REVIEW: Boy Queen by George Lester

Well, what a lot of fun book Boy Queen by George Lester is! Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. And I really had Thoughts and Opinions on some of the characters (one in particular no spoilers, promise) and at times I really just wanted to shake Robin, our main character and be all, 'girl, what's with all the lies?' So Robin is just turning 18 and he is surrounded himself with an incredible assortment of supportive people. His mum, his drama teacher, his dance teacher and his friends. I love how much support Robin has in his life. Also, as an aside, I loved his relationship with his mum so much.

 Robin doesn't have it all figured out, but he has his besties and he has this secret boyfriend, and Robin plans to go to drama school in London. But when he faces rejection after rejection for everywhere he applies, he goes through a bit of a tailspin...

Honestly, I just loved poor Robin. He's so ...talented and lacking in confidence. He's so awkward and he keeps telling lies instead of just talking to the people who love and care about him! The dialogue in this is hilarious because all of the characters are full of SASS, but I wanted it all.. There was some great messages about the importance of treating the people in your life like they are important and finding those things that make you stupidly happy, about picking yourself up after set-backs.

 I wanted Robin to get there quicker with his interest in drag after seeing a local drag show with his friends, not going to lie. Loved every bit of make up and high heels and the transformation of all-singing, all-dancing theatre nerd into on fire, confident Drag Queen. It was a joy to behold, as were the drag queens themselves, especially Kay Bye who shines as Robin's drag mum. This was George Lester's debut book and I cannot wait to read more by him.

Preorder Boy Queen now, or add it to your wish lists: publishing on 6th August. 

REVIEW: The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas

The State of Grace by Rachael Lucas was a book that was talked about quite a lot a few months ago. I kept reading tweets or emails saying how much fun the main character is, how I'll fall in love with her, how others already had.  And I admit it, I fell for that hype. I wanted to meet Grace and see if she was everything I wanted her to be.

I think the thing that most drew me to The State of Grace is that this an #ownvoices book featuring autism representation and that was something that I was very excited about.  However, while I'm sure the representation of autism was pretty good ... I just didn't really connect with the story or with Grace as a character, unfortunately.  I wanted to love the story more than I did. But as disappointing as it is to admit, it was just okay for me.

This book follows the main character, Grace, during a rather chaotic time in her life.  Everything seems to be going well, until everything suddenly isn't.  Things are difficult at home with her father away on a business trip and her mum acting a little bit strangely. She ends up kissing a boy, Gabe, and her sister is going off the rails a little bit.  And Grace has Asperger's and sees the world differently to everyone else.

I think the author did a great job in letting us as readers know what Grace needs in terms of managing her autism with structure and routine because of how overwhelming life becomes for Grace. She also does a great job in depicting Grace's parents.  Her mum in particular bears the brunt of being the person responsible for making things better for Grace but that responsibility comes with its own price tag.  I also really liked Grace and Gabe as potential love interests. Both are a little bit sweet and awkward which makes them both all the more endearing.

I wish I could explain in words better why this book didn't work for me as I wanted it to? It was fairly quick to read, it had aspects of the story line that I really enjoyed. However, that spark that I was expecting from this book just wasn't there for me, personally. But that's just me.  Perhaps you'll love this book as much as the dozens of other readers and their reviews that I've seen.  I hope you do.

Series Endings in 2016

It wasn't a conscious decision to not read many series books in 2016, but that's the way it sort of went.  Besides the books I'll be mentioning in this post, I only read two other books in a series. One being the third in an unknown number of books in the series (All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes in the Natural series) and one other book that is tentatively linked by the setting (Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally in the Hundred Oaks series). The rest of the books I read in 2016 (admittedly I didn't read that many books this year, especially in comparison to previous years!) were all standalone books, non-fiction books or poetry books.  

But I think it's fairly fitting that I talk about the three books I read that finished their trilogies that I read in the last few weeks of this year.  Fitting, right?  Ending a trilogy read at the end of the year? Not too much of a stretch, right? Even if it is, please stay with me :)

Witch's Pyre by Josephine Angelini

First, I finished the Worldwalker trilogy by Josephine Angelini.  I was actually a little bit wary to start this trilogy. Especially as I read the first book in Angelini's Goddess trilogy, was really engrossed in it, felt excited to continue the trilogy... and then couldn't find my feet in the second book in that trilogy.  So it was with some trepidation that I started the Worldwalker trilogy.  

And I needn't have worried.  I found all three books in the trilogy immensely readable and highly addictive. It's about alternative worlds and witchcraft, responsibility and that blurry line between good and evil and how and when you cross that line into doing bad things for the right reasons.  It's also very much a love story at the heart of these books but I loved that there is also much else around this book that gives it its heart other than Lily's romantic entanglements. 

While I didn't think that Witch's Pyre had the emotional highs that I loved so much in the second book, I felt like there was a good conclusion to both Lily and Lillian's stories as well as the worlds that are inhabited and an outcome that was satisfactory, at the very least. I felt like some of the set-up for the ending took away a little bit from the pace of the novel but I was still there with these characters all the way up to the end, I still wanted the best for them, and I was happy with the way things ended.  A little bit good, a little bit bad.  It kind of fit with the whole trilogy's themes of blurry grey patches in between the black and white of morality and good and bad.  I enjoyed it and I can very much recommend this trilogy for fantasy lovers, for those looking for adventure, addictive reading, a great heroine at the heart of the story, romance lovers. 

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's trilogy by Marie Rutkoski has been one of my favourite trilogies ever.  I was completely blown away by the first book in the series (The Winner's Curse), I thought the second (The Winner's Crime) was somehow even better building more and more on what I loved about the first book in the series and, if I'm honest, I was so nervous to start the third and final book in the trilogy, The Winner's Kiss for fear of this third book wouldn't live up to the others, that somehow I'd find a way to be disappointed. In the characters, in the relationships, in the way the story progressed.  That is why I put off reading this book for such a long time.  Someone needs to go back and shake past-Michelle.  Past-Michelle was an idiot.  Because The Winner's Kiss was everything I wanted in the conclusion to Kestrel and Arin's stories.  And for all of the characters.  

