Books read in March

March saw me reading some fantastic books! But it also saw me branching out into reading other books on different themes or just for myself. As I'm in the middle of a book at the moment and it looks unlikely that I'll finish it today, I thought I'd post this list now.

I read 11 books for review sent via the publishers. I read two books for next month's Mental Health theme week (It's Kind of A Funny Story and A Note of Madness). I read two books for Jo's Death and Bereavement blogging event in July (By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead and Crash Into Me). And I read six books JUST FOR MYSELF (Love Is the Higher Law, Choker, Breathing, Starcrossed, How Not To Be Popular, and The Summer I Turned Pretty). Hurrah. Let's let that number be as high or higher in April! (And let's hope that I break free of this review-writing slump!)

I've included in parentheses next to each book I read how each book came into my possession. I think it's interesting to see these kinds of breakdowns of the origins of how we come to have the books we have. Books sent to me from the publishers are, of course, sent in exchange for an honest review. The numbers of books sent for review are very high this month, mostly because I've had a backlog of these types of books. I really hope in future there are more of my own books featured on this blog.

1. In the Bag by Jim Carrington* (sent by publisher)
2. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (sent by publisher)
3. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (sent by publisher)
4. Rockoholic by CJ Skuse* (sent by publisher)
5. A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma* (purchased)
6. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (purchased)
7. Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan (gift)
8. Choker by Elizabeth Woods (swapped)
9. Mortlock by Jon Mayhew* (sent by publisher)
10. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (sent by publisher)
11. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (UK Book Tours)
12. A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard (sent by publisher)
13. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (sent by publisher)
14. Divergent by Veronica Roth (sent by publisher)
15. By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters (gift)
16. Crash Into Me by Albert Borris (purchased)
17. Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman (swapped)
18. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (swapped)
19. How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler (purchased)
20. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han (purchased)

I really loved SO many of these books. Where She Went is amazing, and I'm still thinking about it all these weeks later. Rockoholic in part has inspired me to start writing again. Between Shades of Gray really knocked me on my ass. Divergent was such an addictive read, I'm not quite sure how I managed to sleep or eat or do anything until I'd finished the book. I thought The Summer I Turned Pretty was wonderful and I'm now gasping for the next book in the series!

Favourites of the month: Where She Went, Divergent, and Between Shades of Gray.

Goals for April:

Catch up with reviews! (I'm currently a whopping 19 reviews behind)
Organise myself with Awesome Women posts/guest posts/reviews
Mental Health week: beginning 18th of April

It's Translation Month at Mostly Reading YA, which I've agreed to take part in and am very excited to see what everyone else comes up with! I shall be reading/reviewing Reckless by Cornelia Funke.

I'd like to read the following books:

(for my theme week covering fairy tales/fairy tale retellings scheduled for May)

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

(for British Book Challenge + just for 'fun')

Pretty Bad Things by CJ Skuse
Rich and Mad by William Nicholson
Wasted by Nicola Morgan
Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

(other books)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
Airhead: Runaway by Meg Cabot
Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

How did reading go for you in March and what are your plans in April?

REVIEW: Mortlock by Jon Mayhew

The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother an undertaker's assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other's existence. Until, that is, three terrible aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave.


I kind of knew as soon as I saw this cover that I would love Mortlock by Jon Mayhew, and I really, really did. I think it's the crows. Mortlock has a great atmosphere and excitement about it. It's very creepy with great characters and I'm really glad that I had the chance to read it. Thank you to Emma at Bloomsbury for sending this one out for me!

Mortlock is set in Victorian London years after three men go searching for a mysterious flower with special power. They know as soon as they see it, however, that it will bring trouble. These three men make a pact then and there to leave and never come back for the flower. Years after this experience, and we have two children, Josie and Alfie who are caught up in the aftermath of those three explorers. Only in the last minutes of Josie's life is she told by her guardian that she has a brother and is given a hint about the power and effect of this flower and the havoc that it will cause on her and Alfie's life.

I really loved Josie and Alfie. Josie has been raised by the Great Cardomom, as a knife thrower in his stage act. When three terrifying ladies barge into their house and take them hostage, Josie must go on a danger hunt for answers. Armed with only a few knives and some scraps of information about her guardian and the flower, Josie and her brother, raised as an undertaker's assistant, must fight for their own survival.

Being chased by three scary ghouls, Josie and Alfie go on a very suspenseful journey through the streets of London, through marshy swamps, a creepy old circus and the most shudder-inducing, crow-infested old mansion. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of the book. The pace and the suspence is done beautifully, as is the atmosphere of it all. There were quite a few instances of gore which could put some readers off, but I loved it. The whole novel just put a smile on my face as my heartbeat quickened.

I loved the feistiness of Josie. Something about the visual of her throwing knives at deadly crows as they're on the run just really made me cheer. And the brother/sister relationship is fantastic as well. Josie and Alfie seem to loathe each other's company at the start, but their very different personality types seem to fit together nicely. I loved all the secrets and the way in which the mystery unfolds for the brother and sister pair.

What a great book, I really loved it and I recommend it!

Giveaway: 10 copies of The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel (UK only)

I remember when I became too old for the children's section in the library. I was wandering around, picking up books here and there, putting them down again and really just moping around the library. I was 10 or 11 and it was the city library and I was there with my dad. My dad saw my sulky face and told me to ask the librarian for a suggestion. When I did, the librarian said that perhaps I needed to reading something a little more challenging, so she took me to an area of the library I'd never been before. It was tucked in a corner around from the information desk. It wasn't quite the adult section which were in dusty, intimidating rows behind me and I'm sure it wasn't called a 'Young adult' section, but it's what it was.

