Sunday 22 February 2015

Rearranging my read bookshelf

I've been watching a lot of bookshelf tours on YouTube and I have been wanting to change my shelf around for a while now. I had the day off work and nothing planned so I though why not. I am planning on getting a new bookshelf for all my TBR books to go on which will go next to this one. It only took me about half an hour to. I had on Fall Out Boys new album American Beauty American Psycho and a nice cup of tea in my favourite mug.

This is how my bookshelf started off looking.

First thing I did was get all the little trinkets I keep on my shelf off and onto my bed to keep safe. I then had to get off all the books which I put on the floor. I have 148 read books.

I didn't really put them in any order. Just my hardbacks together on the top shelf. My series on the same shelf. 
So this is the end result I can't wait to get my new bookshelf next week. I'll give you a bookshelf tour of all my TBR books. I'm really happy about how this turned out.


Gryffindor socks :D 


The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Year Published: 2011
Publisher: Puffin Books

Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 551
Price: £7.99
How Long Did It Take To Read: 4 Days
Goodreads
Stars; 5


Blurb:
THREE NEW HEROES. ONE MISSING DEMIGOD. A CURSE THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY ALL OF THEM.
'What do you want from me?' she screamed.
'What have you done with him?'

'Annabeth' said the bald dude, Butch 'we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back.'
She fumed for a moment. 'Fine.' she fixed Jason with a resentful look. 'We'll settle this later.'
She turned on her heel and marched towards the chariot.
Piper shook her head. 'What's her problem? What's going on?'
'Seriously.' Leo agreed.
'We have to get out of her.' Butch said 'I'll explain on the way.'
'I'm not going anywhere with her.' Jason gestured towards the blonde. 'She looks like she wants to kill me . . .'

Review:
I was really into Percy Jackson when I was in high school and found the books for the first time but since then I can't really remember much of what happens in the last couple of books. I have been meaning to reread them but I've got such a huge tbr pile that I don't want to get distracted reading a book series I've all ready read. So when I remembered I had this book on my tbr it was a chance to get back in to the Greek world of Percy Jackson. It also helps that I was taking part in a read-a-thon where I had to read a book over 500 pages and this was one of my big books that I own. I hadn't heard much about it before I started reading and well it was just as good as the Percy Jackson books. The main characters Jason, Piper and Leo were easy to like and fun characters. Jason does his best a leading the group, Piper is a bad ass girl who doesn't take much crap from anyone and then there is Leo who is a amazing mechanic with a good heart. It was a good start to the series and I'm looking forward to getting the second book the Son Of Neptune.

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowery

Year Published: 2000
Publisher: Harper Collins

Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Dystopia
Pages: 241
Price: £6.99
How Long Did It Take To Read: 6 Days
Goodreads
Stars: 5







Blurb:
Orphaned and physically flawed in a civilization that shuns and discards the weak, Kira faces a frighteningly uncertain future.
 When she is summoned by the Council of Guardians, Kira prepares to fight for her life, but the Council has unexpected plans for her. Now Kira faces new responsibilities. On her quest for the truth, she discovers things that will change her life forever.

Review:
Lets just start by mentioning this beautiful cover. Isn't it amazing!
I picked this book up after reading The Giver and fell in love with the world it was set in. Gathering Blue is set in the same world but with different rules and a different community. Lois Lowry may become one of my favourite authors once I've read more of his books. When I first picked this book up I didn't really know what to think about it, I just knew I loved The Giver and wanted to read more of his work and I wasn't disappointed. This book may be short but it is full of surprise and feelings. You get a good feel on how Kira is treated because of her physical flaw but she always stays strong and doesn't let the woman get to her. Little Matt a amusing boy, him and his dog branch are always up to adventures which can get them into trouble. They always stick together and have a good bond with the main character Kira. You meet quite a lot of different characters in this book but they are all described well so you get a feel for each of them in detail: there background, how they are treated and how they act. There aren't too many characters so it hard to get confused with them. Overall this book is amazing and you should pick it up if you loved The Giver. I can't wait to get my hands on The Messenger which follows a older Matt. This was deficiently a 5 star read for me.

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Release Year: 2014
Publisher: Electric Monkey

Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Contemporary
Pages: 294
Price: £7.99
How Long Did It Take To Read: 3 days
Goodreads
Stars: 4
Favourite Quote: 'You Made The Right Choice'
Book Bingo: Read A Book With A Strong Sibling Relationship.
The relationships between Caroline and Teddy is so heart warming. He stands by her side no matter what she does and when they fight he always forgives her. I would love to have a sibling relationship like that.

