Saturday, 1 November 2014
Becoming Books: [Secret Santa Book Exchange + Giveaway] Sign-Ups, ...
Becoming Books: [Secret Santa Book Exchange + Giveaway] Sign-Ups, ...: <div align="center"> <a href="http://www.becomingbooks.org/2014/11/secret-santa-book-exchange-giveaway.html&...
October 2014
October 2014 Book Haul / Wrap Up / November TBR
October 2014 Book Haul
My spending ban went out the window because I went to the Michael Grant event and I had to get his new book for the event and that was on offer of Buy One Get One Half Price and I couldn't let that go, so I bought another book. Overall, I got two books this month, but I'm still keeping with the ban!!!
- Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
- A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
October 2014 Wrap Up
This is a reading and blogging recap of the month of October about what books, reviews and events that happened during the month!!
What Was Read:
Eeeek, I didn't do all too well this month, did I?? I will definitely improve for next month :P
Reviews I Didn't Get Around To Last Month:
- Starters by Lissa Price
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Review to come in November)
- Champion by Marie Lu
- Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (Review to come in November)
Events:
I was at an event this month!!! I went to see Michael Grant up in Dublin and had a great time as you could all probably tell by the post (here).I also participated in two read-a-thons - Read-A-Lot-A-Thon and Chills And Thrills Read-A-Thon. I didn't finish my goals for either read-a-thon as I only got 1 book finished for each.
Project 10 Book:
Ahhhh well, as I said above I got 2 books during the ban, but I ain't counting them because I had to get them for the event!!
So my progress for Phase 1 is:
- Throne of Glass
- Champion
- Blood Promise
- Partials
- Feed
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
As for the Reward when get to 10, I'm not too sure what I'll get or if I should get one since it's close to Christmas and ya, I am getting books for Christmas so..... Anyone else have this predicament?
At the moment I have 132 books on my TBR, the same as last month O.o
November TBR
- Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
- Deadline by Mira Grant
- Blackout by Mira Grant
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
6 Books, hopefully I'll get them read. All optimism from here out :P
I've also brought down my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal because well 100 Was waaaay out of my lead as I'd have to read more than 30 books each for November and December. So I brought it down to 50, I don't even think I'll reach that one either :P
I've also brought down my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal because well 100 Was waaaay out of my lead as I'd have to read more than 30 books each for November and December. So I brought it down to 50, I don't even think I'll reach that one either :P
Thursday, 30 October 2014
Book Review - Partials by Dan Wells
Partials
(Partials Sequence #1)
Author: Dan Wells
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Published: March 29 2012
Pages: 470 pages (Paperback Edition) (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Read: October 2014
Rating: 5 Stars
The only hope for humanity isn’t human.
In a world where people have been all but wiped out by a virus created by part-human cyborgs called ‘Partials’, and where no baby survives longer than three days, a teenage girl makes it her mission to find a cure, and save her best friend’s unborn child.
But finding a cure means capturing a Partial…
I picked Partials up the first day it was in my bookstore. Yes, it was a while ago and it was during a period where I just had to get every dystopia / science fiction novel there was. So, I got a lot of them and most I still haven't gotten around to. Partials used to be on that list but has now, I am proud to say, made it to the read list.
I have to admit, I found it very hard to read this book at the start. I believe this was not due to the book but that I was actually experiencing a reading slump. Once that slump went back into hiding, this book shined through immensely. I was hooked!!
I quite enjoyed our main protagonist, Kira. She was realistic and managed her situations as reasonably as I believe anyone could. Ok, maybe some of her decisions were rash but at least she was fighting for her people, which is admirable in a character and it wasn't like all the characters were heroes. Some cowered, some fought against the good of humanity and some even ignored what was happening. There is nothing worse than a book full of idealistic heroes.
There were other characters throughout this book, Kira's close friends and adoptive sisters, all who had different personalities which made the story so amazing.
But what made this story complete was the plot. The story kept me so intrigued. I had to keep turning page after page, my heart was pumping, there was so much mystery and suspense and shock when a conspiracy was revealed. But, overall this book kept me on edge and I loved it for it.
I finished this book simply thinking I need the next book, I need it, I need to know what will happen. Alas, I didn't have the second book and I am on my spending ban so I have to wait to get the next book and finish the story. But I am just going to have to occupy my time with all the books I have to read and wait out this ban.
