Bookish Thoughts Thursday (10/4/14)

There are many great discussion memes on a Thursday and so I thought that instead of doing them in seperate posts I would just make one.

Thursday Thoughts is an original, weekly conversational post hosted @ Ok, Let's Read

SAD

BOOKS

If you know a book is sad does it make you want to read it, deter you from reading it or not effect you at all? Do you enjoy sad books? Are you someone who cries easily at books? What books have you read that made you cry?

I don't stay away from a book because it is likely to make me cry and I don't pick them for it either. I enjoy books for their stories and/or characters and if they happen to make me cry, then thats fine by me.
I am the type of person who doesn't easily cry in real life situations and I tend to keep my emotions in check, therefore I like that books (and TV/movies) can make me cry because we all need a good cry every now and then - it's healthy.
I think I have cried while reading all of the last few books I have read this month. The thing I think is strange though, is that I didn't cry while I read The Fault in Our Stars, even though I know that it is actually considered a sad book. Maybe I read it too soon after my mum died (of cancer), maybe I was too numb to it at the time, I am fairly certain I will cry should I re-read it.

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly discussion meme about (mostly) books and reading

THE PRICE OF

BOOKS

Does the price of a book affect your decision about buying it? Do you wait for cheaper editions of the book you want?

I almost always wait for the cheaper paperback editions of books, even though in the UK most paperbacks are only £6.99 or £7.99, to me that is a lot. Hardbacks are even more, and I just don't have that kind of money to spend. Don't get me wrong, I think that books are worth the money because I know that a lot of work goes into them, I just can't justify spending more than £6 on one. Now, once I have a well paid job, then I don't think I will have a problem with buying many shiny, new hardbacks.

Thoughtful Thursday is a weekly bookish discussion post hosted @ Reading is Fun Again

DO YOU KEEP READ

BOOKS

What do you do with the books that you have read? Do you keep them? Donate them? Gift them? Return them to the library? Throw them away? Make them into arts & crafts projects? Has this changed during the years? Have you noticed a change in your perspective regarding read books?

Aside from being a book reader, I am also a book collector. I don't just like books for the stories they hold but also as physical objects. I love having shelves full of books - read or not. Now, if it is an ugly book that I know I will never read, then I will donate it. My perspective on this has not changed at all since I got my first book, even as a child I loved the feel of books, the smell and just knowing that they are mine. Of course, the content of books is the most important aspect and so, I love knowing that I can always fall into a story anytime I want. The benefit of having a lot of books is that I have plenty of choice of what I want to read and to read them whenever I want.

What about you - do you like sad books, cheap books and keeping books?

Life of a Blogger: Food

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat where bloggers get to talk about something not book related. There is a different topic each week - check out upcoming topics here.

FOOD

I am not a foodie but I of course do love food but then everybody loves food right? 

Some of my favourite foods are:

Pretty much all vegetables, which is good considering I am a vegetarian

Cheese pizza, with extra cheese

Chocolate

Eggs - cooked every which way

Baked beans
Cheese
Bread
Sunday roast - veg, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy and mint sauce, hmm hmm hmm

Foods I can't stand:

Most fruit besides bananas, apples and oranges

All cooked fruit i.e. apple pie

Celery

Cucumber
There are many more but I can't think of them right now.

While I love eating, I hate cooking or even preparing food or waiting for it to be ready to eat. So you could say that I love fast food and food prepared and/or cooked by someone else. I eat way more junk food than is probably healthy.

What foods do you love or hate.

Waiting On Wednesday: After The End

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

What I'm eagerly anticipating:

Title: After The End

Author: Amy Plum

Genre: YA SciFi/Dystopia

Expected Release Date: May 6th by Harper Teen

From Goodreads: She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Why I'm anticipating it: 

The synopsis of this book reminds me of M. Night Shymalan's The Village, and I loved the twist at the end of that film.  I expect that this will be about more than the 'why the hell did my parents lie to me?' kinda thing. I get the feeling that there is some kind of conspiracy and that Juneau's parents had to hide her from some big mean corporation and she is special in someway. You know, that kinda thing. And I love adventure/quest/survival stories, so this book looks like it should be right up my alley. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Does this book seem like something you would be interested in?

