Tuesday 31 July 2012

Teaser Tuesday #3

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks teaser comes from page 29 of Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi, published last week by Hot Key Books.



"What madness was this? I crouched there, stunned at what I was doing (or rather not doing), when the stranger who'd caught Marcus (that glorious helpful being) knelt down close and laid his hand on mine. "

Monday 30 July 2012

Reading RoundUp #4


It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! 

Well, as usual I never seem to read what I'm planning to and it's also been a case of fitting a few chapters between doctors appointments and hospital visits for both my mother and myself. Anyway, on with the books!

I finished





I'm still reading


I started



And I'd like to start


Let me know what you're reading!



Saturday 28 July 2012

In My Mailbox #4


                                         IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren


Lots of books this week as I'm covering 2 weeks instead of just one and it was library book collection this week too!


Won 

The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt from The Book Stop

Bought

Darkness Falls - Cate Tiernan

Seraphina - Rachel Hartman

Received From Publisher

The Guard - Peter Terrin

Blood's Pride - Evie Manieri

Mage's Blood - David Hair


From the library 

Dead Time - Anne Cassidy

The Girl In The Mirror - Sarah Gristwood

Radiance - Alyson Noel

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice - Andrea Kane

Watchers - Jon Steele

Heart-Shaped Bruise - Tanya Byrne

Wonder - R J Palacio

The Cornish House - Liz Fenwick






Game Of Triumphs - Laura Powell

Dreams - Daniela Sacerdoti

Bad Faith - Gillian Philip

The Book Of Love - Sarah Bower

Everlost - Neal Shusterman

The Eternal Ones - Kristen Miller

Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini

A pretty good cross-section of genres there, I'm so excited about Blood's Pride and The Guard (which won the European Literature Prize in 2010 in its original language). I'm also proud of the fact that I only bought two books this week, my will is strong!

What did you get this week?


Wednesday 25 July 2012

Waiting On Wednesday #3 - Kingmaker's Daughter





Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine 

I'm really excited about this one as I didn't even know there was going to be a fourth book! It's the latest instalment of Philippa Gregory's Cousins War, The Kingmaker's Daughter.




 "The Kingmaker’s Daughter is the gripping and ultimately tragic story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” the most powerful magnate in England through the Cousins’ Wars. In the absence of a son and heir, he uses the two girls as pawns in his political games, but they grow up to be influential players in their own right. In this novel, her first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl, Gregory explores the lives of two fascinating young women.     At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child brought up in intimacy and friendship with the family of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Her will is tested when she is left widowed and fatherless, with her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Fortune’s wheel turns again when Richard rescues Anne from her sister’s house, with danger still following Anne, even as she eventually ascends to the throne as queen. Having lost those closest to her, she must protect herself and her precious only child, Prince Edward, from a court full of royal rivals." - From Goodreads.

The Kingmaker's Daughter (Cousins War #4) - Philippa Gregory
Published by  Simon & Schuster Ltd (UK)
August 16th 2012


Tuesday 24 July 2012

Teaser Tuesday #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week's teaser comes from






"Looking back, I should have known from his eyes how dangerous he was, and how that night I ran the risk of ending up under a bush with a broken neck. The first of many times when Harry and danger would go hand in hand."


Page 24, Dreams  - Daniela Sacerdoti

An excellent teaser I think, without any hint of a spoiler! What's your teaser?



Monday 23 July 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? #3






                      It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Last week was quite poor for me. Between being on holiday and my mum being ill my free time went down the drain, hopefully this week I can catch up with myself!

I managed to finish this -






I'm still reading this -




And I really want to read these this week -





Watch this space!


Sunday 15 July 2012

In My Mailbox #3

                           
                                     IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

I'm trying out the 'write your post days before it goes up' function as I'm currently somewhere in Berkshire getting over having met Jasper Fforde in the flesh - again! More about that when I'm back, Wednesday hopefully but in the meantime IMM #3 for books I received up to Thursday. Will update if there's anything for me when I get home!




