Friday, 30 September 2011

Time Flies Friday

As I'm doing a children's fiction course I decided to explore everyones favourite children's books from when they were children! Each week you select a book which you loved as a kid and explain to everyone why you loved it so much!!!

The Rules :)
  • Follow Passion for Novels as host of the meme
  • Please add the blog hop button so everyone else can enjoy their childhood books again!!
  • Post about your book and why you love it so much!
  • Add a link to my blog at the top of your post (http://passionfornovels.blogspot.com/)
  • Add a link to your blog on the linky at the bottom of the page
  • Make sure you visit all the other blogs!!!
The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton
Synopsis from Amazon.com
When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to a new home, an Enchanted Wood is on their doorstep. And when they discover the Faraway Tree, that is the beginning of many magical adventures! Join them and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? There'll be adventures waiting for them, whatever happens! Funny, magical adventures that will delight children again and again.

This story was one of my favourites and proceeded to read all of them! I distinctly remember wanting to meet Saucepan man and Moonface, but I never wanted to climb a tree? I will definitely be reading this to my kids one day!!! I know I never looked up at a tree again without wondering. Blyton really captures a child's imagination in ways which inspire them to read!

Add your linky below!


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Thursday, 29 September 2011

Author Interview with Amy Neftzer and Review

First off I'd like to thank Amy for her interest the interview! And thanks for being here. First off let's see the review of her novel Leftover Shorts. Here's a synopsis in case you didn't see it before.

Synopsis from Goodreads
A diverse collection of three short stories: The Marshmallow War, Peripheral Witches, and Parson's Song.

The Marshmallow War is a humorous look at how organizations sometimes push aside older workers and their accumulated knowledge in favor of younger workers with "fresh perspectives." The story is set inside the Merryman Marshmallow Corporation's research and development department where management confuses youth with innovation.

Peripheral Witches combines elements of a fairy tale and the paranormal as a young working mother struggles to discern whether or not she's losing her mind. A trip home at the end of a long, stressful day has Miriam seeing witches that disappear whenever she looks directly at them. The witches reappear in her peripheral vision.

The last story in the collection, Parson's song, is based loosely on the legend surrounding the folk tune "McPherson's Lament." Set in the rural south, a small town speculates on whether or not a young gentleman named Billy Parson will be a great man or great criminal. According to their superstitious beliefs, he would be legendary whether for positive or negative reasons. Billy also struggles to come to terms with the local superstition surrounding his fate.


My Review


I really enjoyed both Neftzer's writing style and imagery. Her images were very varied which created interesting images whilst reading, some which even made you laugh a little! Most of the time you felt the author really understood how the characters were feeling which I think is vital for a story to be successful. The three stories were all radically different with interesting twists and turns along the way making you want to read more.

The Marshmallow War was the first of the three short stories. I think this was my favourite out of the three as I would love to be part of the Fang of Five, although because I'm so young I'd most likely be a victim in the story. The 'Fangs' are the experienced staff members who are shunned by staff who actually don't know what they're doing and in enacting their revenge the 'Fangs' are actually very successful in what they do! Ironically by acting like children they create some fab ideas!

Peripheral Witches or 'No Such Thing' is the second story. This one was very intriguing and if anything slightly baffled me... but in a good way. A particular image I loved in this story was the simile where Neftzer describes a stream of traffic as threads of ribbon. I also liked the way she changed witches from a physical form to show a state of mind, Paige (the young girl) seems to be the voice of reason to her mother who seems to be going mad.

Parson's Song is the final story in the collection and I have to say it was my least favourite. It was more serious than the other two but still gave a good story. It was based on McPherson's Lament, and is based around a man whose life was always laid out as special and he doesn't know how to deal with it.

Overall this was a really good read and I will definitely recommend it!!!

Amy Neftzer Interview!

Have you always known you could write or was it a moment where you had an idea and just went with it?I started writing almost as soon as I could print. I remember writing volumes of poetry and short stories when I was still in the third grade.

How often do you write and in what environment? Do you mind noise or is complete silence necessary? I write every day, but I’m not always writing what I want to write. Having to write wheat you don’t want to write I think is one of the tests of a true writer. If you can write something well in these situations, I think you’re in the correct field.

As for noise, I have an unnatural ability to tune it out, including people calling my name repeatedly. If you’ve seen that commercial for Family Guy where Stewie is trying to get his mother’s attention you have an idea how difficult it is to distract me when I’m inside a story.


