Happy Holidays!

Thanks to everyone who has visited/commented, it means a lot! See you in 2016!

Bout Of Books 15

Yes, it's that time again!!! Bout of Books 15 is nearly here and I'm signing up for my fifth sixth seventh ninth(?) attempt! If all goes to plan  BoB 15 should be a blast! Join in here...

Waiting On Wednesday #143 - The Creeper Man

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

This week's choice is -

The Creeper Man - Dawn Kurtagich

ISBN - 9781780622361

Publisher - Orion Children's Books

Release date - July 14 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

A spine-chilling psychological thriller from stunning YA talent and author of THE DEAD HOUSE, Dawn Kurtagich.

When Silla and her little sister, Nori, escape London and their abusive father, Aunt Cath's country house feels like a safe haven. Leaving the smog and fear behind, the girls have the love and freedom they never had in their violent home. But slowly, ever so slowly, things begin to unravel.

Aunt Cath locks herself in the attic and spends day and night pacing; every day the surrounding forest inches slowly towards the house; a mysterious boy appears from the enclosing wood offering friendship, and Nori claims that a man watches them from the dark forest. A man with no eyes who creeps ever closer...

A nice festive choice for Christmas this week... Love, love, loved The Dead House so cannot wait to get my hands on The Creeper Man! 

Top Ten Tuesday #102 - Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under The Tree 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful gals cover at The Broke & The Bookish. This week's topic is -

 Top Ten Seven Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Under The Tree 

I never get books for Christmas, I think people are either too scared to pick something in case I don't like it or they think I don't need any more books... I already own most of these but I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and the Christmas Fairy (ie. me) might accidentally have ordered a couple of these!

Bookmarked... #10

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons :)

Being without my Kindle is putting a serious dent in my reading/online time. It's very true that you don't realize how much you use something until you don't have it... I've managed to read quite a bit over the last couple of weeks but it's all fluff fiction, chick lit and so on apart from a handful of books! My concentration was improving but seems to have disappeared again. I'm slowly working my way through the Skulduggery Pleasant books and kicking myself over waiting for so long to start them and the twin's current bedtime book is The Secret Garden which I reread a few weeks back.

Last but not least, it's that time of year again and I'm away for the holidays until January 5. I'm not sure how much online time I'll get but I'm hoping to get at least some of my Best Of... posts up again this year so check back to see what I absolutely loved this year!

Finished

Still not sure what I thought of this... Despite owning Legend since almost the day it came out this is the first Marie Lu book I've read and I really don't know if I liked it. I have the next book on hold at the library so I'll decide after I've read that.

Reading

Up Next

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by Bookhounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! Up for grabs is any book you like, either YA or Adult and up to the value of $15 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. Think of it as an extra Christmas present that you get to choose :) The hop runs from now through to midnight on December 31 2015 and simply follow the instructions on the rafflecopter to enter! 

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Click here to see all the other blogs taking part, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #142 - The Star-Touched Queen

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

This week's choice is -

The Star-Touched Queen - Roshani Chokshi

ISBN - 9781250085474

Publisher - St Martin's Griffin

Release date - May 3 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.

THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.

Love the synopsis for The Star-Touched Queen and I'm definitely hooked on the fact that it's inspired by Indian mythology.  

December New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the December 2015 New Release Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight and Librarian Lavender! The hop runs from today through to midnight on December 31 2015. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $22 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. 

All you have to do is choose any new release published in December and fill out the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky for lots of other chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Best Of 2015 Giveaway!

Welcome to the Best of 2015 Giveaway Hop hosted by Bookhounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! In this hop you can win any title published in 2015 that you think is one of the best books this year! I've read some fantastic books this year by some great authors so you can pick one title from some of the books I've loved this year below. The book will come from the Book Depository and you're eligible to enter as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. The hop runs from now through to midnight on December 18th 2015 and simply follow the instructions on the rafflecopter to enter! If you have read all of of these I will also consider ordering you the sequel (if there is one) or a book of your choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky for lots of other chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #141 - Fellside

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

This week's choice is -

Fellside - M R Carey

ISBN - 9780316300285

Publisher - Orbit

Release date - April 5 2016

Find - Goodreads

The highly anticipated new thriller from the acclaimed author of The Girl With All the Gifts.
 
Jess Moulson is convicted of a murder she can't remember committing.