 A brand spanking new hardcover copy of Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Between The Lines - Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

The Pledge - Kimberly Derting

Lost - Gregory Maguire

The Poison Eaters - Holly Black

and of course,

The Woman who Died A Lot - Jasper Fforde

These are books I received last week, I received a lot more while I was away and it was library week too but since coming back from holiday my mum has been sick so I've been going to doctors appointments and stuff. Will take pics and do a double post next Sunday of the rest, hopefully back to regular posts from tomorrow!

Thursday 12 July 2012

On holiday...







I'm on holiday, meeting Jasper Fforde and doing other bookish things. My suitcase bears quite a large resemblance to the above pic but I can still lift it so not too overloaded!

See you next week, happy reading!!!

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Waiting On Wednesday #2 - Shadowfell


Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine 

My WoW this week is by one of my top five authors - Juliet Marrillier



 Shadowfell - Juliet Marrillier
Published by Random House in the UK
Expected date - September 11 2012

'Its name is spoken only in whispers, if the people of Alban dare to speak it at all: Shadowfell. The training ground for rebels seeking to free their land from the grip of the tyrannical king is so shrouded in mystery that most believe it to be a myth.

But for Neryn, Shadowfell's existence is her only hope. She is penniless, orphaned, and utterly alone - and concealing a treacherous magical power that will warrant her immediate enslavement should it be revealed. She finds hope of allies in the Good Folk, fey beings whom she must pretend she cannot see and who taunt her with chatter of prophecies and tests, and in a striking, mysterious stranger, who saves her from certain death but whose motives remain unclear. She knows she should not trust anyone with her plans, but something within her longs to confide in him.

Will Neryn be forced to make the dangerous journey alone? She must reach Shadowfell, not only to avenge her family and salvage her own life, but to rescue Alban itself
.'

This first novel in a new trilogy from enchanting fantasy author Juliet Marillier is a captivating tale of peril, courage, romance, and survival. - from Goodreads


Everybody should read Juliet's work, her Sevenwaters series is genius! Start with Daughter Of The Forest, you won't regret it.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm reading both Shadow Of Night and Insatiable at the moment but I'm going to do a teaser from Insatiable as SoN is so new and any teaser could potentially be a spoiler! I'm hoping to have it finished by Thursday when I'll do a combined 'brief thoughts' on both All Souls books.

So, here we go!


'She supposed she wasn't surprised to hear of Vlad's father's cruelty, giving his sons over to a sultan in order to preserve peace, considering his image in the portrait. If Vlad Tepes looked anything like his dad he couldn't have been very nice.'

Page 144, Insatiable - Meg Cabot 

Let me know your teasers! 

Monday 9 July 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

       
       It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey



 Read last week -

77 Shadow Street  - Dean Koontz

A Witch In Winter  - Ruth Warburton

A Discovery Of Witches - Deborah Harkness

Pandora's Box - Giselle Green

Reading Now -









Up next - not sure as I'm off on my travels on Friday but will probably be The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch, Pure by Julianna Baggott and Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz.


Sunday 8 July 2012

In My Mailbox #2


                                         IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren


A much more interesting week for me, my book ban went out the window and I may have bought a few more than I meant to! The three hardcovers were all pre-orders so not included in my ban.


Bought -

River Of Destiny - Barbara Erskine

Shadow Of Night - Deborah Harkness

The Silver Bough - Lisa Tuttle

Pure - Julianna Baggott

Insatiable - Meg Cabot

The Fading - Christopher Ransom

77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz

Burn Mark - Laura Powell

Friday 6 July 2012

77 Shadow Street - Dean Koontz







77 Shadow Street  - Dean Koontz, published by Harper June 7 2012

'The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon's dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents--among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager--the Pendleton's magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.
But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton's past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.
Dean Koontz transcends all expectations as he takes readers on a gripping journey to a place where nightmare visions become real--and where a group of singular individuals hold the key to humanity's destiny. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street
' - Goodreads

The first Koontz book I've read since Brother Odd (I think, in 2006)* and it feels like I've never had a break from his writing. Great story, anything 'spore'-like freaks me out because it's so possible but still he uses twenty words for something where the rest of us may only use five. It creeped me out sufficiently enough to remind me that once upon a time - when I was but a young girl - I found Mr Koontz scarier than Stephen King for some absurd reason. A classic haunted house story on a large scale with a somewhat unexpected twist, a considerable motley crew of characters ranging from the innocent children, the child-like innocents to the (probably) criminally insane and the elderly all of whom helped to make this an unexpectedly good tale.