I felt like I'd been shown a new world. Or hundreds of new worlds. The librarian was rushed off her feet and couldn't stay to give me a recommendation, so I did the most logical thing that I could think of and I started with the first shelf and moved my way around. One of the first books I picked up that sounded interesting was The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I really loved the idea of a little girl wandering around and being adopted by Neanderthals. In fact, I just loved the idea of reading a book about Neanderthals! I'd never heard of anything like it and I was so curious about it right from the start.

I saw that there were sequels to The Clan of the Cave Bear, and I picked them up as well. They were all quite chunky books and I did love the idea of being swept away into a really epic and long series of books. Reading was all I did back then and I was never put off by such massive books.

I found a quiet corner and I started to read. And right away I fell in love with the Earth's Children series. The books are so full of detail - the flora and fauna, the ways of life, medicine and healing, hunting. I was completely captivated by Ayla's voice and the Clan! I remember devouring the first book within a day or so and tackling the rest in the series soon after. For a very long time, I so wanted to be Ayla. I thought she was brave and intelligent and creative. She went through so much and still had such life about her.


As the series goes on, Ayla is this really strong and powerful woman who rides on the back of lions and is kick-ass with a sling and other weapons. She lives alone for a long time and is so self-sufficient and capable.

It wasn't until the news of the final book in the Earth's Children series was announced that I actually remembered my massive-girl crush on Ayla! I'm very, very excited to read of what happens to Ayla in this last book, The Land of Painted Caves. The book is published today and I'm waiting with bated breath to get my hands on a copy!

---------------------------

To celebrate the publication of the long-awaited finale to the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel, Land of Painted Caves published 29 March, I have a whopping 10 copies of The Clan of the Cave Bear to giveaway to you now. 10 copies! I really hope that other people come to love this series as much as I did! :)

It's being sent by Holler, so I'm going to ask that this by UK only. Sorry to my international readers.

You don't have to be a follower to enter though that would always be appreciated! Just fill in the form below. Remember, only people with UK postal addresses please.


When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.

Although Jean Auel obviously takes certain liberties with the actions and motivations of all our ancestors, her extensive research into the Ice Age does shine through--especially in the detailed knowledge of plants and natural remedies used by the medicine woman and passed down to Ayla. Mostly, though, this first in the series of five is a wonderful story of survival. Ayla's personal evolution is a compelling and relevant tale.

About me

(I've recently added the below to my About Me page on my blog. I thought it might be interesting for you all to read and that it will probably get lost on the tabby thing on my blog so have posted it here as well.)


My name is really Michelle.

But I go by the name of 'Clover' because I don't like my real name, I've always known about 1,000 other Michelles and I think that Clover sounds prettier and different. I don't feel like I've ever connected to the name Michelle in my entire life. If someone were to shout 'Michelle!' at me from a distance, it's possible that I would think that that person were calling someone else.

I guess it is sort of confusing to go by both Michelle and Clover. I should probably drop the 'Clover' but I can't. I like it too much.

I'm 28 (soon to be 29) and I spend a lot of my time reading and writing this blog. I live in the Southeast of England in a pretty little town. I am very socially awkward and shy. I'm a hesitant driver. I love ballet and musicals and 60s music. I don't drink alcohol or tea. I love word games like Scrabble and Boggle. I'm competitive by nature, but mostly with myself, unless we're playing Scattergories. I'm half Native-Alaskan. I'm never sure what to write on one of these 'About Me' pages, which is probably why I've never had one before now.

Fluttering Butterflies wasn't always a book blog. For many years, it was more personal. I'd write about my family issues, memories of growing up, my thoughts on the things around me. I've been writing Fluttering Butterflies since January of 2006 and hope to continue writing it for many more years to come.


I am an American citizen but I've lived in the UK since 2000.

Though I was born in Seattle, I've never lived there. Instead, I spent the first 7 years of my life living in Alaska (my mother is from the Tlingit tribe, who live mostly in Southeast Alaska). Here and there, mostly. My parents and brother moved around a bit growing up. We lived briefly in California and Texas. But I would say that I'm 'from' Oregon if anyone ever asked.

I love Oregon. We lived in Medford for a year, but then switched to Eugene, which is a far superior place to live. There, I really grew up and I lived there for more than 10 years. How I miss Eugene! The people, the atmosphere, the Saturday market, the university, the library. I'd love to go back, even though you can never really go home, can you? Sadly, I haven't been back to Eugene but once since I moved to England.


I met my husband, N, on the Internet!

Yes, N is the reason I moved to another continent. It's a sweet story really, a modern-day fairy tale. We met in a chat room when I was 16 and started regularly chatting and emailing. That led to talking on the phone, which led to N travelling crazy and ridiculous distances in order for us to meet in person. We started chatting online in December of 1998, met for the first time in December of 1999 and were married in December of 2000. We've now been happily married for over 10 years. He still makes me laugh.

What I love the most about our relationship it began and is based on a great level of communication. We were friends for a long time before it progressed to another more romantic. N is a little shy and has allowed precious few photos of himself to made public.


I used to work in a book store, looking after the children's department.

When I first moved to England, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn't know anyone, I didn't have any qualifications or much work experience. My first job was stocking shelves of the stationery department in W H Smith. That led to working full-time on the front tills. Which led to working in the book department where I really felt happy.

When a new bookstore opened in town (the now closed Books Etc) I applied there. At Books Etc, I worked with some incredible people and was eventually given the exciting job of managing the children's department. A job which I loved. I miss that job so much.

I really love working with books. I loved buying books from publishing reps, from opening the boxes of new books. I loved putting the books out, arranging the shelves. I loved talking about books with people, recommending them. I loved the people who worked in bookstores, the people who come into bookstores. My job at Books Etc was wonderful, and I will always think of it fondly. Thankfully, I'm able to have some of these same conversations and feel some of the excitement about books through book blogging.