This trilogy was so much about strategy and political intrigue.  I loved how much this book is about politics and how much the lies and decisions of the things they'd done in the past weighed heavily on our characters.  It's also a book about friendship, about memories, about family and priorities. 

This book and the entire trilogy felt so incredibly emotional to me.  I was constantly crying or laughing or had my heart in my throat wanting to know what would happen next, how could this characters live with the actions they've done?  The entire cast felt so real to me, the characters of Arin and Kestrel in particular.  And while I was happy with the ending given to them both, I was also disappointed that I would no longer be living alongside them in this world that Marie Rutkoski created. 

Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle 

And the third and final book I wanted to talk about today is Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle the third book in the Blood for Blood trilogy.  Wow, I love this trilogy so much. It was originally pitched to me as a modern day Romeo and Juliet set in Chicago with two warring Mafia families.  And I think what that mini-description misses out is the huge cinematic feel to this story.  Where all the characters and events from gun battles and explosions and heart-wrenching conversations under the stars all feel so real.   So real that I sometimes forgot I was reading this book as opposed to living it.  

The stakes were high in Mafiosa, right from the very first page I worried for the main character, Sophie. That she was in too deep, that the actions at the end of the second book would eat her up, that being involved with the Mafia in the ways she has been would change her too much.  I worried throughout most of the book, in fact. I loved the surprises in this story, I loved where everything ended up going.  I felt so connected to the story, so emotionally invested.  I knew there couldn't be a happy ending for everyone involved, but I liked how each character, even some of the minor characters, were able to shine a little bit on the pages of this story before the end. Before their ends.  

Again, I didn't want this story to end.  I loved Sophie. I loved Millie. I loved Luca. I wanted it all for all of them.  But I'm happy that they all got endings that were right for each of them.  Everything felt pretty true to their characters and I love that I have such a strong opinion what would be true for these characters because of how well Catherine Doyle delivered them on page.  This trilogy definitely comes very highly recommended from me! 

Did you finish many series books in 2016? Which were your favourites?

REVIEW: My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend by Eleanor Wood

I really enjoyed My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend by Eleanor Wood. It was fun and funny and the main character had an amazing voice. Loved her relationships with her mum and best friend. I thought her struggles with her feelings towards boys really interesting and of course, she's a blogger so I totally related.

My Secret Rockstar Boyfriend appealed to my initially because of this fun, bright and colourful cover and I loved the idea of a slightly nerdy girl and a secret relationship with a world famous rock star. I love the idea of that fairy tale, I have to admit. So that was the draw for the book and what really kept me reading is the main character, Tuesday Cooper, and her really engaging and interesting voice.

Tuesday (her real name) is a music blogger and inserted throughout the narrative are some of her blog posts about music and I loved reading them.  It doesn't matter to Chew (Tuesday's nickname) that her only readers are her mum, her two friends and her boyfriend. She loves music and wants to be a writer so her music blog is a way for her to channel some of that. Through this blog posts, she comes across Jackson Griffith, famous rock star who seems to love her blog and her thoughts on music and they begin this strange sort of email correspondence.

Also in Chew's life are her two best friends, Nishi and Anna, who are a couple. I absolutely loved them.  At the beginning of the book the three of them are out searching charity shops for interesting clothing and Nishi makes a joke about Nishi and Anna's relationship and Tuesday asks very seriously if she's allowed to laugh at that. And I think my only criticism of this book is that I would have liked to have seen the exploration of friendship between a straight girl and her two lesbian friends a little bit more.

I also loved the music references. I was born in the 80s and was a teenager in the 90s. I love Nirvana and so much of the music that Tuesday writes about on her blog. And I've always daydreamed about what it might be like to have a famous singer interested in you.

And then there's the romantic elements of the book. Chew has a boyfriend, Seymour, who is also a singer in a rock band. And at the start of the book, Tuesday is really grateful and counts herself lucky to be Seymour's girlfriend and I loved the sort of realisations that she comes to about Seymour and how she feels about him.  It took her an exceedingly long time but it is her first relationship and she struggles a bit with confidence so everything, while at times frustrating, makes sense.

Other bits I loved: Tuesday's relationship with her mum and seeing a more realistic look at A-Levels. All in all, this book was a real joy to read. I loved the friendships and relationships. The combination of blogging and music and some of the more outlandish visuals this book inspired. Mostly Chew's charity shop outfits and her eventful weekend!

REVIEW: Notebooks From A Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot

I found Notebooks From a Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot to be utterly adorable. I was always going to be hugely excited about a new Princess Diaries spin-off series and this first book in the series does a  great job of introducing us to new (and old!) characters and a new setting for a brand-new middle grade audience.

At the same time as being very, very excited, I was also a little bit nervous that this spin-off series featuring Mia's long-lost half-sister, Olivia Grace, would feel very samey to what I've already read in the Princess Diaries series. It was a tough one. I think I wanted more of the writing style and sense of humour of the Princess Diaries series... but something different too. It's a very fine line, but I think Meg Cabot did a brilliant job of doing just that.

In this book, we're introduced to Olivia, a rather adorable middle school girl whose mother has died and who has never really known her father. She's written letters back and forth with him but knows very little about her dad. So little that Olivia resorts to making up a story about him and his life, pretending that he's an archaeologist who travels the world and therefore is unable to provide a safe and stable home for her. And she's okay with that.  Even when she lives with her aunt and uncle and her cousins, none of whom are particularly that friendly with her.

I thought Olivia was quite sweet, with her interest in animals and particularly wildlife illustrations. This book is wonderfully illustrated by Meg Cabot herself and features quite a lot of cute drawings of animals and her observations on the events around her.  She's quite plucky and interesting and she takes everything in her stride really well. I liked that about her.  She's not had an easy time of things. She's being picked on at school by a girl jealous of her new fame and royal connections, she's clearly not treated very well at home.  The media start speculating about the fact that she's mixed race and my heart broke for her.  I was brought to tears quite often when Olivia finds such happiness in the smallest of things: a salmon and cheese bagel, the idea of a proper family.

