DAY 08: Illness... pain and nanowrimo prep

Hi guys,

 

So I've had three days where I've been ill as hell, been trapped in my bed pondering over different story ideas and directions for NaNoWriMo.

 

Okay so I haven't written anything on my computer for two days (a bit about the first day in a moment), but I have penned a few ideas into the dream notepad I keep securely hidden near my pillow (okay inside my pillow where they wouldn't take it from). These include a dragon story idea (full novel) and a few additional books for after nanowrimo book is complete (think additional characters and combining storylines).

 

But that first day something magical happened, I completed a chapter by chapter breakdown of my NaNoWriMo novel and started breaking this down into scenes with points of view (because I randomly decided at 3am that I wanted three main points of view and an occasional extra point of view) and some kickass assassins and an extra main character... who is now getting slightly more page time than Cinderella herself (need to fix that).

 

So guys, I haven't forgotten my challenge, I'm just focusing on my NaNoWriMo prep for a little while because I'm in 'that kind of zone'.

 

Helen x  

Day 005: NaNoWriMo Prepping!

Hello my lovely readers,

Well today I don't bring you a crappy little clipping of a story/ scene/ random collaboration of sentences and bring you the first instalment of my NaNoWriMo 2015 prep.

Okay, today isn't the first time I have worked on this particular idea in the past couple of days... its basically all I've worked on, hence the crappy start to Challenge 100. But it will not be in vein.

I have drafted out a plan. This plan is of epic proportions and will hopefully produce a heaping pile of 50,000 half usable words by the end of November. Well to tell you the truth there is already 1000 words of prep (on storyline only... a lot more if you include character prep... but more on that in a later post!), which you will (hopefully) know, that I wont be counting towards NaNoWriMo word goal!

So I have started my idea, I got the basic outline ready and today I started using two outlining methods... because I be crazy like that. Firstly the snow-flaking method and secondly a 3 act, 9 block, 27 chapter set-up. There are loads of really useful explanations out there on youtube, in particular check out Katytastic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ryXJ18eUp8) for the 3 Act set-up using Scrivner and Catrina of The Little Book Owl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvVz6R0_UzE) for the snowflake method.

They work surprisingly well together!

More about this later next month.

So my little synopsis of what to expect of my novel during the month of November:

Introducing Princess Cinderella, who when faced with marrying Prince Chaldry in order to ensure peace between two kingdoms, refuses. After always feeling weak because of her amputation, Cinderella decides that it is about time she stood her ground and says that she is not marrying for anything but love. She didn't expect to be kidnapped for saying no... nor did she expect to be turned into a slave for the Prince's twin sisters; one of whom Cinderella begins to feel more emotions than she had ever felt before. However, a beautiful face doesn't mean a beautiful heart and the sisters have something in stall for Cinderella; unless someone can get her away in time... that's if she even wants to leave.

*** Obviously names and other details are subject to change and I would really appreciate respect for my idea and for no-one to use this for their novel (common courtesy and all that jazz) ***

If you would like to here more about my fairy-tale retelling then don't forget to hit the follow button, let me know you like it with the +1 button and pop me a comment below.

I would love to hear about your ideas for NaNoWriMo, if your brave enough to share.

Loves, Helen x

Day 004: Aftermath

My knees buckled beneath me, heaving me down onto the sticky concrete. My muscles gave in to the burn seeping from my veins. The flames consuming my lungs licked at my throat begging for the contents of my stomach to cool them.

But now wasn't the time for tears and sickness.

Now was the time to get up and run.

Run against the burn.

Run away from the six bodies that now flooded the concrete with their blood.

I could suddenly feel every ounce of weight within my hand, every crease of the handle; suddenly I could feel the ripples in the air as the blade pushed against the cold damp air. Through the rivulets of blood covering the blade, the dance of the moonlight flickered up onto my face.

I pushed further, it wasn't far until I got there.

Sliding the doors open, everyone in the station stopped and stared. With single glances at the blade in my hand, several reach for the guns strapped to their waists but paused as my fingers gave in to the weight.

The clank of metal rang like church bells, drawing me from the shocked faces staring at me.

"Help me." I panted through the burn.

"I just killed six people."




Today's inspiration:

While I was lying in the gym after a gruelling 45 minutes of hell I took time to take in the moment and suddenly this scene came to.

Day 003: Dream Catchers

Work was never 'boring'.

I never left work thinking ugh.

 

I never left work period.

 

That's the problem being a dream catcher, they all think that everyone only dreams while they are asleep. They are all wrong.

 

I hear every thought, by every person. Every moment. Every day.

 

Scanning, watching, waiting for someone to think something prohibited; you see after the rebellion of 3015 the government wanted to make sure no-one could start one again. So many deaths.

 

There's only one mind they couldn't read... mine.

 

They didn't know I had been slowly hacking into each server, one by one, slowly over the last ten years. Slight disruptions that only I could see. That I would notice.

 

And how did I know that I was the only one who noticed?

 

They pay me to make sure. Someone thinks it, I change it to a thought of rebellion and 'goodbye'.