I am now a stay-at-home mother, looking after my two beautiful boys.

But it had to come to an end eventually. In 2005, my eldest son was born. I gave up my job in order to look after him. Just over two years later, another son was born. Both boys are gorgeous and clever and unbelievably mischievous. They keep me on my toes, they've turned my hair grey, they've made my life more fulfilled and insanely more happy than I've ever felt possible. I feel lucky in so many ways. I talk about my boys fairly often on this blog. They are such a huge part of my life and who I am, how can I not talk about them?

Though my Eldest is now in primary school, and Littlest is headed towards nursery, we still try to spend a great deal of time together as a family doing fun things. Our favourite place ever? Legoland. Without a doubt. We also love Whipsnade Zoo and going to parks.


I also study parttime with the Open University, attempting to get a degree in Psychology.

Lots of people think I'm insane. I already have a full-time job looking after the boys, but add together reading and book blogging ... and studying for a degree? I've been trying for a degree for several years. There were a few misfires at first. I went down a path studying Literature. Then Law. Until now, finally, I've settled on psychology. It's a fascinating subject, one that still holds my interest, thankfully! I'm not sure what I'd like to do with my degree when I'm finished, but I've always hoped that I would be able to help people in some way. Especially teenagers who went through similar experiences that I did growing up - with suicidal thoughts, depression, eating disorders or self-harm. We shall see.

I love butterflies. And Eeyores. And jelly beans. And books. And blogging. And comments. And pie.

If you have any other really important questions you'd like to know about me, don't hesitate to email me at: flutteringbutterfliesblog (at) googlemail (dot) com

REVIEW: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

I recently read (and loved) the first book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent, My Soul To Take and I found it be incredibly interesting and readable and I was absolutely gasping to read the next in the series. So a massive thank you to the lovely people at MIRA Ink for sending me My Soul to Save for review! My Soul To Save is an excellent continuation of the story and I'm still so excited about this amazing series of books! The Soul Screamers has just the most amazing characters! Kaylee, Nash and Tod are such a fun group with an interesting dynamic that once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down for anything.

I found My Soul to Save to be very different as a sequel. It's a lot more action-based than I felt My Soul to Take was. But I am certainly not complaining, as I was just as swept up in the plot and the new characters. I do hope for more Kaylee and Nash in the future books in the series though. Rachel Vincent really teased me with the brief glimpses of Kaylee and Nash togetherness in this one (but oh, how HOT are these brief glimpses!). There is still so many questions to be asked and concerns from Kaylee's perspective about their relationship and instead of dealing with them, the two are too swept up into the hazardous dealings that Tod has roped them both into.

In My Soul To Save, we are introduced to another character, Addison. She has sold her soul in order to achieve fame and fortune. When another singer who has traded away her soul dies onstage at a concert, Tod, Kaylee and Nash witness the terrible ordeal. Tod in particular feels very strongly that they must do something about saving Addy's soul. Tod and Addy, have a shared history together and I figure the two Kaylee, still feeling guilty about the events that occurred in My Soul to Take agrees to help Tod and Addison and off they go on this highly dangerous mission to go up against demons and soulless record executives. Kaylee really pushes all of her limits - those were her father, her school and her skill involving the Netherworld and her bean sidhe abilities. There seems to be no end to the amount of sacrifices that she is willing to make for others. It's really a very admirable quality for Kaylee to have, though sometimes as a reader, I didn't feel particularly invested in saving the lives of Addison or her younger sister. I hope that in future books in the series will revolve more closely around the three major characters.

I loved the detail of the Netherworld that is described as well as learning more and more about bean sidhes and the things they can and cannot do. I love the fast pace of the book and the questions that continually pop up. I adore the sexual tension between Kaylee and Nash and in particular the uncertainties that Kaylee feels about Nash's motivations. I love this series and I cannot wait to delve into it more. Bring on the next book!

IMM 25

Hello and welcome to another In My Mailbox, a weekly meme hosted by the ever lovely Kirsti at The Story Siren which showcases the books that have arrived in our grubby hands lately. Here are the books that arrived in my house over the last two weeks. I am very excited! Due to the limitations I've placed on myself (no buying books/no swapping books etc) there have been significantly less books coming into my possession lately. Which is a good thing, as it means more time to read my own books and cut down my TBR pile.


When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - This remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Mi

...moreThis remarkable novel holds a fantastic puzzle at its heart.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

I've been hearing wonderful things about this one and I can't wait to unravel this mystery. When You Reach Me sounds like absolutely charming book, one I'm really looking forward to reading! (So much for my book-buying ban!!)

----------------------------------

Divergent by Veronica Roth - In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I've already finished this one! I started reading it on the train into London, nearly missed my stop and then couldn't wait to get back on the train in order to keep going. Finished it under 24 hours as it really just is that addictive. Great stuff, dying for more.

----------------------------------

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott - "On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before."

Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.

Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.
Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?

Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama.

And nothing will stop her. Not even love.

Doesn't this one look and sound gorgeous? I LOVE fairy tale retellings (so much so that I'm planning a theme-week for it on my blog in the next month or so! Look out for it.) Plus, I've followed Zoe's twitter and blog lately and she is really wonderful. After reading this one, I'm sure to be on the lookout for her other books! Thanks, Walker, for sending this one out for review!

----------------------------------

0.4 by Mike Lancaster - It's a brave new world.

'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.'

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded onto old audiotapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax, but perhaps they contain the history of a past world....If what the tapes say is true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.

And if everything we know is a lie, does that mean that we are, too?