It was also, of course, incredibly nice to see the return of some of my favourite characters. Especially Mia and Grandmere. I loved being back in this world and discovering more about the new characters and the old.  This is very much the first book in the series and spends a great deal of time with introductions and laying out the future books in the series as Olivia will be carrying out her own princess lessons but instead of New York, she'll be spending hers in Genovia and I, for one, cannot wait to read more.

Notebooks From A Middle School Princess is the funny, sweet and adorable new story that will have you smiling and laughing and feeling very emotional for this newest Genovian princess!

Mini-reviews: Girls in YA (Othergirl by Nicole Burstein, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed)

I've read quite a few books already in 2015 and I've noticed that quite a few of them have had the word 'GIRL' in their titles. And as I'm already slightly behind on my reviews, I thought it would be best if I grouped all my GIRL books together and review them together! (Already reviewed: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver. Review to come: Gypsy Girl by Kathryn James!)

Othergirl by Nicole Burstein 

I had such high hopes for Othergirl by Nicole Burstein.  I was under the impression it was a story about superheroes and friendship.  But unfortunately, I wasn't really feeling the friendship between the main character, Louise, and her secret superhero best friend, Erica.  For me, their friendship felt very one-sided with Louise putting in more of the effort and Erica basking in what Louise did for her and being generally ungrateful for it. Quite often within the narrative, Louise will bring up some aspect of their friendship that feels unfair or one-sided but very rarely calls Erica on it.  In fact, I felt that way about all the major story lines brought up in this book.

I liked the super heroes (and one in particular Amazing Clara was mentioned a fair deal) but I didn't feel as though I came away from the story knowing much more than surface information about them. The problems in the friendship between Louise and Erica are brought up but not really dealt with. Neither is the mini-romantic element between Louise and another character.  Mostly I just wanted more from this book.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

So many people raved about Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell when it first came out that I did two things immediately. The first is that I bought the book and the second is that I avoided reading the book until I felt like the hype had died down a little. There's nothing worse, I feel, than reading a book when the pressure is high to LOVE a book.

And now that I have read it, I think I'll always been wondering if my feelings towards the book have been affected in some way by all of the hype surrounding it? I don't know. What I do know is that I enjoyed Fangirl. I did, quite a bit. I didn't love it. I still prefer Eleanor and Park. But I liked a lot of the concepts to this story. I enjoyed the fact that the main character writes fan fiction and we see her experiences of adjusting to university life and having a roommate and her uni courses more clearly than most 'new adult' books. I liked seeing her explore new relationships and friendships. I didn't particularly feel emotionally invested in her relationships with her sister or with Levi but the other aspects of Cath's story kept me interested. Especially her writing journey.

And while I didn't fall for Levi in the same way I fell for Park, I loved that the main romantic scene in the book is the two characters falling for each other whilst reading aloud from The Outsiders by SE Hinton!  I'm really glad that I finally read this book, even if it didn't wow me in the same way it has for other readers.

Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed

Secrets of the Henna Girl by Sufiya Ahmed is a very different book to what I'd normally read. It is very much an 'issues book' as the main thrust of the story involves forced marriage. While I found some parts of the book felt like a learning exercise and therefore didn't feel like natural to the story, other parts were very emotional. This book tells the story of 16 year old Zeba and how her and family went on holiday back to Pakistan and while there, her parents force her into remaining there for the purpose of marrying a wealthy cousin.

It's a pretty heart-breaking turn of events.  Whilst in Pakistan, Zeba does have allies though. She stays with her grandmother, Nannyma, and becomes friends with another British girl, Sehar, who has also been forced into marriage amongst the family. I think one of the most interesting aspects aside from the forced marriage, is how much Zeba learns about gender roles and about power throughout her struggles in Pakistan.  Overall, an interesting and thought-provoking read, one that I'm very happy to have read!

Have you read any books lately with GIRL in the title?

REVIEW: My True Love Gave To Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

I had really good intentions of reading My True Love Gave To Me, an anthology of winter themed short stories edited by Stephanie Perkins in the lead-up to Christmas .... however, life got in the way and that didn't quite happen.  It's okay though because this collection of lovely, romantic stories brightened up my days during the dark and miserable January days instead. And I'm happy to report that this collection of stories can be read and enjoyed at any time of the year.

I won't say the collection of stories is a perfect fit though.  I think that would be nearly impossible with such a range of authors. I had high expectation for some of my favourite authors included, such as Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman and David Levithan. And I had almost no expectations of the authors I'd never come across before like Matt de la Pena, Myra McIntyre and Kelly Link.

 There were definite favourites for me and there were one or two stories that I just didn't quite get along with but overall I really enjoyed my experience of reading these stories. In particular, I really loved that this collection focuses on many different holidays and religions and celebrations over the winter period. From Christmas and New Year and Hannukah and the Winter Solstice and other pagan-based celebrations.

I also liked that some of the stories focused more on family with just a dash of romance and I loved discovering new to me authors and that there's more diversity than I'd probably expected and it's always nice to see diversity.  I think my only complaint about the book is that some of the stories veer into the paranormal and that felt a little odd to me next to so many other contemporary stories.

My favourite stories from My True Love Gave To Me included Rainbow Rowell's Midnights about the build-up of a relationship between two friends and how they keep missing out on a New Year's Eve Kiss.  I also loved Matt de la Pena's Angels in the Snow, about two neighbours who fall in love in the lead-up to Christmas. But I think my favourite story was Kiersten White's Welcome to Christmas, CA. This story was so cute about a little diner and all of the people who come in.  It's the story of a girl who falls in love with the new chef but what I loved about it the most is the girl's relationship with both her mother and step-father.

This book is just so utterly sweet. It really made me happy with the amount of cuteness. It is such good fun and I really do recommend it!

REVIEW: Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

I absolutely adored Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini! I thought it was exciting and addictive and a wonderful start to a new series and I cannot wait to read more. I love the idea of alternative worlds, the witches, the romance. Give me more!

In this first book, called the Worldwalker trilogy, our main character, Lily Proctor, lives in a world that is trying to kill her. She's allergic to everything and so isn't able to do all the things she'd like.  Which is why when she's invited to a high school party by her best friend, Tristan, she jumps at the chance to be normal for once in her life because she knows that there really might not be that many opportunities for her left.  The party scene is one that really broke my heart and kind of set me up for how emotional the rest of this book was. Because Lily faces something really humiliating and it's kind of the last straw for her. She runs off, hoping that everything she's just run from would disappear... and it happens.

