my 2015 year

Hello my beautiful bookworms, 

Welcome back to my blog in 2015; I hope you all had a wonderful christmas and a happy new year. So what is coming up over the next few weeks;

• Weekly tbrs and wrap up posts: Yes this year I plan on doing shorter weekly tbrs and wrap ups to help keep the flow of posts coming onto the blog (because lets admit it, consistency isnt exactly going well for me at the moment). 
• Reviews: I plan on reviewing at least one book a week, however I am looking to my wonderful followers to decide which reviews they want to see; so at the end of every wrap up I would like you to vote on one or more of the books I have read that week for review. 
• Book to movie reviews: I also plan on tackling this area this year, I wanted to start this towards the end of 2014 however with uni and exams I ran out of time. However I am planning on dedicating at least one post a month to reviewing book to movie adaptations. These will be both new and old adaptations; however I have a long list that will hopefully both entertain and intrigue you. 
• Book hauls: I plan on cutting back on my book hauls this year as I have two holidays to pay for and several parties and big birthdays to pay for. However there will be a rather large haul coming up in the next week or so as I have had christmas money and other gifts. 
• read-a-long: I plan on taking part in as many read-a-thons as possible this year, including booktubeathon, readyourbookshelf-athon, I will also be taking part in a year long read-a-long for the cosmere-read-a-long for 11 of Brandon Sanderson's books starting with the mistborn trilogy.
• my goals: I have two goals of 2015 in regards to reading and that is firstly to read more books than I buy and secondly to half my tbr pile (its currently over 100 series and standalones (only counting one per series) so I have a long way to go). 

So here is, my question to you.... how can I make this blog better? Are there posts that I am missing? 

most of all I wish you have a book filled year and you get that tbr pile down x 

December TBR

Hello my lovely readers;

So December has begun and I have a huge reading pile to get through before January... plus a few other things that MUST get done... so lets crack on and get into all the books.

Firstly, the most important thing I must complete this month is my epic first generation pokemon cross stitch; I am aiming to have this complete by the 10th however the 15th is looking more likely due to university and work commitments. So I am currently devoting every waking minute to get stitches into this beast and I will be extremely happy when its done because that means I can read all the books.

After my pokemon project is complete I will be taking a month or two away from cross stitch to focus on my uni work and to focus on getting my enormous tbr pile down... hopefully to below 50 books... but I keep buying books... can someone come and take away my card?!?

So the books...

I plan on participating in the harry-xmas-readathon; if you would like to check out the announcement video of this read-a-thon please follow the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY9c1Fo8F8Q

 

So if you've done that (or are already aware of the read-a-thon) you'll know I plan on rereading all 7 Harry Potter books this month!!!!!

 

So for those who need a recap this is the epic adventure of one Harry Potter who discovers that he is in fact a wizard and is sent off to the magical school which is Hogwarts. Now Hogwarts seems all well and good until you through an evil wizard who both killed Harry's parents and practically took over the magical world! The seven books cover Harry's journey through the years at Hogwarts and his battles with both himself and Voldermort and there is only one way this could end... 8 epic films... that's how it ends!!

 

So yes I plan on reading from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone all the way to the Deathly Hallows... but I also plan on watching each film after reading the book.

 

However this challenge is not the only books I plan on reading... yes I think I have gone a little crazy.

 

To round my TBR list to a nice round 10 books I plan on reading:

• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
  This is an epic adult fantasy based in Scion London, following a 19 year old Paige who is clairvoyant and constantly committing treason... sounds like the start of a very good series.
• Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
  Another first of a series being started here... when I first picked it up I didn't realise it was the start as it was from a charity shop and didn't say it was... not good since I was on a series buying ban at the time... oops.
• VIII by H.M. Castor
  And finally a stand alone historical novel based around Henry the eighth with a magical and dark twist.

So this month is going to be busy... uni... work... stitching... and a tone of reading.... oh and Christmas (nearly forgot Christmas)

 

Would love to know which books you plan on delving into before the end of the year.

 

Good Luck,

Helen x

'Matched' review... no spoilers

'Matched' by Ally Condie

 

So this will be a really quick review because I did not like this book; I finished it but I felt no love for it. I don't feel like anything substantial happened in this book and I just haven't been able to force myself to continue with the series.

 

Matched trilogy, by Ally Condie

Okay, so matched is a dystopian novel set in a world where there is only 100 left of everything cultural; 100 pieces of music, 100 pieces of art... and there is no writing. The art of picking up a pen or pencil and writing your words died when every student received a tablet computer to type instead.

This is Cassis's story of being matched; the society chooses your future partner however you can also choose not to be matched and cannot have children or a wife in the future. So on Cassia's seventeenth birthday she is matched but when things start changing and the truth starts emerging Cassia's life is turned upside down.