Oh, you know how much I love dystopias, right? And I've been hearing great things about this one. Incredibly creepy cover aside (which I kind of still love) I'm really looking forward to reading this one. Bring it on! Thanks goes to Egmont for this one!

----------------------------------

Forgotten by Cat Patrick - Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

Holy crap, I've got a copy of Forgotten! I've been gasping to read this one for such a long time! And now it's here! AHHHHH!

----------------------------------

And that's it from me. Which books arrived into your house recently? And where do you think I should start?

Dress like a pirate

You may have noticed my absence from the blog this week? I really felt like I needed to take a break, catch up and sort myself out mentally and physically.

I'd hoped to get write reviews and organise some Awesome Women interviews, but sadly, both boys are sick with stomach bug :( I managed to do absolutely nothing blog-wise this week, but it doesn't matter, really. It was nice to pick up books I want to read rather than a book I think I should read. I liked having more free-time. Despite being ill, the boys and I were able to have some fun, dress like pirates and play in the garden.

But, now I'm ready to return! Refreshed and excited to share some great reviews and other bookish related fun. Hurrah.

Giveaway: Signed copy of Rockoholic by CJ Skuse

I was lucky enough to go to CJ Skuse's launch for her new book, Rockoholic (my review, as well as CJ's amazing guest post) last weekend and while I was there, I managed to pick up a signed copy of Rockoholic for the sole purpose of giving it away. Rockoholic is such a fantastic book, I had so much fun reading it and which is why I'm very excited to be giving a copy away!

Also, I have a whole bunch of books that I've read and loved recently. I'm not sure what to do with them now, so I thought I'd make it a semi-regular occurrence to offer you, my lovely blog readers a chance to win some of these great books!



So if Rockoholic doesn't take your fancy (and it really should do, it's an excellent book!) here are some of the other books that I have lying around ready for a new home. These books might not be available to win the next time I hold one of these giveaways, but there will generally always be a running supply of great books going through the Fluttering Butterflies home, I'm sure.

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares (review)

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites (review)

Siren by Tricia Rayburn (review)

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (review)

Wood Angel by Erin Bow (review)

In the Bag by Jim Carrington (review)

Annexed by Sharon Dogar (review)

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace (review)

Gladiator: Fight For Freedom by Simon Scarrow (review)

----------------------

All of these books have been sent to me via various publishers except for the signed Rockoholic which I bought myself. You don't have to be a follower of this blog to enter, although it is appreciated. I'd prefer to give this book away to someone who regularly visits and comments on my blog so if you haven't left me at least one meaningful comment this year, it's unlikely that you will win!

This giveaway is really my way of saying 'thank you' to my regular followers. I hear many of you say that my reviews help in choosing what to read, and I'm honoured and flattered each time that happens. Just leave me a comment telling me which book you'd like to win, whether it be the signed copy of Rockoholic or one of my other books listed and I will choose a winner by next Friday, the 25th. Easy peasy. Good luck.

REVIEW: Annexed by Sharon Dogar

Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex – but what about the boy who was also trapped there with her?

In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this might have been like from Peter’s point of view. What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, first to hate her and then to find yourself falling in love with her? Especially with your parents and her parents all watching almost everything you do together. To know you’re being written about in Anne’s diary, day after day? What’s it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting.

As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them?

Anne’s diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter’s story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz – and ultimately the horrific fates of the Annex’s occupants.

When I was 13 I read Diary of A Young Girl and it had such a profound impact on my life. The words that Anne Frank wrote down in her diary about the human spirit and hope and the joy of being alive were so beautiful and inspiring that I couldn't help but be become overly interested in reading other war diaries and testimonies fictional acounts of the events of the Holocaust. But nothing came close to how I felt at reading Anne's diary.

So I was a teensy bit worried before I picked up this book at how Annexed by Sharon Dogar would affect or change the way I felt about Anne's original diary. But I needn't have worried. Sharon Dogar really put in a lot of thought and consideration as well as research into this fictional story about life in the annex and beyond from Peter's perspective. Annexed is beautifully crafted and it really brought back all of the strong feelings I felt as well as a heap of nostalgia about reading Anne Frank's Diary all those years ago.

I thought the change in perspective was wonderfully done, showing us the scenes readers are already familiar with from Anne's point of view and giving them a bit of a twist. Showing us a different side to the other people who lived in the Annex alongside Anne and Peter and giving them different but believeable motivations for their actions and the things that they've said. I loved delving into Peter's head. A young man, cooped indoors for years as he's helpless to stand up and fight like he dreams of doing, thinking of the girl he left behind. He spends a lot of time pondering his own beliefs about God and the Jewish religion and war.

There's such beauty in the way that Sharon Dogar unfolds Peter's story to us, with snippets of Peter's life outside of the Annex, in Auschwitz as he looks back at this time living with the Franks. It seems as though his memories are sharper and more focused, as Peter faces death in the infirmary and every word is laced with the strength of the human spirit and hope. It was very difficult for me to put this book down once I'd begun, because I couldn't turn my eyes away from Peter's suffering and this wisdom that he imparts with us, the reader.

There is a large section of the narrative focused on the Peter's struggle with Anne's diary that I'd never considered before. It surely is the basis of such a novel like Annexed - how did the other people living in the Annex feel about Anne writing about them all? How did Peter, who begins as the boy who loathes Anne and transforms into the boy who loves her, feel about their lives and personalities being written from an Anne-only perspective? It's a very interesting idea and one that made me think quite a lot.