Lily wakes up in an alternative world in which magic abounds and there are powerful witches called Crucibles.  In this new world, Lily is no longer a weak girl dying from allergies, but someone who holds great power and has the ability to make great changes and be either a force for good or evil. I absolutely adored finding out about New Salem and about Crucibles and how changing what Lily eats and drinks changes her body's chemistry and how the whole magic system works.

I just loved New Salem in general.  Lily meets some familiar faces here including her own alternate-self, Lillian, who is cruel and does horrific things but also Rowan, this beautiful boy who Lillian has had this destructive relationship with already and has left Rowan bitter and broken-hearted.  Lily and Rowan must team together, however, to find answers to how Lily jumped universes and to stop Lillian.

I loved the slow-burn romance between Lily and Rowan and also a lot of the new friendships.  It was interesting to see Lily interact with alternate-Tristan in New Salem and get his perspective on Tristan's behaviour previously.  I loved how action-packed the second half of this book became and I was on the edge of my seat to know what would happen next.  I really cared for all of these characters, including, probably strangely, Lillian, and I wanted the best for all of them. The direction the ending took makes me very excited to see some of Lily's home life being explored more (and also more sizzling scenes between Lily and Rowan!)

Everything about this book excited me and I'm gasping for the next book in the series. I thought this first book in the series really brought us some fantastic, complicated characters, really interesting relationships and an exciting new world.  And I want more.

Frances Hardinge (Awesome Women)

I'm really excited today to share with you this lovely interview with Frances Hardinge, the author of many amazing books, including her latest, Cuckoo Song, which was published yesterday.

 To find out more about Frances Hardinge or Cuckoo Song, please do visit the following websites:

Frances Hardinge
Frances on Twitter
Frances on Goodreads
Frances Hardinge's blog

­             Can you tell me a little something about yourself?

I'm eternally curious, somewhat restless and always happiest when I'm on the move. I have a deep love of travelling, particularly to countries where my ideas are knocked apart and have to be reassembled in new shapes. I also find it hard to resist anything I haven't tried before, with the result that I've touched noses with a wolf, rafted over a twenty foot waterfall and flown a plane.

I'm a hopeless kidult. The study where I work has nerf guns and water pistols arranged along the hooks on the door. My boyfriend and I have a board game stack that literally reaches the ceiling. An embarrassing number of my clothes are fancy dress or period costume. I can sing the whole of “What's Opera, Doc”.   

      
Did you have a role model growing up?

I always admired Elizabeth I. She may not have been a cuddly idealist, but I had to respect her wiliness, ruthless intelligence and hard­boiled strength of will. At the age of twenty­five she took over a completely untenable position as female monarch of a tumultuous, male-­dominated nation, yet somehow managed to get the bit between its teeth and ride it to victory. She was so incredibly adept at propaganda that centuries later we're still buying into the image she designed for herself.


­             Who do you look up to now?

I've accumulated plenty of other heroes since.

Mary Kingsley, a Victorian explorer who spent several years wandering the jungle in full gentlewoman's dress, discovering new species, making friends with cannibals, falling into spiked pit­traps and bashing crocodiles on the nose for being ill­mannered enough to try to eat her.

Kipling once said of her: “Being human, she must have feared some things, but one never arrived at what they were.”

Raoul Wallenburg, who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during World War II using nothing more than charm, dodgy diplomatic paperwork and nerves of steel. It's truly sad that he didn't survive the war. However, thanks to him, a very large number of other people did.

Nancy Wake, a spy who worked with the French Resistance during WWII. The Gestapo called her “The White Mouse” because of her knack for slipping through their fingers, and put her at the top of their most wanted list, with a five million franc reward on her head. It didn't help – she lived to be 98.

Hugh Thompson, Jr, a helicopter pilot who intervened at My Lai to stop fellow US soldiers massacring Vietnamese civilians. Defying your own side on a matter of principle takes a special kind of guts.
­            

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

I wanted to be a writer, an artist and an international spy. Well.. I'm now a professional writer, and I spent some time working as a graphic designer, so that I suppose that's two of the three. As for whether I became an international spy, I could tell you about that, but then I'd have to kill you. And everybody else who reads this blog.


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

My mother gave me my first book when I was a baby. It was made of cloth, and apparently I chewed it for a bit. She proceeded to introduce me to a whole slew of other books as I grew older, and I treated those with a little more respect. She was always highly original, creative and imaginative, with a decided subversive streak.

My sister Sophie is only eleven months younger than me, and we had a huge influence upon each other growing up. The two of us constructed elaborate imaginary worlds, wrote plays with scripts and backdrops, created tiny newspapers and fought like blue fury. Sophie is a hardcore traveller, and still gets bouts of malaria as a result of several years spent intermittently working for a charity in Madagascar. She is generous, audacious, uncomfortably honest and very funny.


­             Who is your favourite fictional character? And why?

My favourite character varies depending on my mood, but I do have a soft spot for likeable but ambiguous tricksters, such as the Cheshire Cat, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Puss in Boots, the Golux, the 'Stainless Steel Rat' and Flambeau in the Father Brown stories.


­             Is there a fictional character that reminds you of you?   And if you could choose to be best friends with a fictional character, who would it be?


A part of me (probably the best part) is a little like Snufkin from the Moominland books. It's the part of me that remembers that the world is beautiful, and that you can miss it if you fall into a rut, or lose yourself in worries about things that aren't really important. It's the traveller in me, but it's also the part which has come to terms with my own oddness, and no longer fears judgement. Snufkin would make an amazing friend. I would love to wander the world with him a while, watching new horizons unfold.



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



I was intensely shy, decidedly weird and something of a loner. One goes through a lot of emotional turbulence as a teenager... and I kept most of my feelings to myself. I think I believed that my 'job' in the family was to be self­controlled and reliable, so I worked very hard at that. I was terribly earnest and a worrier, and bottled up a lot of my feelings. I only really relaxed once I reached university. Spontaneity and irresponsibility are talents I've developed since becoming an adult.



