Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10 books to be read in a day.

1. The whole series of Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw
2. The whole series of Riley Bloom by Alyson Noel
3. Matilda by Roald Dahl
4. 52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody
5. My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult
6. The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen
7. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
8. Facing up to Fatherhood by Miranda Lee
9. Ash by Malinda Lo
10. Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

Books I Read In 2012

This is a list of books that I read in 2012 (not in the order I read)

1. Wintercraft: Legacy - Jenna Burtenshaw (review)
2. Dreamland - Alyson Noel (Review)
3. Whisper - Alyson Noel (Review)
4. Night Star - Alyson Noel (Review)
5. Everlasting - Alyson Noel (Review)
6. Daire Meets Ever - Alyson Noel (Review)
7. Fated - Alyson Noel (Review)
8. Kisses from Hell - Alyson Noel, Kristin Cast, Francessca Lia Block, Richelle Mead and Kelley Armstrong
9. My Life Undecided Prequel - Jessica Brody (Review)
10. My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody (Review)
11. 52 Reasons to hate my Father - Jessica Brody (Review)
12. The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen (Review)
13. Macbeth - William Shakespeare
14. The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas - Tom Fletcher and Dougie Pointer (Review)
15. Snow White and the Huntsman - Lily Blake (Review)
16. Waiting at Eros - Rosemary Laurey (Review)
17. Adam and Olivia - Martin Lastrapes (Review)
18. Lust and Honor - Harriet Schultz (Review)
19. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
20. The Fairies Shoemaker - Enid Blyton
21. My Naughty Little Sister - Dorothy Edwards (Review)
22. More Naughty Little Sister Stories - Dorothy Edwards
23. My Naughty Little Sister and Bad Harry - Dorothy Edwards
24. When My Naughty Little Sister Was Good - Dorothy Edwards
25. My Naughty Little Sister's Friend's - Dorothy Edwards

2012 had a lot of fantastic books and I know 2013 will be even better

Top 10 Tuesday

This weeks top 10 topic is going to be:

Top 10 books that I read in 2011.

1. Dark Flame - Alyson Noel (review here)
2. Radiance - Alyson Noel (review here)
3. Shimmer - Alyson Noel (review here)
4. Blackwatch - Jenna Burtenshaw (review here)
5. Heat Wave - Richard Castle (review here)
6. The Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
7. The Worst Witch Again - Jill Murphy
8. A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
9. The Worst Witch at Sea - Jill Murphy
10. Evernight - Claudia Grey (review here)

Leave a message and let me know you top 10 favourite books from last year.

Just for Fun Questionnaire

The best book you read last year:

Blackwatch by Jenna Burtenshaw

A book you've read more than 3 times:

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Your favourite series:

The Immortal Series by Alyson Noel and the Wintercraft Series by Jenna Burtenshaw (sorry couldn't pick  one I like them both the same)

A guilty pleasure book:

Matilda by Roald Dahl

A book that made you laugh:

52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody

A book that made you cry:

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult

A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving:

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Favourite classic book:

Good Night Mr. Tom

A book you hated:

A Breath of Fresh Air by Erica James

A book you used to love but don’t anymore:

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Your Favourite author:

I would have to say Roald Dahl

Favourite male character:

Damen Auguste from the Immortal Series

Favourite female character:

I would say Ever Bloom from the Immortal Series but after reading 52 Reasons I'm going to say Lexington Larrabree

Your biggest fictional crush:

Damen Auguste from the Immortal Series

A good quick read:

Any of the Riley Bloom Series

A book that disappointed you:

Ash by Malinda Lo

Favourite book-to-movie conversion:

Alice in Wonderland

Favourite romance:

Facing up to Fatherhood by Miranda Lee

Favourite book from your childhood:

Charlotte's Web

A book you can't wait for:

Unremembered by Jessica Brody

A book you've been meaning to read for ages:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A book that you wish more people would read:

Alice in Wonderland

Most surprising plot twist or ending:

The Grooms Daughter by Natalie Fox

Favourite book title:

Stargazer

Your Favourite book OF ALL TIME:

I have two Good Night Mr. Tom and Charlotte's Web

If you're interested copy,paste,fill in in the comments or post on your blog and link the post in comments ! :D

Whisper by Alyson Noel

5/5 Stars

Twelve-year-old Riley Bloom - ace Soul Catcher - faces her toughest challenge yet. She must travel to ancient Rome and convince dead gladiator Theocoles to accept his fate and move on. Then she meets the charming Messalina, who gives Riley a dramatic makeover, transforming her into a beautiful teenager. Finally Riley experiences her first kis... In a world this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?

