A Year Gone By... (#36)

'A Year Gone By' is now on Fridays and the discussions on Saturdays.
I have much more time on Saturdays as I work Fridays and discussions take later to type out. 

Spy Glass - Maria V, Snyder

Released - 1st September 2010

Other Books by Maria - Insider, 
Study

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Two 5*|Three 4*|Four 3*

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Reviews

Girls Without A Bookshelf
Fantasy Book Review

I really enjoyed Maria's other book 'Inside Out' although I found it rather confusing. I may try another of her books but due to being quite confused by the story I have been kind of put off a little bit. 

Twelfth Grade - Heather Brewer

Released - 21st September 2010

Other Books by Heather - The Slayer Chronicles

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Two 5*|Two 4*|

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Reviews

Reading Teen
Once Upon A Twilight

I have been having little sneaky looks at this series for a while now but it's just too much to start a new series right now, I do hope to get to these one day!

The Legacy - Gemma Malley

Released - 6th September 2010

Other Books by April - The Declaration, 
The Returners

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Four 4*|Three 3*

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Reviews

Wondrous Reads

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

I actually got the first one in this series out of the library but as I didn't get time I had to take it back. Gutted I didn't get time to read it. Maybe one day as this series sounds awesome.

UK giveaway! - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daugther of Smoke & Bone - Laini Taylor

How to enter :

Click 'I Did This' and enter your name, email and confirm your from the UK by putting 'UK' in the extra info part. 

Rules :

UK Only

Ends 7th October

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this copy to giveaway

The Time Will Come #36

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

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Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

The Chosen One - Carol Lynch Williams
I was so excited when I got this one (from a swap, if I remember right) and actually remember saying to myself 'I will read this one soon as it's only a little book'. Well, I didn't! I still haven't got to this one although it sounds both awesome and depressing. These are actually the sort of books I am loving right now so I hope I can read this one soon and put a review up for everyone who hasn't read it. 
Carol has also written some other books which all sound awesome so I hope to read this and some other books by her. 
(As soon as I finished this post I went and brought Miles from Ordinary)

Waiting on Wednesday (#36)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Third - Abel Keogh
Published : 8th April 2011
Publisher : Cedar Fort Inc
I know this is already released but it's one I am waiting to get!
I wouldn't really ever pick this sort of book up just because it doesn't look like something I would like. This is when I am glad I do sometimes read a blurb even if it doesn't look like my kinda book, I think this sounds awesome!
Also I haven't read many books by males lately but all the ones I have read I have enjoyed so I can't wait to read this one and find more out about the family.
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The Blurb

When Ransom Lawe, a recycler in the Pacific Northwest, finds out his wife is pregnant with their third—and therefore illegal—child, he’s forced to choose between the government who proclaims a desire to save the planet and his hope for a place where his family can live in freedom. But with the Census Bureau Sentinels closing in on his wife and unborn child, Ransom’s choice will either save his family or tear them apart forever.
Abel Keogh offers a stark and haunting look at a not-so-distant future in this chilling new novel. Crossing lines between good and evil, freedom and oppression, and political and environmental responsibility, The Third is a gut-wrenching tale of intense loyalty and unconditional love.

*Review* : Raw Blue - Kirsty Eager

Raw Blue - Kirsty Eager

Series : No

Released : 29th June 2009

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia 

Format : Paperback

Source : Borrowed - Lesley @ My Keeper Shelf

Buy : Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

 .................................... My Thoughts  ....................................

In Short

- The main character, Carly, was someone I came to like.

-This is a very raw book with strong and depressing feeling.

- A book which really touches on some tough truths.

- The writing was something I both liked and disliked. 

In Long

I don’t know what sort of book I expected from Raw Blue but it didn’t lived up to the big expectations I had because of all the hype around it. I don’t know whether it was just because I was left feeling like I missed something which others got but I didn’t or because although I wasn’t expecting a certain sort of book I still wasn’t expecting what I got.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Raw Blue and I came to really like the main character, Carly, after a bit of a rocky start with not quite ‘getting her’ but this book felt like it never had a point to it. I think I am left feeling this because of how it was written. Kirsty is a good writer but just not my sort of writer and I can’t explain the writing style to you, you just need to read this book yourself. What I will say though is that I was often left confused by it because it felt like it was all in the wrong order. For example it would mention a character who you have never met before and the  ‘introduction’ to the character would come a lot later in the book so you are kind of left in limbo. In other ways Kirsty's writing is something I liked, it flowed really well and left you really understanding Carly’s feeling while at the same time not necessarily understanding her actions.

The romance in this book is the best thing about Kirsty’s writing. She wrote it in a way where you fall in love with the people as a couple. I have never read a romance which was so so far from being cheesy while at the same time being unbelievably cute! It’s one of the easiest romances to believe and this felt so fresh for me.

I think from this book I expected some sort of happiness but I never really felt it in this book, at no point! I think I can honestly say it’s one of the first books I have read that truly is very raw. Everything about it. The relationships, the emotions, the way Carly sees her life. It’s all very true but very depressing.I didn’t always get why Carly acted the way she acted or said the things she said but that’s ok, all people do things we don’t understand. It was another thing which made me believe in Carly.

