First Class Post (67) & Weekly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Continue reading First Class Post (67) & Weekly Recap

First Class Post (66) & Weekly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Continue reading First Class Post (66) & Weekly Recap

Blog Presence Will Be Sporadic for the Forseeable Future

This past week has been pretty damn awful for me. My family got some really terrible news. For the forseeable future, due to the ill health of a family member, our lives are going to be hugely affected.

This means my blog will be too. Reading and blogging just aren't a priority right now. Being with my family is. They need me, and I need them.

I'll still be reading, but not with any resemblance to my normal frequency. I'll review those books, but they are likely to be few and far between. I can't say for definite how long this will be for, but I'd say around six months. I hope you will forgive my blog not being what you're used to. Some things are just a little more important.

For those of you interested, Sex in Teen Lit Month II will still be taking place, but it has been postponed. I don't know exactly when it will be happening again, but I'm hoping for July next year.

On Saturday 28th June, my Mum and I will be taking part in Race for Life. If you feel moved to sponsor us, we would be so grateful. We need to beat that dreadful disease. Thank you.

Continue reading Blog Presence Will Be Sporadic for the Forseeable Future

Review: When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan

When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan (ARC) - Meet the a-mayonnaise-ing Dylan Mint. He's sixteen and he's got Tourette's. His life is a constant fight to keep the bad stuff in - the words that explode out of his mouth, the tics, the growling, howling dog that tries to escape whenever he gets stressed. Plus there's his mum, who buys him cheapo clothes from Primark and keeps crying. And his dad, who's away in the army and could get wiped out by a sniper any minute.

A routine visit to the hospital turns his life topsy-turvy. Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March. It's only August, but still - he has THINGS TO DO. So he makes a list - Cool Things To Do Before You Cack It - and sets out to make his wishes come true... From Goodreads

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Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars (advanced screening) - Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them -- and us – on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, based upon the number-one bestselling novel by John Green, explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love. From The Fault In Our Stars Facebook

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First Class Post (65) & Weekly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Continue reading First Class Post (65) & Weekly Recap

Review: I am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

I am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells (review copy) - John works in his family’s mortuary and has an obsession with serial killers. He wants to be a good person, but fears he is a sociopath, and for years he has suppressed his dark side through a strict system of rules designed to mimic 'normal' behavior.

Then a demon begins stalking his small town and killing people one by one, and John is forced to give in to his darker nature in order to save them. As he struggles to understand the demon and find a way to kill it, his own mind begins to unravel until he fears he may never regain control. Faced with the reality that he is, perhaps, more monstrous than the monster he is fighting, John must make a final stand against the horrors of both the demon and himself. From Goodreads

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Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (review copy) - Leonard Peacock is turning 18. And he wants to say goodbye.

Not to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider doing something tragic and horrific.

Nor to his mum who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. But to his four friends.
A Humphrey Bogart-obsessed neighbour
A teenage violin virtuoso
A pastor's daughter
A teacher

Most of the time Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not.

He wants to thank them, and bid them farewell. From the blurb

Trigger Warning: This book features suicide ideation.

Continue reading Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Review: Breaking Butterflies by M. Anjelais (#Ad)

Breaking Butterflies by M. Anjelais 

I was sent this review copy for free by Chicken House for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Two teens are drawn together, promised to each other since childhood by their dreaming mothers.

The girl is sweet, empathetic and ordinary. The boy: brilliant, charismatic – and ill.

No one knows it yet, but he is incapable of feeling. Their relationship twists and turns to a terrifying climax about making the ultimate sacrifice... From DoubleCluck.com

WARNING! I cannot review this book in the way I want to for MHAM without spoiling it. Read no further if you don't want it spoilt for you.

Continue reading Review: Breaking Butterflies by M. Anjelais (#Ad)

Review: Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern

Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern (review copy) - Amy loves Matthew and he loves her back. This is their story.
Amy is unflinchingly honest about her limitations. Born with cerebral palsy, she can’t walk or talk without help. But trapped inside this uncooperative body lies a brilliant mind and a luminous spirit – a girl capable of truly loving and worthy of being loved in return.
Matthew has his own set of challenges – a mind consumed by unwanted repeated thoughts, obsessive rituals and a crippling fear that he can't explain. But underneath all of the anxiety lies a deep seed of hope for someone to come along who believes in him…
This is the story of Amy and Matthew. It may not be a fairy tale romance or set in an imagined world far from our own. But the love they share is real. And yes, there's magic in it. From Goodreads

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Mental Health Awareness Month: Reading This Month & Previously Read

Today, Mental Health Awareness Month, hosted by Leah of Uncorked Thoughts and Ula of Blog of Erised, begins! These are the books I'm planning to read this month:

Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern
Breaking Butterflies by A. Anjelais
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

I've also read elsewhere that Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and Looking for Alaska by John Green would also work, but I'm not quite sure how. On MentalHealth.org.uk, it says that Autism and Tourette's come under mental health, so I might also read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon and When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan. And if I have time afterwards, there's Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I thought I would start off the month by linking to reviews of novels covering Mental Health I've written in the past. Looking through, I was surprised to see I had read quite a few! Maybe there will be some here you yourself could read for the event? Click on the images to be taken to my reviews.

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First Class Post (63) & Weekly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Continue reading First Class Post (63) & Weekly Recap