­             Which book would you say that every teenager should read and why?


I wouldn't wish to do that. Teenagers are all different. Each probably has a book that they 'should read' and which will speak to them. These won't be the same book.



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


Everything gets better. Hang on in there.

Carry on being true to yourself. 'Weird' is fine.



­             If you could choose to have a girly sleepover with any fictional characters, who would you choose?


Hmm, perhaps I could have a 'formidable Victorian females' sleepover! I could invite Marian Halcombe from The Woman in White, Jane Eyre, Alice from Alice in Wonderland and the adventuress Irene Adler from A Scandal in Bohemia. An evening of subversion and crumpets...



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


The female right to education is an issue that always interests me. I am acutely aware that I have been allowed opportunities that countless girls and women deserved but were denied over the centuries. Of course in many places, the fight for this basic right still continues, and the battle sometimes has a death count. Young Malala Yousafzai is indescribably brave to have put herself on the front line at such a tender age.

Thank you so much for that, Frances! Cuckoo Song is now available, do look out for it!

REVIEW: Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern

Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern was a really beautiful love story and it has quickly become one of my favourite books that I've read so far this year.  I love how wonderful both Amy and Matthew are as characters and how each of the issues that they are dealing play a part in keeping them apart and also for bringing these two together.

I really loved getting to know these characters and watching them interact. You can tell right from the first pages of Amy and Matthew that these two main characters have this great connection already without having spoken to each other but once or twice over the years.  But now it is their senior year in high school and Amy has decided that she wants things to change. And so instead of having adult carers help her at school because of her cerebral palsy, she insists her parents hire student carers instead. And Amy asks for one person in particular: Matthew, the boy who sees her despite her disability.

I think the thing that I loved the most about this book and these characters is the fact that yes, Amy has cerebral palsy which affects her physically and especially her mobility, and Matthew has OCD, which has an affect on his emotional state and his behaviours, but what I loved most about this book is how much Amy and Matthew's personalities shine through this book.  The cerebral palsy and the OCD are aspects of both of their lives but they are not the defining factors of who they are. And I loved that about this book. 

There felt like a lot of truth that came out in Cammie McGovern's writing. About Amy's loneliness and her parent's over-protectiveness and of Matthew's anxieties.  It was really great to see Amy and Matthew form a strong enough friendship that allowed for each of them to talk to the other about their concerns and it was really apparent, especially in Matthew's case, how much of an affect the other had on each of their own well-being.

I knew right from the start and from the cover that is definitely a love story between these two main characters but I didn't expect for there to be very many surprises in where the story goes in terms of their relationship. This really isn't as straight-forward as I imagined and things got all kinds of unexpected towards the end.  Still, I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting insight into two really well-developed characters and a relationship that changed them both for the better.

Bookish Brits November Book Club: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

'You're not Mia Thermopolis any more, honey, ' Dad said. 'You're Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo. Princess of Genovia.'

A PRINCESS ME Yeah. Right.

One minute Mia's a totally normal Manhattan 14-year-old. Next minute she's heir to the throne of Genovia, being trailed by a trigger-happy bodyguard, taking princess lessons with her bonkers old grandmere, and having a makeover with someone called Paolo. Well, her dad can lecture her till he's royal-blue in the face, but no way is Mia going to turn herself into a style-queen. And they think she's moving to Genovia? Er, hello?


As part of the Bookish Brits, we have started our own monthly book club. We'd love for you to join in on the discussion! In November we have been reading The Princess Diaries by meg Cabot which is a series that I really loved. I was really hoping for more time to fully enjoy my reread of the first book in the series and perhaps read some of the sequels but you'll see from the video above that that didn't quite happen. What are your thoughts on The Princess Diaries? I'd love to hear from you.

 And! Don't miss out. You can always join us next month for our December book club choice: Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle!

REVIEW: A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

Guest review by Kulsuma

I love books which take you by surprise and A Face like Glass by Frances Hardinge is exactly that. The cover is beautiful and the mysterious blurb intrigued me. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started but the story immediately grabbed me and didn’t let me go for an instant. Even when I wasn’t reading it, I was itching to get back into the complex, crazy world of Caverna. I whizzed through the pages and I was sorry when the book came to an end. You know when you want to read a book again for the first time? I had that feeling.

Neverfell is found by Master Grandible in his cheese tunnels when she is five years old and he decides to keep her. However, something about Neverfell’s face shocks him so much that Neverfell’s face is kept covered for the next seven years when visitors come to the house and she never goes out. You see, people in Caverna don’t have Faces; they have to learn to show expressions like happiness, pity and anger.

But Neverfell has Faces in abundance and this makes her dangerous. Neverfell’s face shows all her inner feelings and she’s not very good at lying. When Neverfell ventures out of the safety of Master Grandible’s tunnels for the first time, it is the beginning of a wild, action-packed adventure.Unbeknownst to Neverfell, she has enemies galore; enemies who would not hesitate for a second to kill her for reasons she’s trying to figure out.

A Face like Glass is a real gem. I loved Neverfell. It was hard not to like her. She’s lived with the reclusive Master Grandible for seven years, has no memories of the first five years of her life and is in constant danger. She’s a heroine who grows through the book. Of course at the beginning she is slightly naive, but she learns quickly. She is kind, caring and above all, loyal to a fault.

I loved all the other characters too. My favourite is undoubtedly the ever-paranoid Grand Steward; the leader of Caverna who has ruled for five hundred years. He does not trust anyone but himself, so much so that he has given up on proper sleep. He sleeps in shifts, for one half of the day, the right side of his body rests, and vice versa. He does all this so he can keep a permanent watch over his kingdom and scout out any would-be assassins. I wish we had seen more of him.

The world Frances Hardinge has created is simply magical. There are so many crazy, outlandish things to take in but it all makes sense. Most of all, I adored Hardinge’s writing. It was fluid, vivid and glittering. I have loads of favourite lines. A criticism is that there were a few conversations that I thought should have taken place between certain characters towards the end of the story. Overall, A Face like Glass was a brilliant, magical wild ride. I loved the world Hardinge created and the characters I met. I can’t wait to read more from her.

