Books that deal with memory loss

I have a really bad memory. I don't have very clear or very strong memories of my childhood until I was 7 years old and then it's only a few here and there. Without hearing family stories about certain events or without things like photos or other memorabilia, I don't recall a lot of the major things that have happened throughout my younger life.

Memories of funny things that happened whilst hanging out with friends or during high school leave my head quicker than most. Even things that happened on holidays with N or in our early relationship have been given the slip. I rely on N a great deal to remind me of things, to put certain memories in order. I find that when I list things or put memories in chronological order and give them a place, I remember them better. It's partially why I write everything down, why we've taken ten zillion photos of the boys. I don't want to forget things with the boys.

Strangely, I remember things to do with blogging and reading a lot better. It's only in my personal life that I struggle. I often wonder why that is, but try not to dwell on it too much. But I am fascinated with memory. Last year, when my psychology course covered memory, I thought it incredibly interesting. Learning of the different structures of memory, as well as different types of memory. I loved learning of people with incredible memory as well as the effects that memory loss/amnesia plays on the brain and on people.

So I guess it's no surprise really, that I also love reading YA books that deal with memory and in particular, memory loss. Here are a few wonderful books that I've come across recently and enjoyed to do with the subject. If, like me, you find it a fascinating topic then it might be an excellent idea to pick up one or two of these books.


Forgotten by Cat Patrick - Forgotten is one of the most addictive novels I've read in recent times. As soon as I started reading it, I was hooked and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it and knew what had happened.

London Lane has an unusual memory. Instead of remembering things that have already happened, London 'remembers' the future. Able to see flashes of her future but can remember absolutely nothing of the days before. She keeps a notebook in which she jots down things she thinks she will have needed to remember for the next day - clothes she wore, conversations had with friends and family. It's an incredible and original story, one that I will not forget for awhile :)



Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin - This is the book that I first thought about when I started thinking about books dealing with memory loss. It's an obvious choice, isn't it?

I read it quite a few years ago and am a little hazy on the details. I remember enjoying it, and that it was a rather fun book. I think what amnesia stories do so well is that they allow the person with amnesia to question their life choices and relationships and go in a different direction if not happy.



Forget You by Jennifer Echols - This is another one of those books that lets characters make different and possibly better-for-them choices about the events in their own lives - in Forget You, these changes mostly focus on one girl's romantic involvements. I think we'd all like a fresh start like that at some point in our lives.

In Forget You, Zoey can't remember anything that happened the previous evening. Not since Doug, who she hates, pulls her out of a car accident. And whilst Zoey's life seems to be disintegrating around her with the many complicated relationships in her life, she did think she could count on her steady boyfriend, Brandon. But it seems something to have happened between her and Brandon. And also, possibly between her and Doug...


Entangled by Cat Clarke - I really love this book. I thought it was an amazing premise and the structure of the novel to be really original and interesting.

Grace wakes up in a mysterious white room having no recollection as to how she got there. With only the company of the strange boy who kidnapped her and a writing desk with pens and paper, Grace sits down to piece together her memories of the events that led her to this strange place.

I loved it, I really did. And in a bizarre coincidence Entangled and Forgotten both feature the same cover model.



The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - This might seem like an odd choice for those of you who have read The Adoration of Jenna Fox, but I think it works.

Jenna Fox has awoken from a year long coma and has no recollection of the accident that caused her memory loss or of her life before. Her parents think that by watching home videos of Jenna's childhood, some memories might start to resurface.

But what Jenna begins to remember makes her more curious about what her parents might be hiding and of the things that Jenna doesn't know - about the accident and of the secrets that her family is covering up.

Do you have a favourite book that deals with amnesia/memory loss?

Favourite Authors from my childhood

On my blog previously, I'd always tried to maintain a regular feature highlighting amazing and inspiring women but after several (fascinating!) guest posts, the feature kind of fizzled out. I'm really going to do my best to keep it going this time, with Saturdays being dedicated to profiles of individual women, fictional characters and to mix things up, some interviews with some incredible bloggers/authors. This week, I'll be kicking it all off again with a little look at some of my favourite authors growing up! I do really hope you enjoy this new feature of mine and would love to hear from you if you're interested at all in participating.