 

Until I was ready to press the master button.

 

Then they would shut up for good.

Day 002: The seductive flicker (Challenge100)

The fire was getting closer, licking away at the fuse, creeping closer to the stores of explosives bottled nearby.

The crowd rallied, they had been waiting for the moment of explosion for months. They had rallied and screamed, and they had organised everything, all we practically did was turn up.

Some members panicked last minute and hadn’t stayed to see it through, giving one excuse or another why they didn’t want to be here.

Of course it was a big thing but that’s what we wanted really, something big… something to remember.

Seconds passed, the damp autumnal air had slowed the fuse; the usual fast flick of light now crawled along the line, seducing the damp concrete as it danced towards the dirt.

The flame disappeared; a breath was all we had to wait until the sound of the drum-splitting explosion escaped through the clinging air. We watched.

Partners grabbed each other’s arms.

Parents held their children close.

A chorus of gasps, orchestrated by the dance of the colours overhead.

Once the colours stopped, the crowd erupted for more.

A bonfire night to remember.

DAY 001: Mr Lego

Hiding behind some of the rust covered machinery, the pain didn’t appear for a minute at least; it was the swell of oozing warmth that drew his attention to the hole which had formed in his stomach. How did he get here?

They came in the middle of the night, all in black, professional and hired.

Answer phone was all he received after glancing at the blood covered images of his Abbey that now filled his phone. It had to be a joke he begged myself.

His house phone rang with clarity.

“You want her alive yes.” The voice was cloaked with the familiar hum of a voice changer; he could almost make out the brand.

“Of course.” Hands shaking but his voice remained calm.

“Bring the drive.” What the hell was he on about? What drive?

“Is she okay?” She was kidnapped by psychotic monsters, of course she wasn’t okay.

Abbey’s voice echoed through the phone. “Mr Lego, McGee.” Her voice muffled against the sound of restraint once more.

“Where?” They rung off the address of some warehouse where they’d both be shortly killed. 

He toyed with the Lego key-ring before realising which key it held. The key to the gun box hidden in the wardrobe, only Abbey new it was there. Now he knew.

He was expected, so of course they didn’t lock anything. Sneaking in through a back window McGee could see everything, everything except Abbey. The glock fit his hand well, only Abbey knew that he had taken a lesson or two on how to use it.

He didn’t want to kill any of them, but he wasn’t about to let them kill Abbey, his Abbey. One at a time they fell, kicking their semi-automatics out of reach before moving on to the next; years of playing spy games were finally making themselves useful. Pausing only to reload. Often. Apparently his aim was better in the game, but still.

So now he stood, with a hole in his stomach staring at the man who took his Abbey; his face rougher than his voice sounded. Nothing about him looked like a hit-man, he wanted to be professional but he knew this was a game for bigger fish and was regretting every move.

“Braver than I thought.” He started, going on about his stupidity, McGee couldn’t focus on a word he said as the moment sank in, Abbey was tied to a chair but the gun pointed at her temple wasn’t. He talked for too long. As he turned his back, McGee fired.

As McGee reached his Abbey, stumbling and bloody; without even untying her, he grabbed her face between his hands and planted his lips on hers. Her shaking stopped, and even with her hands bound behind her, she reached for him. Now she really was his Abbey.

Mr Lego wasn’t even the drive.

100 day writing challenge

Hello my lovely readers,

I know I was a bad blogger and disappeared (again!) but it wasn't for long this time, we all know that work can get a little hectic sometimes and its just been one of those times. But I'm back with a personal challenge!

Recently I have found myself writing more and more, from novels (more about these in a later post) to articles, to short stories. I've even started dabbling in flash fiction (for those unaware, this is the art of telling a story in less than 500 words, sometimes with less than 100; you get the picture). Scribbling potential storylines on pieces of paper, drafting out random scenes with the hope of gathering enough that I can pull together a publishable novel or anthology of short stories.

But never consistency!

So here's the plan, for the next 100 days [Today being September 12th 2015, ending on December 20th 2015] I plan on writing a minimum of 100 words a day. These 100 words can be on anything I want, (once my Master's Degree has begun, words written for assignment and/or revision will not count) majority of which will consist of random scenes, flash fiction and extremely short stories.

I have got a few longer short stories I want to work on in this time also, so rewrites are permitted, however words only count if they are totally new elements (not just changing a sentence around or sorting punctuation, but adding sections or replacing sections count towards daily word goal).

I may even try my hand at poetry (and everyone laugh... I'm as poetic as a stinky old boot... truly).

Now within this time scale a very happy (if not totally bonkers, stressful and slightly homicide inducing) time period is found... NaNoWriMo!!!

I do plan on participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and so towards the end of October plans about the Novel will be creeping into my word goals. Obviously during the month long event, my daily word goal will be slightly higher than 100 words... try 1,667 words to be precise (but like a lot of people participating, my goal will be 2000 as its a slightly more round number...if not still insane).

How will this effect my blog I hear you all cry... buzz goes the computer... for these 100 days I plan on posting my writing on here EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! Yes that's right ladies and gentlemen. You're getting commitment to one post a day for 100 days!