Was there a time when you thought I’ve failed at writing and nearly gave up? I ask this because a lot of people who write feel that they should give up when the going gets tough.Of course. Rejection is part of the writing process so if you write you’re going to have moments of discouragement. This has been the plight (or perhaps blight?) of all artists, and not just writers. I often think about Van Gough who felt like a failure. Few people today would call him a failure, though.

Who, if anyone is your inspiration as a writer?
There are a lot of writers I find inspiring, but Kurt Vonnegut holds a special place for me. I love his work and I respect the way he started out selling cars to support his family while developing his writing career.

What is your favourite book of all time? For me, choosing a favorite book is like choosing a favorite child. There are so many I love for different reasons. A few that are definitely at the top of my list would be Anna Karenina (Tolstoy), Les Miserable (Hugo), The Fifth Mountain (Coelho), and probably something by Neil Gaiman.

What made you come up with the idea for Marshmallows being your ‘oldies’ weapon? There was a fad here in the U.S. where college students were buying the guns and playing war games on campus between classes.

Have you ever worked in that kind of office environment? Absolutely! I’ve been in several research situations where new PhDs were given authority but they had no business training or experience. It was a disaster every time. Funny to watch, though.

Where did the Fang Of Five come from? That name just popped into my head and I liked it because fang and gang rhyme. Maybe I was tired because when I get really tired I start unintentionally rhyming my sentences like Dr Seuss.

Were you a fang or one of the victims!? In my life I have been both at different times. It’s more fun being a Fang :)

Why two titles for your second short story?
When I titled the story I went back and forth between the two titles because both convey different aspects of the story. In the end I decided to use both in order to give the reader a better hint of what the story is about. It’s a little “out there” if you hadn’t noticed...

Are the quotations designed to be ironic?
I feed on a steady diet of irony and snark. It comes out in my writing once in awhile.

Is the story based on madness or just the journey to self belief? It’s about how we can often create our own madness, especially through self denial. Almost anything can become our reality if we allow it.

Parson’s song is an interesting story, what made you choose McPherson’s Lament to create it from?I came across the song and thought it would make a great story. I embellished the legend to add the contemporary aspect of how some women are attracted to musicians.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Wishlist Wednesday

Blog hop from http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com/

My Wishlist Wednesday from this week is....

If You Could See Me Now - Cecelia Ahern

Amazon Synopsis
From the internationally bestselling author of PS, I Love You and Where Rainbows End comes an enchanting novel – with more than a little magic…
What if love was right there in front of you – you just couldn't see it?
Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse's young son Luke and with her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count.
But with Saoirse crashing in and out of their lives, leaving both her sister and her son reeling, Luke and Elizabeth are desperately in need of some magic.
Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? Has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again?
As for Ivan, he thought he was there to help Luke not Elizabeth – or himself…

This book has been on my wishlist now for a couple of years and I still haven't got it on my shelves! After reading the some other novels from Cecelia Ahern I have to say I love her style and variety in each of her novels. As always this one sounds different to the ones I have read and am really excited to read it! After writing this I may have to go out and buy it! Seems like a classic love triangle story which I always love! These tend to be my comfort novels for when I'm a bit bogged under with uni work and considering I'm reading Paradise Lost this week, I think I might be in need of a break!!!

Monday, 26 September 2011

Little Female Academy or The Governess ****

As I officially started my Children's fiction course today I decided to do a blog about my first novel to read which was The Governess which is classed as the first children's novel.

Goodreads synopsis
The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy By Sarah Fielding Edited by Candace Ward
Published in 1749, the story of Mrs. Teachum and the nine pupils who make up her "little female academy" is widely recognized as the first full-length novel for children, and the first to be aimed specifically at girls. The daily experiences of Mrs. Teachum's charges are interwoven with fables and fairy tales illustrating the book's underlying principles, which draw on contemporary theories of education and virtue. As central to the history of the novel as it is to the development of children's literature, The Governess is a pioneering work by one of the eighteenth century's most respected women writers.
This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction that places The Governess in its cultural and literary context; appendices include examples of eighteenth-century educational literature and selections from Fielding's correspondence.

My review
I was unsure whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars as the characters were very well developed even though we had little information about them it gave you a sense of caring for the characters.