Beatrix Potter - Who didn't grow up with the beautiful illustrations of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck? I loved the stories and the pictures. I love that my boys have taken an interest in the books of Beatrix Potter as well. Childhood just doesn't seem the same without these books.



Gertrude Chandler Warner - Oh, The Boxcar Children. How much did I love that series? My favourite will always be the first book. Especially, the bit at the end, when there is an illustration of the boxcar after it had been moved into the Grandfather's back garden? For many, many years I wanted to LIVE in that illustration. There's a place in my heart that *still* does.



Beverly Cleary - Growing up in Oregon, I was always constantly surrounded by Beverly Cleary's books (Beverly too is an Oregonian!). I adored her Ramona books something terrible. I'd carry them around with me and read them again and again until the books were near falling apart. And I still have them with me.



Ann M. Martin - Oh, how my father hated The Babysitter's Club! He always tried to push me into reading classics or books that he felt were more 'important' but I always thought, as long as I'm reading, who cares? I still feel that way. And I've always had a soft spot for The Babysitter's Club. I always wanted a group of friends like in these books, so I could feel like I belonged. I still crave that.



Frances Hodgson Burnett - I remember my dad taking me to a bookstore in the mall in order to spend some of my birthday money. He convinced me that I *needed* this pretty hardback copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett's stories. And, oh he was right. I absolutely adored both The Secret Garden and A Little Princess



Judy Blume - I'd think that Judy Blume had a big influence on quite a few childhoods! I never read her books for older children/teens (like Forever!) until I was much, more older. No, it was her books for younger readers that I loved so much. Especially her Fudge books - Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing had me in stitches.



SE Hinton - In eighth grade, wonderfully, one of the required texts for us all to read was The Outsiders. The book really, really knocked me on my ass. It really made me think and feel and all these years later, and I still think about it sometimes. It's a book that I never tire of re-reading. I think 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' will always be my favourite poem, because of this book. I have read other books by SE Hinton, all of which I loved, but didn't come close to the love I have for The Outsiders.


These are MY favourite childhood authors. Who are yours?

Love stories on my TBR shelves

I seem to love to collect love stories. I'm guessing it's not just me who's drawn to them. Only, some of these love stories, when it comes time to choosing which to read next, get passed by again and again. I decided to have a look on my shelves of unread books and share with you some of the love stories I've 'been meaning to read' for several years now. Only I still haven't.

If you've read any of them, maybe you can suggest any I should bump up the pile - or skip entirely!


Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres - I remember when I bought this. I was still working in the book department (so at LEAST 8 years ago!) and one of the ladies who worked the front tills raved about this one. I thought I'd take her up on the recommendation but when I started it later that week, I couldn't really get into it. I struggled with the first 50 pages or so and gave up. When the movie came out, I thought I'd watch that instead, but I never did that either! This is the story of love on a Greek Island, in the time of WWII and love gets complicated by family and politics. Still sounds good to me, so far!



Possession by AS Byatt - Now I did see the film version of this, but I was on an aeroplane at the time, and I think I missed a bit in the middle. The only thing that's really putting me off this one is the length of the book. I feel like chunky books like this need more levels of concentration than I currently have. But I really love it when books include letters, diaries and poems into the narrative. I eat that stuff up, especially when it's love letters between two people. As far as I can tell (and remember from the movie?) it's a modern-day couple and an old-timey couple falling in love in this one. It won the Booker, and has kind of mixed reviews someplaces, but I still think it'd make for an interesting love story to read. Size aside.



The Host by Stephenie Meyer - Just to throw something different into this list, I thought I'd add The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I hear it's very different from Twilight. It seems a little too sci-fi-ish for me and I'm not sure I quite grasp the plot, with someone else's memories of the man she loved implanted into another person. Perhaps that's why it's stayed on my shelf for so long. I'm afraid and wary of that which I do not fully understand. But I've heard some good things about it. There are those that rave about it. I sit comfortably on the fence.



Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I hear this one's not a usual love story. I hear that the pace is slow and filled with detail and the two love interests don't get together until really late in the story. That together with the fact that I haven't been able to finish a book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez before has meant that this book has absolutely languished on my shelves for years. Very nearly a decade at this point, but I'm not ready to give up on him just yet. I'm just waiting for that right time, you know? And, oh. I've just seen this is another book from this list that has been adapted into a film. I had no idea.



So there we have it, four very different love stories that have been occupying my to-be-read shelves for too long. Which one should I read? Do you have any long-time romance stories taking up residence unread on your shelves?

LGBT Love stories

I don't want this month to be all about boy-girl love. Love can come in any combination, and I do heart reading about gay/homosexual love in YA. I think it's an area of YA that needs more exposure. There are so many teens out there struggling with their own sexualities and I feel that there really should be more books out there for them. It's important to be able to see yourself reflected in the literature that you read as well as to know that gay teens have more of a voice and don't feel so alone. I think it's easy to battered in all directions (in movies and television and books and other people's opinions) about the definition of romantic love. And for me, that definition isn't restricted in anyway.

Here are some of my favourites.


Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan - This book just makes me so happy. If I were to be able to live in any fictional town of my choosing, coming near the top of my list would be the town that Boy Meets Boy brings to life. Especially his high school, with the drag-queen quarterback of the football team (Infinite Darlene), to the students and parents with such tolerance and understanding. Oh, imagine if we lived in such a world. I think the romance between Paul and Noah is utterly charming and sweet and I urge you all to read this beautiful book.



The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson - I feel a *little* awkward including this onto my list, as I never finished it. I'd had it out from the library too long and had to return it before the fines cost me too dearly, but from what I read, I was really enjoying myself. I think Maureen Johnson is just wonderful, anyway. I really loved the story of these three friends. Nina spends the summer away from and in her absence, Nina and Avery fall for each other. From where I'd gotten up to in the book and from what I've heard, The Bermudez Triangle does a wonderful job of portraying close friendships, loyalty and the reponses from others about a gay relationship. Definitely worth a read, and I will for sure pick this book up and finish it in the near future!



Ash by Malinda Lo - I hope that the inclusion of Ash by Malinda Lo isn't a spoiler for anyone out there! I didn't realise when I first began reading it that this retelling of Cinderella would include an alternative love interest for our main character. I really picked it up on the strength of the cover and the idea of a retelling of Cinderella, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a really engaging and beautiful love story between our Ash and Kaisa, The Huntress. I loved how their relationship was built on this friendship and respect for each other.



Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle - I've only just finished reading this one, but I loved it to bits. I loved the descriptions of Kate and Lissa, how close they were as friends. How intimate they were together the one time they really kissed and then following it, the turmoil and uneasiness and doubt that Lissa struggles with in the aftermath of Kate's rejection. The love story is less about loving Kate as it is about Lissa coming to love herself.



Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan - I guess I should say right off that I adore both John Green and David Levithan, so I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that'd be writing a book together. I think they both created my favourite YA character I've ever read in the shape of huge and gay, Tiny Cooper. This story alternates between two boys, both named Will Grayson who are struggling with high school and love. The first WG is best friends and feels overshadowed by Tiny Cooper, the second WG is depressed and alone and gay, and is carrying on a secret online relationship with Isaac. When the two WGs meet, it is absolutely epic and throws a few curve balls into both WGs lives. It's really great stuff. With the biggest cheesball ending that makes me smile everytime I think about it.

Do YOU have a favourite LGBT love story to share with us in comments?!

Books read in 2011

Here's where I shall be keeping track of the books that I read this year - I will be adding a link to this page in my sidebar and updating the list with links to my reviews, you can come back and track my progress as often as you'd like!

It occurs to me that not many saw my updated reading list for 2010, so if you're interested (and I can't imagine that you would be?) here are the books I read in 2010.