What book/s are you eagerly anticipating?

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising

Series: Red Rising #1

Author: Pierce Brown

Published by: Del Rey (Randon House) on January 28th 2014

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Format: Hardcover

Source: Public Library

Buy it from Amazon or Book Depository

Check it out on Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis: The war begins...

Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.

Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.

But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda...

My Review: As soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to have it, but it is so damn expensive and I am a poor student. Then praise be, my library got it and I was the first person to check it out in all its shiny and new sexiness.

I first heard about this book from an Adventures of a Book Junkie post where she recapped an interview at a Red Rising book signing. I enjoyed Pierce’s answers, especially where he says he likes Neil Gaiman and Joss Whedon, two of my favourite people. Then I may have fallen in love with him a little bit and I may or may not have cyber stalked him but I definitely did go and find out more about the book.

The book follows Darrow, he and his people are miners on Mars, mining for the element that will make the red planet liveable, so when life on planet Earth is no longer sustainable, humanity can survive on Mars – or so they think. In truth, Mars has been liveable for many years and Darrow’s people have been lied to. Mars has a caste system and each caste is colour coded, with Golds at the top and Reds at the bottom. Darrow is a Red. After his young wife is killed by a Gold and the truth has been revealed to him, he joins a resistance group. After some physical alteration, training and lessons, Darrow is given a new identity as a Gold. With this new identity he is entered into a school that sorts the wheat from the chaff, a survival of the fittest battle school and those who survive will be the future leaders of Mars and her colonies. Darrow’s goal is to win and make his way to the top of Gold society, so he can bring it down.

It is dark, it is brutal, it is at times heart-breaking and it is definitely not YA. I BLOODYDAMN LOVE THIS BOOK and I am itching to read the next one, Golden Son. I don’t even know if I can do the book justice with this review, I don’t think I have the words to describe how great it is. Also this book has so much going on that I don’t want to give anything away that will spoil it, but I will do my best.

Darrow is a great, well developed character who goes through so much growth, from a simple miner to a leader of men. Darrow is not perfect, he is very human and he makes mistakes but he learns from his mistakes to become a better person and thats one of the things that I love about him.

Darrow isn’t the only wonderful character in the book, there are many, but that’s all I will say about the characters because they and their interactions with each other are so complex it’s hard to talk about them without being spoilery.

I love the world that Pierce has created and I feel that how humanity got to where they are is plausible. There is still a lot to learn about the world, its history and political system, but I am sure all that will be developed in the other two books.

A=

The story starts out quite slow but its not too long before it picks up and gets to the really good stuff. So, if you start this book and wonder if you have the same book every one has been raving about because not a lot is happening, keep going. Trust me it is worth it.

I could go on and on about this book but I won't, because then this post will be too long and you dont want to read that. What you do want to read is Red Rising - what are you still doing here? Go my lovelies and get your hands on this book. Happy reading.

ALL THE BLOODY DAMN STARS

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (7/4/14)

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey 

What I am Currently Reading:

WarBreaker by Brandon Sanderson
I am listening to this on audiobook borrowed from my library via OneClickDigital. I haven't listened to an audiobook in a long time, hopefully I will find the time for it. This will be the second Sanderson book I have read, the first being SteelHeart which I quite enjoyed.

Have you read any Brandon Sanderson? What did you think?

What's your experience/opinion on audiobooks?

      

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
This is the first funny book I have read in a long time. It's also my first Christopher Moore book.  Have you read Christopher Moore? Any suggestions of his other books I should try if I like this one?

          

What I Plan to Read this Week:

This week I plan to get all of these library books read and read them I will. 

What are reading and what do you plan to read this week?