Blurb:
Stay Or Go?
Caroline is at a crossroads. Her whole family is on her back, and her grandmother, the only person who really understands her, is sick, maybe dying. All she wants to do is escape. So when her best friend suggest a night out to forget her troubles, Caroline must choose:
STAY by her grandmother's side, or GO to the party and live her life... and maybe find the boy of her dreams.
This decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths - and she's about to live them both. But there's only one happy ending...

Review:
When I'm in the mood for contemporary I will read about 5 before going on to a different genre and this is a book that I've been meaning to read in a while but haven't been in the mood. I finally picked it up this month and It was a good book. I didn't realise it had two separate paths that Caroline takes. One chapter would be if she went to the party and the other would be if she stayed with her family. I really like that, It was a good way of looking at the different paths people can take in life. Both paths she takes you see Caroline fix broken relationships with different family members which happened because of the path she didn't take. So on the paths there where good things and there were bad. I loved the way this book was written, It made me fall in love with some of the characters but by the next page I was hating them, I don't think I have cried this much to a book before. One moment I was in tears the next I was laughing, It was an emotional roller-coast. Which was a great read for me.

Sunday 8 February 2015

The Book Tag

I saw this tag on EllesBelles Bookshelf (check hers out here) and I thought this would be a really good idea for my followers to get to know me and my book ways a little better.


Question 1: Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
Yes I love to sit on my bed to read. I have quite big family so it's rather hard to find somewhere quiet apart from my room. When it's hot outside (hardly ever) I will sit in the garden and read to soak up the little sun.

Question 2: Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Bookmarks all the way, I have about 20 bookmarks but I always use the same one. I got it a couple of years ago for Christmas off my sister and I love it. It's a 3D Panther

Question 3: Can you stop reading at any time or do you have to stop at a certain page, chapter, part, etc?
I have to stop at the end/start of a chapter. If I stopped anywhere else I would forget what part I had read and I would read the whole page again. 

Question 4: Do you eat or drink while reading?
Sometimes I like to have a cup of tea when I'm reading but I don't think I could eat whilst reading. It might get on the book and make a mess.

Question 5: Can you read whilst listening to music or watching TV?
I find it hard to focus on the book while something else is going on around me so I have to be in a quite area or I won't be able to take the book in properly. I'm currently listening to Disney songs while I write this.

Question 6: One book at at time. or several at once?
I normally only like to read one book at a time but last week I read two at the same time. One of them was a manga and only took a few hours to read but I didn't want to read it all at once so I started to read another book as well. 

Question 7: Reading at home or everywhere?
I will always take a book with me where ever I go, in case i get a spare few hours in the day so I could read. I will normally read at home but I sometimes read on my breaks at work or on public transport.

Question 8: Reading out loud or in your head?
In my head. I find it hard to take a book in if I'm reading out loud, I find myself going over the same sentence quite a lot to be able to take it in. 

Question 9: Do you read ahead or skip pages?
Sometimes I like to skim ahead of the page to see if my favourite character is in it or if someone is hurt badly I skim a head a few pages to see if they are still alive a few chapters ahead. I have only ever skipped pages when I was reading New Moon by Stephanie Meyer and that was only because I hated Jacob and didn't want to read the pages without Jasper in them. 

Question 10: Breaking the spine or keeping it new?
I like to keep my books looking new but sometimes I can't help but break the spine on some of my books. If I'm really into the book I forget about the spine and it gets a little broken sometimes. 

Question 11: Do you write in books?
I've only ever wrote in a book when I was doing my GCSE's in high school. I don't like writing in my books I keep. 

I tag anyone who reads this and wants to do the book tag. I had a lot of fun doing this and I'm sure you will too. 
Happy Reading.

Thursday 5 February 2015

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Release Year: 2013
Publisher: Macmillan Children Books

Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Contemporary
Pages: 288
Price: £6.99
How Long Did It Take To Read: 2 days
Goodreads
Stars: 5
Book Bingo: Read A Book Written By Author With Your Initials
Favourite Quote:
You think it's so easy to change yourself. you think it's so easy but its not. True, things don't stay the same forever; couches are replaced, boys leave, you discover a song, your body becomes forever scarred. and with each of these moments you change and change again, your true self spinning, shifting positions - but always at last it returns to you, like a dancer on the floor. because throughout it all, you are still, always , you: beautiful and bruised, known and unknowable. and isn't that - just you - enough?