January

1. By Midnight by Mia James*
2. Need by Carrie Jones
3. Push by Sapphire
4. My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
5. Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
6. Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield
7. Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
8. A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master*
9. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
10. Long Reach by Peter Cocks*
11. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
12. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
13. A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker
14. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
15. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
16. The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
17. Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles
18. The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
19. Girl Meets Cake by Susie Day*

February

20. A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
21. Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
22. Swapped By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja*
23. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
24. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning*
25. Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin
26. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
27. Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton*
28. Out of Shadows by Jason Wallce*
29. Annexed by Sharon Dogar*
30. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
31. Fade by Lisa McMann
32. Lottie Biggs Is (Not) Mad by Hayley Long*
33. Wood Angel by Erin Bow
34. Gladiator: Fight For Freedom by Simon Scarrow*

March

35. In the Bag by Jim Carrington*
36. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
37. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
38. Rockoholic by CJ Skuse*
39. A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma*
40. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
41. Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan
42. Choker by Elizabeth Woods
43. Mortlock by Jon Mayhew*
44. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
45. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
46. A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard
47. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
48. Divergent by Veronica Roth
49. By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
50. Crash Into Me by Albert Borris
51. Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman
52. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
53. How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler
54. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

April

55. Reckless by Cornelia Funke
56. Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
57. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
58. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
59. Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
60. The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
61. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
62. Lottie Biggs Is Not Desperate by Hayley Long*
63. Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
64. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
65. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
66. Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott*
67. It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
68. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
69. Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
70. Jane by April Lindner

May

71. The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees*
72. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
73. The Iron Daughter by Julia Kagawa
74. Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin*
75. Mistress of the Storm by ML Walsh*
76. Pride and Premiership by Michelle Gayle*
77. In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda
78. Montacute House by Lucy Jago*
79. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness*
80. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
81. Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson*
82. The Truth About Celia Frost by Paula Rawsthorne*
83. Passion by Lauren Kate
84. Defiance by Lili St Crow
85. Gone by Lisa McMann
86. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
87. An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons*
88. Far From Home by Na'ima B. Robert*
89. Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

June

90. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
91. Flash Burnout by LK Madigan
92. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
93. Hidden by Miriam Halahmy*
94. What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
95. Angel's Fury by Bryony Pearce*
96. Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
97. Duty Calls: Dunkirk by James Holland*
98. Pretty Twisted by Gina Blaxill*
99. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
100. Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
101. Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien
102. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
103. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
104. Die For Me by Amy Plum
105. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
106. Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon
107. To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell*
108. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

July

109. Finding Sky by Joss Stirling*
110. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling* (re-read)
111. Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
112. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
113. Milo and the Restart Button by Alan Silberberg
114. David by Mary Hoffman*
115. Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
116. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
117. 13 To Life by Shannon Delany
118. Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
119. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
120. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
121. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
122. A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis*
123. 0.4 by Mike Lancaster*

August

124. A Tangle of Magicks by Stephanie Burgis*
125. Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur
126. POD by Stephen Wallenfels
127. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
128. Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie*
129. Lucas by Kevin Brooks*
130. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
131. Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
132. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
133. Abandon by Meg Cabot
134. The Dead of Night by John Marsden
135. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
136. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
137. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
138. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney*
139. The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
140. Vampire Academy graphic novel by Richelle Mead
141. Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
142. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

September

143. Frostbite by Richelle Mead
144. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
145. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway
146. Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess*
147. Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling*
148. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
149. Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick*
150. Stray by Rachel Vincent
151. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
152. After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven Wedel
153. Naked by Kevin Brooks*
154. Divided City by Theresa Breslin*
155. Numbers by Rachel Ward*
156. From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma*
157. Extreme Kissing by Luisa Plaja*
158. Big Woo by Susie Day*

October

159. Take A Chance On Me by Jill Mansell*
160. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning* (re-read)
161. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
162. Rich and Mad by William Nicholson*
163. Deception by Lee Nichols
164. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
165. Darkness Falls by Mia James*
166. The Medusa Project: The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie*
167. The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight by Jenny Valentine*
168. The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney*
169. Wasted by Nicola Morgan*
170. Pretty Things by Sarra Manning
171. Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David*
172. Threads by Sophia Bennett*

