Owlcrate October 2017

I'v e been tweeting recently about how my love for books hasn't really made it onto the blog before so I've been making a conscious effort to share it and also get myself back into reading more regularly.

I signed up for Owlcrate in September and wrote about the September box here so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the October box too.

Owlcrate - September 2017

Hey all!

I have a bit of a different post for you today. I've recently been sharing some tweets about my love for books which I haven't really shared on the blog that much.

I have so many books of so many types, and when I heard of monthly book boxes I was so excited to see what they contained. There are many available but I chose to try Owlcrate. It's a subscription box for young adult books and comes from the U.S. They seem to have a bigger range of book box subscriptions in America but there are a few in the UK too.

Book Review - Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard

Hello there!

I don't think I've ever written a book review before, nor have I ever really adequately described by complete obsession for books. I am totally and utterly addicted, always have and always will be.

For the entirety of my life I have always read and had a shelf full of books, but after university I couldn't always bring myself to concentrate enough. Reading on a computer screen all day at uni/work and then writing the blog often I find I've had enough, but I have read through series such as Harry Potter (countless times now!), The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones amongst others. 

I used to get through a book every few days but now I'm lucky to get through a book in 6 months! I've been meaning to change this for a while but it was only recently when I had my car accident that I really took the time to buy a new book and get stuck in (having whiplash was the only time I was forced to sit down and relax!)

The book I chose was 'Red Queen' by Victoria Aveyard, so I'm going to share my thoughts on it and the other books in the same series (without giving spoilers!). I've not read too many book reviews as I tend to go on recommendations from others, so I hope this post covers what you would normally read!

Book Review: Harry Potter Illustrated Book

Hello there! 

I don't know about you but me and M are both super Harry Potter fans, we absolutely love it and can't get enough. We love the books, the films, and have been known to attend Harry Potter parties...nerds!

I also love books in general, and bookshelves and I need to do everything I can to fill mine with the prettiest books in existence. You have probably seen the most recent adaptation to come out but I couldn't resist sharing as it is just so beautiful.

Meet the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: 

Don't panic, I won't be showing you all the pages as I would hate to ruin the surprise of how beautiful they are! But I have taken a few snaps to make you understand how perfect it is and how you need it in your collection!

I thought this would be another book with a few images in it, beautiful images but just a couple here and there.
I have to say I was extremely impressed that every page has either a scene, a character or just general doodles around the text to bring it to life.



Each of the chapters has a really detailed doodle to introduce them and it just makes me want to draw my own and colour it all in!

Even if you are not as much of a fan as we are, you cannot deny that the book is gorgeous and is a great gift for children and adults.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out and all the rest so that I can complete this collection too!

The RRP of the book is £30 but I believe that you can buy this from Amazon for £14 - which let's face it is a wonderful bargain.

What do you think of Harry Potter? Do you love books like me?

It's my absolute dream to have a display of books that makes it onto Pinterest!

L xxx

Book Review: A Song Of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin

Morning All

Hump day is here already. I love Wednesday's as it's my mega gym day and I always feel strong after it.

I've done a few book review posts now so thought it was about time I shared my current addiction. I'm a huge fan of reading. I love getting lost in a book and this year I seem to have gotten back into reading and finding the time again. (Goodbye reading the metro daily hello books!).

I thought I'd talk about the first 3 books in The Song of Ice and Fire series as I've currently just started the fourth. The first 3 are a Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.

I feel I should start by saying if you asked me my preferred reading genre 100% it would be chrime thiller, second to that chick lit and thirdly classics (mainly as I want to read them more lately!). On multiple occasions I was told to watch Game of Thrones. I refused point blank for ages. I would go as far to say I hate Lord of the Rings (I am now determined to read the hobbit!) And I thought Game of Thrones would be alone those lines amd I wasn't interested.  If I watch or read fantasy it's more teen things like Harry Potter,  Twilight and Hunger Games.

In February I was finally persuaded to give it a go and agreed to try watching and reading it. I had already set myself up not to like it as everyone said it was good but a really hard read and complicating as there are lots of characters and it goes between them all. For me I watched two episodes of the first series then started reading the books. I think watching a few episodes first really helped me to have the characters in my head and understand the relationships linking everyone before I got stuck into the book. (One helpful thing is at the back of the books there are character lists and family tree type information).

It's been 9 weeks since I watched the first two episodes and I can honestly say a book has never gripped me so much yet taken me sooooooo long to read. If I love a book it's not unknown for it to take me 2 days to finish it. I'm a fast reader and probably scan read a lot. With A Song of Ice and Fire you can't do that as you'll miss things so I pove that it's got me reading properly again.

For two solid months I've read everyday except for two (I was horrifically hungover!) and I'm still hooked and not bored of it yet. I always want to read more. There are a few characters I don't enjoy so when I have their chapters ( the book is set into chapters where a chapter is a different characters story! Probably should have mentioned that sooner!) I am a bit slower reading them.

The books are long but don't let that put off. They are a great read. From someone who doesn't usually like the fantasy fiction genre I'm hooked.

I will give one bit of advice that was given to me. Don't love any characters George Martin is fond of killing them. It's great for keeping you on your toes and the end if every book has you reaching the next. I've been so gobsmacked sometimes I've text L in disbelief!

Have you read any of the books or watched the tv show? Even if it's not your thing seriously give it a go. But be prepared to lose a good few months to these books!

love M

xxx

Book Reviews

Morning All

After a late night last night at a gig I was not ready for my alarm this morning! Carrying on from my post I did a few weeks back on my current reads (here) I thought I'd do mini reveiws on them all now I've finished them. Finding a good book is a challenge so I'd love to know your current reads. I currently hooked on Game of Thrones and loving it but it isn't a light read.