Nothing is quite clear from the drug-fuelled night when a blaze set in her apartment killed the little boy upstairs. But when the media brands Jess a child killer, she starts to believe it herself.

Now she's on her way to Fellside, the biggest, most formidable women's prison in Europe, standing in the bleak Yorkshire moors.

But Jess won't be alone in her prison cell. Lurking in the shadows is an unexpected visitor . . . the ghost of the ten-year-old boy she killed. He says he needs her help - and he won't take no for an answer.

FELLSIDE is a powerful, thought-provoking and heart-wrenching new standalone novel by M. R. Carey.

Uh, yes please! Absolutely love The Girl With All The Gifts but this sounds like it's going to be a fantastic and unexpected ghost story.

Bookmarked... #9

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons :)

Over recent weeks my reading has been somewhat eclectic, I've read everything from chicklit through to crime and onto romance. When I'm in a slump I find I read better if I don't plan what I'm reading and just go with what ever takes my fancy. I'm hoping though, now that things are starting to settle down, that I can back into at least semi-planning what's up next. Maybe in the new year?

Read

A Little Princess

In A Dark Dark Wood

Girl On A Train

Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless ones

Currently Reading

Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days

Wishing For Tomorrow

Up Next

Book Haul #116, Or How To Get Over A Life Slump...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

So... Hi! My name's Fi and I'm a very bad blogger. Actually I've been bad at everything recently and rather than write the same thing all over again see here for my heartfelt apology about being MIA. Moving on to the book side of things it would seem not having the energy or patience to do anything extends to buying books and, to a lesser extent, requesting review books! I have only bought three books since my last book haul post in September! One of those was my pre-order of The Vanishing Throne which I ordered on May 9 2014 and if I'm honest forgot all about...

Bought

The Boy Who Drew The Future

Harry Potter Illustrated Edition

The Vanishing Throne

Review

Beside Myself

The Book Of Storms

The Darkest Secret

Demon Road

Every Heart A Doorway

The Haunting

 

Crossed + One Hundred

Lawless & The Devil Of Euston Square

Lungdon

The Masked City

This Raging Light

Rebel Of The Sands

13 Minutes

Dead Ringers

Down Station

Unintended Hiatus!

A short & sweet post to apologize for the unintended and unexpected blog hiatus! I've had a bit of a life slump, no desire to do anything except read and go to bed a lot earlier than I normally do. It was partly caused by some of the meds I'm on which have now been adjusted and I'm starting to feel a lot more with it. Hopefully this means I can get back to blogging soon, maybe even this weekend!

Thanks for sticking with me :)

Edited To Add

Of course, the one thing I should have mentioned is that my trusty Kindle Fire gave up the ghost at the end of November to add insult to injury! And it's only just under 3 years old... That means I'm currently Kindle-less until one of three things happens, Christmas, birthday or I save enough to buy a replacement. I'm thinking probably birthday so that could potentially mean no Kindle until the end of January. The good thing about this though is that it should (theoretically) give me plenty of time to read some of the physical copies I own and maybe hit a challenge target!

November New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the November New Release Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight and Librarian Lavender! The hop runs from today through to midnight on November 30 2015. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $22 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. 

All you have to do is choose any new release published in November and fill out the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky below for all more blogs taking part, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #140 - The Custodian Of Marvels

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

This week's choice is -

The Custodian Of Marvels (Fall Of The Gas-Lit Empire #3) - Rod Duncan

ISBN - 9780857665010

Publisher - Angry Robot

Release date - February 4 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository 

*Proceed with caution if you have not read the first two books in the trilogy*


You’d have to be mad to steal from the feared International Patent Office. But that’s what Elizabeth Barnabus is about to try. A one-time enemy from the circus has persuaded her to attempt a heist that will be the ultimate conjuring trick.

Hidden in the vaults of the Patent Court in London lie secrets that could shake the very pillars of the Gas-Lit Empire. All that stands in Elizabeth’s way are the agents of the Patent Office, a Duke’s private army and the mysterious Custodian of Marvels.

Rod Duncan returns with the climactic volume of the Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire, the breathtaking alternate history series that began with the Philip K Dick Award-nominated The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter.

One of my favorite series from Angry Robot! And look at that cover! Nothing to say except I can't wait to read it.

