On My Wishlist #9

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City whose blog I absolutely love. Anyway, On My Wishlist is where we can post our list of books which are on the list to be read, wishing we owned....books we covet.


This week's book is Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow


Dru Anderson: Night Hunter. Knife Wielder. Heart Breaker. Dru can sense evil, which helps when she and her Dad are tracking down ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional reanimated corpse. It's a dangerous life, but it's the only one she knows. Then Dru's dad turns up dead and she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a deadly game where every move she makes could be her last. Dru is more special than she realizes - and whatever killed her dad could be coming for her next. Can Dru stay alive long enough to fall for one - or both - of the guys hungry for her affections? 


What more could I possibly want?  It's got mystery, intrigue, romance and a kick-ass female main character.  Can't wait to get my hands on this one.

Random Post

Here's a little random post:  I've joined the library!  The boyfriend has banned me from buying more books, so I found a loophole in that rule.  I toddled to the local Surrey Library and joined up and was so excited about it - you can get books and CDs and DVDs.  It's like heaven on earth.
Don't get me wrong I'm still more a fan of buying/owning books but I've always looked the atmosphere of a library - the musky smell of the books, the rustling of pages being turned.

Fierce by Kelly Osbourne

So, I've just finished reading an autobiography which I must admit I don't really enjoy reading but this one by Kelly Osbourne was a suprisingly witty read.  I have always been a sucker for stories about the bad girl gone good - it's a strange fascination.  And Kelly Osbourne is one of the ultimate bad girls turned good - with Ozzy Osbourne for a father and Sharon Osbourne for a mother.

This book, when read doesn't appear to be one of those contrived celebrity books where you can just tell that they didn't write it themselves, in this one the style and tone really is that of Kelly Osbourne, it's written the way she speaks.

It touches on growing up with her father's drug addiction and her mother's fierce protection from it, the bullying she suffered at school because of her father's fame, her close relationship with her brother and lastly on her struggle with drugs and self-image.  What really makes this biography unique is that she has included advice from experts on fashion, beauty, drug addiction and eatting disorders.  It really is a suprisingly intelligent read.

The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult (part of the Jodi Picoult challenge)

The Tenth Circle - this book is part of the Jodi Picoult challenge I'm participating in.

When Daniel Stone was a child, he was the only white boy in a native Eskimo village where his mother taught, and he was teased mercilessly because he was different. He fought back, the baddest of the bad kids: stealing, drinking, robbing and cheating his way out of the Alaskan bush – where he honed his artistic talent, fell in love with a girl and got her pregnant. To become part of a family, he reinvented himself – jettisoning all that anger to become a docile, devoted husband and father. Fifteen years later, when we meet Daniel again, he is a comic book artist. His wife teaches Dante’s Inferno at a local college; his daughter, Trixie, is the light of his life – and a girl who only knows her father as the even-tempered, mild-mannered man he has been her whole life. Until, that is, she is date raped…and Daniel finds himself struggling, again, with a powerlessness and a rage that may not just swallow him whole, but destroy his family and his future.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first picked it up.  Not because I wasn't sure it would be beautifully and intelligently written but because of the subject matter.  I already had a preconceived notion of what my opinion and reaction would be.

The teaser on the front cover says: 'Your daughter says she was raped but the man she's accused was her boyfriend.'

Yet again Jodi Picoult has tackled the subject matter in a sensitive but controversial way - it's thought provoking.  She takes a seemingly black and white subject and smudges at the edges until it becomes a shade of grey.

The relationship between Daniel and 14 year old Trixie is written in a way which is so relateable if you are or once were a teenage girl:  Trixie needs to remain Daddy's little girl but at the same time needs to break away and experience life and claim her own independence.

For Daniel when Trixie comes home and tells him she was raped by the boy who broke her heart, his first instinct is to hunt down the boy and rip him apart.  There's no doubt in his mind his little girl is telling the truth - until it's revealed Trixie isn't the virginal angel he wanted her to be but that doesn't mean she's lying, does it?