The story was made up of stories of nine children in which Fielding incorporated all their misgivings to establish a enviroment in which to teach the reader (namely children) morals and ideals of their attitudes in the world and what would make them happy. Fielding provides the enviroment of a school and as it is deemed as the first novel for children we can see that over history not much has changed with sucessful children's novels like Harry Potter still exist today.

This novel was a great start to the children's fictin course that I'm doing and really helped me understand the writers intention for children's fiction and the reasons for setting.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

Wishlist Wednesday (but on Thursday)

Wishlist Wednesday on Thursday :D as hosted by http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com/

The Thread - Victoria Hislop

Amazon Synopsis
Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a devastating fire sweeps through the thriving Greek city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou's home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she flees across the sea to an unknown destination in Greece. Soon her life will become entwined with Dimitri's, and with the story of the city itself, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people.

Thessaloniki
, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents' life story for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of the people who were forced to leave. Should he become their next custodian and make this city his home?

Why I want to read it
I love stories that intertwine the past and the present to come to a resolution at the end! I'm really looking forward to this coming out!!

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Pride and Prejudice Review ***

Synopsis from goodreads
During the decade when Napoleon was transforming Europe, Jane Austen wrote this novel in which the main events are that a man changes his manners and a young lady her mind.

Much has been said of the light and sparkling side of Pride and Prejudice -- the delicious social comedy, the unerring dialogue, the satisfying love stories and its enchanting and spirited heroine. None the less, the novel is also about deeper issues in which Jane Austen demonstrates her belief that the truly civilized being maintains a proper balance between reason and energy. As Tony Tanner remarks in his stimulating introduction: 'Since to stress one at the expense of the other can either way mean loss, both to self and society, the picture of achieved congruence between them offered in Pride and Prejudice is of unfading relevance. It is perhaps no wonder that it has also proved capable of giving eternal delight.'


My Review
As far as Jane Austen is concerned I can't say I'm a fan. Her work still provides me with a dull bore. However, I do find her letters in which she tells part of her narrative interesting as well as the bulks of speech which are scattered throughout the book.

I particularly enjoyed all conflicts between Darcy and Lizzy as well as the conflict between Lizzy and Darcy's Aunt. There are definately areas which Austen excells, however, for the most part she really isn't my cup of tea.

In reference to Darcy I have somewhat changed my opinion. At the start of the novel I was raving at about how rude he was towards Lizzy's appearance and could not imagine why she would marry such a man when he called her looks not to his taste.

Overall I was suprised at this novel and although it took me all my effort to get through it the novel is worth reading at some point in your life.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

COMING SOON AUTHOR INTERVIEW Amy Neftzer

Next week I'll be reviewing Amy Neftzer's Leftover Shorts released this year! She has also agreed to appear on my blog for an author interview appearing with my review of her book!

Amy Neftzer on GoodReads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/82732.Amy_Neftzger

A Bit about her from GoodReads
Amy Neftzger (born June 23) is an American researcher and author who has published fiction books, non-fiction books, business articles, and peer review research. Her works have reached an international audience.

Amy was born in Illinois and graduated from Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She received her bachelors degree from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida and her Masters in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She graduated from both Universities with honors.

She has written numerous business and journal articles, but her fiction works have been the most commercially successful. In 2003 she published Conversations with the Moon, which was also translated into Korean and published in South Korea. In 2005 she collaborated with her husband, guitarist Tyra Neftzger on a children's book called "All that the Dog Ever Wanted." The book was designed to introduce children to jazz music at an early age and included a CD sampler of jazz tunes. In 2007 she worked as an editor on a business fable called "The Damned Company."


Leftover Shorts Synopsis from Amazon.com
A diverse collection of three short stories: The Marshmallow War, Peripheral Witches, and Parson's Song.

The Marshmallow War is a humorous look at how organizations sometimes push aside older workers and their accumulated knowledge in favor of younger workers with "fresh perspectives." The story is set inside the Merryman Marshmallow Corporation's research and development department where management confuses youth with innovation.

Peripheral Witches combines elements of a fairy tale and the paranormal as a young working mother struggles to discern whether or not she's losing her mind. A trip home at the end of a long, stressful day has Miriam seeing witches that disappear whenever she looks directly at them. The witches reappear in her peripheral vision.