However I felt that this book had an abundance of potential however it failed to reach this? I also feel that it has a similar basis to Divergent but they just couldn't pull it off in a unique way.

Parts of this book have stuck with me long after reading but it was the world that has stuck with me and nothing to do with the actual plot... which is extremely disappointing.

I feel that the hype that surrounded this series set it up to fail.

I give matched 2/5 stars because it couldn't hold me and started a really bad reading slump for me. I think this is a book that falls into the category of poor first books; where the focus has been too much on developing the world instead of the plot.

What are your thoughts on this book?

Happy reading

Helen x 



My Current TBR shame

So here is a comprehensive list of all the books on my TBR pile that I need to read... before I should buy any more (but like that is really going to happen... cough.... just placed an order from the book depository):

• The Lord of The Rings Series by Tolkein
• Ravaged/ Cursed by David wellington
• Pendragon legacy by kathrine Roberts
• The Assassins blade/ heir of fire by Sarah J Maas
• Bones of the Lost/ Devil bones by Kathy Reichs
• The Book theif by Zusak
• The Cuckcoo’s calling by Robert Galbraith
• Secrets of Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
• Scarpetta by cornwell
• Fallen be Karin slaughter
• The girl with the dragon tattoo by Larson
• Natural causes by James Oswald
• Big girl by Steel
• Insignia by Kincaid
• Granny by Nicholas fisk
• Sweet venom by childs
• Elites by Natasha ngan
• VIII by Caster
• The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers
• Shatter me/ unravel me by Mafi
• Lionboy by Corder
• The Burning by Jane Casey
• The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs
• The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike
• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
• Panic by Lauren Oliver
• Inquisition by Toby Green
• Thief’s magic by Trudi Canavan
• City of heavenly fire by Cassandra Clare
• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Susan Collins (the last 1.5 books)
• The Poison Study Series by Maria V. Snyder
• Fang by James Patterson
• The Fallen Blade/ The Outcast Blade by Grimwood
• The Finisher by Baldacci
• The Inheritence series (Eragon) by Paolini
• Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
• The Immortal Rules by Kagawa
• House of Night Series by PC Cast (cant remember up to which one I have read so going to start from the beginning)
• Covet/ Crave by JR Ward
• Chocolat by Harris
• If I should die by Amy Plum
• The Demon King by Chima
• The Dark Divine by Despain
• Infinite days/ stolen nights by Maizel

OMG that's a total of 78 books.... ermm that's not good.

What's on your TBR... if not everything what you desperately want to read.

Don't forget to follow, like and leave a comment x

Helen x

So whats been going on...

Firstly I'd like to say a huge sorry to all of you wonderful people that read my blog... because I'm a negligent blogger and have not blogged about books in what feels like an eternity. Well I have a few reasons and these are in no way excuses but they will make it seem a little clearer:

• The start of university: Well I have gone back to university for my final year studying psychology and this entails some rather LARGE pieces of work including one which is a 10,000 word thesis on my area of expertise... as you can imagine this amount of work takes up a lot of time and right now it has to take priority. I haven't spent £9,000 a year to not complete and work my ass off for my final grade!
• Starting work: As many of the earlier posts may have made people aware, I haven't been in work for over 2 years and finally I have started a part time job in a local shop; although its only part time hours they are the usual hours where I find I read the most and hence has really disrupted my routine... but hey... MONEY... you know what that means right?!? Book haul blogs coming your way soon... hope you like.
• Stitching disaster: Well as you know I am also an avid stitcher; and in some ways I am currently more 'addicted' to stitching than reading... dom..dom...dom!!!! However I have undertook a huge piece for Christmas; for a lady who purchased the piece for her son who has 'special needs', I use quotations as I see this as a false label and a way of separating one version of normality from another... lets not start that rant! So as you can imagine I am getting rather close to the deadline and I still have a lot of work left to do and that is taking up the precious minutes I have to myself recently. Once its complete though I plan on slowing my stitching once more and focusing more on my reading and writing... I promise.
• A really big reading slump: Okay, so I know that people have really good motivation all year round for reading... but I've found that after read-a-thons and especially BookTubeAThon I hit a slump and unless I find the perfect book to fill the void immediately after I hit a wall and it can take a while to get out! Well I hit the wall and I hit it hard! To the point that a lot of books got packed away when I questioned why I needed so many? Happy to say I'm clawing my way out of this slump with some magical realism books and some high fantasy books!!!

My current TBR pile consists of two books; one of which I have already completed:

1. 'The Iron Trial' by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare:  This is the first in the 'Magisterium' Series which looks epic; I have completed this book just today and if I could sum it up in a few words it would be 'a dark Harry Potter'.
2. 'The Queen of Tearling' by Erika Johansen: I picked this book up a little time ago after hearing about it across BookTube and I never started it... however after hearing the movie adaptation will be soon I wanted to read it before then... then to make it even more important... Emma Watson will be starring as the main character which is frigging amazing!!!!! I honestly cannot wait for this to happen!