I believe that this would be a hit for dystopia and science fiction lovers. You should check it out if it interests you :)
Sarah.
In a world where people have been all but wiped out by a virus created by part-human cyborgs called ‘Partials’, and where no baby survives longer than three days, a teenage girl makes it her mission to find a cure, and save her best friend’s unborn child.
But finding a cure means capturing a Partial…
I picked Partials up the first day it was in my bookstore. Yes, it was a while ago and it was during a period where I just had to get every dystopia / science fiction novel there was. So, I got a lot of them and most I still haven't gotten around to. Partials used to be on that list but has now, I am proud to say, made it to the read list.
I have to admit, I found it very hard to read this book at the start. I believe this was not due to the book but that I was actually experiencing a reading slump. Once that slump went back into hiding, this book shined through immensely. I was hooked!!
I quite enjoyed our main protagonist, Kira. She was realistic and managed her situations as reasonably as I believe anyone could. Ok, maybe some of her decisions were rash but at least she was fighting for her people, which is admirable in a character and it wasn't like all the characters were heroes. Some cowered, some fought against the good of humanity and some even ignored what was happening. There is nothing worse than a book full of idealistic heroes.
There were other characters throughout this book, Kira's close friends and adoptive sisters, all who had different personalities which made the story so amazing.
But what made this story complete was the plot. The story kept me so intrigued. I had to keep turning page after page, my heart was pumping, there was so much mystery and suspense and shock when a conspiracy was revealed. But, overall this book kept me on edge and I loved it for it.
I finished this book simply thinking I need the next book, I need it, I need to know what will happen. Alas, I didn't have the second book and I am on my spending ban so I have to wait to get the next book and finish the story. But I am just going to have to occupy my time with all the books I have to read and wait out this ban.
I believe that this would be a hit for dystopia and science fiction lovers. You should check it out if it interests you :)
Sarah.
Book Review - Feed by Mira Grant
Feed
(The Newsflesh Trilogy #1)
Author: Mira GrantGenres: Horror, Zombies, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Published: May 1 2010
Pages: 599 pages (Mass Market Paperback Edition) (Orbit)
Read: October 2014
Rating: 5 Stars
The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop.
The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected.
The truth will get out, even if it kills them.
I bought this book as part of a boxset possibly sometime last year. It was really cheap so I couldn't say no and besides it sounded interesting. I know it has taking me a long time to actually getting around to reading it which was a shame really but because it has 2014 in the blurb, I decided I must read this book in 2014!! So now, I am reading these books because well, 2014 is running out.
I have to admit that I was expecting to see a different story. I was expecting a horror, graphic tale with zombies on every page and literally crawling out from in between. That's not the story that I got and I am highly grateful for it. Instead this story is unique in the concept of zombie horror that it only contains zombies for a small fraction of the book. The other pieces of this book consisted of blogging, politics and a conspiracy that would leave your mind reeling.
Georgia and Shaun Mason are our two main characters here in this book and I have to say that they feel like more than just characters now that I've ended this book. They feel like real people in another timely spaced universe that I've gotten to know personally. And I love when that happens in a book!! It is what makes the story a hell of a lot more enjoyable. After all if you can't connect with your characters, what's the point.
Georgia Mason was everything I wanted in a lead female role. She was smart, witty and even with her weaknesses she continued on. She had flaws which only made her shine more. Shaun even had flaws in his daredevil ways. They contrasted each other so greatly in personality that it was so intriguing to read about them as they both led the blog of After The End Times.
As I said above this isn't your average survival zombie tale. This tale revolved more around the blogger's world, how it had changed greatly from how it is now and how they were considered in the public's eye. It also revolved around the campaign on a man running for President of the U.S.A. I will tell you now that I don't like politics. I haven't got an interest in it at all, literally even if someone says the word I groan, but it didn't at all effect my enjoyment of Feed. So if you think, aw no I won't read this book because of the political aspect then I suggest you to think otherwise because really it has no affect.
Throughout the novel, there were continuous twists and turns and events, some I predicted but others that took me completely by shock and I mean I was dumbfounded by some of the stories turns. The ending fitting in exactly with that other category. I was dumbfounded, shocked and overall just left in a haze. When this book finished I had that one ultimate feeling that I've only ever felt once before and that was when I was finished Clockwork Princess. I had a gaping hole and was definitely suffering a book hangover.