The last story in the collection, Parson's song, is based loosely on the legend surrounding the folk tune "MacPherson's Lament." Set in the rural south, a small town speculates on whether or not a young gentleman named Billy Parson will be a great man or great criminal. According to their superstitious beliefs, he would be legendary whether for positive or negative reasons. Billy also struggles to come to terms with the local superstition surrounding his fate.

Monday, 19 September 2011

Uni Read: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe ****

Another University read for my Children's Fiction course, of course I already knew this story pretty much off by heart yet I don't think I've ever read the book. But I was suprised at how similar it was to the film and I didn't find any hidden gems that you sometimes find when you've watched the film and not read the book!

Amazon synopsis
The most loved of all the Chronicles, this wonderful tale can be enjoyed again and again. "This is the land of Narnia," said the Faun, "where we are now. And you -- you have come from the wild woods of the west?" "I -- I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room," said Lucy. Lucy steps into the Professor's wardrobe -- but steps out again into a snowy forest. She's stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia, land of unicorns, centaurs, fauns! and the wicked White Witch, who terrorises all. Lucy soon realises that Narnia, and in particular Aslan, the great Lion, needs her help if the country's creatures are ever going to be free again.

My Review (On Goodreads)
Children's stories never fail to entice me even though I'm older. I notice more of the children's features now, Lewis addresses the children directly in this novel and says at one point that he would not tell the reader how horrible the creatures were because their parents might not let them read the book!

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy venture into Narnia and have to rescue its inhabitants from the evil white witch. It is said that she might be an image of the devil, yet she is perhaps not evil enough for that so it is said she is a messenger of the devil. Aslan is the mirror of Jesus as he is resurected on the stone slab. As Lewis was so religious at this point in his life people mirror this as the telling of Bible stories in a new and interesting way to get children interested.

Monday Mad Moment

MAD MONDAY MOMENT

Every week I'll be trying to find out a mad fact about an author or novel which you may not (OR MAY I'm not a genius :) ) have known. I'm just trialing this out for a couple of weeks to see how it goes so please comment on whether or not you like it.

For University I'm studying Alice in Wonderland and I was doing my internet research on the book and found some startling information about the author. Of course Lewis Carroll (sorry to offend your memory) this is purely based on something I found on the Internet from sparknotes.com

Lewis befriended the Liddell family in his life and here he met Alice, of which his inspiration for Alice in Wonderland came about, however and I quote from sparknotes.com 'Carroll’s sudden break with the Liddell family in the early 1860s has led to a great deal of speculation over the nature of his relationship with Alice Liddell. Some books indicate that the split resulted from a disagreement between Carroll and Dean Liddell over Christ Church matters. Other evidence indicates that more insidious elements existed in Carroll’s relationships with young children and with Alice Liddell in particular. This possibility seems to be supported by the fact that Mrs. Liddell burned all of Carroll’s early letters to Alice and that Carroll himself tore pages out of his diary related to the break. However, no concrete evidence exists that Carroll behaved inappropriately in his numerous friendships with children. Records written by Carroll’s associates and Alice Liddell herself do not indicate any untoward behavior on his part. '

Read what you want into Carroll's character, but I have to say it spoiled the book a little for me!

Well that's my first Mad Monday Moment :)

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Free Writing

Free Writing is an term by Peter Elbow and is designed to help with writer's block. I've been trying it the last couple of days and am finding it very very good!

The idea you take the begining of a sentence such as
- I remember
- That one day
- I stared into what looked like

and then write a page on whatever first comes into your mind. It can be messy and doesn't even have to make sense! But then you draw on random things in your mind you may not have thought of, then you underline sentences which may be able to be developed for stories or novels of your future! If you drawn on a really good spark, just keep going on that for the page and see where it takes you.

Here was my second attempt
I need proof. The evidence just isn't strong enough. But what evidence, we haven't got any. No body, no nothing just a room and lots of blood. Mens rea, Actus reus, but whats the act? What's the crime? What's the proof? The ceiling was pretty clean but the walls were almost painted, I looked up at the ceiling for some escape. The ceiling. The ceiling was made of tiles. We didn't check the space above the tiles! I knew we had to get back to the crime scene before the criminal. We had to know if we missed anything- void evidence is the last thing we need without having none to start with! I sprinted there calling sergent Green on the way. He would get there before me... I ran into the room just as I saw St Green jumping down from the stepladder slipping something into his pocket. I announced myself by coughing. 'Ah, Miss Smith I've only just arrived, would you like to do the honours?'