November

173. Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
174. Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan
175. Betrayal by Lee Nichols
176. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
177. One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
178. But I Love Him by Amanda Grace
179. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
180. Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
181. The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
182. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
183. Tempest by Julie Cross
184. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavittt
185. Fracture by Megan Miranda
186. A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
187. This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees*
188. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
189. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
190. Love Story by Jennifer Echols
191. Shug by Jenny Han
192. Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor*

December

193. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
194. Prized by Caragh O'Brien
195. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
196. Mist by Kathryn James*
197. Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
198. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
199. Tempest Rising by Tracey Deebs
200. Trapped by Michael Northrop
201. Night School by CJ Daugherty*
202. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
203. The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
204. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
205. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
206. Torn by Cat Clarke*
207. Dark Parties by Sara Grant*
208. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
209. Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

Total: 209

YA/Children's books: 197
Short story collections/essays: 0
Fiction: 11
Non-fiction: 0
Graphic novels: 1

Books read from library: 0
Books read that I own: 206
Book tours/borrowed: 3

New-to-me authors: 105
British Authors: 68
Re-reads: 2

Making a dent in the TBR pile

Over the last few weeks, I've been making a real attempt at making a dent into my TBR pile. (This MUST be a universal problem amongst book blogger, surely?!) And sometimes, I really just don't know what I feel like reading so I impose some sort of silly 'rule' to stick to for as long as it works (before I've used length of time I've had the book, read with a theme in mind). And for the last week and a bit the thing that's been working a treat is reading books under 250 pages. I went through my three shelves of YA books (and erm, a huge towering pile) and picked out any book under 250 pages and stuck a handful of them on my bedside table. And I've been having great success finishing them and making a little room on my bookshelves. Here are the books I've finished lately!

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

From Somalia, With Love by Na'ima B. Robert

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruis Zafon

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers


It's a pretty strange group of books, no particular theme besides them being on the shortish side. I feel pretty satisfied all around, having cleared some of my pile, reading more books than I probably would be and reading books that might possibly get lost amongst the tide of new books arriving every week into my house. I'm loving this. I'm currently reading Dark Matter by Michelle Paver and hope to finish it soon. Here is a rather large list of possible other books that I will attempt to get through before this phase passes:

Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak

Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis

Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma

The Lone-Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey

Lottie Biggs is Not Mad by Hayley Long

Lottie Biggs is Not Desperate by Hayley Long

Fade by Lisa McMann

Child X by Lee Weatherly

Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle

The Edge by Alan Gibbons

Mondays Are Red by Nicola Morgan

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Thursday's Child by Sonya Hartnett

The Dark Horse by Marcus Sedgwick

So there we have it. I have a separate pile (because I'm officially a sad, anal person) that I have unofficially called my 250-300 page pile of books. That I *may* attempt if I've done a well enough job with these. I'm figuring this phase will peter out pretty soon?

What do you do to make a dent in your TBR pile? Care to divulge just how large a pile it is? Have you read any of these books? Where should I start?

IMM 11

Even though I've been in one of my worst reading slumps ever, I've still been collecting books like crazy! Here's another bunch of books that arrived into my house in the last two weeks. As ever, IMM is hosted by The Story Siren, who is immensely awesome.



Waves by Sharon Dogar
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
The Dead by Charlie Higson
Take A Chance On Me by Jill Mansell
From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma
Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis

I picked up Waves because I think it will work nicely as a book for a death/bereavement project. I've been looking forward to Reckless for ages! The Dead is the sequel to The Enemy, which I loved. I adore Jill Mansell. I recently read Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden and was keen to read some of her backlist. And I keep hearing about Zelah Green that I had to pick up this book and see what all the fuss was about!

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas Sniegoski
Girl Parts by John Cusick

A big thank you to Keris Stainton for Ice and The Fallen, which both sound very intriguing and to Lynsey of UK Book Tours for Girl Parts! Robots, hmm? Really looking forward to all of them :)

(Also? Not very book related, but along with the books, Keris sent me the most adorable mobile phone charm in the world. It's a cute little Eeyore dressed up as Piglet! Will have to take a photo and post it soon. It's currently on my keychain, but I think I'll be moving it onto my handbag so more people can see it. I'm actually excited about this plan!)



Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
Dark Life by Kat Falls

And these are from the library. I really want to read Fever Crumb, which I believe is the prequel to Mortal Engines? And Dark Life is a YA dystopic book that I've been wanting to read for ages! The Harry Potters were picked up as an emergency plan to drag me out of this reading rut. I hate not reading, I figure some wizard magic might just do the trick, if nothing else could. And that's it from me this week.


Which books came into your house recently?

Books read in September

I know Fridays are meant to be my book discussion days, but I'm running low on the creativity at the moment. So I'm afraid, for this week it will be a boring list of the books I've read in September. I've been through a long spate of reading slump-ness and haven't finished a book in weeks. Big sadness. I'm hoping that October will bring a renewed enthusiasm for books! and reading! But we shall see.

141. Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
142. Torment by Lauren Kate
143. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
144. The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
145. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti
146. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
147. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
148. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

And look at that, before my reading slump started, I'd read 8 books. The good side? I am managing to catch up on writing my reviews (I've written reviews for all of the books I've read this month, they just haven't been published yet)! The down side? I can't see an end in sight for this book drought. I am surrounded by books that I'd like to read, but can summon no energy to actually read them. Oh well.

I think my favourite book of the month would be... ? Oh I thought it might be easy. It's a tie between The Boy Book by E Lockhart, Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn and The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. But because I can't choose 3 favourites from 8 books, I'm going to say the winner is Gingerbread.

For October, my plan is to be relaxed about what I'm reading. To only pick up a book when I feel like it with no pressure whatsover.

What was your favourite book to read in September?

My Wishlist of American Sweets

I'm American. I forgot to blog about it, but in August I celebrated my 10 year moving-to-England anniversary. Ten years! When people meet me they usually ask what I miss the most about the United States. Most people expect to hear something along the lines of close family members, childhood friends... perhaps a loveable family pet. But no. Here are the things that I miss the most.

1. Airheads - My all-time favourite type of sweet. I'd love to have these by the bucket-load. In fact, a friend recently took a holiday to Las Vegas and asked if I'd like anything. I only mentioned Airheads and (because she must know me very well) she brought back a bumper box of a variety of 72 Airheads. I was in heaven and she became my best friend. I could eat Airheads all day.

2. Bit-o-Honey - Have you heard of these? I don't think they're very popular? But my dad used to love them and because they were often in the house, I came to love them too. They're just so chewy and have the fantastic honey flavour. Love Bit-O-Honey.

3. Welch's Grape soda - How do I come to love Welch's Grape Soda as much as I do? It's a mystery, even to me. But I love that grape-y goodness!


4. Tootsie Rolls - I remember one year my dad bought this gigantic bag of Tootsie Roll Midgees for Halloween. Only he bought it in like, September. Yeah. Those suckers didn't last until the end of October! When they're that little, those things are addictive.

5. Laffy Taffy - Mmmmm, Laffy Taffy. My favourite is apple. Sour apple? I can't quite recall anymore. When I was little, I used to empty my piggy bank and walk up to the 7-11 behind my house and buy what I could. And Laffy Taffys are cheap, so they usually ended up coming home with me.

6. Almond M&Ms - This is one the whole family loves. My dad used to buy huge bags of these everytime he came over to visit and give some to me, to N and to N's mother. It was a huge Almond M&M party. Understandable, as they are delicious.

7. Mike-n-Ikes - Have you spotted a trend yet? I like fruity flavoured chewy sweets. I never really noticed that before. I have a total of two types of chocolate on this list, two drinks and the rest chewy sweets! This list is making me more self-aware! (I'm such a dork.)

8. Root beer - I have no preference for A&W or MUG. Either are very acceptable to me. There's an American restaurant (Tony Roma's) about an hour away that serves Mountain Dew and root beer from their menu. I love going there. Incidentally, Mountain Dew would have been on this list, apart from the fact that I am able to get it here in the UK finally! Certain petrol stations in my area sell it. Woohoo. But! Root beer floats = love.

9. Candy Corn - Now that Halloween is around the corner, I have candy corn on my mind. Halloween just isn't the same without it :(

10. Butterfinger - Last but not least, we have Butterfinger. As I've mentioned, I don't have a lot of chocolate on my list, but I definitely make an exception for Butterfingers. It's the peanut-brittle-type centre. Love that stuff.