Blurb:
All her life Elise Dembowski has been an outsider. Starting a new school, she dreams of fitting in at last - but when her best attempts at popularity fail, she almost gives up. Then she stumbles upon a secret warehouse party. There, at night, Elise can be a different person, making real friends, falling in love for the first time and finding her true passion - DJing.
But when her real and secret lives collide, she has to make a decision once and for all: just who is the real Elise?

Review:
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I had been in a little reading slump this week, I've started about 4 different books to try and get out of it and this book was the one. I only brought it a few days ago and I'm so glad I did. It started of with a girl who has no friends and think her life isn't worth living. It is a very inspirational book, even when you're at your lowest there will always be something worth living for. Even if that something is little. This book has great music, challenging times and some cute dogs which is a reason to pick this up if you haven't. I'm in the mood for more contemporary thanks to this book and I think it might have gotten me out of my reading slump.
Overall I gave this book 5 stars because it was amazing!!

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Anticipated Releases: February 2015

February is a good month for new epic book releases there are 5 that I can not wait to get my hands on. I might have to wait a little while longer to actually buy them because of the book buying ban but I will have them in my hands sooner or later.






So the first on my list is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This has been in my Amazon wishlist for a few months now. There is a world which is divided by blood, the red blood serve the silver-bloodied elite who are gifted with superhuman ability. I am trying to get more into fantasy this year and this is defiantly on the list of fantasy books to read.
This book comes out on the 10th.




Next comes My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Wanga. This book is about a girl who loves to plan her own death but she doesn't want to do it on her own. She soon discovers a website with a section call Suicide Partners where she meets her perfect partner to commit suicide with. But the she starts to question whether or not she wants to go through with it.
This book comes out on the 10th

I'm a sucker for Fairy Tale type books and this one is Sleeping Beauty re-imaged. Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake stuck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village the seemed torn out of a storybook. Ten years later and Jade had forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city walls staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changed when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns.
This book come out on the 17th



This story has parallel worlds, time travel and magic in. Need I say more?
This one my most anticipated release and I'm going to be buying this the day it comes out screw my book ban.
This book is out on the 24th

This book is the second to The Rain which was amazing. If you haven't read it you really should. I'm not going to say what it is about because I don't want to spoil the first one for anyone but I'm super excited to get this when it comes out.
This book comes out on the 26th


Sunday 1 February 2015

Paper Towns by John Green

Release Year: 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 305
Price: £7.99
How Long Did It Take To Read: 2 days
Goodreads
Stars: 4







Blurb:
The thing about Margo Roth Spiegelman is that really all I could ever do was let her talk, and then when she stopped talking encourage her to go on, due to the facts that 1. I was incontestably in love with her, and 2. she was absolutely unprecedented in every way, and 3. she never really asked me any questions...
Quentin Jacobson has always loved Margo from afar. So when she climbs through his window to summon him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next morning, Q turns up at school and Margo doesn't. She's left clues to her disappearance, like a trail of breadcrumbs for Q to follow.
And everything leads to one unavoidable question:
Who is the real Margo?

Review:
I'm not really sure on what to say about this book. The writing was amazing just as all John Green books are but I found Margo to be a little selfish, She didn't think about the consequence of her actions. She just ups and leaves one night with no word to her family or friends on where she is going, she leaves them to worry about her and some even think she's dead. I do admire her with how she didn't let anything hold her back, she did what she wanted. The last 100 pages of so where my favourite, I loved the road trip they took and how Green described every single hour of the trip even when Q was asleep. This book made me laugh out loud a little especially with Radar and Ben they were very interesting characters and deficiently my favourite.
Overall I gave this book 4 stars.

January Book Haul

These few books are what I brought before I decided to go on a book ban. But after this month I will stick to my book ban as best as I can.


Date Brought: 2/1/2015
New or Secondhand: Second Hand
Price: £2.50
Release Year 1974
Series: N/A
I have always wanted to read a Stephen King book and when I saw someone giving it away and all I had to do was pay for shipping I was not going to turn it down. So my first every Stephen King read will be Carrie which I hope to start next month.

Blurb:

Carrie White is no ordinary girl.

Carrie White has the gift of telekinesis.


To be invited to Prom Night by Tommy Ross is a dream come true for Carrie - the first step towards social acceptance by her high school colleagues.