All through this book I couldn't decide what really happened.  I was sure a sexual encounter had occured, I wasn't sure if it was consensual or if perhaps it was a drunken encounter Trixie wished to forget or even if Jason was really the boy who forced himself on Trixie.  That's what is so intriguing and intricate about this book, Jodi Picoult takes the subject and examines it and portrays it from every aspect and angle and destroys every pre-conceived notion the reader has and forces the reader to re-examine their thoughts and opinions.

This book is darkly moving, gripping, compelling and tugs at the heart strings - not exactly a light, fluffy read but definitely unmissable.

On My Wishlist #8

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City whose blog I absolutely love. Anyway, On My Wishlist is where we can post our list of books which are on the list to be read, wishing we owned....books we covet.

The book on my wishlist this week is 13 to Life by Shannon Delany.

Firstly, I'm just intrigued by the cover art of this book, it's misty blue colour and design on the left hand side give it a tribal feel.  And the eyes staring back at you are intense and beg the question as to what mystery lurks behind the eyes.  And then there's the deliciously intriguing synopsis:

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction...

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

I received the beautiful blogger award from reading with tequila.


Here's the rules:




1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award

2. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic

3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they've won

4. State 7 things about yourself


7 Things about me:

1) I love Nicole Richie....have no idea why but I adore her....random but true.
2) I can't walk past a book shop and not go in...same goes for a chocolate shop...that's my guilty pleasure books and chocolate.
3) I can never throw away old magazine's I keep them and keep them until my boyfriend has a hissy fit and forces me to throw them in the bin.
4) My boyfriend (the one mentioned above) is Polish so hence for him I am learning Polish.
5) I live and work in a Pub and am the only female on any given day.
6) I can read upside down.  Yes I am a freak.
7) I have a strange fascination with Russia.

I am passing this award onto:

1) the book junkie
2) http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/
3) http://thebookvixen.blogspot.com/
4) http://www.chrissiescorner.co.uk/
5) http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/
6) http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/
7) http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/
8)http://thebookvixen.blogspot.com/
9) http://librarygirlreads.blogspot.com/
10)http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com/
11)http://www.ahauntofancientpeace.blogspot.com/
12)http://butterflybookreviews.blogspot.com/
13)http://www.thestorysiren.com/
14)http://www.thestorysiren.com/
15)http://mypileofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-my-mailbox-9.html

On My Wishlist #7

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City whose blog I absolutely love. Anyway, On My Wishlist is where we can post our list of books which are on the list to be read, wishing we owned....books we covet.


This week's pick is Willow by Julia Hoban:

Seven months ago on a rainy March night, Willow Randall’s parents drank too much wine at dinner and asked her to drive them home. But they never made it – Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed.

Now seventeen, Willow has left behind her old home, friends, and school – numbing the grim reality of her new life by secretly cutting herself. But everything changes when one of Willow’s new classmates, a boy as sensitive and thoughtful as she is, discovers Willow’s secret and refuses to let her destroy herself.

Why would I want to read a story with such a dark subject matter?  Simple, I'm intrigued by stories with characters who are emotionally damaged and manage to dig themselves out of the deep, dark depths of their own personal hell and find their way to healing.

Jodi Picoult Reading Challenge 2010

Well, I've never done this before.  I admit it I'm a challenge virgin but I love Jodi Picoult's books and find them so thought provoking so I decided to join in with this challenge hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here's what she says about the challenge:


So, I have an entire shelf of my bookcase devoted to Jodi Picoult books.  I think there are 15 books on it!  Yikes!  So, I've decided to do a Jodi Picoult reading challenge in 2010.  My goal is to pare down this shelf by half, so I want to read at least 8 of the books.  I'll keep track here of my progress and the books I've read!  


I'm not sure if there is much interest from other readers and I've never hosted a reading challenge, so this is more of a personal challenge for me.  If anyone else is interested in participating, please post a link to your challenge post in Mr. Linky and we can connect as we read her books!  I also have no expertise or graphic design knowledge, so I'm clueless about making a fun little challenge badge.  If anyone is so inclined, I would be most appreciative!!