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (6/4/14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

This week on my blog:

March Reading Wrap-Up
All the books I bought/received in March
Review of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

What I read this week:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Each of these books were great, I loved them all. They are each the first in trilogies and I now have to wait an eternity for the sequels :-(

Books I bought/received or borrowed this week:

I didn't buy, recieve or borrow any books this week, but I did win a book through Goodreads First Reads on Thursday, so that should turn up before the month is out. I do have 4 books checked out from the library:

Cress by Marissa Meyer
Sever by Lauren Destefano
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Next Week on my blog:

I am going to be trying out a few memes starting next week and these will hopefully help me to get more involved in the book blogging community.

Monday - It's Monday! What am I Reading?
Tuesday - Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Wednesday - Waiting On Wednesday: After The End
Thursday - Life of a Blogger: Food
Bookish Thoughts Thursday
Friday - Friday Finds
Saturday - Review: Impostor by Susanne Winnacker
Sunday - The Sunday Post

This week in real life:

This week was the first week of the Easter holidays from university and I used my free time wisely. I caught up on a ton of TV shows I've gotten behind on, watched some movies, read, worked on my blogs and basically lounged around a lot, not doing much at all. Walking Dead Season finale left a lot to be desired, I found it very anti-climactic, but still looking forward to season 5.

Next week in real life:

I have to get started on my final essay for university and I need to make a start on revising for exams I have coming in May. I also really need to start packing, I may not have found a new house yet but I don't want to leave packing to last minute because it's stressful. Otherwise I should still be able to get lots of reading and writing in. Oh! and Game of Thrones is back = me super, super excited.

I hope everyone else had a great week and that next week will be equally as great or better.

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell
Published September 10th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

Goodreads Synopsis: A coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, family, and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan.... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she's really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Review: It is going to be very hard for me to not to fangirl ;-) all through this review because I absolutely loved it. I have it on my Kindle but believe me, I will be buying a physical copy so I can re-read it in all its tactile glory.

Fangirl tells the story of Cath as she starts university and all the troubles that that entails for the incredibly shy introvert that Cath is. Making this big scary step even scarier is the fact that her twin sister Wren wants to go her own way in university – to not room with Cath and develop her own circle of friends separate from Cath. Cath’s only escape from the real world is her love of Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) and the fanfiction she writes about his world. On top of this, she has to deal with a gruff never there roommate and her always there boyfriend, a cute classmate who is only interested in her for one thing but it’s not what you think and a writing professor who wants her to expand her writing outside of fanfiction. Plus, a dad who is not coping so well now he’s on his own and absent mother who wants back in her life. Phew!

I loved Cath from the get-go, she is a girl after my own fangirl heart, we may obsess over different things – I don’t write or read fanfiction but I understand why people do – but both our obsessions make the real world a bit more bearable. She is so realistically drawn (as are all the characters) that as a fellow introvert, it is easy to connect with her. I adored Levi (the roommate’s always there boyfriend) and I want one for myself, he is just simply, well, adorable. It took a little while for me to warm up to Cath’s twin Wren and her roommate Reagan, but once I did, I loved them too.

I really liked how important relationships were in this book - parent/child, siblings, friends and lovers. Her relationship with her dad is so cute; I wish the relationship with my dad was like that. As much as Cath could happily shut herself off from the real world and only having contact with her dad and sister, she learns that she needs other people – real life people.

The character growth for Cath was realistic – she didn’t suddenly become an extrovert but she did slowly come out of her shell, although not all the way, which again is realistic. Speaking of slow developing, the romance was also on slow boil and was super sweet.

I also really liked that every chapter ended with either an excerpt from a Simon Snow novel or from Cath’s own fanfiction. It was like a story within a story, a story that I wish was real because I really like Baz – Simon Snow’s nemesis, roommate and maybe lover.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves contemporaries, coming of age stories, romances and books with socially awkward characters. If you read and loved Eleanor and Park by Rowell, you will love this too.

