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Showing posts from April, 2015

Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan: Book review

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Book title/Author: Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan Publisher/Year: March 3rd 2015 Albert Whitman & Company Genre: YA Contemporary Series: No Pages: 210 Source/Format: eARC | NetGalley (Thanks NetGalley/Albert Whitman & Company!) Rating: 3 stars out of 5 I received this book from the publisher in exchange  for an honest review.  This in no way affects my opinion. *This review may contain spoilers!* Synopsis Henry "Biggie" Abbott is the son of one of Finch, Iowa's most famous athletes. His father was a baseball legend and his step-dad is a close second. At an obese 300 + pounds though, Biggie himself prefers classroom success to sports. As a perfectionist, he doesn't understand why someone would be happy getting two hits in five trips to the plate. "Forty percent, that's an F in any class," he would say. As Biggie's junior year begins, the girl of his dreams, Annabelle Rivers, starts to flir

Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who Have Lost Someone

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Hi everyone! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted over at  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who Have Lost Someone. 1.  Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Bryn witnessed her parents get brutally murdered by a wolf at the age of 4, so you can imagine that it must have affected her in her later life. 2.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling Although a lot of people die in this series, I wanted to shine a spotlight on this book, and a particular person, as it was one I found incredibly hard to get over. Most people will know who I'm talking about, but I will not say on here for fear of spoiling anyone. (But seriously, you should've read them by now!) 3.  The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne This book had me crying for so long after I read the ending. At first I didn't understand, but when I did, the sobbing began. 4.  The Fault in Our Stars by John

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan: Book review

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Book title/Author: The Catalyst by Helena Coggan Publisher/Year: February 19th 2015 Hodder & Stoughton Genre: YA Fantasy Series: Not sure Pages: 448 Source/Format: Hardback | Provided by publisher (Thanks Hodder & Stoughton/bookbridgr!) Rating: 5 stars out of 5 I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion. *This review may contain spoilers!* Synopsis Rose Elmsworth has a secret. For eighteen years, the world has been divided into the magically Gifted and the non-magical Ashkind, but Rose's identity is far more dangerous. At fifteen, she has earned herself a place alongside her father in the Department, a brutal law-enforcement organisation run by the Gifted to control the Ashkind. But now an old enemy is threatening to start a catastrophic war, and Rose faces a challenging test of her loyalties. How much does she really know about her father's past? How far is the Department

Cover Reveal: This One's For You by Brandy Jellum

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Hi everyone! Today on the blog I will be bringing you my first ever Cover Reveal, for This One's For You by Brandy Jellum. Title: This One's For You Author: Brandy Jellum Publication Date: June 2015 Publisher: Booktrope Synopsis All alone in a new state, Brennan Daniels has only the memories of her best friend, Reagan, to keep her company as she starts college. Reagan is the reason for everything Brennan does - before she died, she made Brennan promise to stay good until she found a man worth keeping. No boys, no dating, and definitely no falling in love - those were the rules for college, and Brennan carved them into the brick walls guarding her heart... But there's a fire burning behind those walls, and when Brennan meets Owen Scott, the (mysterious) new guy across the hall, she can't deny the pull between them. He is everything she should never want. Everyone warns her to stay away - even Owen himself - but the heart wants what the heart wants, e

Top Ten ALL TIME Favourite Authors

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Hi everyone! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted over at  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is Top Ten ALL TIME Favourite Authors. 1. Maggie Stiefvater Well, this is a surprise to no one, is it? I absolutely adore Maggie's writing, her world-building and her characters, and I've read almost all of her books because of this. 2. J.K. Rowling And again, this one is pretty obvious, but I couldn't leave her out. J.K. has created my favourite series of all time (if I dare say so) and I can find no faults with her writing. 3. Cassandra Clare Despite not yet finished either of her shadowhunter series, I am a firm fan of Cassandra's and I can't wait to finish The Mortal Instruments series now that I own all of them! 4. David Levithan David is a highly-esteemed UK YA author, and I have had the privilege to read Every Day and a book that he co-authored, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. Both of these have been such

Chaos Theory by M. Evonne Dobson: Book review

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Book title/Author: Chaos Theory by M. Evonne Dobson Publisher/Year: February 2015 The Poisoned Pencil Genre: YA Contemporary/Mystery Series: The Kami Files #1 Pages: 292 Source/Format: eARC | NetGalley (Thanks NetGalley/The Poisoned Pencil!) Rating: 3 stars out of 5 I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion. *This review may contain spoilers!* Synopsis Seventeen-year-old Kami is into science, way smarter than she should be, a little obtuse, and born to investigate. The kind of girl who excels in Martial Arts and runs a chaos theory experiment in her locker. Kami finds a way to focus her talents when she meets Daniel, whose younger sister Julia died from an overdose of prescription drugs - drugs that the cops think came from Daniel's stash. First Daniel turns up at Kami's MA class, and later she saves him from a couple of drug dealers at the local skate park. Neither episode en

Top Ten Inspiring Quotes From Books

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Hi everyone! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted over at  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is Top Ten Inspiring Quotes From Books. 1. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 2. "We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another." - Divergent by Veronica Roth 3. "As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." - The Fault In Our Stars by John Green 4. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling 5. "If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself." - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 6. "Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you." - If I Stay by Gayle Forman 7. "

Stacking The Shelves [4]

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Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you're adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual, buying or borrowing. This meme is hosted by  Tynga's Reviews  and I'm excited to continue partaking in it! Bought: Saga vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton Mosquitoland by David Arnold 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Review copy: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice NetGalley: Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs Bomb by Sarah Mussi Your Beautiful Heart by Lauren Scruggs The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim Made For You by Melissa Marr Seed by Lisa Heathfield Boywatching by Chloe Bennet Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry Ghost

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading: Book review and excerpt

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Book title/Author: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading Publisher/Year: December 2012 Genre: YA Adventure/Mystery Series: Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1 Pages: 336 Source/Format: Paperback provided by publisher (Thanks Book Publicity Services / Iain and a  special thanks to Kelsey at BPS!) Rating: 4 stars out of 5 I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion. *This review may contain spoilers!* Synopsis Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold  is the thrilling first instalment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading . This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosit

Top Ten Characters You'd Like To Check In With

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Hi everyone! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted over at  The Broke and The Bookish . This week's topic is Top Ten Characters You'd Like To Check In With. 1. Puck & Sean - The Scorpio Races It's been a while since I read The Scorpio Races and I'd like to know how Puck and Sean are doing. 2. Everyone - The Harry Potter series This one is fairly obvious, but I still think it needs to be a part of this list. I REALLY want J.K. Rowling to write another book in this world and with these characters. 3. The Benedict brothers - The Benedicts series Although I have only read about some of the brothers in detail, I love all of them on the whole and it would be nice to check back in with them. 4. Charlie - The Perks of Being a Wallflower The Perks of Being a Wallflower, for me, was such an impacting book that it would be nice to be able to revisit Charlie and see how he's doing. 5. Blue and The Raven Boys - The Raven Cycle

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares: Book review

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Book title/Author: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares Publisher/Year: January 1st 2015 Hachette Children's Genre: YA Science Fiction Series: No Pages: 320 Source/Format: eARC | NetGalley (Thanks Hachette/NetGalley!) Rating: 2 stars out of 5 *This review may contain spoilers!* Synopsis Seventeen-year-old Prenna James emigrated to New York when she was twelve. But Prenna didn't come from a different country, she came from a different "time" - a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they're from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she's told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth and take the lives of her younger brothers. But everything