Final Thoughts

I don’t really know how to round this book up. I loved it while I disliked it at the same time. I actually love how this book brought so many different thoughts and feeling to me, I have never had a book which has made me fall in love with the romance so strongly while still feeling slightly distant from the main girl. I think this is definitely a great read and you won’t find another book written like this (unless it’s written by Kirsty!). I can see why people loved this book and although I didn’t fall in love with it, I still really liked this book.
Just a little note : This book is written by an Australian lady and based in Australia. There is Australia slang in this book you may not understand!

Ratings :

Plot : 3.5/5

Cover : 4/5

Page Turner : 4/5

Characters : 4/5

Ending : 4/5

First lines (#6) - Stay With Me

What is the point of First Lines?

Well l hope to help you find new books you may not have heard of or interest you in books you may not have been interested in before. 

To find more out about First Lines click here.

Stay With Me - Paul Griffin

First few lines of :

Blurb

Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible.

First Page

"Bad news," Vics says.
"There's another kind?"
"I lost the restaurant."
"Another tough night at the online poker table?"
"Catastrophic." The old man saddles a flipped milk crate and clobbers garlic cloves with his hands. Says it makes him feel one with earth., expect there's not a lot of earth here in the city. Baked concrete, we got that. 

My Thoughts

I am on page 40 as I type this and have to say, 10 pages in, I thought I wasn't going to like this but after the first chapter I felt the writing really started to flow better and now I am really wanting to read more! 

What do you think of these 'First Lines?'

Have you read Stay With Me?

Does it make you want to read Stay With Me?

Cover Crazy #36

Hosted by The Book Worms

Wherever Grace Is Needed - Elizabeth Bass

Well I know I have included a lot of covers which have water in them but all the covers are so pretty I just couldn't resist showing you all this cover.I haven't really seen it around much. 

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I love this cover because :

- The red of her dress against the other colours is so pretty.
- I like the reflection in the water, tells me more about where is she and the scene.
- Her sandals, for some reason, give me a relax feel.  
- The whole thing feels very mysterious 
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Dislike :
- The colour of the title, doesn't go with the scene as a whole.

Exiled - RaShelle Workman
When I first saw this cover I didn't really know what to think, there is a lot to take in and even after looking at it for 10 minutes you still find something new about it. 
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I love this cover because :
- It's very 'in your face'. You couldn't miss it!
- Really makes you wonder what this book is about.
- I love butterflies so how can I not like this cover!
- I think bubbles, in their own way, are pretty so the bubbles really add to this cover.
- I don't really like the font of the title but I really think it adds to this cover.
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I dislike :
- Although I like the bubbles they kind of feel out of place in this cover.

This Week's Round Up

Reviews
Tempest Rising - Tracey Deebs

Posts:

Cover Crazy

First Lines - Raw Blue

Waiting On Wednesday

The Time Will Come

A Year Gone By

IMM & Discussion :

Both return next week! 

Discussion posts will now go up on Saturdays and A Year Gone By will be on Fridays

A Year Gone By... (#35)

From next week 'A Year Gone By' will be on Fridays and the discussions on Saturdays.
I have much more time on Saturdays as I work Fridays and discussions take later to type out. 

Mini Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella

Released - 2nd September 2010

Other Books by Sophie - Shopaholic Series, 
Can You Keep A Secret?, Remember Me?

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Three 5*|Five 4*|Three 3*

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Reviews

Book Chick City
Alexa Loves Books

When I heard about this book I actually couldn't wait to read it! By the time  it came out though my TBR had doubled and I didn't have time to read it. One day I will get it out from my library!

Return To Paradise - Simone Elkeles 

Released - 1st September 2010

Other Books by Simone - Perfect Chemistry, 
How to Ruin

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

Twelve 5*|Six 4*|Four 3*

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Reviews

Fluttering Butterflies
YA Reads

I have a few books, including this one, by Simone on my shelf and I can't believe I haven't read any of them! Everyone seems to love Simone

Girl,Stolen - April Henry

Released - 31st August 2010

Other Books by April - Shock Point,
Torched

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Rating (By my goodread friends) 

One 4*|One 3*

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Reviews

My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Dreaming Of Books

I have this one on my wishlist and think it sounds really good! Hope one day I can get my hands on this one. 

The Time Will Come #35

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The Time Will Come - 

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

~

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

The Taker - Alma Katsu
After I spoke to Alma over twitter (who is so lovely and kind!) I was lucky to get a beautiful copy of The Taker as well as an interview with Alma (which is here)
When I got this book I was hoping to read it quite soon as I think it sounds totally awesome and how beautiful it was really attracted me to it!
Sadly the time just hasn't come for this yet, it's not a huge book but it's quite a big one which means it sadly doesn't get read as quick.  
I really look forward to reading this one and will hopefully read it soon. 