I will be posting every piece of writing I complete during this challenge... with the exception of NaNoWriMo, during November I will be summarising the contents of what I completed each day with the addition of revealing more about the Novel, its characters, feelings, plans... the works; you'll see me win or lose, but you will see me to the very end.

Now I know that this is a lot of writing... but all I ask of you my lovely readers; is that you read, if you can think of improvements please pop them in the comment section below. I do take all suggestions (good, bad and ugly) into consideration and they do help shape each piece I work on (remember the 'running shoes' post apocalyptic short story... its currently being reworked, extended and honed using the feedback I received after posting it on here!). Share the bahgebbers out of each one and don't forget to click the little follow button over there so you get them straight away.

So will you take up the challenge (obviously change the rules to what suits your current situation)? Pop a link to your blogs below this post so I can follow and we can keep each other supported!

Day 001 writing to follow shortly!

Loves you all,
Helen x

Are we addicted to buying books?

As a psychology student I have studied psychological addiction and although addiction can bring images of drug and alcohol abuse, it is important to remember that you can be addicted to just about anything... and something I have found crossing my mind more and more over the last few months is whether we are becoming a community addicted to buying books? Lets have a closer look at addiction and see whether the patterns can be found in some of our book buying habits (as noted from the 'booktube' community and other reading related blogs- no specific people or persons).

 

Firstly many people will be wondering what I mean by addiction? Definitions alter depending where you are from, whether you are looking at medical definitions, psychological definitions or general knowledge definition...

 

 

As you can see from the definition above, there are levels to addiction and some book buying habits can easily fit these; when comparing some book buying habits in the booktube community it is clear that they are enthusiastically devoted to buying books (rooms dedicated to books... buying multiples of the same book... not being able to stop buying books).

Now some members of our growing community buy books when they need to read them, reading the books they own and then buying more; can we classify these as addicts? In comparison to those who buy books when they have hundreds left to read, we cannot; they buy with perceptive 'necessity' and not for the sake of buying books. Those who buy books when they have many left to read can be classified as hoarding, collecting and becoming emotionally attached to objects;  buying books when they have little or no room, financial supplies, because 'its a good buy' or because its an author that you have loved before.

So my question is, are the book buying habits of those we idolise online damaging our ideas  on how many books we should own? This question first crossed my mind when I wanted to post my first book haul and felt really bad and stupid for only having three books to haul; comparing that to the 20+ that those in the booktube community haul on a regular basis made my haul feel un-necessary and pointless.

 

Above is a commonly accepted breakdown of how addiction is kept 'alive' within sufferers, known as the 'cycle of addiction'. Although it is difficult to determine where the cycle begins, 'fantasizing' is often an accepted started point; each stage can be seen across the many participant of  booktube and also the book blogging world.

 

1. Fantasizing: We compare our own book buying to others and wish we had the amount they did (unhealthy comparison).
2. Obsessing: We watch constantly, know what they are buying and how often, where they are buying and as much information as possible.
3. Substance abuse: We snap and begin buying more books that we would originally.
4. Loss of control: Find yourself buying books daily, browsing for constant deals and find this becomes an automatic element of your shopping life (mainly online but less often can be within bookstores).
5. Guilt: This usually happens when the books have arrived and you look back at how much money you have spent on them.
6. Cessation of use: The well-known book buying ban, people placing themselves on harsh controls of no book buying for either a period of time or until they reach a specific goal (usually to read a certain percentage of their tbr).
7. Passage of time: During the book buying ban, attempting to avoid books, usually done buy avoiding the internet or certain websites.
8. Internal frustration: This is often found on a forced book buying ban, where you add books to wishlists and wait for the book buying ban to end.
9. And we return to fanaticising but about the end of the book buying ban...

 So its clear from the stages of addiction that many book buying habits can be seen as addicting, however, we can argue that the industry wants us to be addicted to buying books (money... money... money) and so they release ways to combat the common reasons people put themselves on book buying bans... space. Generally guilt starts to appear when a person realises that they are surrounded by unread books, so a great way to combat this is to place them all inside a small portable device which takes up less space than a single book and can hold more books that the British Library. Ask yourself, do you feel the same when you see your kindle with 300+ books and when you look at your bookshelves and see 100 unread books? No not really do you.

 

From the comparison to the library, it is clear that book buying habits can easily be associated with the demise of the library; people would prefer to buy books online and get them delivered to their house or kindle than order from the library and have to return it after. We are a materialistic society that values possession over knowledge, and that fact is becoming depressing.

 

So, should we stop buying books? Should we all get rid of our kindle-like devices and only read out of the library? No I don't believe that we should, I believe that we should break the cycle of addiction found within the book buying community, that we should invest more into our libraries but at the same time, without buyers the book industry as a whole will collapse.

 

As many betting adverts advice...

 

When it stops being fun... stop!

Running shoes

No one suspected that the bees would leave, well that’s a lie really; the really smart people noticed that they were leaving, but they were the people everyone else ignored because it wasn’t cool to listen to them. I mean since when is a high school jock going to listen to a scientist locked in a chemistry lab surrounded by books, nope they would be out drinking, partying and generally ruining their lives with horrendous one-night stands, that’s exactly what I was like… ‘was’ being the operative word.