PHEW! I'm getting hungry after writing all that out! Before you feel too sorry for me, there are certain websites that allow for importing all of these items! I don't use them often, and what I actually miss the most is wandering into a 7-11 (or whatever) and picking up all those interesting new varieties of my favourite sweets that are only found in America. I love that. Do you love these sweets too?

What is your favourite type of chocolate/sweet?

Writerly crushes

I had this great conversation once with someone where we were discussing the authors that we loved to read who were also really quite good-looking. It was fun to see which authors each of us loved and how each of us defined 'good-looking.' We ended up with a really long list of authors, which sadly I did not write down. Here are the highlights of that day.


1. Neil Gaiman - I'm fairly sure that Neil Gaiman would be on most people's lists. He writes beautifully, has an interesting accent, seems like the coolest guy around, the uncontrollable hair. He's very much a rock star, isn't he? Except he's an author. One whose novels I've read mostly read (but not many of his graphic novels, WAAHH!) and and I will read anything he writes. Until forever. Some of my favourites? The Graveyard Book, Coraline, American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, Stardust.

2. John Green - Nerdfighters FTW!! This one is a little bit strange as I don't find John Green good-looking so much, but he is absolutely adorable. I saw him on one of his BlogTV broadcasts the other day, and he read poetry. And I've never wanted to know more about poetry as he did just then. When I'm watching his videos, I'm really struck by how smart and passionate he is about things, and when those things are books and words and language, then how can I not feel warm-fuzzies for him?! His books in order of my preference: Paper Towns, Looking For Alaska, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), An Abundance of Katherines.

3. Markus Zusak - Let's get this out of the way first, I have yet to read The Book Thief! I know, how shocking is that? I will get to it, I promise. I did, however, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE I Am The Messenger! And Fighting Ruben Wolfe. I have Getting the Girl in my stack of books to read soon, and how excited am I that he is publishing a new book, Bridge of Clay early next year! And isn't he gorgeous?

4. Michael Chabon - Look at those eyes. I think Michael Chabon is the author I know the least about. In fact, I believe he was the person who kicked off this conversation of cute authors in the first place asI had no idea what he looked like at all! I absolute adore his novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001) and have since read Wonder Boys and I'm in the process of acquiring his other books. He's one of those authors that I'm most excited to read more from.

5. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - A Nigerian author who's been quite popular within the blogging community with her two novels, Purple Hibiscus (which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for a first novel in 2005) and Half Of A Yellow Sun (which won the Orange Prize in 2007) I sadly have not read either despite owning them both. I have, however, read her collection of short stories, The Thing Around Your Neck and enjoyed them very much. I hear that her novels are much more complex and detailed and I'm fairly confident that I will love them to bits. So at least I have that waiting for me. Isn't she absolutely striking?!


And there we have it! Who would you include on your list of authors-you-love-to-read-who-are-also-incredibly-good-looking?

Favourite female characters in YA

I found this really difficult to do and even now, I feel as though I've missed some really obviously awesome female in a YA book. With the exception of Anne Shirley, most are from contemporary YA fiction. I'd really love to see someone's list that isn't so heavily populated by current fiction!

Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - This came out first on my list, probably because Mockingjay is still fresh in my mind. Though a lot of the fight and rebellion was lost for Katniss in that last book, I still have to give her credit. She really stood up to the Capitol and fought to get what she wanted (to save Prim from the Games, to honour Rue, to save her's and Peeta's lives with the berries).

Sabriel from the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix - Sabriel kicks ass. I was completely swept away by this book, the world it was set in, absolutely everything. And that wouldn't have happened without such a fabulous character as Sabriel.

Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - I really love Hermione Granger. She's really book smart and loyal. I could have just as easily said Ginny Weasley, or Tonks... JK Rowling writes such interesting female characters. How much do I heart kooky Luna Lovegood? I love that she really just doesn't care what other people think and that she's utterly and perfectly bonkers.