That was the best thing about this book....it made you think. It made you think so damn much that sometimes it hurt. It made you think of the things that you push back and never want surfaced but still it made you think. I stayed up till 1am last night to finish off Feed because I couldn't handle sleeping without finishing, I knew I'd just be constantly thinking about it. But, then I was constantly thinking about this book and my bereft feeling long into the hours of the morning - it was possibly 3am - so yes my plan of I'll finish this book and then I can sleep failed greatly.
As you can see from my review, this book really caught me in a way that I wasn't expecting it to and I love it for that. I am eagerly awaiting the moment when I open the first page of the next book 'Deadline' which is sitting here right beside me as I read this.
All the best and I wish you all well. (P.S, pick up this book if you have it or were thinking about reading it or if you've never heard of it, check it out, you will not regret it, I hope.)
Sarah.
The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected.
The truth will get out, even if it kills them.
I bought this book as part of a boxset possibly sometime last year. It was really cheap so I couldn't say no and besides it sounded interesting. I know it has taking me a long time to actually getting around to reading it which was a shame really but because it has 2014 in the blurb, I decided I must read this book in 2014!! So now, I am reading these books because well, 2014 is running out.
I have to admit that I was expecting to see a different story. I was expecting a horror, graphic tale with zombies on every page and literally crawling out from in between. That's not the story that I got and I am highly grateful for it. Instead this story is unique in the concept of zombie horror that it only contains zombies for a small fraction of the book. The other pieces of this book consisted of blogging, politics and a conspiracy that would leave your mind reeling.
Georgia and Shaun Mason are our two main characters here in this book and I have to say that they feel like more than just characters now that I've ended this book. They feel like real people in another timely spaced universe that I've gotten to know personally. And I love when that happens in a book!! It is what makes the story a hell of a lot more enjoyable. After all if you can't connect with your characters, what's the point.
Georgia Mason was everything I wanted in a lead female role. She was smart, witty and even with her weaknesses she continued on. She had flaws which only made her shine more. Shaun even had flaws in his daredevil ways. They contrasted each other so greatly in personality that it was so intriguing to read about them as they both led the blog of After The End Times.
As I said above this isn't your average survival zombie tale. This tale revolved more around the blogger's world, how it had changed greatly from how it is now and how they were considered in the public's eye. It also revolved around the campaign on a man running for President of the U.S.A. I will tell you now that I don't like politics. I haven't got an interest in it at all, literally even if someone says the word I groan, but it didn't at all effect my enjoyment of Feed. So if you think, aw no I won't read this book because of the political aspect then I suggest you to think otherwise because really it has no affect.
Throughout the novel, there were continuous twists and turns and events, some I predicted but others that took me completely by shock and I mean I was dumbfounded by some of the stories turns. The ending fitting in exactly with that other category. I was dumbfounded, shocked and overall just left in a haze. When this book finished I had that one ultimate feeling that I've only ever felt once before and that was when I was finished Clockwork Princess. I had a gaping hole and was definitely suffering a book hangover.
That was the best thing about this book....it made you think. It made you think so damn much that sometimes it hurt. It made you think of the things that you push back and never want surfaced but still it made you think. I stayed up till 1am last night to finish off Feed because I couldn't handle sleeping without finishing, I knew I'd just be constantly thinking about it. But, then I was constantly thinking about this book and my bereft feeling long into the hours of the morning - it was possibly 3am - so yes my plan of I'll finish this book and then I can sleep failed greatly.
As you can see from my review, this book really caught me in a way that I wasn't expecting it to and I love it for that. I am eagerly awaiting the moment when I open the first page of the next book 'Deadline' which is sitting here right beside me as I read this.
All the best and I wish you all well. (P.S, pick up this book if you have it or were thinking about reading it or if you've never heard of it, check it out, you will not regret it, I hope.)
Sarah.
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Wishlist Wednesday #11
Wishlist Wednesday #11
Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Pen to Paper and it is where you talk about one book which is on your wishlist.
My Wishlist Wednesday book is...
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES BY SARAH J. MAAS
When 19-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it ... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it ... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
I added this book to my wishlist as soon as I heard about it!! Because damn it is another book by Sarah J. Maas and Sarah J. Maas is just awesome!!!