I was dumb, you have to admit it from time to time or you just get arrogant, and trust me when I say that an arrogant jock isn’t exactly a pleasant experience for anyone. My dad once told me that I had one of two choices, work hard in class and get into an ivy league college, or be exceptional at football and get a free pass… okay it wasn’t the best advice in the world but let’s face it, I’m crap at math. So football became my life, training, pep rallies and all the cool stuff that comes from being scouted. After each great performance on the field was the after party, after the after party, well that’s when I would have my head in a toilet and coach would scream something along the lines of “Your ruining your god damn life!” or “Get yourself together or I swear you’ll never kick another football!” Excellent motivation right there…

Okay, I admit that when the world started to die I didn’t notice; I mean it was all over the T.V. but since when did I have time to sit and watch something that wasn’t football? Apparently it started with the flowers, crops started to fail and generally nature was screwed; ironic really, vegans were always preaching about one thing or another, saying they were going to save the world… and they were the first to starve. Man, I have a screwed up mind sometimes.

Well you can imagine the uproar when supermarkets couldn’t get stock because… well the stock was dead. People were panic buying left right and centre; even the church… that reminds me… no maybe another time… right now I’m being chased… why can I not focus today?

I had to get out of the high street, I should know better than to gather here anyway; too many hunters, too dangerous and the others needed me. There were a few shops left and then I could take a sharp right and scale the alley to higher ground, they couldn’t scale like I could.

Their footsteps were a few paces behind me, stumbling left and right carelessly as they tried to keep up. The sound of bare feet hitting the floor wasn’t the nicest sound, the rough pavement ate at the feet worse than the hunters do.

That reminds me, I need new shoes; if the gang expect me to run for the last scraps of food they need to provide better gear. Oh maybe now is a good time to mention the problem? Your probably wondering what they hell is chasing me bare-foot through this ghost town. Yeah sounds about good right here, I’ll scale this, and you catch up with what happened to this god-forsaken world.

See people change when they are hungry, a friend becomes an enemy and a loved one becomes your next meal. Everyone was talking about it at school, we all knew that cannibals existed but there were like four across the whole of the United States, right? But somewhere in Texas a farmer killed his wife; apparently he went a bit crazy and ate her because the last of his cattle died. The teachers said he was a one off, but then more people started doing it; people were too weak to fight them off and soon they were hunting each other. Wonderful.

Well, then everyone started getting the idea, but the hunters were changing; they were like wild animals. One came into the school on the last day they let us in; he went from room to room tearing people to pieces. Running came in useful that day, I climbed out of the window as he came crashing through our classroom door; I managed to get four more people out of the room. I only looked at him once that day, the colour of his eyes were weird; like they had leaked into the white.

From the roof of Maccies I recognised all of the eyes staring up at me, swirls of green and blue blurring in with the white; their mouths frothing and snapping at me, wild dogs had a more pleasant appearance. None of them could climb, I had ran into these twats before; they’ve been hunters’ for a while now and each time they got a little slower, their eyes lost a little more white… they lost a little bit of human each day… and we get a little bit closer to being able to kill em.

Judging a book by the movie cover...

As you flick through the movie listings of the last few years, more and more book to movie adaptations are being created... of course these are bound to happen as some of the best movies ever created were adaptation!

 

But when I talk to the people in my life, comparing the movie to the book I am often met with stares of confusion and annoyance; often coupled with 'why would I read the book when I've already seen the movie?'... and this is beginning to annoy me... a lot!

 

Now its clear that it is easier for a person to sit and watch a one and a half hour movie compared to sitting for several (if not more) hours reading the intricate details of the novel, but there is only so much information they can fit into those precious minutes... whereas a book, the possibilities are endless. A scene that lasts an entire chapter in a novel may only get a two minute (or less) slot in the novel; how could they do that scene justice?

 

Okay, book to movie adaptations are often done after great success of a book; so clearly producers are listening to the demands of the public in the books they are reading and what they want to see in the movie. Buying a book is like voting for what you want to be made into a movie... and that's how a book like 'fifty shades' makes a quick (and may I say shoddily made) movie, whereas books that took longer to create the needed hype (such as Maze Runner) took much longer to grab the attention of the producers, which leads me to another problem....

 

Hypes, movie production follows them as well as readers; following trends in book sales and fandoms. But when the hype gets so great that the movie doesn't do the hype justice problems happen for both the film and the book, pre-readers complain about the movie which makes the non-readers think the movie is rubbish... which lead them to believe that the book is rubbish and they steer clear... nobody wins.

 

A great example of this is the 'Insurgent Movie' (Second Instalment of The Divergent Trilogy), due to the deviation from the original storyline the book-lovers hated it (majority thereof) which made other not want to go near either the book or the movie.

 

So I guess my problem is that they are not giving the books a chance any more, watching a movie before reading the book and literally judging the book by the movie cover.

Should we take time to read low star books?