Waiting On Wednesday #139 - Medusa's Web

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

This week's choice is -

Medusa's Web - Tim Powers

ISBN - 9780062262455

Publisher - William Morrow

Release date - January 19 2016

Find - Goodreads 

From the award-winning author of Hide Me Among the Graves, Last Call, Declare, and Three Days to Never, a phantasmagoric, thrilling, mind-bending tale of speculative fiction in which one man must uncover occult secrets of 1920s Hollywood to save his family.

In the wake of their Aunt Amity’s suicide, Scott and Madeline Madden are summoned to Caveat, the eerie, decaying mansion in the Hollywood hills in which they were raised. But their decadent and reclusive cousins, the malicious wheelchair-bound Claimayne and his sister, Ariel, do not welcome Scott and Madeline’s return to the childhood home they once shared. While Scott desperately wants to go back to their shabby South-of-Sunset lives, he cannot pry his sister away from this haunted “House of Usher in the Hollywood Hills” that is a conduit for the supernatural.

Decorated by bits salvaged from old hotels and movie sets, Caveat hides a dark family secret that stretches back to the golden days of Rudolph Valentino and the silent film stars. A collection of hypnotic eight-limbed abstract images inked on paper allows the Maddens to briefly fragment and flatten time - to transport themselves into the past and future in visions that are both puzzling and terrifying. Though their cousins know little about these ancient “spiders” which provoke unpredictable temporal dislocations, Ariel and Claimayne have been using for years - an addiction that has brought Claimayne to the brink of selfish destruction.

As Madeline falls more completely under Caveat’s spell, Scott discovers that to protect her, he must use the perilous spiders himself. But will he unravel the mystery of the Madden family’s past and finally free them. . . or be pulled deeper into their deadly web?

I'm a huge fan of Tim Powers, The Anubis Gates and The Drawing of the Dark are just two of his books that I love. Medusa's Web sounds delightfully creepy and it's a shame it's not out until January as it would be a perfect Halloween read. It is out a couple of days before my birthday though so an excellent excuse to buy a copy!

Spooky Sunday #4 - The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death

Welcome to Spooky Sunday, a new feature on Bookish Outsider that will run until Halloween! This week I had a Woman In Black marathon, the first movie for the third or fourth time and the second for the first time.

I'm a huge fan of The Woman In Black by Susan Hill, I've read the book a dozen or more times and I've seen the fantastically creepy stage show. I was a bit hesitant about the movie, mainly because of Daniel Radcliffe and his Harry Potter baggage, but I have to say I was suitably impressed. I watched it on the big screen, mostly because I thought it would have a better impact that way and although I didn't jump I did have shivers down my back at certain points!

Sadly, this wasn't the case with The Woman In Black: Angel of Death. I read the book, by Martyn Waites, back in January 2014 after hearing that there was going to be a (fully authorized, by Susan Hill, sequel) and was intrigued to see how they were going to do it. Despite an excellent cast including Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox and Helen McCrory, this movie fell flat for me. This time it's 40 years after the original event and England is being heavily bombed. A group of evacuee children and their teachers are moved to Eel Marsh House to get them out of the city and along the way they meet a handsome RAF officer stationed near said house. This is where Angel of Death lost its appeal for me. Aside from throwing in a hint of romance(?) the house loses its terrifying aspect when there's such a large group of people. One of the key points of the original was the isolation that Arthur Kipps felt, in the house by himself and cut off by the tide.

If you loved the first movie don't watch Angel of Death expecting the same level of chills and if you haven't watched the first movie make sure to watch it before this one otherwise you may be severely disappointed.

This has been an R.I.P. X production.

Spooktacular 2015 Giveaway!

Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am a Reader Not A Writer! The hop runs from now through to midnight on October 31 2015. The spooktacular prize up for grabs is a spooky, creepy book of your choice (either YA or Adult), up to the value of $15, from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are lots of blogs taking part in the Spooktacular hop so check out the list below for more chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #138 - Down Station

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

This week's choice is -

Down Station - Simon Morden

ISBN - 9781473211452

Publisher - Gollancz

Release date - February 18 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

A small group of commuters and tube workers witness a fiery apocalypse overtaking London. They make their escape through a service tunnel. Reaching a door they step through...and find themselves on a wild shore backed by cliffs and rolling grassland. The way back is blocked. Making their way inland they meet a man dressed in a wolf's cloak and with wolves by his side. He speaks English and has heard of a place called London - other people have arrived here down the ages - all escaping from a London that is burning. None of them have returned. Except one - who travels between the two worlds at will. The group begin a quest to find this one survivor; the one who holds the key to their return and to the safety of London.