But where Anne's diary leaves off before the Frank and van Pels family are captured, Peter's story continues into the ghastly treatment of those in Auschwitz. The dehumanising conditions and hard work. It brings the atrocities of the Holocaust and all of the emotion that I felt back to me again. Annexed is an excellent piece of writing and companion to Anne Frank's Diary and a book that I'm happy to recommend.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I've been thinking about this a lot recently - how my dreams have changed shape over the years. I've always been in awe of people who just seem to have it together. Who have been able to answer the question of what they want to be, and they go after it. That's never been me. I've always been indecisive, a little wishy-washy about it all. Go with the flow. All of that. Here is my adventure to date:


An author


When I was younger, the thing I wanted to be the most was an author. I started writing short stories and things in middle school and it carried on through the first few years of high school. I'd have a notebook that I'd carry around with me where I'd scribble notes about plot and do character studies. I'd map out relationships and story arcs and then edit and revise when I should have been paying attention to classes. At this point in my life, I couldn't see myself as anything but a writer.

And then things went wrong. Or maybe they went right, I can never tell. One of the major reasons I stopped writing was the invasion of my privacy by certain members of my family. Then a floppy disk containing all of my (password-protected) stories, of which there were 20-30 was destroyed. Contents were never retrieved. And then after I met N, things just went a little crazy. Things were happening very quickly, with school and my family and with N. Before I knew it, I was living on another continent.

Work in a publishing house

I felt as though one lifetime had passed and I was starting a new one. I didn't feel the urge as much to write. I did have a journal that I wrote in occasionally, but nothing serious. After a few months, I was able to start work in the UK and I began thinking of going back to my university studies. I thought long and hard about what I'd like to study and also what I'd like to do with my life and the only constant interest in my entire life was reading. I thought perhaps I could go to work in a publishing house, doing something, anything.

I was put off by what other people said though. They told me publishing house jobs are competitive and hard to come by. They told me I'd have to go after what I wanted and be ruthless. I worried that it wasn't really my personality. But I think I was really just afraid to acknowledge that in my heart of hearts, I wanted it.

A solicitor

Instead, I ended up falling back into a different path. One that my dad had wanted for me. One that he'd pushed me towards since I was little, and after a fascinating dinner conversation with a friends about the work they were doing in law, I thought perhaps I should be a solicitor. Before my dad went to Vietnam, he was studying to be a lawyer. I thought it could be something that I would enjoy doing. I always sort of knew that I'd be the type of person who couldn't do the same thing day-after-day and would need to have varied days. I studied law for two years.

And I was abysmal at it. My head and law just don't work together. It's very tied into politics and I just wasn't interested in it all. I think at the heart of wanting to be a solicitor was this idea of helping people. I'd love to be a person who fights and works to achieve good in the world. But sadly, I will never do this as a solicitor. Phew.

Own my own bookstore

By this time, of course, I was working in Books Etc. I loved it there. I loved the people I worked with, the books, the customers who came in and talked to me about books. I loved opening the boxes of new books, I loved organising books on the shelves. I loved rearranging books and thinking of ways to make my displays more eye-catching. I loved the paperwork involved and the chance to choose which books to buy.

I started to daydream about having my own bookstore. Maybe a funky children's bookstore like in You've Got Mail. There was once a dedicated children's bookstore in the town I live in ... but sadly, just like in You've Got Mail, my children's shop around the corner closed down. It's a lovely idea though, isn't it? Owning a bookstore.

Psychologist

Because I've been back to university several times and have failed on three occasions to follow-through and gain a degree in any subject, I waited a few years before returning. I really needed to be sure that whatever subject I pursued next would be something worth sticking with. I needed a subject that could maintin my interest for six long years.

I knew I'd be studying with the Open University, so I requested all of the information that they had regarding undergraduate courses. I went through their prospectus and I circled every single course I'd be interested in taking. From there, I flipped to the back of the book and looked to see which degree was feasible taking those courses. I'd circled a load of courses in the social sciences section particularly but the psychology classes jumped out at me specifically.

That combined with the growing fascination that I'd had watching my Eldest growing up, learning to walk and speak and be very social made me very interested in learning more about child development. Which emphasised my growing interest in the subject of psychology. Because there's a subject that just never grows old. It touches on every aspect of life and how can anyone find 'life' boring, right? I've really hit on a good one, studying this. Three years into my degree course (which means I've lasted an entire year longer than either of my other attempts at university) and I think this one is going to stick. (..Though I don't know. I quite fancy doing a Modern Languages degree.)

I don't know that I will end up working as a psychologist when I've finished, but I figure it's still a good degree to have, one in which I could branch out with and work in nearly any field. And for now, I'm enjoying the job I have.

The best and most important job I will ever have: mother.

What did you want to be when you grow up?

REVIEW: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

I was so super excited to read this one! I absolutely adored The Body Finder, which I read earlier in the year, and have eagerly anticipated reading the sequel ever since. A big thank you to Sam at Headline for sending me Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting for review, I am eternally grateful and it definitely lived up to all of my very high expectations!

I really love both Violet and Jay as characters, Violet especially. She has this really unique gift of sensing the dead around her. It's a gift that only her close family and best friend/recently turned boyfriend, Jay know about. But then, when the body of a highly publicised missing boy calls out to Violet and she makes an anonymous phone call to the police, things begin to change. A woman who works for the FBI becomes aware of Violet and seems to know that Violet is hiding something big. She feels under pressure from the FBI woman to admit to her special gift, and Violet begins to question this life-long vow of secrecy that she's undertaken. Can Violet be able to handle the idea of more people outside her circle of trust knowing what she's capable of and why she keeps finding dead bodies?

And at the same time, Violet feels really unsure of and slightly uncomfortable with Jay now that their relationship has changed from a friendship into something more physical. I do really, really love the relationship between Violet and Jay. As the reader, you can completely see without any doubt whatsoever that Jay is hopelessly devoted and loyal to Violet. I love that in a love interest, I really do. But Violet has trouble opening up to Jay, and for much of the novel leaves him in the dark to all of Violet's mounting troubles.