Since starting this blog, one consistent element of how I review the books I have read is by using a star rating system; ranking books on a five point scale, with 5 stars representing the best possible books and one star representing books that don't hold my attention... but does this help or hinder the book market?

Now, of course, everyone is open to their own view of books on the market; and once you have these opinions you can express them how you like (legally of course), but is rating a book badly in your opinion stopping other people from reading them... even if they may in fact like them?

I am starting to think that rating books the way majority of reviewers do is beginning to make a cliché, where readers are only buying the books rated highly by their favourite reviewers without considering what they may find in the book that the reviewer did not. This all came about from a recent comment on my most recent review; Sofia (Bookish Wanderess9) said how the book 'sounded incredible' but that she  was 'sorry it didn't turn out to be as good'; making me think that giving the book three stars had somehow tainted its chances of being read. Even though many of the reasons I lowered the star rating was because of personal preferences in a book?

 

Of course, star ratings can be important; when your deciding which book to buy or what book to pick up next, referring to a star rating may in fact, make the decision an easier one. But, saying that; I would definitely recommend looking at several reviews, some by reviewers that you know and regularly visit, but also reviewers that may not have crossed your path before... you never know whether your tastes are different from the reviewers you always turn to... and you never knew that your tastes are different because you have always relied on their opinions.

 

Okay, I obviously still want readers to value the reviews I post but I also want to encourage people to read books to form their own opinions... even if I find a book slow or confusing, you may not.  Now we may think 'why waste our time on 1 star books?' Clearly someone would like it or it wouldn't make it into the bookstores or published for that matter... so please give it a chance.

REVIEW: Branded by Abi Ketner (minor spoilers)

Branded

(The Sinners Series 1)

Abi Ketner

Star rating: 3 stars

One word review: Predictable

Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness.

Brutal and savage violence.

Excruciating pain.

Every day is a fight for survival.

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

So this book had so much potential, I mean come on... you have sins and branding... but not everything hit the target.

Okay, so when the book starts its really fast paced... I mean you have gun fights, arrests and some of the best character introductions of all time; the first 100 pages get your heart pumping... like really. But then something happens and the book looses its mogo, goes from being a fast paced page turner to being a bedtime read used to lull yourself into a sleep. Now I don't know whether this was from knowing how predictable some of the turns would be but nothing seemed to be catching.

First thing, the love scenario... more predictable than anything; I mean a girl gets arrested and branded as being a 'slut' forced to live in a hole with the rest of the condemned but then she falls in love with guard sent to watch her and they start a secret love affair that puts them both in mortal danger.

The we have the people in command... from the get go you can almost predict who it will be, they introduce the bad guy too early and its pretty clear from the nightmares and hints that this will be the guy, however they do manage to throw a little surprise in there which was nice.

Now the ending of this book is that similar to the ending of Divergant that its hard not to comment, the start of a revolution... someone special on the run with the person she wasn't meant to love but does anyway... cliché is an understatement.

There were several elements of the book that I really did like, the main one being the nature of the dog; a guard dog that enjoys playing in rubbish and getting tangled in all things sticky. I love how he's portrayed and how he is worked into the storyline. Beautiful, just a shame the same attention wasn't placed with the human characters, whom I found wanting in specific elements of 3d'ness'.

Now there are trigger warnings on this book as it contains some disturbing scenes, so if rape, child illness, terminal illness and abuse are triggers for you, I would suggest giving this book a bit of a wide berth as these are found throughout.  

Overall, the book was okay... mediocre... would have been brilliant if they had kept the pace of the first half of the book and made things less cliché but sometimes you need a little predictability in your life I suppose.

I'm back... again (booktubeathon)

Guys I've been away, and I'm not sure how many of you have noticed but hey-ho...

So what have you been doing I hear you cry... finishing my Degree in Psychology is the basic answer, but then there is a lot more to it than that! Writing essays, applying for different post grad courses (of which I got my first choice... yey!) and generally not reading for fun. *boo!*

However on youtube I discovered that this week was #BookTubeAThon and well I haven't missed a BookTubeAThon for a few years so I frantically picked up a book and began to read... oh how I have missed reading.

Well today marks the 5th day of BookTubeAThon and frankly I am appalled at how much I have complete... 2.5 books! However when you consider that I didn't start until Tuesday evening and yesterday was spent preparing my bedroom for a post-grad course (hello textbooks) I'm not surprised its so little... but here's what I have been reading so far this week:

• The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins (To read someone elses favourite book)
• The Novice by Taran Matharu (To read a book with blue on the cover and to read a book by an author who shares the first letter of their last name with you)

Books I have started:

• Magyk by Sage (To read your most recently acquired book)
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (To read what you really want to read)
• Frozen by Mellissa De La Cruz (To read a book with blue on the cover)

Other books I plan on tackling (or at least trying to):

• Looking for Alaska by John Green (To read a book in one sitting)
• The Young Elites by Marie Lu (To read 7 books)

So my challenge for this BookTubeAThon is totally unrealistic and frankly I know that I am not going to complete it... but I'm going to try. I am over half way complete with 'Magyk' and both 'Frozen' and 'The Lost Hero' are both in the 'early stages'... lets say.