So I know I have just got back from a long break but please click the follow button --> and get my posts as soon as they are posted... please check back as I have several reviews and tbr's and personal challenges for next year; coming up soon.

Happy reading x

P.S. Would love to know what your reading... leave a link to your blogs or videos below and if you haven't got either of those feel free to just say what your reading... or even any views on the books in my TBR pile.

'The Demon Trappers' Series review

'The Demon Trappers' Series by Jana Oliver

 

This series is designed for young adults who are mature and can understand difficult situations; I do not recommend this series for younger readers as it does deal with adult themes and emotions. However; its more about maturity rather than age.

 

'Forsaken'

 

'Kicking hell's ass one demon at a time'

 

 
So I'm not going to put spoilers because this is a really under-rated series that deserves its recognition in YA community; this is the story of a female demon hunter who doesn't kill demons but rather catches and sells them to people who do the dirty work per-sae.

Its been a while since I read these books; as I didn't have a blog when I read them and I am only now slowly getting through some of my recent reads to get up reviews about these books. However I can still relate to Riley as if I had just closed the final page and I can still understand her story.

As a whole this book was a formidable way to start a series; its action packed and full of adventure and emotions; there are parts that really deserve recognition for being unique as well as heart breaking.

The way this book ends reflects the comedy within this series as well as the over-arching plot which is totally bad ass.  

'Forbidden'

 

'Hell has a plan for Riley Blackthorne...'

 



 

Is it strange that the ultimate human side-kicks are called 'Simon'?

Forbidden is an exciting second instalment of the demon trappers series; its fast paced and full of world-saving action... literally.

You really begin to fully appreciate Jana's writing and character development in this book; scenes that a lot of writers would make really awkward and may even struggle floated off the page with Jana's writing.

Riley, as well as her love and other characters who started as 'background' characters really came into their own in this book; in particular other demon trappers as well as Simon.

In this book I think Jana captures the relationship between parents and their children perfectly; the awkward love when they are there and the desperate need when they are taken... what child wouldn't fight to get back their only parent? This unique relationship begs for an audience who can appreciate this bond as well as deal with difficult decisions.

'Forgiven'

 

'The stakes are high when you bet on your soul...'

 



 

The plot has truly come alive at this point; if you thought the first two books kept you up reading all night you better pack lots of coffee because this ones even better!

 

This book in particular explores perceptions of heaven and hell in a way that the audience can both understand as well as appreciate. Where heaven isn't based on the perfect ideology of happiness and peace but rather its a constant battle ground which is in constant need for soldiers.

 

Forgiven I believe looks more at her relationship with Beck; another demon trapper who has been there for her since day one! In the final books there relationship develops and Riley starts to come alive in herself.

 

The end of this book demonstrates how Riley has developed into both a strong and loving character that can still pull a smile onto your face when your questioning whether their world will survive.

 



'Foretold'

 

'The end is most definitely nigh...'

 

 

 

This is how to end a series! I'm not going to talk much about the final book because my love is too strong and I am not going to spoil anyone...

 

Everything is questioned in this book and you truly learn the many faces of good and evil and how they can be confused... easily.

 

JUST READ IT!!!!!!!!!

 

As you can imagine I give this series a very solid 5/5 stars and cannot wait to re-read this series. Please show your support for under-rated writers and novels because they are suffering from other books being over-hyped (even when most do not deserve the hype!).

 

 





'The Screaming Staircase' review... no spoilers

'The Screaming Staircase' by Jonathon Stroud

 

'Hauntings are our business...'

 

This is Jonathon Stroud's newest novel released early this year/ late last year; its a young adult dystopian where the world is plagued with ghosts that only children can see. So children set up these organisations where they hunt and destroy sed ghosties and earn money.

This story follows a failing company in its attempt to solve one of the worst ghost occurrences since the plague started; it has already claimed countless other hunters but everything is not what it seems. It is the perfect mix of paranormal fantasy and mystery; the way the book is told helps with the extra-ordinarily.

This book does not go in a straight line; but rather contains flash backs and sections where the reader can make links easier than thinking all the way back to the first few pages to make a connection at the end. Now not many authors can pull this technique off easily, but Jonathon Stroud pulled it off amazingly.

Now  I'm not saying this book is perfect; the characters were really quite good but it was hard to tell that they were children, most of the characters are pre-teen and yet they act and talk as if they are mid-thirties. There is only one element of the book where you can truly tell that they are children and that is a shame because I think this would be an element that could have been played with to a great advantage.

Overall I would give this 4/5 stars; to get 5 stars the characters would need a lot more development... however I have a feeling that this is the start of a wonderful series exploring this plague of ghosts.