Because there also is someone out there who isn't quite fond of our Violet. Sending threatening messages and a box in the middle of the night that would freak out absolutely anybody who wasn't Violet. When Violet begins to think that this mysterious mischief sender is somehow closer to home than anyone realised, the anticipation and tension really start to pick up. Like in the previous book, the narrative is interspersed with snippets of the thought processes of the person out to get Violet and it really adds to the suspense of the novel.

I really love this mixture of mystery and romance that Kimberly Derting pairs together so well! Fans of Violet and Jay will not be disappointed with the levels of heartbreak and swooniness, but there is enough outside of their relationship in order to keep anyone else interested as well. A truly fantastic sequel and one not to miss!

Guest Post: My Life in Obsessions by CJ Skuse

C.J. Skuse, author of Pretty Bad Things and Rockoholic, was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare, England. Loves: My Chemical Romance, 1980s sitcoms, gummy bears and Nanook from The Lost Boys. Hates: omelettes, carnivals and coughing. The book C.J. would most like to have written is Twilight. C.J. has a First Class degree in Creative Studies in English and gained a distinction for her MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, on which course her debut novel Pretty bad Things was written. She is currently working on a third stand-alone novel for teenagers.

I loved Rockoholic and it's an honour to have CJ on my blog today...

------------------

My Life in Obsessions by CJ Skuse

We’ve all had obsessions for a fictional hottie or two in our time. You’ll often hear a sixty-something talking about how they once posed as a journalist in order to get to the front row of a Beatles gig and caught John’s plectrum. Or a fifty-something banging on about waiting outside a theatre all night to catch a glimpse of Donny Osmond. You might hear a forty-something talking about nicking Grolsch tops to put on their DMs when they were a Brosette or a twenty-something talking of the time they rang the helpline when Take That split up. And more recently, you’ll have heard about swarms of ‘Beliebers’ descending on a TV studio where their idol was being interviewed.



Such fans can be mad, bad and dangerous to know and they will go to untold lengths to get close to their heroes. I’ve heard scare stories of roadies who have been trampled underfoot by hordes of tweens desperate to get to Michael Jackson. And while I’ve never had a tattoo of my idol’s face inked onto my stomach or broken into a band’s dressing room to scrawl ‘I’d Die 4 You’ on the walls in my own blood, I have nurtured my own little obsessions over the years. In comparison though, my actions have been pretty reasonable. I did the Grolsch tops thing with Bros (my parents ran a pub so Grolsch wasn’t hard to come by). I made my own Wyld Stallyns t-shirts to celebrate my love for Bill and Ted. I went to sleep with a picture Christian Slater
selotaped to my hand after going to see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for the seventh time. I convinced myself I was going to marry Jamie Redknapp and I recorded the 1993 MTV Awards three times on three separate video recorders, just in case one of them broke, just so I would be able to catch Pearl Jam collecting their award for Best Video and rewind Eddie Vedder’s stultifyingly sexy hair flick sixty thousand times.




Most recently I queued up from dawn until dusk to get on the front barrier for a My Chemical Romance gig. And it was this act of love for this band, and notably their lead singer Gerard Way, which drove me to write Rockoholic, my new novel. For Jody, the main character, the fictional rock band The Regulators represents a reason to keep on believing life is worth living. As she sees it, there’s no one else who can help her. The lead singer, Jackson, ‘understands’ her better than anyone. He is her ‘soul mate.’ The one she was meant to be with. And at that concert, she HAS to be on the front row and he HAS to know she loves him. Which is why she kidnaps him and locks him in her garage.

Sometimes a rock band/actor/singer/footballer/pop act can fill a void that nobody, however real, can come close to understanding. Our adoration for these men/boys/bands has been dubbed hysterical. Obsessive. Stupid. Even mentally deranged. It’s never really seen as love. But didn’t some bright spark once upon a time prove that lovesickness was a form of mental illness? Of course this type of obsession is love – it is love in its most primal form. It makes no difference that at any one time you might happen to share this love with millions of other people, all professing to love even harder than you.

The only difference between any one of these Paul McCartney/Donny Osmond/Justin Bieber fans is the object of their affections. To these screaming fan girls (and, in many cases, boys too) a rock band or a pop group or a singer or an actor means THE WORLD. The love these fans project onto them is the love they perhaps cannot project in their real lives. These celebrities speak the words they cannot voice themselves. They fill a void. They complete us. Just like the perfect partner should, though quite often, doesn’t. But sometimes, if you’re like my character Jody, true love can be just around the corner and you realise the celebrity object of your affections is the thing that’s been getting in the way all along.

So if you have a fan girl/boy in your family, underestimate them at your peril and know that the stunts they will pull in order to demonstrate their affections are just manifestations of the intense love they feel inside. It’s genuine. It’s all-encompassing. And it’s real. And when all’s said and done, it doesn’t really do any harm.

But I would keep checking your garage, just in case…

------------------

Thank you CJ! What a wonderful guest post! Be sure to pick up your copy of Rockoholic straight away!

REVIEW: Rockoholic by CJ Skuse

Jody loves Jackson Gatlin. At his only UK rock concert, she’s right at the front. But when she's caught in the crush and carried back stage she has more than concussion to contend with. Throw in a menacing manager, a super-wired super-star, and a curly-wurly, and she finds herself taking home more than just a poster. It’s the accidental kidnapping of the decade. But what happens if you’ve a rock-god in your garage who doesn’t want to leave? Jody’s stuck between a rock-idol and a hard place!