Happy BookTubeAThon and my the odds be ever in your favour!

#crushyourtbr and RYBSAT TBRS!

So I missed the Bout of Books 13.0... because I'm bad with dates! Okay... so I'm going to participate in the other glorious read-a-thons over the next week+ weekend!

So first is #crushyourtbr running from Friday 15th May till Sunday 17th May 2015 and I have decided to take two books that I am currently reading and another book from my TBR. Now I would have taken on more but I am completing my last assignment and I do need to dedicate a bit of time for that this weekend! However, its due in early next week so my RYBSAT TBR is more challenging!

Firstly I plan on completing 'Deep Blue' by Jennifer Donnelly, I am currently on page 221 from 336, so I am hoping to complete this today. 'Deep Blue' is a mermaid novel, which I think is amazing; however I am currently struggling because the vocabulary is extremely difficult, in ways I don't think that really needs it. So I have just over 100 pages to read and that should really get done today... assignment and work or not!

Secondly, I plan on finishing 'The Invisible Library' by Genevieve Cogman, I am currently on page 236 of 329; so come on this will either get complete on the Friday or the Saturday morning. Now this is a very unique novel, mainly because its about librarians that travel between alternative dimensions to collect books; although I have some problems with this book, I am really enjoying it!

Finally, I plan on starting and hopefully completing The Selection by Kiera Cass, at 327 pages its not huge but definitely a decent amount!

So, my total page count for #crushyourtbr is 535 pages, however if I get these complete; I do plan on starting the books for RYBSAT tbr.

My RYBSAT tbr:

I have five books I wish to complete within the week.

Firstly is a duology 'Shadowmancer' and 'Wormwood' by G.P. Taylor; I know nothing about these books... but they look amazing! With 'Shadowmance' containing 299 pages and 'Wormwood' being 312 pages, these should be quite quick reads!

Now, I have attempted to start Enclave already this month but I fell into other books, so I plan on completing all 259 pages of this steampunk novel.

I have totally missed the bandwagon for this series, but I need to get on it! The next book I plan on completing is 'Falling Kingdoms' by Morgan Rhodes. At 408 pages, this is the second largest book I plan on taking on for this read-a-thon.

Finally, the last book I want to complete for this read-a-thon is Talon by Julie Kagowa; this dragon book sounds amazing and at 445 pages, its the largest I wish to complete this week.

Now, I also want to 'start' The Hobbit by Tolkein, this will be on my kindle and will only be for when im reading outside of the house. Which wont be very often so I don't believe that I will complete this book.

So in total, I plan on completing 1723 pages; with the addition of however many I complete of The Hobbit.

So... the main question is... what are you reading for these read-a-thons?!?!?

Upcoming releases for May to August 2015

So I have been looking at some of the releases coming up over the next few months and have decided on my top new releases... for me... now there are plenty of amazing books being released but I didn't want this to be a mile long... and I wanted to choose the books I really wanted to read!

So lets get into the list:

May

Title: End of Days (Penryn and The End of Days #3)
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: 12th May 2015
Publisher: Skyscape

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

Although the first two of this epic trilogy are on my TBR pile for June, I plan on marathoning the entire trilogy.

June

Title: The Witch Hunters
Author: Virginia Boecker
Publication Date: 2nd June 2015
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young People

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

Now, who doesn't love a good witch book? This feels like a breath of fresh air in this growing area of YA, and I really hope, as a debut, it doesn't disappoint!

July

Title: The Invasion of the Tearling (Queen of the Tearling #2)
Author: Erica Johansen
Publication Date: 16th July
Publisher: Harper Collins
 

With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the Tearling. By stopping the shipments of slaves to the neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne, she crossed the Red Queen, a brutal ruler whose power derives from dark magic, who is sending her fearsome army into the Tearling to take what is hers. And nothing can stop the invasion.

But as the Mort army draws ever closer, Kelsea develops a mysterious connection to a time before the Crossing, and she finds herself relying on a strange and possibly dangerous ally: a woman named Lily, fighting for her life in a world where being female can feel like a crime. The fate of the Tearling —and that of Kelsea’s own soul—may rest with Lily and her story, but Kelsea may not have enough time to find out.

When I read the first instalment of this series I wanted more... in fact I begged for more because it was amazing! Unique, intriguing and down-right fast paced! If you want to get into fantasy but don't want to tackle a book the size of 'Game of Thrones', then this is the series for you!

August

Title: Mechanica
Author: Betsy Cornwell
Publication Date: 4th August 2015
Publishers: Clarion Books

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

I am on a fairytale hype at the moment, and although this sounds awfully similar to cinder... I am hoping for a brand new take on it!

REVIEW: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini... what a way to start a series!

Trial by Fire

Worldwalker Series Book 1

Jospephine Angelini

Star rating: 4 stars!

One Word review... spectacular!