Monday, 12 September 2011

Pride and Prejudice

'She is tolerable, certainly not enough to tempt me'

It's amazing that one of the most celebrated love stories in British history has such an intolerable main character. I'm reading the book for university and finding him increasingly difficult to believe, let alone the man which Elizabeth finally decides to marry. I know later there are contributing factors which may tempt her but the original comment certainly wouldn't tempt a modern girl now. However, I have not reached the end of the novel yet and it may change my opinion then, but I'm not sure I will.

Maybe I'm just bitter, I cannot say I am a Jane Austen fan, I find her novels quite difficult to get through and very stereotypical for their era. I struggle to find the characters likable, Mrs Bennett is only interested in marrying off her daughters to achieve status. Mr Bennett, if anything is the most agreeable character as he frowns upon Mrs Bennetts activites when trying to make Elizabeth marry Mr Collins. I am currently watching the film with Keira Knightly and finding it much more tolerable than the book.

Gadget for Reading fans

I was surfing play.com looking for fun gifts for my boyfriends birthday and stumbled upon these, these niftly little book lights come in a variety of different characters such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder and Lightening McQueen.

The reviews on them are really good and personallly I like Tinkerbell and am hinting at my boyfriend to get me one for my birthday. Ideal if theres just not enough light where you're sitting without having to switch on a big light.

They may be in disney characters but who doesn't love disney! They do have an adult version which is just plain, but what's the fun in that!




Sunday, 11 September 2011

University Loves and Hates

This space is for books I never would have read without University for the ones which have been GEMS and ones which have really not been worth the hours I spent on them!

GEMS

The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories
Although some of the stories in this book were just plain weird, it was really nice to read short stories of various varieties and imagination. Particular favourites were Kazuo Ishiguru A Family Supper, a story based around the idea of a fish (Fugu) which is poisonous, in Japan it is considered a legacy but only when prepared correctly. Also, J G Ballard Memories of the Space Age, which was about the world in the future where the air is poisonous and the characters have to find safety (Or so we think).


The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

I fell in love with this book by Robert Louis Stevenson, I found it a real page turner with an interesting aspect on the good and bad sides of people and without careful life choices we can loose the good self and become our own Hyde. Jekyll is a scientist who finds a way to unleash the bad side of people, in the novel he literally transforms figure to mirror the idea of a monster.






Ones I really wish I hadn't bothered with!

Day by A L Kennedy

I'm sure this novel may have had a good plot line but I just couldn't finish it! The second person narrative was so different I found it very very difficult to grasp and as much as I tried just could not finish it!

Synopsis from goodreads.com (in case you want to give it a chance)

Alfie Day, RAF airman and former World War II POW, never expected to survive the war. Now, five years later and more alone than ever, Alfie finds himself drawn to unearth those strange, passionate days by working as an extra on a POW film. What he will discover on the set about himself, his loves and the world around him will make the war itself look simple.


To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

I powered through this novel to the end and I can't say it's my cup of tea at all, all the way through the novel I was willing it to end and to be quite honest wasn't really quite sure what went on in it.

Synopsis from play.com (in case you want to give it a try)
This novel is an extraordinarily poignant evocation of a lost happiness that lives on in the memory. For years now, the Ramsays have spent every summer in their holiday home in Scotland, and they expect these summers will go on forever. In this, her most autobiographical novel, Virginia Woolf captures the intensity of childhood longing and delight, and the shifting complexity of adult relationships. From an acute awareness of transcience, she creates an enduring work of art.

The Beloved Kindle!

As it took a while for me to be convinced by the Kindle I decided to do a little post on it so that I could try and convince others to contemplate the wonder that is the E-Reader. I went for the Kindle purely because it was my Grandad's and when he passed away my Nan (knowing I was an avid reader) gave it to me! I was unconvinced and left it in my room for a few months.
My friend Dani (Pen to Paper) raved about the Kindle and showed me a few cheap books on Amazon that I could download that might get me into the Kindle! Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen certainly did that! I am now totally addicted and couldn't possibly imagine life without it. And! You don't need two hands which is great for lying in bed or on the beach. Sunlight?! definately not a problem, unlike some other E-readers I have read reviews about you can see the Kindle in bright sunlight and read your days away.

Don't get me wrong I still love a good paperback or hardback occasionally, but the thought of going on holiday without going over your weight limit because of the amount of books you've put in your suitcase is amazing and as you can see...