From the pen of C.J. Skuse, author of last year’s super cool debut Pretty Bad Things, comes a tale of rock star obsession gone nuts. Hilariously and sharply explores the fantasy and reality of celebrity obsession through a teenager’s eyes. C. J. Skuse has been billed as the new Nick Hornby for teens.

How much did I adore Rockoholic by CJ Skuse?! I love the characters and the premise and how hugely entertaining and funny it is while still touching on some serious topics. I thought the whole novel was really well done and I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Claire from Chicken House for sending me this book for review! It is excellent.

Jody does some really stupid things. Often. And her best friend Mac is usually around to help her get through whatever pickle she's landed herself in. Except this time, Jody's only gone and kidnapped her favourite rock star. And stashed him in her garage. Jody's had a major obsesssion with Jackson Gatlin, singer in her favourite band, The Regulators since forever. Jody really feels like if she just had some time alone with Jackson, that they'd connect in this really deep and emotional way, so when Jody accidentally kidnapped Jackson, it's kind of great, really. Only Jackson isn't at all like how Jody thinks he'd be. He's rude and arrogant and throws things at her and she'd quite like him to leave now, please. Only he won't go. And Jody finds herself hiding and looking after the strung-out musician far longer than she'd ever imagined.

Honestly, just writing out that simple plot description put a big smile on my face. I can remember quite clearly my own teenage obsessions and while not quite as prone to getting myself into huge messes like Jody, I can completely relate to the amount that she throws herself into believing that Jackson Gatlin will solve all her problems. Things are very strange for Jody since her grandfather died. She's confused about the last thing he told her 'Don't dream it, be it' and Jody isn't really sure what she wants to be at all.

While at the same time as sniggering at the importance that a Curly Wurly plays in the plot and other crazy hilarious situations, I was also really sympathising with Jody's character. She's so confused already and really pins all of her hopes on Jackson. So much so that the reality of who Jackson really is (as opposed to who she'd led to believe by the media) is such a major disappointment to her. But she doggedly hangs on, still hoping. Even though the reality of Jackson Gatlin is that he's a paranoid addict with wild mood swings. And her obsession with him might just be standing in the way of something really great.

Thankfully Jody has a really wonderful best friend with her. Mac, the boy who likes musicals and has a starring role in a local production of Rocky Horror and looks after his little sister, Cree, like she were her own. Two year old Cree seems to be the only person that can get through to Jackson with her childish openness and her honesty. There is an interesting (and at times harrowing) sub-plot to do with the parenting of little Cree that pushes the plot forward and into very uncertain territory. I was hanging off the edge of my seat! And I adore Jody and Mac - they are such great friends and have great banter between them, all of their shared history is plain to see and I was rooting for them from the very start.

Rockoholic is such fun! I love this zany cast of characters and the ways in which Jody really screws things up and then tries to fix them. Rockoholic really encompasses teenage obsession so well and I think so many teenagers and young people like myself (ahem) will really be able to connect with Jody's all-consuming thoughts about her favourite rockband. Like so many teenagers she gets so many things wrong but there's such a likeability about her and all of the characters. Jody, Mac, Cree, Jackson, I'd love to spend more time with them and I was actually sad when this book finisished. This one comes very highly recommended from me!

IMM 24

Welcome to another edition of In My Mailbox :) As ever, IMM is hosted by the lovely Kristi at The Story Siren. Check her out.

Here are the books that I have recieved/bought over the last week. (This is actually two week's worth of books as I'm still catching up from no IMMs during the month of February)


The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

This was sent via the lovely Lynsey Newton who runs the UK Book Tours. Thanks Lynsey! I don't actually remember signing up for this one, but it probably has something to do with the really creepy US cover that I love so much...

--------------------------------

Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan - First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

This book has been on my wishlist since forever and the lovely Sya from The Mountains of Instead kindly sent it to me as a gift! (Thank you again Sya!) I've already read it, and cried my way through it. Review coming soon.

--------------------------------

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard - Two young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful teenage dancer, and the girl's baby--ragtag survivors of a sudden war--form a fragile family, hiding out in the ruins of an amusement park. As they scavenge for good, diapers, and baby formula, they must stay out of sight of vicious gangs and lawless soldiers. At first they rely on Billy, the only adult in the group. But as civil life deteriorates, Billy starts to fall apart. Skip, who is barely into his teens, must take over and lead them on a search for sanctuary. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.

Here's a book that sounds quite interesting. I really can't pass up on a dystopic/post-apocalyptic YA book, thank you to Templar for providing this copy for review! You'll be hearing about this one soon enough from me :) Published in May 2011.

--------------------------------

The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees - Young and beautiful Violetta may be of royal blood, but her kingdom is in shambles when she arrives in London on a mysterious mission. Her journey has been long and her adventures many, but it is not until she meets the playwright William Shakespeare that she gets to tell the entire story from beginning to end. Violetta and her comic companion, Feste, have come in search of an ancient holy relic that the evil Malvolio has stolen from their kingdom. But where will their remarkable quest—and their most unusual story—lead? In classic Celia Rees style, it is an engrossing journey, full of political intrigue, danger, and romance.

This wholly original story is spun from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and includes both folly and suspense that would make the Bard proud.

I wasn't expecting this one, but it sounds interesting. I've not read anything by Celia Rees before and I've always meant to, so I hope that this will be a good place to start! Thank you to Emma at Bloomsbury :)

--------------------------------

Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie - Lauren has always known she was adopted but when a little research turns up the possibility that she was snatched from an American family as a baby, suddenly Lauren's life seems like a sham. How can she find her biological parents? And are her adoptive parents really responsible for kidnapping her? She manages to wangle a trip across the Atlantic where she runs away to try and find the truth. But the circumstances of her disappearance are murky and Lauren's kidnappers are still at large and willing to do anything to keep her silent…

This one has been on my wishlist for awhile and I found it today in a charity shop! I love the bargains that I find in charity shops. I really shouldn't be buying any more books with Operation Read Own Books in effect at the moment, but oh well. One more can't hurt, right? :) Plus I've really been meaning to read something by Sophie McKenzie...