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

 

 

Now I don't quite now how to group this book... is it fantasy? is it paranormal? Dystopian maybe? Maybe its just the perfect mix of all of them... with a bit of teenage romance confusion thrown in there for good measure! Actually, although this book does contain some romance, it isn't the forefront plot which makes the story unique in YA at the moment.

This books starts a series wonderfully, there is a tonne of world building, character building and a fast pace plot hat keeps you turning the page because you just have to know what happened next! Although some things could have been done better (lets face it, there are not many 100% perfect books out there), there were some absolutely mind-blowing elements!

 

Okay, so first thing... witches that can travel between dimensions?!? Let me hit you with that again! WITCHES THAT CAN TRAVEL BETWEEN DIMENSIONS! Oh, sweet lordy lord, this threw me and bam I was hooked on this book!

 

Now the main character Lily has come from a world like ours, where there is no magic and no witches; but she gets world walked into another world... where science was replaced with the witches magic and scientists are hunted in the same way witches were hunted in Salem. Talking of Salem, in both worlds, the characters are taken to Salem... can there not be witches in places other than Salem? Working on the Salem theme, Josephine took the horror of burning during the witches trials into a source of power... absolutely beautiful.

 

Now there are some really predictable elements of the book, the rebellion and the betrayal, of course there are going to be those elements and of course Lily becomes the head of this rebellion! Now Lily has to fight someone and who better than herself; there is a Lily in this world, but this Lily has turned evil and deranged, going by Lillian; she is actively hunting and slaughtering scientists or anyone who isn't reliant on her magic!

 

Now there are two companion characters that definitely need a mention here, firstly Tristan... an obnoxious oaf in both worlds, who believes that if he doesn't verbally commit to someone, he can do what the hell he likes, and to be fair it was starting to really get to be when he was exactly the same in the second world... even if he a little more open. However as this is the start of a series, he has a lot of time to make this up and become awesome.

 

The second companion is definitely Rowan... now Rowan is dark and mysterious... and slightly dangerous enough to snap Lily's ankle and make her try and walk on it... yeah that kind of dangerous. The only thing that got to me about Rowan was how close he was to the evil Lillian but after causing this Lily so much pain (physical and emotional), but of course she fell in love with him. She had to and it was annoying because it would have been amazing without it!

 

Now there is an element of the magic system that I am craving, its called mind-speak, where the two connected people cannot lie or even deceive the other while in mind-speak... oh and siblings can do it without the use of magic! Awesome!

 

Lily went through some humungous changes during this book, from a weak young girl, where everything in the air wants to kill her, to the most powerful witch... and that's my problem right there! In the weeks that followed her joining the new world, this Lily managed to learn what the Lillian of that world had taken all of her life to complete and even more. Its just too quick! Way to quick! Why make her so powerful at the start of the series... surely she needs to get more powerful?!?

 

On a side note, this book does contain LBGTQ characters, however for once this was not the focus of the scene, no-one could even tell that this character was gay until his boyfriend was introduced, and it got all of a lines attention before something terrible happened and no one even cared anymore... no making them special because they were homosexual... it was done beautifully.

 

Now if you love the sound of this book I also highly recommend the Half-Bad series!

 

May TBR

Okay,

So I am back and blogging properly and wanted to start with my epic TBR for this month; and okay its a bit insane for me. Since the end of my academic year is here, I have more time to read and I am so grateful, I haven't really had time over April to get much (or any) reading done! So I am playing severe catch-up with my yearly aim of reading 60 books... so to get back or near to my target for this year, I plan on completing 14 books this month, plus a few extra if possible! So lets have a brief look:

1. Stitching snow by R.C Lewis
2. Branded by Abi Kenter
3. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini
4. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
5. Outpost by Ann Aguirre
6. Horde by Ann Aguirre
7. Falling kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
8. The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski
9. The Selection by Kiera Cass
10. Talon by Julie Kagowa
11. Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
12. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
13. Shadowmancer by J.P. Taylor
14. Wormwood by J.P. Taylor

Well I know that this post is a week or so late, but with Uni being the way it is I am swamped with assignments, so some of these books have already been completed... aka the ones cross out! So far I am really enjoying this months books and cannot wait to get back into reading!

So let me know what your reading, I am aiming to get my TBR shelves down to less than 50 books by Christmas... so you guessed I am on a book buying ban! I don't really do haul blogs anymore but I have hauled over 100 really amazing books over the last few weeks and they are gonna last me a while.

Wish me luck,
Helen

So where have i been...

Well Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

I know I am later back than I first thought and that is for one main reason, illness. As I said before I abruptly disappeared, I travelled with my hockey team to the heat-wave that is Spain... and let me put it this way... Spain is not forgiving on those that burn!

 

So I got to Spain and we played hockey (and won!!- Hurray!) and then I woke up on the third day and I could hardly move... I had three things! Firstly, I was burnt from top to toe and I don't mean a little red... I mean full on overnight blisters! This hurts.... like screaming with pain hurt!

 

Secondly I had sun stroke!!! Apparently the popular combination of alcohol and beautiful sunny weather doesn't agree with me and extreme dehydration and sun stroke... fun.