I really don't have a problem filling a suitcase!

Amazon says...

'Kindle is Amazon.com's #1 bestselling item for two years running. It's the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.com. Now it's even better.

  • All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – 50% better contrast with latest E Ink Pearl technology
  • Read in Bright Sunlight - No glare
  • New and Improved Fonts - New crisper, darker fonts
  • New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area
  • 17% Lighter - Only 241 grams, weighs less than a paperback
  • Battery Life of Two Months - A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off
  • Double the Storage - Up to 3,500 books
  • Built-In Wi-Fi - Connect at home or on the road
  • 20% Faster Page Turns - Seamless reading
  • Enhanced PDF Reader - With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
  • New WebKit-Based Browser - Browse the web over Wi-Fi (experimental) '
This is definately worth a buy, with the cheapest Kindle at £111 without 3G and £152 with, I'd say that it's the best gadget I've ever owned!

Thursday, 8 September 2011

The Power of Six - Pittacus Lore Review *****

First of all I'm going to do a quick recap of I Am Number Four, the first of the Lorien Legacies and has recently been made into a film.



Synopsis from GoodReads
In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I Am Number Four is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.
I AM NEXT.


The Power of Six is the second installment of the Lorien Legacies and its as good as the first if not even better! I finished the book at around midnight last night and had to quickly go on GoodReads to write my review as I couldn't contrain my excitment, as well as shock because there's a hefty cliffhanger!



My GoodReads post

Wow, so ... wow,

There is no way when I started this book did I, 1. Think it would be as good as the first and 2. It would work with being told from two peoples point of view. I am happy to say I was wrong on all counts. The whole novel was fast paced, and full of new characters which were developed really well. Lore didn't lose heart with the characters that we know and love, John, Bernie, Six and Sam all are just as important as before.
The novel could have easily been split into two books one about John and one about number 7, but the stories run parallel to a final conclusion where our stories meet. Number 7 is a girl living at a convent/orphanage where her Cepan has lost all touch with Lorien and their purpose on Earth making her road to discovering her legacies even harder.
As always the Mogs are not far away and although in some series' you see some repetition but the story is propelled forwards without feeling like you are being told the same story over again.

One of the best sequels I have ever read and would recommend to anyone who had read I Am Number Four.

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Richard and Judy Autumn Reads 2011

As I said before Richard and Judy are partly the reason why my bank of books became even bigger and they have recently announced their new Autumn 2011 reads which are:

*note all synopsis have been taken from www.amazon.co.uk

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender

On the eve of her ninth birthday, Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. All at once her cheerful, can-do mother tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal.

Rose's gift forces her to confront the truth behind her family's emotions – her mother's sadness, her father's detachment and her brother's clash with the world. But as Rose grows up, she learns that there are some secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is about the pain of loving those whom you know too much about, and the secrets that exist within every family. At once profound, funny, wise and sad, this is a novel to savour.

The Black House - Peter May

A MURDER: A brutal killing has taken place on Scotland's most remote island. Detective Fin MacLeod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born MacLeod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET: Something lurks beneath the close-knit, God-fearing facade of the Lewis community. Something primal. As Fin investigates, old secrets are unearthed, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted. The Blackhouse is a crime novel of rare power and vision. Peter May has crafted a page-turning murder mystery that explores the darkness in our soul, and just how difficult it is to escape the past.

Left Neglected - Lisa Genova

One typical morning, Sarah Nickerson, a woman in her mid-thirties, is late for work, racing in her car after dropping her kids off at school and daycare. She tries to phone in to a meeting she should already be at when she takes her eye off the road for a second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. Sarah suffers a traumatic head injury. Her memory and intellect are intact, but she has lost all interest in, and the ability to perceive, information coming from the left side of space. The left side of her world has gone. Sarah only eats the food from the right side of her plate. She can't see her watch, or her engagement diamond or her wedding ring. She tries to use a wheel chair but can only spin in circles as her left arm dangles by her side.

Dark Matter - Michelle Paver

January 1937. Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life. So when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year. Gruhuken. But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice. Stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return - when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible. And Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark...

Jamrach's Menagerie - Carol Birch

Young Jaffy Brown never expects to escape the slums of Victorian London. Then, aged eight, a chance encounter with Mr Jamrach changes Jaffy's stars. And before he knows it, he finds himself at the docks waving goodbye to his beloved Ishbel and boarding a ship bound for the Indian Ocean. With his friend Tim at his side, Jaffy's journey will push faith, love and friendship to their utmost limits.



