Top Ten Books I've Read so Far in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I've Read so Far in 2015.

Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb - My review - The final book in The Rain Wild Chronicles, and a fantastic end to the series! And reading it caught me up with all the books set in The Realm of the Elderlings, so I can read Fool's Assassin, the first book in the Fitz and the Fool series, the fifth series set in the Realm. Phew! But I am excited! Draaaagons! And Hobb's writing. I just love it!

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - My review - This is such a wonderful transgender novel, and a fantastic debut you novel. Such a brilliant story, and highly recommended!

Continue reading Top Ten Books I've Read so Far in 2015

Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (#Ad)

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

I was sent this proof for free by Corgi Children's Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free? From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (#Ad)

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

The super awesome Cait of Paper Fury has tagged me to take part in the Unpopular Opinions book tag - created by The Book Archer. This makes me happy! I hardly ever get tagged in these things, and who doesn't like having the odd moan? This sounds like fun!


1. A popular book or series you didn't like.


Matched series by Ally Condie. Couldn't get past the first book, really unbelievable characters. The same with both The Demon's Lexicon and The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan. I found the characters so annoying. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Really don't understand why people like it. And don't get me started on the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. Just not my bag.

Continue reading Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Review: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

Shadowplay by Laura Lam (eProof) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

The circus lies behind Micah Grey in dust and ashes.

He and the white clown, Drystan, take refuge with the once-great magician, Jasper Maske. When Maske agrees to teach them his trade, his embittered rival challenges them to a duel which could decide all of their fates.

People also hunt both Micah and the person he was before the circus–the runaway daughter of a noble family. And Micah discovers there is magic and power in the world, far beyond the card tricks and illusions he’s perfecting…

A tale of phantom wings, a clockwork hand, and the delicate unfurling of new love, Shadowplay continues Micah Grey’s extraordinary journey. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Shadowplay by Laura Lam

YA & NA Feminist Stories & Positive Female Role Models

This is not


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is is about favourite past topics for Top Ten Tuesday. Seeing as I haven't been taking part for very long, and don't have enough to talk about, I thought I would combine Top Ten Tuesday with something I want to look at. So it's not Top Ten Tuesday, but it is Tuesday, and I'm listing about ten or so (11) books. Call it what you will!
Anyway, I've recently been thinking about a few YA novels that tell feminist stories, and have been discussing and recommending them on Twitter. I thought it would be great to put together a list of those novels and others, and hopefully get more people picking them up.

Some of these books I read quite a number of years ago, some as far back as when I started blogging. So my reviews for those books won't be as long or as detailed as my current reviews, and are fairly amateurish, so I've also linked to Goodreads.


Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill - A novel that looks at body image, self-worth, and the worth of women in general in a dystopian patriachal society. I cannot stop raving about this book; if you haven't read it yet, you really need to.  My review

5 to 1 by Holly Bodger - This is a recent release, so I've not yet read it. About a dystopian future India where there are five boys to every girl, and girls are used as a commodity, their sole purpose to find suitable husbands and become caged wives.

Continue reading YA & NA Feminist Stories & Positive Female Role Models

Review: Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole

Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole - Emer O'Toole once caused a media sensation by growing her body hair and singing 'Get Your Pits Out For The Lads' on national TV. You might think she's crazy - but she has lessons for us all. Protesting against the 'makey-uppy-bulls**t' of gender conditioning, Emer takes us on a hilarious, honest and probing journey through her life - from cross-dressing and head shaving, to pube growing and full-body waxing - exploring the performance of femininity to which we are confined.

Funny, provocative and underpinned with rigorous academic intelligence, this book shows us why and how we should all begin gently to break out of gender stereotypes. Read this book, open up your mind and, hopefully, free your body. GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS is a must-read wake-up call for all young women (and men). From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole

Find Me Tag: Book Photography

Find Me Tag

What with signing up to Instagram recently and seeing all the awesome #bookstagram photos, I've been really into taking photos of books lately. I'm still pretty much an amateur, but I'm enjoying it. So when Cait at Paperfury took part in the Find Me Tag, and invited anyone to join in, even if they weren't tagged, I decided to take part.

RULES:
1. Find a book in the 10 categories listed below, take a photo or post the cover.
2. Tag the next victims
3. Link back to Christy at Novel Ink!

A Book With a Sunset

I couldn't find a book with a sunset, unfortunately, so I cheated. Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance features a dawn, so the opposite of a sunset. Though, if we're being honest, it's probably just some clouds whose colour has been photoshopped to look like dawn. But it's supposed to be dawn. So I'm going to count it for this as it's opposite.

This is several books in to the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance, an adult urban fantasy series that is just amazing! So fast paced and action packed! I actually need to buy the next book in this series.

Continue reading Find Me Tag: Book Photography

Cover Reveal: Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

I don't do cover reveals very often any more, but when I saw this cover, I just had to take part. It's so beautiful! So without further ado, here is the cover for Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins:

Continue reading Cover Reveal: Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015.
I have found that I get quite neglectful of my Kindle without intending to. I see books on NetGalley that look awesome, so I request and I get accepted... but because I can't seee them in a physical pile, I often end up forgetting about them. It's my intention to get stuck in with the books on my Kindle more often, so with a quick glance at my home screen, these are ten of the titles I'm hoping to read soon...


Shadowplay by Laura Lam - I really enjoyed Pantomime, so I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to this book! I really hope I enjoy it! And it's LGBTQ UKYA.

Continue reading Top Ten Books On My TBR For Summer 2015

Review: Another Day by David Levithan

Another Day by David Levithan (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

In this enthralling companion to his New York Times bestseller Every Day, David Levithan tells Rhiannon’s side of the story as she seeks to discover the truth about love and how it can change you.

Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has accepted her life, convinced herself that she deserves her distant, temperamental boyfriend, Justin, even established guidelines by which to live: Don’t be too needy. Avoid upsetting him. Never get your hopes up.

Until the morning everything changes. Justin seems to see her, to want to be with her for the first time, and they share a perfect day—a perfect day Justin doesn’t remember the next morning. Confused, depressed, and desperate for another day as great as that one, Rhiannon starts questioning everything. Then, one day, a stranger tells her that the Justin she spent that day with, the one who made her feel like a real person... wasn’t Justin at all. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Another Day by David Levithan

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015.

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill - Oh, you have no idea how excited I am for this book! I guess "excited" isn't the right word, I'm sure it's going to be a harrowing read, but Only Ever Yours was so bloody good, I can't wait to read this one for another exceptional story from O'Neill. (3rd Sept 2015)

Continue reading Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (#Ad)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I was sent this review copy for free by Allen & Unwin UK for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (#Ad)