Waiting on Wednesday (#35)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Someone Else's Life - Katie Dale
Released : 2nd April 2012
Publisher : Simon & Schuster (UK)
I have to admit that the cover attracted me to this one to begin with, I just love it! I think it hints towards some sort of heartbreak in this story with how the girl is sitting and almost reflecting on what is happening. 
Anyway onto the actual book. I love the sound of it! I think if I can connect with the character and she is likeable therefore someone I can feel sorry for then I will really enjoy this book.
Plus the fact it's published by Simon & Schuster!!
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The Blurb :

When seventeen-year-old Rosie’s mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington’s Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty-per-cent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when she tells her mum’s best friend, ‘Aunt Sarah’ that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie was not her biological mother after all... Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, hitching along on her ex-boyfriend’s GAP year to follow her to Los Angeles. But all does not go to plan, and as Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply-buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonising decision of her own - one which will be the most heart-breaking and far-reaching of all...

First lines (#5) - Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager

What is the point of First Lines?

Well l hope to help you find new books you may not have heard of or interest you in books you may not have been interested in before. 

To find more out about First Lines click here.

Raw Blue - Kirsty Eager

First few lines of :

Blurb

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing ... and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago. Then she meets Ryan and Carly has to decide ... Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

First Page

1. Him

Friday Morning. I'm heading down to the break, feeling antsy because I slept in. I'd mean't to surf early, but maybe it's not such a bad thing. Getting there after nine means I miss the pre-work crew.

My Thoughts

I love that this book throws you straight into the beach, I think if you pick this book up then you are gonna want a book with beach, sun and surfing in. I also love that the chapter is labelled 'him'! Makes me really wonder .. who is 'him'?

What do you think of these 'First Lines?'

Have you read Raw Blue?

Does it make you want to read Raw Blue?

*Review* : Tempest Rising - Tracey Deebs

Tempest Rising - Tracey Deebs

Series :#1 Tempest

Released : 4th July 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format : Paperback

Source : From Publisher

Buy : Amazon (UK/USA)|Book Depository

Overall rating

 .................................... The Blurb  ....................................

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

 .................................... My Thoughts  ....................................

Tempest Rising is one of those books I have really mixed feelings about, even now that I have finished it I am still struggling to decide how I feel about it. I think part of the reason I didn’t love it as much as I hoped is because I read it while distracted. This always means I don't really allow myself to get as into it as I would hope and therefore don't get a good connection with the characters from the beginning. While reading this I kept thinking to myself ‘This is a great book, why can’t I get properly into it?’ I just never felt ‘part’ of the book or like I was there with the characters until near the end.

I think one of the things which I struggled with in this book is the romance, a lot of this book is built around that but I didn’t properly feel any of the romance until the end. I don’t know whether it was because I could never really get a picture of the guys in my head or another reason. Towards the end, for some reason, the emotions became more true for me and I finally felt like I clicked with the characters.

I really enjoyed the mermaid side of this story and although I didn’t feel there was a lot that was really unique it didn't really take much away from the book. Saying that, there was little unique things in this book which really added to the storyline and the book as a whole. Tracy did a great job of making everything feel very real and I loved her descriptions which really helped me see and feel what Tempest did.

Tempest is a great character, she is so strong throughout the book but not to the point where things became to unrealistic, there are points where she shows she isn’t as strong as she acts. I also really liked how she did make mistakes throughout the book and how she almost discussed these with the reader - I really felt like Tracy made this very reader friendly read.

The emotions between Tempest and her mother were ones I didn’t totally ‘feel’ but yet I felt her emotion for her dad and brothers. This may be because Tempest feelings were backed up by her actions towards her brothers and dad whereas Tempest wasn't able to show that apart from what she was thinking. 

Over-all Rising Tempest is definitely worth a read and is a book which really makes me want to read more mermaid books in the future as well as more books by Tracy.

Ratings :

Plot : 4/5

Cover : 4.5/5

Page Turner : 4/5

Characters : 4/5

Ending : 4.5/5

Cover Crazy #35

Hosted by The Book Worms

The Unquiet - Jeannine Garsee

I seem to be on a roll with including covers with water in but I am just loving what different effects can be added to the cover by using water and also the colours which are being used in the covers alongside the water. 

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I love this cover because :

- It's kind of confusing therefore grabs your attention. Is she looking in the water or is she in the water?
- I am kind of liking and hating the placement of the title ..
- Definitely like the tagline at the top at this cover but it doesn't really hint to what the book is about. 
-Of course I like the reflection! 
- The questions this cover makes you ask yourself :
Is she alive?
Why is she in the water?

Still Waters - Emma Carlson Berne
I thought I might as well carry on with the 'covers which include water'. I don't think you get the full effect of this cover until you see it bigger so go to goodreads and have a look! =)
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I love this cover because :
- You know I love black with other colours, I love this black with the blue
- I love how the title has become part of the cover/picture itself
- It's another one of those covers which makes you ask questions
- I love the things around her in the water
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I dislike :
Maybe it's different in real life but the authors name is tricky to see properly.