Everything and Nothing - Araminta Hall

A gripping psychological suspense novel, from an exciting new talent.

There’s no such thing as a safe house…

As children, we are told not to talk to strangers.
But as adults we welcome them into our homes.
So how do we know exactly who to trust?

On the surface, Ruth and Christian seem like an ordinary working couple with two kids – and a home in chaos. As the cracks in their marriage widen, they decide to get their very own super-nanny, Aggie. Quietly efficient, she brings calm and order, and the children adore her.

But why is Aggie so eager to gain their trust? Is there something sinister about her efforts to create the perfect family? And what is she really doing in their home?

Everything and Nothing builds to a mesmerising climax in a story that is, at its heart, about thwarted and damaged love

Next of Kin - David Hosp

When Boston attorney Scott Finn agrees to defend the son of notorious mobster Eamonn McDougal, he knows he’s putting his reputation on the line. But he also knows he can use him as bait to reel in the prize catch. In a city where mob crime once ruled, a core of corruption, greed, lies and deceit still lingers. And it seems there are those in power who will stop at nothing to achieve what they want.

Finn, who grew up an orphan on the meanest streets in the city, is determined to solve the murder of the mother he never knew. In his search for the truth he uncovers a sinister trail of murder, betrayal and revenge borne by someone who could neither forgive nor forget.

But who can be trusted, and who can be believed? And can Finn find the answers before it’s too late?

The End of Everything - Megan Abbott

A close-knit street, the clink of glass on glass, summer heat. Two girls on the brink of adolescence, throwing cartwheels on the grass. Two girls who tell each other everything. Until one shimmering afternoon, one of them disappears.

Lizzie is left with her dread and her loss, and with a fear that won't let her be. Had Evie tried to give her a hint of what was coming, a clue that she failed to follow?

Caught between her imaginary guilt, her sense of betrayal, her own powerful need, and the needs of the adults around her, Lizzie's voice is as unforgettable as her story is arresting. This is no ordinary tale of innocence lost . . .

Me
I have to say some of these novels sound very interesting and all of them are just £3.99 on paperback from www.amazon.com which is quite good for all these new paperback releases. I think these would be a good addition to anyones bookshelf and I certainly will be adding a few of them to mine!

Favourite Books

For starters it seems apt to tell of my favourite novels authors and authors that inspire me. Some are authors which I have only read once, others are ones which I tend to read all their books. To some extent I was quite an unadventurous reader to start. It was only when I started with the TV Book Club and The Richard and Judy Book club which I managed to extend some of my reading. Along with this school and university have propelled me into the classics, which as a sin of mine, I may not usually pick up on my own!

The Classics

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Authors

Dorothy Koomson
Cecelia Ahern
Audrey Niffenegger
James Patterson (Although not extensive yet, I am becoming addicted)
Danielle Steel (Much to many peoples dismay, but she was my first adult book so I have stuck by her!)
Charlaine Harris (But not for her Sookie Stackhouse, her Lily Bard Murder Mysteries I find really gripping )

The Individual Novels

Random Acts of Heroic Love - Danny Schienmann
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
Noughts and Crosses - Mallorie Blackman

Of course there are so many more which I could point out, but these are the novels that spring to mind so far, I will be posting reviews about all of these at some point I'm sure!

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Ok, Let's give this a test run...

Ok, so this is my first blog... ever, apart from the ones I had to create for university, and they were never actually published. So to start us off, I'm Gemma, still a teenager at 19 until it reaches the 27th of the month and then I will never disclose my age again!

Other than that I go to Birmingham City University and study English Literature and would love to add a little creative writing element into that. I'm starting a course on Children's fiction this semester which I'm really looking forward to and a summer of reading kids books isn't really that taxing if I'm honest! The other aspect is Literature 1660-1830 which is proving to be a killer with works such as Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice as I am NOT a fan of Austen.

I live with my parents and my dog Rosie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I also have a boyfriend called Dan who studies BioChemistry which is... interesting? Not really for us creative ones.

So thats all I really have to say about me so far, I'll be publishing reviews, websites I love and am addicted to such as www.goodreads.com a must have for any avid book reader.

This is Rosie eating Icecream, just to test drive the pictures :)