered by his compatriots, Jacob earns the trust of a local interpreter and, more dangerously, becomes intrigued by a rare woman – a midwife permitted to study on Dejima under the company physician. He cannot foresee how disastrously each will be betrayed by someone they trust, nor how intertwined and far-reaching the consequences.

Duplicity and integrity, love and lust, guilt and faith, cold murder and strange immortality stalk the stage in this enthralling novel, which brings to vivid life the ordinary – and extraordinary – people caught up in a tectonic shift between East and West.

David Mitchell sort of intimidates me, I don't know. I've only read the one book of his, Black Swan Green, though I do have several others unread on my shelves. I worry that this book will collect dust like the others, but perhaps not? Again, I found this book in a charity shop for 50p...

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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he cant seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worsePercy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percys mom decides its time that he knew the truth about where he came from. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friendsone a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of AthenaPercy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I haven't yet read this book! I know, where have I been in the last few years?! It just seems like a lot of fun, I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it :)

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Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick - No, she thought. No, please, God, I'm not seeing this

Seventeen-year-old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have aquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a younge army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all:
In such a vastly changed world, who can you trust?

A srtory of high-wire tension, gut-wrenching twist, and burgeoning love, Ashes will leave you breathless.

This was a total impulse buy. I'd heard a few vague things about it, but couldn't remember much. I bought it, and came home to read several really positive reviews of it. So yay!

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Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

When I was at the Atom blogger party, I think I recall Carly from Writing in the Tub saying that this is one of the few paranormal books she enjoyed reading, so I thought I should give it a try!

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And those are the books that arrived for me this week. Which books did you get? Have you read any of these? Where should I start?