 And as they travel this world, meeting mythical and legendary creatures,split between North and South by a mighty river and bordered by The White City and The Crystal Palace they realize they are in a world defined by all the London's there have ever been.

Reminiscent of Michael Moorcock and Julian May this is a grand and sweeping science fantasy built on the ideas, the legends, the memories of every London there has ever been.

Well, this sounds a bit different and I'm intrigued by the comparison to both Michael Moorcock and Julian May!  I love books about alternate cities, especially London, so will definitely be keeping an eye out for this one.

October New Release Giveaway!

Welcome to the October New Release Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight and Librarian Lavender! The hop runs from today through to midnight on October 31 2015. Up for grabs is any new release this month up to the value of $22 from the Book Depository as long as they deliver to your country - find the list of countries here. 

All you have to do is choose any new release published in October and fill out the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out the linky below for all more blogs taking part, thanks for entering and good luck!

The Death House - Sarah Pinborough

Toby's life was perfectly normal... until it was unravelled by something as simple as a blood test.

Taken from his family, Toby now lives in the Death House: an out-of-time existence far from the modern world, where he, and the others who live there, are studied by Matron and her team of nurses. They're looking for any sign of sickness. Any sign of their wards changing. Any sign that it's time to take them to the sanatorium.

No one returns from the sanatorium.

Withdrawn from his house-mates and living in his memories of the past, Toby spends his days fighting his fear. But then a new arrival in the house shatters the fragile peace, and everything changes.

Because everybody dies. It's how you choose to live that counts.

The Death House is, at its heart, a love story. Unlikely I know for something that reads like a dystopian Gothic but it's the truth. Toby is one of a handful of residents of the Death House, an isolated big house on an island presumably somewhere in the British Isles.Sixteen years old and decidedly unlikeable Toby is waiting to die, like all the other residents of the Death House, from a mysterious illness that can only be picked up in a blood test and once you're found to have it you're whisked away - leaving your life, family and friends behind for good. One day though, something happens and Toby realizes that just maybe he wants to live. Clara, the new resident, turns everyone's lives upside down and suddenly little things that didn't matter? Now they do...

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Pinborough's writing and have been since I picked up a copy of A Matter of Blood way back when. The Death House is one for the favorite's list, it's beautifully written and the children in the house are vividly written as is the house itself. It should be a depressing, downbeat read but is actually quite wonderful in its description and the way that there's a layer of menace over everything, from the children themselves to the matron who is maybe just as dangerous as this disease they are all facing. Clara and Toby are two of the best written teenagers I've come across in a while. In fact it's quite easy to forget they are teenagers at times as they develop a sense of maturity way above those of their peers not on the island. The supporting cast of characters, Will, Louis, Jake, Eleanor and Ashley are all equally as well written and unique in their character too and play pivotal parts in the story of The Death House. It's a slow build to a most unexpected ending, especially when there's an element of hope throughout the latter part of the story that has you hooked to the very last page. I shall say no more but if you're anything like me you'll need a box of tissues handy...

The Death House - Sarah Pinborough

ISBN - 9781473202320

Publisher - Gollancz

Release date - February 26 2015

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Many thanks to Gollancz and Netgalley for a review copy!

Spooky Sunday #3 - Stonehearst Asylum

Welcome to Spooky Sunday, a new feature on Bookish Outsider that will run until Halloween!This week I've been watching quite a few 'spooky' movies but my favorite was Stonehearst Asylum, starring Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley.

A recent medical school grad who takes a position at a mental institution soon finds himself taken with one of his colleagues -- though he has no initial idea of a recent, horrifying staffing change.

Having read reviews and talked to other people who have seen Stonehearst Asylum I get the feeling I'm in the minority having liked this movie. Jim Sturgess is fantastic as a doctor who turns up at Stonehearst as a new doctor and discovering that things in the asylum aren't quite as they should be. The entire cast were superb, both the inmates and the doctors, and the setting was suitably eerie for a remote lunatic asylum. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The System of Doctor Tarr & Professor Fether, Stonehearst Asylum is a great Halloween watch which will have you split over who the real lunatics actually are...

This has been an R.I.P. X production.