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.