Amazing review, thank you Kulsuma!

REVIEW: Gloss by Marilyn Kaye

Guest review by Kulsuma

What I love about Gloss by Marilyn Kaye is that it’s set in sixties New York, a time period I haven’t come across much, if at all, in YA fiction. It follows the intertwining stories of four young girls as they start their summer internships at a magazine called Gloss. While some of them have their lives mapped out, others’ futures look hazy at best. None of them know that interning at Gloss will change them forever.

Sherry Ann is very much the typical good girl who follows all the rules. But after the future that looked so certain, crashes around her, she slowly but surely evolves into a strong woman. Pamela only wants to have a good time in New York, but she’s a young girl trying to act much older than she is. I really wanted to shake Allison. She seemed like a smart enough girl but she made a lot of wrong choices. Donna’s story was incredibly sad but a tale a lot of other girls would have also gone through and still do.

I enjoyed the details on the fashion industry, reading about typewriters and the working world. It’s interesting to compare then to now. Of course, there was a lot of sex discrimination and unfairness in the book. The four main characters are looked down on or used by at least one man. However, the girls learnt important lessons throughout the story.

Kaye’s writing style was great. It contained all the excitement of sixties New York. I felt the pace of the story could have been sped up as the middle section was slow. Overall, Gloss was an easy-to-read story about girls coming of age; discovering their identity for the first time. Obviously, there is a huge gap in the YA market because I would love to read more books set in this time period. I look forward to reading more books by Marilyn Kaye.

Brilliant review, thank you Kulsuma!

Sita Brahmachari (Celebrating British Authors)

Today and (hopefully!) every Sunday until the end of the year, I'm hoping to tell you a little bit about some of the amazing UKYA authors that I've discovered this year. They aren't all 2013 debuts but they are all authors that I've read for the first time this year. I hope that you'll become just as excited about them and their stories as I have been! Today the author I've chosen is Sita Brahmachari... 

Sita Brahmachari is the author of three books for teens: Artichoke Hearts, Jasmine Skies and Kite Spirit. I've heard amazing things about all three but it wasn't until this year that I picked up one of her books. It just happened to be Kite Spirit which I found incredibly lovely.

All three of her books are published by Macmillan and have very fun, colourful covers.

After I read (and loved!) Kite Spirit, I did write a blog post about suicide which is a topic that is covered in Kite Spirit. Kite, the main character, is suffering a great loss as her best friend, Dawn, has committed suicide. Her family make the decision to send Kite to the Lake District over the summer in order for her to grieve and help her to move forwards.

There are many things that I loved about this book.

1) I loved how such a tough subject as suicide or the loss of your best friend is told in such a gentle and comforting way. Things like depression and the suicide are discussed but in such a way that it never felt like it was in your face like other gritty or issues-based books are. I felt like I was in a safe environment when I was reading this book.

2) But at the same time, Kite is left to feel everything from anger to confusion to sadness to guilt and frustration over Dawn's choices. And as the reader, we experience those things alongside her. It is still a very emotionally impactful novel. And I thought it was written really beautifully.

3) Part of the comforting nature of this book is how much support Kite receives from her friends and family and from her community.  That's really special and I wish that for every teenager whether or not they are going through a crisis.  Also, there are some fantastic hobbies going on in Kite Spirit. From actual kites to acrobatics,  family history, owls, and the oboe. I felt almost inspired myself to take up some strange hobby alongside Kite and her artistic family...

4) I really loved the Lake District setting. I could picture the countryside that she visits and walking through it and soaking up some of that beauty and wide open space to heal some of what is broken inside of Kite. I'm a big fan of any story that brings in an English setting and especially in Kite Spirit where the location of the story - outside of London and away from certain pressures - is instrumental in Kite's recovery.

5) And finally, I loved seeing the memories and flashbacks of Dawn and Kite's friendship. I could tell quite clearly that they shared something special. This entire story is a celebration of their relationship. And at the same time, I really enjoyed the sweet nature of Kite's friendship with local boy, Garth. She needed someone outside of her normal circle to confide in and share her feelings with and how wonderful it was for her to have found that person in Garth.

I really enjoyed Kite Spirit. I loved the gentle tone of the story, the beautiful and evocative writing style, the Lake District setting and the amazing cast of characters.

And here is the book trailer for Kite Spirit.  I quite like the oboe music that accompanies it.

 I have no idea whatsoever why I haven't yet read Sita Brahmachari's previous two books. Especially as both Artichoke Hearts and Jasmine Skies have had such good praise and have been shortlisted and/or won awards.  After falling in love so wholeheartedly with Kite Spirit, I went out and bought myself a copy of Artichoke Hearts. It will not be sitting on my to be read pile for long, I'll make sure of it!

I really love the fact that after reading Sita's latest novel, I can now go to her backlist to enjoy as I wait for something else by her to come along... 

 To find out more about Sita Brahmachari or her books, please do visit the following websites:

Sita Brahmachari ... Sita on Twitter ... Add Sita's books to your Goodreads

Have you read anything by Sita Brahmachari as yet?

Julie Cross' Bookshelf Requirements

I'm really happy today to have Julie Cross on the blog sharing some of the authors who form part of her Bookshelf Requirements.

I really love hearing about the books you can't live without, if you'd like to take part in this feature, please do let me know either via comments or email.

Julie Cross is the author of the fabulous time-travel YA novel Tempest. The sequel, Vortex, is published in paperback by Macmillan on the 29th of August. You really must get your hands on a copy of both books, I highly recommend them.