The Riley Bloom series is one of my favourite series because its a fun, quick and fascinating read. Whisper is the fourth and final book in the series and although I am sad that it is finished I am happy with the ending we got.

In Whisper Riley is sent to Rome on an assignment to cross over the Soul of Theocoles a Roman warrior who is stuck in a time loop created by a spirit girl who doesn't want to let go.

Whisper deals with the notion of growing up and falling in love. Riley tries really hard to cross Theocoles over but she fail's each time because he is so stuck in his time and world, eventually Riley just like every other soul catcher sent to cross Theocoles over gets sucked into his world.

Riley is quick to befriend Messalina, Messalina is the only girl in the entire world and she decides to give Riley a makeover so that she can fit in with everyone else. Messalina convinces Riley to stay in this world if she wants any chance of crossing him over and this is where Riley gets her makeover. Messalina transforms Riley into someone she has always wanted to be a teenager and with this Riley manages to catch the eye of a boy. Riley must figure things out before she is stuck in Messalina's and Theocoles world for good just like the other soul catchers.

The story was great and so captivating and kept my attention throughout and finally getting to see Riley transform into a teenager was great. I am glad that Alyson didn't make Riley go from being 12 to being 15 I am glad she had Riley become 13.

I definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves Middle Grade books.

Jenna Burtenshaw, Alyson Noel and Jessica Brody's 2012 book release's

OK, so I am getting a really excited about the all the new books that are going to be coming out this year by my three favourite authors Jenna Burtenshaw, Alyson Noel and Jessica Brody.

Here's a bit about them.

Jenna Burtenshaw's Wintercraft: Legacy (Released May 10th)

This is the final book in the Wintercraft series and I am excited about the new book and can't wait for my copy to arrive in May but also sad because it is the last book in the series and I will miss Kate and Silas' journey through Albion, Fume. I am glad that Jenna is writing a new series and I can't wait to hear more about it and hopefully it will help me get over not being able to see what Silas and Kate get up to after book three.

Alyson Noel's Riley Bloom: Whisper

This is also the final book in the series, it will feel really strange not being a part of Riley's journey now that this is the last book and that the Immortal series has finished. I don't know what I will do with out my fix of Immortals and the Lost/Trapped Spirits. This is a I really loved especially the Immortal's and I am really sad that it is over I never wanted it to end but I suppose that it had to end sometime and if they do make a TV/film series or the two series then it would be great.

Alyson Noel's Soul Seeker Series Fated & Echo (Releases May 22nd & November 22nd)

I am really excited about this new series of Alyson's and will be even more happy when they are released here in the UK. Hopefully this new series will help to fill the hole that the Immortals series and the Riley Bloom series will leave when I have finished reading the last book of each series although I could read them all again and again. All I no about the Soul Seekers so far is that the new series is brimming with magic, mystery, and a love story that will steal your heart away, Daire Santos who can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. Daire's grandmother recognizes her visions for what they truly are - the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker: one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. (taken from goodreads.com) It sounds really good and I cant wait to read it.

Jessica Brody's 52 Reason to Hate My Father (Released July 3rd)

I really enjoyed the last book I read of Jessica's so when I heard about this book I had to check online to see what it was about and it sounds really, really good and I can't wait for it to be delivered in a few months. It's about a wayward teenage girl who father decides to take action and every week for the next year, makes her take on a different low-wage job if she wants to receive her trust fund. She has to take jobs such as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee all while dealing with a college intern that her dad has assigned to keep an eye on her.

Jessica Brody's Unremembered Series (Early 2013)

This is the first series that Jessica has written and still in the process of writing and I am excited to read it for two reasons, one because I really enjoyed Jessica's novel My Life Undecided and two because I am really into reading series of books. The only thing I know about this book so far is what Jessica relieved in my interview with her last year (which you can read here) "it's about a sixteen year old girl who wakes up amongst the wreckage of a devastating plane crash with no memories and no identity. the only clue to her forgotten past is a mysterious boy who claims she was part of a science experiment" I know that this isn't going to be out until next year but I am excited about it now.

The release next to all the books are all based on the Amazon UK's release dates and could change any time.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Dreamland - Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

ALL I WANTED, ALL I'D EVER DREAMED OF, WAS TO BE THIRTEEN, BUT THEN I DIED.