As I said in my previous post I'm a huge James Patterson Fan and always seem to get through his books really quickly. He writes in short chapters which make it a perfect commuting book as it's easy to pick up and put down. Alex Cross, Run is from the Alex Cross series. I don't think you have to read his books in order as they fill you on in the back story but you do get a better understanding of the characters if you read from the beginning. 

In Alex Cross Run, Alex is drafted in to help out with a few murder cases and try to discover if there is a link between the cases and if there is are all the cases linked. While this is going on Alex is also dealing with issues at home that are causing him stress to deal with. As well as this Alex is being watched by someone and this develops well with the story line.

I love James Patterson. His books flow easily and I find I can't put them down. The book will keep you gripped and guessing through it to find the links. I don't want to give too much away but it's a great read.

The Fault in our Stars is a book I've wanted to read for ages. I've never read anything by John Green before but I think I'll be reading more from him now. This book is a tear jerker! I've never cried so much at a book. I got about 40% through it before thinking I don't understand why people were saying it's so sad. 

From the start of the book I was gripped and raced through it in 2 days. When I got to the end I didn't want it to end and wanted to know more. It was a book that really made you realise how lucky you are and I was totally hooked on the characters and found them easy to like and found myself wanting the best for them.

A very well written book and if you don't mind a book that'll make you cry it's a must read in my opinion!

The picture of Dorian Grey had me hooked for 50% then it was a battle. I am determined to read more classics and expand what I read. For me this is a book you really need to be able to sit down and read to enjoy. It's not a great one or dipping in and out of regularly. As it's an older book it is one you have to get your head into to enjoy the language. 

I read this knowing nothing of Dorian Grey and loved the twists that came along with the story. There were a few chapters in the middle I struggled with but after sitting down one Sunday to finish it I found myself enjoying the book again and I loved the ending!

Another James Patterson book. This is another book in a series. This follows the Women's Murder Club which follows a group of friends that all relate to the homicide side of things somehow. As with other James Patterson books it's full of short chapters (my favourite type) which make it perfect for reading on the go.

It's another book that can be picked up without reading the 11 books before as it does fill you in on who is who. The ladies all have there own battles in the book and problems to face and if you've read the others some big things happen to some of the characters!

I don't like to give away too much. But another great James Patterson book (I've never been disappointed by his reads) that kept me hooked and I couldn't put down!

As you can tell I've been busy lately. I'm totally hooked on reading at the moment and love having the enjoyment back!!

What have you been reading lately?

Love M

xxx

Current Reads

At the weekend I was travelling back from my parents and decided I treat myself to some new books. When I was in WH Smiths I couldn't decide so I thought I'd share the books I've recently been reading. I was really surprised how cheap the books were on the kindle app on my phone. Books that were £7.99 were around £3-£4 on the kindle. I'd definitely recommend downloading the app.

James Patterson is easily my favourite books. I love his writing style. It's easy to read and always grips me straight away. I love that his books are in short chapters meaning it's easy to pick up for the commute. This book is a relatively new release and was only £3 on the kindle. I've already read 50% since Sunday! I love that you can pick up any of his books and understand what's going on but if you are a crime thiller fan I'd definitely suggest some of his books for an easy read.

I've seen this book everywhere and after reading Mission Me's review I'd been wanting to pick it up. For years I literally only read James Patterson so part of my 101 things in 1001 days was to expand my literature. I've only heard good things about this but I've heard it's a tear jerker so I'm waiting till I have time at home to start this one.

As part of my list I set myself to read 5 classics. I loved the sound of this and had been recommended to read it. Although it was hard to adjust to the language I was hooked for the first 50% of the book but have since struggled with it. I really need to get myself back into it. I find the trouble with classics are you need to have a free hour to really get into it each time to read it. I will stick it out and get to the end though.

What are you currently reading? Any recommendations?

Love M

xxx

Book Review: Rona Jaffe, The Best of Everything

As part of my 101 things list (you can find mine and L's lists on the right hand side) I've been wanting to read more and add more variety to my reading. I used to just read James Patterson and not a lot else. On a recent post EssJay from Mission Me Blog suggested doing some book reviews. It's something I've considered but wasn't sure if people would want to read.

When you're stuck in one genre of book I think it's hard to branch out to new types. I hate buying a book I struggle to get into. Lately I've been making myself finish all books I start which can make them more of a chore than reading for enjoyment.

In the summer I won a Benefit competition and this was part of the prize. I was intrigued and wasn't sure I'd enjoy this as it was written in the 1950s. I put it on my shelf for a while and when I moved fished it out to read. Apologies for the tattered appearance, I'm a page folder and spine bender when it comes to books!

I need to try and explain this without giving too much away. I'm usually really bad at keeping secrets. Firstly I love this book to read, the pages are thin and the font is the perfect size for me. Anything with tiny tiny font puts me off straight away. The book had me hooked easily though where the follows different peoples stories it is a little jumpy and does require attention at first to understand how all the characters link up.

Once I got into it I couldn't put it down. Think a classy sex and the city! I couldn't wait to finish it when I started and find out where the stories led. The book is about a group of girls who live and work in New York. It's set in the early 1950s and was really interesting to read how things were then.

I really enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it. It was a great easy read that once you get past the first few chapters you can easily pick it up and continue where you left off. I've enjoyed reading it tucked up in a blanket with a cup of tea but it would equally be a great holiday read.

I really want to read more by Rona Jaffe now. She has a great writing style that was easy to follow.

Hope you've enjoyed my first book review.

Love M

xxx