If you want to know more about Tempest, Vortex or Julie Cross do visit the following websites:

Julie Cross ... Julie Cross on Facebook ... Julie on Twitter 

Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girl Series


I read this series (or at least the ones that we out at the time) shortly after I began my writing journey. I remember very clearly whipping through books 1 and 2 over Thanksgiving Holiday in the fall of 2009. Then before the long weekend was over, I rushed out to Borders (R.I.P. Borders) and bought the third book in the series. In hardcover. At the time my book budget was very tight so was a big splurge. I learned so much about the power of voice in writing, about breaking away from traditional narration and creating a list if that’s what felt natural and made the story flow. Of course I loved the spy school aspect and genius kids, even better that contrast of these girls truly having no idea how to interact with normal kids their age. For instance, boys. Instead of engaging in small talk with a local boy, the four main girls in the book decide the best way to learn about one of their potential love interests is to hack into email accounts, study his garbage looking for clues. It’s like physical proof that no matter who you are and what you’ve learned, we all have to pass through adolescents in almost the same way. That’s like the essence of YA literature in my opinion. It’s the reason you have so many sub-genres in YA and have readers willing shift from contemporary, to sci-fi, to fantasy, to historical. Another thing I love about this series is that is very clean YA with content totally suitable for readers as young as 10 years old. I’m glad all YA isn’t clean like this but when you’re constantly looking for books to recommendto eager young readers, it’s nice to have a good list of titles on hand.

Lurlene McDaniel’s books


When I was a teen, I don’t think YA literature was as well-defined and available like it is now. As an author YA books, I get asked all the time what I read as a teen, what YA book inspired me or influenced me and I’m not sure if reading Lurlene McDaniel’s books led to me becoming a writer. But I read several of her books between the ages of 15 and 17 and I can still recall tiny details from stories (and I’m 33 now). I remember so clearly being on a Greyhound bus when I was 15, traveling between Chicago, Illinois and Dayton, Ohio (about a 6 hour bus ride) and bawling my eyes out reading the end of Don’t Die My Love. I remember wiping my eyes over and over again with my t-shirt and glancing around to make sure no one had noticed the weird teenage girl alone and crying. I read so many books now and rarely re-read like I used to as a kid and teen that it’s easy to forget that feeling a being sucked into a story and living what characters are living and having that leave a mark on you that last for at least 18 more years. This past May, I attended the Romantic Times convention and Lurlene McDaniel was signing books at the fair right across from my table. I’m not one who’s usually bold enough to walk up to authors and tell them how felt reading their book, but I decided this opportunity was too important to miss. So at the end of the event, I went over to get books signed and a minute into our greeting I was spilling the Greyhound bus ride story. Ms. McDaniel spent a good 15 minutes chatting with me. She’s an amazing lady and now I’m even more determined to write characters that leave a lasting impression on my 15 year old readers out there.

Judy Blume


I picked up this copy of Forever at a used book store last summer. It’s the original cover which is really cool in my opinion. I don’t have a ton to say about Judy Blume that thousands of readers and writers haven’t said before, but basically her and Margaret taught me everything I needed to know about puberty and then Kath and Michael taught me that relationships and love can still hold important value even if they aren’t forever. Meeting Judy Blume someday is at the top of my author bucket list.

Thank you, Julie! Which books would make your list of Bookshelf Requirements?

REVIEW: Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn

Guest review by Kulsuma

Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn sounded intriguing. Two siblings living in a small coastal village; Mi who hears voices and her brother Reve who wants to protect her from the dangers of the world. When Reve has a vision of a mysterious woman waving at him, Mi is certain it is their mother; the mother who abandoned them many years earlier after their father died. Mi is determined to find her even if it means risking the dangers of the city.

The main reason why I was disappointed in Call Down Thunder was because not much happened in it. It took more than a hundred pages before the story got to the point that I wanted; Reve and Mi in the city searching for their mother. The story did improve at that point, but the action was over too quickly. I liked the introduction of Demi and Baz from Finn’s other book, Two Good Thieves.

There was a huge build up about Reve and Mi’s mother, but she was also disappointing. From the amount of secondary characters mentioning her and Mi’s determination to find her, I thought she would be a many-layered, main character. She wasn’t a bad character; she simply didn’t explain any of her motives to Reve and Mi. Everything they learnt about her was through other characters such as Thomas and Moro.

The story focussed much more on village disputes and Reve observing and commenting on the actions of the three main ‘leaders’ of the village. While Reve was a likeable main character, I didn’t know what to make of Mi. She grated on me at first because I felt like she made some wrong decisions, but I warmed up to her eventually. I would have liked to have known more about the visions and voices she heard. In all, Call Down Thunder was an okay read but it wasn’t what I expected.

Thanks Kulsuma!

REVIEW: Debutantes by Cora Harrison

Guest review by Kulsuma

I wanted to like Debutantes by Cora Harrison. I really did. The synopsis was incredibly alluring as was the cover. It was recommended for fans of  Downton Abbey. I love  Downton Abbey; the plot, the intrigue, the glamorous fashion sense and the inclusion of both upstairs and downstairs worlds. However, Debutantes fell very short of my expectations.

Debutantes is about four young sisters in the 1920s who have very little money to their good name. They live in a dilapidated manor house and haven’t enough money for the sumptuous food they were previously used to, cannot buy the fabulous gowns they see in magazines let alone provide their eldest sister Violet with a season as a debutante.

Violet desperately wishes to be a debutante. It is all she has wanted to be. She sees it as her duty to catch the eye of a rich suitor and marry him. It will bring her peace of mind and will allow her to provide for her sisters. Daisy, the main character, her twin Poppy and Rose, the youngest sister, set about helping Violet in fulfilling her dream.

It was difficult to get into Debutantes. At first it was difficult to tell the characters apart because they were all rather flat and were introduced in quick succession. I remembered the sisters by the difference in their hair colour which is never a good thing.

Though Daisy was the main character and had a sweet disposition, I couldn’t help thinking throughout the book that Violet should have been the main character, even though I didn’t like her. Not only because Violet is the debutante which the book is named after but because Daisy is pretty much an observer and teller of Violet’s romance with Justin as well as telling us how Violet feels, looks and acts during various balls. On top of that, not much happens to Daisy. She acts as a barrier between us and the main action.

I got tired of the amount of description I had to read of the clothes the girls were wearing every single time they appeared. The mystery surrounding, Elaine, the girls’ aunt was interesting though quickly sorted out. Overall, while Debutantes had an interesting premise, it disappointed me.

Thanks for that Kulsuma!