* I may have read The Darkest Evening of the Year in 2007 but I can't remember! 


Thursday 5 July 2012

A Witch In Winter - Ruth Warburton







A Witch In Winter - Ruth Warburton, published by Hodder Childrens Books Jan 5 2012

'Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.' - Goodreads

Disclaimer -  First review written in about four years so bear with me while I get my stride back!

Anna Winterson is your average teenage girl, that is until she moves to a small coastal town where it's discovered Anna's not the ordinary girl she thought she was.

During a sleepover with new friends a recently discovered spell book is put to use and whilst Anna doesn't mean to, she thinks of the local bad boy who is very much taken. Things go down hill from there with protestation of undying love from the boy in question, Seth, the very next morning.

Anna discovers she is in fact a witch and that she's not the only one in town or even in school. Once she becomes convinced that Seth does have real feelings for her and not just those conjured by an accidental love spell their relationship progresses nicely, it's only a mild case of 'instant love' which isn't as irritating as some YA books out there. Anna accepts her heritage with courage & a dash or two of stupidity and doesn't back down from a fight easily. Just as well, as the finale is a huge clash between two rival witch 'clans' where Anna comes into her own.

Supporting characters such as Anna's dad and her new found friends in the Winter coven are all fantastic, each relationship completely plausible, Anna's father in particular was a favourite along with Emmeline and Abe. It was a nice change too, not to read about vampires (sparkly or otherwise), werewolves or fairies. As much as I'm a fan of those it's nice to read something grounded in a setting not totally beyond the realms of reality. Although an important element of the plot the romance between Anna and Seth isn't the be-all and end-all of the storyline, I like that Anna learning about her witchcraft, adapting to her new environment and developing new friendships were just as significant.

Overall, a great read, well written and definitely worth reading the sequel which is next up for me - after Discovery Of Witches, Shadow Of Night and The Silver Bough. I did sit up until 1am reading A Witch In Winter and I finished it in about 36 hours so quite a compelling read.




Wednesday 4 July 2012

Waiting On Wednesday #1 - The Woman Who Died A Lot


                                         Waiting On Wednesday hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine


It's pretty obvious what I'm most excited about, apart from Shadow Of Night which is hopefully arriving tomorrow is this


                                       
                                                   The Woman Who Died A Lot
                                                            Jasper Fforde
                                                              
                                                     Published by Hodder & Stoughton
                                                      July 12th 2012

It's the latest instalment in the Thursday Next chronicles and I'm lucky enough to be going to a reading/signing next Friday - the 13th, better not be unlucky! - so this is my obvious choice for WoW this week.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

It's (Not) Monday (Anymore), What Are You Reading?



It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

This week I was hoping to start A Witch In Love but I've got 3 library books to finish so...

I'm currently reading


followed by

and


If I finish these I'll be picking up A Discovery Of Witches to reread as I've just got an email saying this is on the way!


I wouldn't normally reread but it's been 15 months since I last read ADoW so I think it's probably necessary by now!


Sunday 1 July 2012

In My Mailbox #1

So, this is my first ever In My Mailbox, hosted by the Story Siren and it's a pretty boring one! I'm on a temporary book buying ban so all that's allowed are books that I've pre-ordered from either Amazon or Book Depository.

Anyway, the only book I received this week is :-




I'm just finishing A Witch In Winter so perfect timing! Next week might be a bit more interesting as I think I've got three or four preorders due and my willpower might have run out by then...


 
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