Come join me as we read some in-depth, thought-provoking Jodi Picoult books in 2010!  Just commit to reading at least one of her books and you can join in the challenge!  No other rules!  :)

I'm going to aim to read and review five of Jodi Picoult's books - check out the challenge and join in - it's a good one.  

Book buying habits....

This is a discussion post I stumbled across on one of my newly discovered favourite book blogs; The Book Junkie's Bookshelf and I thought I'd share my book buying habits....

I am a book addict.  I love books, I love book shops, I love anything book related.  Books are my drugs so I can't walk past a book shop without going in for a quick looksie.  I can't help it - I have a problem, the books call to me - I swear they do.

I'm not really a big user of the public library, I prefer to purchase the book and own it myself - it's just one of my quirky things but that's not to say that I will never use the library.  I will occasionally purchase books off sites such as amazon but again my personal preference is to walk into a book shop where I can experience the books.  For me book shopping is a very textile experience, I need to thumb through potential purchases, look at them on the shelf and choose the one which appears to be in the most pristine condition.  It's slightly quirky but it's my thing.

Waterstones is my favourite book shop at the moment but I'm dying to try out Foyles and Borders - maybe when I make a trip into London.

The biggest problem for me - if you can call it a problem - is that I read all these reviews and blogs online about these incredible books and then discover that they aren't yet released or aren't availiable for purchase in the UK yet - which is really frustrating for me because I then have a huge wishlist with books I just can't find.

Book Blogger Hop

Book blogger hop is a new weekly meme by Jennifer from Crazy for Books - here's what she says about it:

Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky below, and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!!  So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!


To join in stop by crazy for books

Book meme

I found this meme on my favourite book blog; http://www.bookchickcity.com/2009/08/bookish-meme.html and thought I'd answer the questions myself so here goes:

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?

For me any of the above is fine.  I do tend to sway more towards hardback for my collection but paperbacks are easier to read on the run or out and about...

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?

I am a Waterstones addict.  I openly and freely admit it.  

Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark.  Dog-ear is bad.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar?

Brick and mortar.  I love book shops, I love the textile experience of being able to hold the book in my hands and flip through the pages.

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?

A little of all three.  Sometimes by genre and then by author.

Keep, throw away, or sell?

I keep the majority of my books but if there are any I can bear to part with I will usually take to charity shops or sell.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?

Keep!

Read with dust jacket or remove it?

I usually remove it to keep it from being damaged.

Short story or novel?

Novels.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

I don't really have an opinion on this one as I haven't read either.

Buy or borrow?

A little of both.  But I prefer to buy. 

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?

Probably all three. 

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?

Tidy ending for stand alone novels but if it's a series a cliffhanger makes me want to read the next one.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

Any time.

Stand-alone or series?

Both.  Although with series I find it gives you the chance to really connect with the characters.

Favourite series?

Can't pick just one.  

Favorite children’s book?

Anything by Roald Dahl.  Alice and Wonderland.  Winnie the Pooh.

Favourite YA book?

Hush, Hush or Shiver.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?

Someone will always have heard of whatever I say so....

Favourite books read last year?

Shiver, Hush, Hush, The Time Traveler's Wife....

Favourite books of all time?

Anything by Jane Austen, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, Romeo and Juliet (although not really a book..), The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - really anything by Nicholas Sparks.

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?

Roald Dahl - anything by him is just great.  

Favorite book to re-read?

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

Do you ever smell books?

Yes...it's sad I know, I'm sorry

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?

Sometimes.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I'm looking for my next read.  A trip to Waterstones is in order.

What are you reading next?

See above.

Back in Action.....

I know recently I've been slightly awol but the story is I moved out of my lovely flat and back into the pub where I work and the internet has been out of commision so...I apologise...but I'm back now so should be able to update more frequently....fingers crossed.