The cover for this book was just revealed recently and I have to say that I do love it. It has an edge that many covers don't have. I also like what they did with the title having the A, OF and And placed in the O's, it makes it a hell of a lot unique in the cover world. The colour itself is striking and all I can say is that this cover screams danger and that I'm attracted to it. Hopefully, this is the cover for the UK too.....
As for Sarah J. Maas herself, I have recently just read her book Throne of Glass and I still have to write the review for it. I was speechless after finishing that book, hence the long wait for the review. I have her The Assassin's Blade sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read next and I am hoping to get Crown of Midnight for Christmas. I'm collecting the USA Bloomsbury editions in paperback and Heir of Fire has not yet been released by them so I'm patiently waiting, even if I'm behind the hype...
I cannot wait for this book!!! Please, please, please I need it :P
P.S The expected publication date is May 5th 2015!!!
Top Ten Tuesday #3
Top Ten Tuesday #3
Top Ten Characters Who I Would Totally Want To Be For Halloween.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.
I'm a day late, sorry!!! But I had to do this one!!!
Here's my list:
1. Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass
Ya, I would definitely want to dress up as her!!! Because she is such a badass and I could get a sword :P
2. Tessa Gray from The Infernal Devices
I would love to dress up as Tessa. I love the look of that era and I even have a clockwork angel necklace!!!
3. Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Can I please dye my hair blue...Can I please dye my hair blue!!! I want blue hair!! And tattoos and do magic. Let me pretend to be Karou!!!
4. America Singer from The Selection
One of the dresses on the covers would be perfect for a costume!!
5. Georgia Mason from The Newsflesh Trilogy
I am just reading this book and I love Georgia!!! She is an amazing strong, intelligent journalist blogger!!! In a zombie apocalypse....
6. Linh Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles
Robots, Cyborgs.....enough said.
7. Moira from Sea of Legends
Go Moira, Go!!!
8. Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy
Who wouldn't want to dress like Rose???
9. Sydney Sage from Bloodlines
Complete contrast here but I have to have all options!!
10. Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices
Because I can dress up like a guy too if I want to!!!!
Chills and Trills Read-A-Thon #ReadingCram Spell It Out Challenge
Chills and Trills Read-A-Thon #ReadingCram Spell It Out Challenge
Spell It Out Challenge
Pick one of the following words: Ghost, Witch, Zombie, Howl or chose your own spooky word and using each letter, find a title of a book you've read this year to "spell it out."
Example:
G Graceling by Kristin Cashore
H Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
O Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
S Sanctum by Sarah Fine
T Timebound by Rysa Walker
My Word!!
This was soooo hard because I haven't read that much this year and because of the fact that they all began with nearlt all the same letters so ya, I went for an easy one!!!
B - Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
A - All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
T - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
This challenge is hosted by Rachel at A Perfection Called Books so head over there to enter the challenge! She's hosting an international giveaway for a hardcover copy of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!
Monday, 27 October 2014
Chills and Trills Read-A-Thon #ReadingCram Update
Chills and Trills Read-A-Thon #ReadingCram Update
Hey guys!!! I just wanted to do an update seen and all there are just 5 days left to the read-a-thon and well ya, I am behind schedule, as always!! I'm halfway through Feed by Mira Grant and should hopefully finish it on Tuesday and then get Deadline read by Friday. I don't think I will get to my last book Blackout but if I don't it will definitely be the first book I read in November!!!
Read-A-Lot-A-Thon Final Update
Read-A-Lot-A-Thon Final Update
I am so sorry, this is soo late but ya, better late than never. Anyway this read-a-thon went really badly for me!!! I only got to read 1 books out of the 3 that I planned to read. I also had a busy college week so that's probably why I didn't get to read that much.
Anyway, the book I read was Partials by Dan Wells and you can expect a review of this book very soon!! Just a heads up - I loved it!!!
On My Shelves #11
On My Shelves #11
These are books which are on my shelves at home but which I haven't got around to reading yet :(
For this week the book is.....
HALO BY ALEXANDRA ADORNETTO
Halo is a book that I bought ages ago. One that I probably should have read when I bought it but well, I didn't and now it's stuck on my shelf. Since I bought it, I've read some pretty crappy angel books and I'm just afraid this one will be the same. I'm so reluctant to pick this up, but I will, possibly early next year when I can psych myself up for it.
Have any of you guys read this book?? If so, did you like it??
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