Thank you Rainbow Rowell, for your wonderful books and your real and relatable characters.

FIVE STARS

What I Bought: March 2014 Book Haul

I only straight up paid for two books last month and they are Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Serenity Leaves on the Wind #2 comic.
I won The Serpent of Venice from a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway and I will be reading it soon so I can post a review before its release date.
The rest of the books I bought with the credit I got from trading in some textbooks through Amazon.
So I spent less than £10 on books in March, which is fantastic for my bank account ;-)

Oh! I almost forgot, I also bought Red Glove by Holly Black and This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel, both brand new and only £1 each.

What I Read: March Wrap-Up

As March was the last month of my first year at university, it was very busy indeed. Therefore I did not get in as much reading as I would have liked. I read 5 books for school and only one for myself and that one I only managed to find time for was by reading it on the bus to uni.


News from Nowhere and The Time Machine were both for my Victorian Lit module, as we were discussing utopias and dystopias. I liked The Time Machine much more than News From Nowhere, as it was not only more scifi-ish but a lot more happens.

I found Invisible Cities beautifully written but incredibly boring. I read it for my Creative Writing module, to help give an idea in how to write in a postmodern way. Did it help? Not really.

I read The Things They Carried for American Lit and I loved it, it is the best thing I have read for the whole module. I even wrote an essay on it and I still love it, thats says a lot because usually writing an essay on something makes me hate it (or at least like it less).

Small Island just may be the most mainstream book I read for university this year. I read it for my Post-War and Contemporary Lit class while we were looking at postcolonialism. I love the book and really enjoyed studying postcolonialism - so much that I am doing a whole module on it next year.

The one book I read that is not for school is Half Bad by Sally Green and I really enjoyed this and already posted a review.









Even though I have finished all my classes, I still have one more essay to write and two exams to revise for, plus I am moving house and will be looking for a job. Therefore, I won't have loads of free time but just enough to get in a lot more reading than I have had since I started university. So hopefully there will be quite a few more posts going up. Happy April everyone.

Review: Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad (#1 Half-Life) by Sally Green
Published March 3rd 2014 by Penguin 

Goodreads Synopsis: Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

                                                       Easy.

My Review: I bought this book because it has been super hyped on BookTube and also, I love the cover. Is it worth the hype, um? Tough one. It is a good book, I really did enjoy it, and I read it in just a couple of sittings and was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it. So maybe, read it and decide for yourself.

Half-Bad tells the story of Nathan, a half-code witch – his mother is a white witch and his father a black witch. This does not bode well for him, as the council of white witches pretty much hate anything to do with black witches. White witches are supposed to be the good guys and black witches are the bad guys, but it doesn’t take too long to find out that this distinction is not so black and white (like what I did there?).

My least favourite thing about the book is the ending; it is anti-climactic and doesn’t feel like the end at all. I know it is the first in a trilogy but there is just no closure, not even a cliff-hanger. I guess this lack of closure will ensure that I will pick up and devour the second book (Half-Wild) as soon as it is released. Something that other readers seem to have a problem with in this book, is the couple of places where it is written in 2^nd person and how slow it is to get going but neither of these bother me. I found the 2^nd person POV interesting and the slow and steady start allowed me to really get to know Nathan and his world.

I loved Nathan as a character, he isn’t some whiny little brat who just complains about what’s happening to him, well, he does a little bit but that is highly understandable. I really connected with him and I felt so bad for everything that was happening to him; I wanted to swoop in and rescue the poor fella. I think he reacted to his ill treatment in a more realistic manner than some protagonists in other books, where they just take everything in their stride.

A couple of thing that separate this book from a slew of other YA novels, aside from the male protagonist,  is that there is no insta-love or a love triangle. The romance is slowly developed, naturally and they are friends for a long time before they become a couple. It makes a nice change to read about two people coming together in a realistic manner.

Overall, I real enjoyed this book and I look forward to continue Nathan’s story. I hope he gets a happy ending – he deserves it.