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I'm such a huge fan of Hayley Long's! I absolutely adored her Lottie Biggs series and especially What's Up with Jody Barton? so I'm thrilled and excited for the publication of her new book, Downside Up, which is coming to us on the 4th of July from Macmillan. Exciting!

Ronnie is totally bored. She lives in a crap, boring town with her crap, boring family, and all she wants is to escape and have the kind of life she reads about in magazines. Sometimes Ronnie makes stuff up, just to keep things interesting. Not lies, exactly, more like massive, outrageous, whopping great fibs. The thing is, people have stopped believing anything she says - she's turning into The Girl Who Cried 'Beyonce is Totally My Cousin's Best Friend'. Then one day Ronnie gets knocked out in a head to head dodgem collision. When she wakes up, her life has been turned uʍop әp!sdn and nothing will ever be the same again . . .

Hayley Long
Hayley on Twitter
Hayley's blog  

What are you waiting on today? What do you think of Downside Up?

Jessica Brody's Dream Cast List (Unremembered Blog Tour)

I'm absolutely thrilled to be today's stop on the Unremembered Blog Tour and to have a guest post by the author, Jessica Brody. Daydreaming about film adaptations of wonderful YA books is one of my favourite things to do...

Here is the product description of Unremembered by Jessica Brody:

Sixteen-year-old Sera is the only survivor of an explosion on a plane. She wakes up in hospital to find that she has no memory. The only clue to her identity is a mysterious boy who claims she was part of a top-secret science experiment. The only adult she trusts insists that she shouldn’t believe anything that anybody tells her. In a tense and pacy novel exploding with intrigue and action, Sera must work out who she is and where she came from. Eventually she will learn that the only thing worse than forgetting her past is remembering it. 

And to find out more about Jessica Brody or Unremembered, please do visit the following websites, and definitely check out the other stop on the Unremembered Blog Tour!

Jessica Brody ... Jessica on Twitter ... Jessica on Facebook ... Jessica on Tumblr 

Dream Cast List:

I think the question I get asked the most as an author (apart from “where did you get the idea for the book?) is “Who would you cast in the movie version?”

This is actually a surprisingly difficult question for me to answer. I think it’s because all my books are written in first person and therefore, when I write, I see the world through the main characters eyes. I become her. So it’s kind of like asking who I would cast to play myself in a film.

However, that being said, in UNREMEMBERED (unlike in some of my previous contemporary novels) the main character’s appearance is very important to the story. She’s described by a nurse in the hospital as being “perfect.” Without a single blemish or flaw. Like she’s airbrushed. And in my mind she looks like a blend of all races. Or I guess you could say, “ethnically ambiguous,” which only contributes to the mystery of who she is and where she came from.

There are a few actresses that I can think of who embody Seraphina for me, but Nina Dobrev (from The Vampire Diaries) is at the top of the list. I just think she’s so beautiful and has a kind of “flawless” look about her. Back in days when I was writing the book, before we had a cover for it, I photoshopped this mock cover with Nina Dobrev’s face (changing the color of her eyes) and hung it above my desk for inspiration. I think she would be my “dream cast” for the role of Seraphina.

The role of Zen is harder for me. Zen is cute but certainly not as “breathtaking” as Sera. And he has a boyish innocence about his look. Like the world could eat him alive. And yet there’s a subtle stoic quality about him. A bravery that really only comes out when he’s protecting Sera. I could see someone like Josh Hutcherson in the role or Taylor Lautner. But to be honest, when I was writing it, I always pictured Nathan Kress from iCarly.

I hope after people read the book that they’ll come up with their own dream casts because I know I would LOVE to hear them!

 Do you have any suggestions for your 'dream cast' if a film of Unremembered were made? Let us know in comments!

Interactional books

I love how interactional books have become.  I've noticed this thing lately where sometimes a book will come with its own playlists ala Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson or like Saving June by Hannah Harrington. And I love that feeling of recreating what a character in a good book might be feeling or experiencing by experiencing these things alongside them.

The following books have mentioned songs within the narrative and as soon as they were mentioned, I really couldn't help but put my book down and rush to my YouTube app and play the songs that go along with these characters and these stories.  And it makes me happy.  I thought I would share them with you today, if you don't mind. 

What's Up With Jody Barton? by Hayley Long

I'm starting with What's Up With Jody Barton? because it feels more interactional than the others with the inclusion of Jody's drawings (which are ace!).  Plus I just really love this book.  I loved not knowing much about it before I started reading it and then falling headfirst into this fantastic story completly blind.  

And right from the beginning, Jody mentions love for two things: River Phoenix and The Doors.  She mentions Light My Fire, so I immediately grabbed my phone and once I'd listened to it, I had the song spinning on a loop inside my brain.  Which is no bad thing.

Here it is for you for your auditory pleasure:

How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Let me say again, just for the record, I love Sara Zarr! I think she's amazing and the stories she writes are so beautiful and emotional.  I've been looking forward to How To Save A Life for absolutely ages and was thrilled to read an advance copy of it.

The reason I rushed to listen to a song on YouTube is a little bittersweet.  One of our main characters, Jill, has recently lost her father.  And at times, when Jill's snarky attitude gets in the way and she says or does something that could be a bit mean or hurtful towards someone else, usually Jill's mother, her dad would remind her to 'try a little tenderness.'  Which I think is adorable but also a sad little memory to have.  Of course, I had to remind myself of this ace Otis Redding song in order to fully capture the sentiment.  For which I'm very grateful. Always nice to hear a little Otis.

The Twice-Lived Summer of Bluebell Jones by Susie Day

Things are a bit different with The Twice-Lived Summer of Bluebell Joens, because Susie Day has included so many wonderful songs into the narrative (Blue's parents are part of a band!).  But as soon as I read a snippet of the song, Everyday by Buddy Holly, that was it for me.  That is the song that wound up going around and around in my head.

Mostly because it's one of my dad's favourite songs.  He is a big fan of Buddy Holly and music in this era, so it's really the music that I grew up listening to.  I've listened to it many a-time since I've finished this book and I just love it more and more.

I'm glad that it's part of Blue's story in this book, and it does really fit in well. 


 

What do you think? Did you like it when a book has you experiencing the story in ways other than just through words on a page?