Riley Bloom's after life is about as good as it gets, except she'll never be a teenager.  Riley desperately wants to speak to her older sister, Ever, to ask her advice.  Ever is still alive and the only way Riley can reach her is to search Dreamland - a place where ghosts can jump into dreams and talk to their loved ones.  But when she finally gets there Riley discovers that Dreamland isn't as heavenly as it sounds.  In fact, it's a total nightmare.

The third book in the witty, moving and heart-warming RILEY BLOOM series.

Dreamland is another fabulous read.  Alyson Noel is one of the best writers around these days and knows how to keep her readers get lost in the book and unable to put it down.

It's all happening in book three, and after completing a task that she was not assigned to in the last book she is told that she has to take a break from Soul Catching for a while but because Riley's 'glow' has changed she thinks she can handle harder jobs and once again Riley finds herself in trouble again but it is good to see her doing things on her own and even though she has made plenty of mistakes she is always there to help people.

Riley learns how to dream jump with a former Hollywood director Balthazar who is now the dream jump director, who puts on productions to expand the dreams of those who are still alive to help give them comfort and happiness from those who have crossed the bridge into the Hear and Now and to let them communicate with the living.  Riley wants to dream jump so that she can go into Ever's dreams to get her advice and Balthazar is there to help her do that.

Riley just learns to dream jump when Dreamland closes for the night which Riley finds strange because there is people dreaming all over the world at different times of the day, but she leaves with the other dream jumpers and when she gets outside Riley being Riley doesn't follow the rules and says that she has left something important to her inside and goes back in and later regrets it because a lingering spirit boy named Satchel a dreamweaver tricks her and turned her experience into her worst nightmare.

Riley ends up being forced into working for Satchel who creates nightmares to teach a lesson to the ones he thinks needs to be taught that lesson.  Riley eventually gets into her sisters dream but at first Riley finds it hard to talk to Ever because Ever keeps having nightmares which wake her up and Riley tries hard to help her sister but the lessons Satchel is trying to teach Riley are not easy and after a while she finally gets to talk to Ever she gets some answers as well as help Ever.

Riley couldn't get Satchel to stop dreamweaving and because she interfered in trying to get him to stop the High Council took away Riley's 'glow'.  After finding out her 'glow' was fading Riley finds out that turning thirteen isn't just about crossing Souls over its about what she learn's while she's doing it.

The book ends with Bodhi telling Riley that they are going to Italy on a Soul Catch of a stubborn ghost that has been haunting the Colosseum for a long time and he tells Riley that there going because the Council knows she wants a challenge.

I am excited to read Whisper book 4 in the series when it comes out because it is the final book and I want to know if Riley becomes a teenager or not and knowing Alyson I will have to wait till the end of the book to get my answer.

Shimmer - Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE DEAD - WELL THINK AGAIN. EVER HEAR THE SAYING, LIFE GOES ON?  IT DOES.

Riley Bloom is starting to grips with being dead OK. so she'll never turn thirteen, but she can manifest anything she desires.  And, after her first success as a Soul Catcher, she finally got her 'glow' on.  Then she meets Rebecca - a furious ghost who is trapped on earth, desperate to seek revenge for her own death - and  Riley's determined to help her, even if it means defying her cute - but annoying guide Bodhi, and breaking all the rules ....

This is the second book in the Riley Bloom Series, a spin-off off of the popular Immortals series. Based on Ever's younger sister, Riley. 

All of Alyson's books that I have read have a unique descriptive writing style which helps to pull you into the book straight away.

Shimmer picks up where Radiance left off with Riley and Bodhi on vacation.  While on Vacation Riley see's a pair of eye that belong to a black dog - which Bodhi later tells her is a bad omen - and she follows it even though Bodhi tells her not to, because she thinks she should help the dog to cross over only to gets trapped inside Rebecca's evil world along with her friend.  At first Rebecca seems like the victim acting scared but it turns out she is stuck because of the way she died, she wants revenge and Riley has to find a way to help cross her over as well as all the spirits Rebecca has trapped in her world without losing herself, buttercup and her guide while doing it.

Shimmer has everything you could ask for in a book with so few pages. It is easy to read and understand.  It is full of adventure, emotions and magic it had me almost in tears when Rebecca was sharing her story.  The trouble Riley has gotten herself and Bodhi stuck in this time plays with her dark emotions.  The trouble Riley has to go through to help the other trapped Souls is a powerful and emotional.

I am really loving the series and I can't wait to see what trouble Riley gets into in Dreamland when it comes out.