Lyra Silvertongue from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman -Lyra seems like a girl who knows how to have some fun. Like if we were friends, everytime we'd hang out there'd be an adventure.

Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery - There's such charm to Anne Shirley. Reading those books, there was nothing I wanted more than to wear puffed sleeves and be Anne's bosom buddy and make up stories together. In fact, I still want to do those things. Is it possible for me to still do these things?

Tiffany Aching from the young Discworld series by Terry Pratchett - I'm sure Tiffany could kick some butt with that frying pan. I've only read the first book in the series, and I have so much more Tiffany to read about! YAY!

Viola from the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness - Oh, poor Viola. The spaceship she's in crash lands on another planet kills her parents. She's left on her own in this crazy new world with Noise and horrific dictators and she's got to make some really tough decisions. I loved Viola throughout the series.

Dru Anderson from the Strange Angels series by Lili St Crow - Dru's a feisty one. I like that about her. Life throws her some raw deals, what with her dad becoming a zombie and a really powerful sucker like Sergej after her. And she's still up for looking after herself.

Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore - She's so fierce, Katsa, isn't she? Her Grace is surviving. When she carried the girl over the mountain? All the sword fighting with Po? Swoon. She tries to stand up to her horrid uncle and then train other girls to fight. My hero.

Mia Thermopolis from the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot - And because I didn't want this list to be all fantasy YA, I had to include one of Meg Cabot's heroines. And who better than Mia Thermopolis? She's funny and smart and wrote a book, and is a princess. Love her.

Runners-up: Hester Shaw from The Mortal Engines series. Clary from the Mortal Instruments. Tally Youngblood by from the Uglies Quartet. If I'd read these books more recently than they might have made the list :(

Who would make your list?

Books I can't believe I haven't read!

I saw this on someone else's blog (sorry! can't remember where! if it was you, let me know and I will link you immediately!) and thought it looked like fun. The top ten books that I can't believe I haven't read yet. I decided to limit the list to books that I've had on my TBR shelves for ages and haven't yet read instead of the ten out of every book available.

In no particular order -

1. Any book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but especially Love in the Time of Cholera and Hundred Years of Solitude - can't tell you how long I've owned these Garcia Marquez books. Their orange spines mock me frequently. I always thought that if I liked Isabel Allende, I'd like these books. It's not happening for me just yet.

2. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - I've heard so many people rave about Atwood, all I've read of hers are her dystopic novels. And not even all of those yet! I have so many of Margaret Atwood's books on my TBR shelves. I just figure she'd be an author I'd like?

3. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell - I think this is the one I'm most embarassed about. And the one I'd like to remove from this list the soonest, I think! It's hard not to pick up on things like 'Big Brother' and 'Room 101' without reading the books, but I'm hoping that I'll just get other things after I've read this.


4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - I've had this book forever, it seems. No closer to reading it despite the good reviews. I like the idea of it being about women and their roles, I just think the menstruation puts me off a teeny bit. And that's it, isn't it? What the book is about?

5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - I feel bad about this one. It was free from a publisher when I was still working in a bookstore and me and a colleague both wanted it. He said 'no, you have it as you're more likely to read it than I am' and more than five years later, here we are.

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - I love the books that I've read of Markus Zusak, and everytime I mention one of his books, absolutely everyone says something about The Book Thief. Which I haven't read. Started it a few times, it just hasn't stuck yet.

7. Atonement by Ian McEwan - I think I've mentioned before, my love/hate relationship with Ian McEwan. I do really want to read everything he's written, even if I do love to hate his writing... I've seen the movie, does that count?

8. Nightwatch, Tipping the Velvet and Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - Sarah Waters is one of my favourite authors at the moment, and I still haven't gotten around to these three books. Maybe my excuse is that I'm 'saving them' rather than 'I'm lazy' right?

9. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - This one just seems like a book I'd like to read. But the size of it puts me off :(


10. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres - I remember I was still working at WHSmith when I bought this book. That was ... 7+ years ago now? SIGH.

And that is the end of my list. I'm not even feeling guilty that most of these books have been on my TBR shelves for almost a decade. Books are all about timing, right?

Which books would be on your list?