 But events will take a decidedly macabre turn on that horrifying and endless night as she is forced to exercise her terrible gift on the town that mocks and loathes he.





Date Brought 2/1/2015
New or Secondhand: New
Place Brought: Amazon
Price: £2
Release Year: 2013
Series: The Lunar Chronicles 2nd book
After reading Cinder I knew I just had to have the next one in my hands as soon as possible and when I looked on Amazon it was only £2 so I put it straight in my cart and brought it. I'm super excited about starting it next month.
Blurb:
Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing.
The police have closed her case.
The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf.
A street fighter she does not trust.
But they are drawn to each other.

 Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive-when she breaks out of the prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.
 As Scarlet and Wolf Expose one mystery they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels.
Together the must challenge the evil queen. Who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner...






Date Brought: 2/1/2015
New or Secondhand: Secondhand
Place Brought: Off someone on Instagram
Price: £2.50
Release Year: 2013
Series: The School For Good And Evil
This was just a random buy, I had seen it in Waterstones every time I go in there (which is a lot) and the blurb sounds good for a middle grade story. I am looking forward to picking it up in the next few months and see how it is.

Blurb:
Every four years two children are stolen away from
Gavaldon, never to return. Most children fear being 
taken to the School for Good and Evil.
But not Sophie...

She has dreamt all her life of being a princess
and she believes the school could be her chance

Her best friend Agatha had other ideas.

 When the two girls are taken, things
don't quite go to Sophie's plan..

 Because sometimes, the princess and the
witch don't look like they do in fairytales.





Date Brought: 7/1/2015
New or Secondhand: New
Place Brought: Waterstones
Price:£6.99
Release Year: 2000
Series: The Giver Quartet
I read The Giver this month just before the DVD was going to be released and I enjoyed it a lot I picked up the next one. Which I found out doesn't carry on form Johas's story but a different one. I really enjoyed Lois Lowrys writing and so I plan to give this book ago next month to see if I like it as much as The Giver.

Blurb:
Orphaned and physically flawed
in a civilization that shuns and
discards of the weak, Kira faces a
frighteningly uncertain fucture.

 When she is summoned by the Council of
Guardians, Kira prepares to fight for her life,
 but the council has unexpected plans for her.
Now Kira faces new responsibilitys. On her
quest for truth, she discovers things that
will change her life forever.





Date Brought: 2/1/2015
New or Secondhand : New
Place Brought: Amazon
Price:£7.69
Release Year: 2013
Series: Saga volume 2
I've been meaning to buy this Graphic Novel for a while now and I just decided to get it this month so I could carry one with the story.

Blurb:
Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find there place in the universe. Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and horrific monsters, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her strangest adventure yet... grandparents.





Date Brought: 30/1/2015
Place Brought: Charity Shop
Price: £0.80
Release Year: 2013
Series: N/A
I had picked this book up a few times in a books store but for some reason I haven't brought it yet. The blurb sounded interesting and when I found it in a charity shop for only 80p I couldn't pass it up. I am super happy I've finally got it on my bookshelf to read.

Blurb: 
All her life Elise Dembowski
has been an outsider.

Starting a new school, she dreams of fitting
in at last - but when her best attempts at
 popularity fail, she almost gives up. Then
she stumbles upon a secret warehouse
party. There, at night, Elise can be a 
different person, making real friends, falling
in love for the first time and finding her true
passion - DJing.

But when her real and secret lives collide,
she has to make a decision once and for
all: just who is the real Elise?




Date Brought: 30/1/2015
Place Brought: Charity Shop
Price: £1.49
Release Year: 2011
Series: Sherlock Holmes
I got Moriarty for Christmas of my father who didn't realise it was the second in a series. He got it for me because of my love for Sherlock and it was really though full of him. I wanted to get the first book in hardback  to match Moriarty but I found this one in a charity shop for cheap so I picked it. If I love it I will pick it up in hardback sometime in the future

Blurb: 

It is November 1890 and London is
gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock
Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea
by the fire when an agitated gentlemen
arrives unannounced at 221B Baker Street.
He begs Holmes for help, telling the
unnerving story of a scar-faced man with
piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks.

Intrigued, Holmes and Watson find
themselves swiftly drawn into a series
of puzzling and sinister events, streching
from the gas-lit streets of London to the 
teeming criminal underworld of Boston
and the mysterious 'House of Silk'...

So overall this month I have spent £23.97 on books. Which isn't that bad since I brought most of these second hand.
Now to start my book buying ban.