 

And here's the lingering part... I also have pneumonia... what I thought was a chesty cough has turned into hell and after blood tests and x-rays I'm now on course of treating this vile thing!

 

So with those three bed-ridden side-effects of Spain you would think I'd have read my entire bookshelf... nope... I have completed A song of Ice and Fire book #1 Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. And what a corker to keep me going! I loved every page of this!

 

Now I have seen the T.V. series adaptation... and for once I am so happy with their adaptation... well done HBO! I will be posting a full book review and a adaptation review (probably separately!)

 

Now to read a few shorter books before tackling A Clash of Kings!

 

Loves x

REVIEW: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown didnt light any fires...

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Pages: 419 pages
Star Rating: 3 stars

One word review: Boring

Okay, for a standalone this book really didn't have much going for it, the characters were flat and the little action that happened was poorly written. Now Holly Black is one of my auto-buy authors and I generally love her style of writing, but I just couldn't appreciate this book!

Firstly not much really happened, everyone knew from the beginning what the vampires were like inside the 'coldtowns' and we knew that she would get in and not get out again. There were very few twists in the story and even those were pretty much predicable; this was a real let down because it was hyped up so much!

Secondly the characters had no oomph to them; they were all monotone and pretty much dull, even the 'celebrity' vampires had little going for them, let alone the few human characters.

However the book had so much potential, if it had been worked better then this could have been ground-breaking, unfortunately it fell at the first hurdle.

minor absences...

Hello all my lovely readers,

This is just a little update on what's going on in my life at the moment and why I am away from my blog more than I would like.

Firstly I'm discovering a new way of life, I was a vegetarian when I started this blog however I am transitioning into veganism and this is taking a lot of willpower and focus, especially since I am attempting to loose weight  and increase my fitness. So yes this means early morning runs *in Britain... sigh* and meal prepping galore. This also means that I have less time to read and prepare blog posts since I do this mainly in the morning before lectures begin. However I am hoping that this will soon become routine and will let me free up more time to blog and read.

Secondly I am completing my dissertation for my Degree in Psychology and writing a 10,000 word dissertation is not easy! I have one month left to polish this up and I have done the foolish thing and agreed to several ventures between now and the deadline meaning I have even less time! Sometimes I wonder if I am a gluten for punishment and time restraints?!?

And finally I am going on hockey tour to Spain on Saturday (28th March) and although I am taking at least 5 books *keep your eyes out for this tbr list* I know that I wont be able to blog while I am there...however I will be keeping everyone up to date on Goodreads and Twitter so don't forget to check it out! I plan on tackling one of my challenges I set for the year while I am away and that is to start the Song of Ice and Fire Series, and with a 17+ hour journey each way *yes... we're going by coach!* I plan on getting a tonne read on the actual journeys if I cant while I'm in Spain itself.

So please be patient my lovely readers because I haven't forgotten you, I plan on doing a full run down of my excursions in Spain as soon as I get back; and hopefully a little insight into my personal research project for my dissertation if anyone is interested? I will also have some news on my upcoming choices in my education and career and hopefully have some book hauls and many... many reviews!

Helen x

REVIEW: Shopaholic Ties the Knot

Book: Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Shopaholic #3
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Page Count: 394
Star Rating: 5 Stars!

Picture your typical romance…girls meets boy…girl and boy move in together…girl spends boy’s hard-earned dollar…girl and boy move to New York…girl and boy get married…twice?!

 

By now, we know Becky like the back of our hands, so we should have guessed she would want two weddings! Or does she? When Luke proposes, Becky’s mum (bless her!) wastes no time in booking the local church, and even asks Becky to wear her own sausage-roll wedding dress. Now, Becky admits that her mum looked gorgeous in her wedding pictures, but there is NO chance she’s wearing that…thing!

 

So, as Becky and Luke return home to New York and Becky (naturally) shows off her new, huge, sparkly diamond, Becky’s mum and, of course, Janice from next door, start making all of the arrangements. Becky’s biggest worry seems to be whether to go for swans or Bishop’s hats or the napkins…yeah, right! Luke has arranged for Becky to lunch with Elinor, his natural mother (we know by this point that she’s a complete cow), and Becky is surprised to be introduced to ‘her’ wedding planner! If that ain’t bad enough (like Elinor would really stop there!), the wedding has been booked…at the Plaza Hotel!

 

So, naturally, the first thing Becky does is decide which wedding she wants, and cancels the other *cough*. Nah, we know Bex by now. Of course, both sets of wedding arrangements go ahead, in two countries, for the same day. I ain’t gonna ruin the surprise, but you’ll thank me for that one day…suffice to say, things get messy, but in a style that only Becky seems to possess, all is well at the end of the day!

 

Now, as with Shopaholic Abroad, although Becky is the main character, my heart belongs to another. Michael (Luke’s business buddy) has got to be the best character in this book, with his quiet support, his unwavering loyalty, and the conspiratorial smile he shares with Becky as he conducts the…wedding?...ceremony.

 

A page-turner throughout, Sophie Kinsella just keeps on giving with this instalment of her famous series…stay tuned, folks…it ain’t over yet!