--------------------------------

Chime by Franny Billingsley - Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

I'd not heard of this book before it was sent to me for review by Bloomsbury (thanks Emma!) but it sounds very interesting and I look forward to it!

--------------------------------

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta - At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh in order to save the royal house of his homeland, Lumatere.

And so he stands on the rock of three wonders with his childhood friend Prince Balthazar and the prince's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood. And Lumatere is safe.

Until the 'five days of the unspeakable', when the King and Queen and their children are slaughtered in the palace. And an imposter king takes the throne.
And a curse is put on Lumatere, which traps those caught inside and forces thousands of others to roam the land as exiles, dying of fever and persecution in foreign camps.

But ten years later Finnikin is led to another rock to meet the young novice, Evanjalin. A girl plagued by dark dreams, who holds the key to their return to the Land of light...

I am ridiculously excited about this one! The absolutely amazing and very generous blogger The Slowest Bookworm sent this one to me and I couldn't be happier about it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Melina Marchetta has to be my favourite author at the moment and while I know Finnikin of the Rock will be very different to her other books I've read, I'm pretty sure I'll love it anyway. Might just have to rearrange my entire reading schedule to fit this one in though.

--------------------------------

And there we have it! Those are the books that I have acquired - which books came into your possesion recently?

Vivienne from Serendipity (Awesome Women)

Welcome to the first of (I hope!) many interviews of the awesome bloggers and authors that I know! Vivienne is an incredible woman and blogger and you can find her over at Serendipity as well as on Twitter. She's hugely funny and you really must follow her blog!

Can you tell me a little something about yourself?

Hi Clover, thanks for inviting me over today. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Vivienne and I write a little blog called Serendipity. I used to be a reception teacher, but at the moment I am taking a little time out from teaching to work on writing a novel. I would love to say it is making excellent progress, but I have learnt such annoying procrastinating habits that I haven’t got as far as I would have liked to. Loose Women and Jeremy Kyle are becoming the banes of my life!

Did you have a role model growing up?

I am an 80’s girl by heart. I don’t care if that makes me sound old, but I wear my shoulder pads with pride. The one and only 80’s icon, Madonna was my role model growing up. I was convinced that I looked like her, even though my hair made me look more like Bonnie Langford. I loved her music, her style and I was probably one of the only people to purchase her movies on video.

taken in 1985, I am the one in pink

Who do you look up to now?

I look up to each and every published author out there today, because I know how hard they worked and how long they suffered to get where they are. They had the dream and the perseverance to keep going.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An author! Of course! How much nearer am I to my goal? Mmmm, not that much…. At least I get to talk to people who have achieved their dreams now, which is rather lovely.

Vivienne runs a wonderful feature on her blog, The Big Break in which she interviews authors about their experiences in getting published!

Tell me something about the women in your life who have been an influence on you?

My mother is one of the main women in my life. She is one of those people who will do anything for you. She has always been there to support me when I have needed a little extra help. She always takes care of me and I am very lucky to have her. She will even do my ironing if I ask nicely!

I have a best friend who is wonderful. Her name is Yvette and she has stuck with me through thick and thin. We are there for each other and hopefully always will be.

I also have a group of friends who I spend time scrapbooking with. We have recently set up a book club together too. They are a lovely bunch of ladies and when we all get together it is always wonderful to let off steam and sort out any issues we may have brought along with us. I usually come away feel a lot calmer.

Who is your favourite fictional character? And why?

Just one? Mmmm, I have so many! I suppose if I had to pick just one it would be Anne from L.M Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. I see a lot of myself in Anne; her dreaminess, always lost in a book, always getting herself in a pickle, her passion for others and most of all her dream to be a writer. I have always loved Montgomery’s books and hope to read them again soon.

What were you like as a teenager and how did you cope with all the changes that occurred?

I was rather a quiet teenager. I came late to the whole boy scenario. I remember having a terrible crush on a boy called Andrew and when I look back now it makes me laugh so much. Especially as I think he ended up in jail, for stealing cars!

I was a bit of a late bloomer too. I had very red hair, which decided to go fuzzy when I had it cut short at the age of thirteen. I always felt so unattractive. Boys didn’t really take any notice of me until I reached 18.

Life seemed so hard then, but looking back I realise how easy I actually had it.

As my girls are about to enter their teenage years, I find it all a bit scary. Knowing the pitfalls of popularity, I do worry about them. Luckily for them being twins they have each other.

If you had any advice for yourself as a teenager, what would you say?

Learn to think before you speak!

Don’t gossip as it will always come back and hit you in the face!

Don’t steal your best friend’s boyfriend as her friendship is worth so much more than a quick snog!

Of the issues and concerns that women are faced with today, what's the area you most like reading about?

Ooh that is a tricky one. I don’t tend to take a lot of notice as I usually have my head in a fantasy book or world. I suppose the issues facing teenage girls concern me more than anything as it is a subject very close to home. I think that today’s children are growing up a lot faster than we ever did and that they are facing an immense amount of pressure. I worry about anorexia. (Not me, personally, I eat far too much food). My girls are very slim and already concern themselves with what they are eating, so I try to keep on top of that. I think that is one of my biggest fears that my girls will feel they need to stay slim to impress others.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I would love to say thank you for inviting me today, you have given me lots of things to think about and a whole new set of ideas for my Life As We Know It posts!


Thank you, Vivienne, I think you are truly awesome. Visit Vivienne at her blog, Serendipity!