The Sunny Hours - Rosemarie Dalheim

3/5 Stars

Born in Hannover in 1924, Rosemarie Dalheim and her family moved to England three years later. With a flourishing business employing five people, the Dalheims were considered ‘desirable aliens’ and soon granted permanent residence. Settling in Hull, life felt safe and secure in those sunny, pre-war days. 

However, with Hitler’s rise to power and the growing tension and hostility within Europe, Rosemarie and her family suddenly fell under suspicion and scrutiny, even by former friends and colleagues. Having a German accent in England was now a very undesirable thing indeed.

Despite attempting to maintain a sense of normality and stability in those challenging times, the inevitable finally happened – war broke out and the Dalheims were interned in a camp on the Isle of Man. 

The Sunny Hours is a tale of divided loyalties, and the struggle for acceptance and belonging. With warmth and humour Rosemarie Dalheim recounts the confusion and uncertainty of a young girl, feeling both British and German, growing up in Britain during World War II.

An amazingly well written story of a German child's experience of being interned in Britain during WWII, and a glimpse of the start of Nazi Germany through the innocent eyes of a child.

Currently Reading: Switched - Amanda Hocking

Read in 2012: 5/20

We Bury a Landscape - Kristine Ong Muslim

3/5 Stars

We Bury the Landscape is an exhibition of literary art. Ekphrasis, collected. One hundred flash fictions and prose poems presented to view. From the visual to the textual, transmuting before the gallery-goer’s gaze, the shifting contours of curator Kristine Ong Muslim’s surreal panorama delineate the unconventional, the unexpected, and the unnatural. Traversing this visionary vista’s panoply of “rooms of unfinished lives,” the reader unearths and examines and reanimates—revealing the transcendent uncanniness that subsists underfoot.

When I first looked at this book I thought 'oh I probably won't read this' I'm not a fan of poetry but when I actually got round to reading it I found it wasn't poems it was actually very short stories about paintings.  I like how the author looked at many different paintings to come up with these short stories.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Revealing Rexa - Ella Stradling

4/5 Stars

Legend tells of a great king, who used a magical charm to vanquish a terrible foe. Now the magic is lost and the ancient enemy is back.

Five years ago, Miyam was dragged away from the life she loved, as a revealer in training, to live with a father she hardly knew. When her father is murdered, her mundane world is thrown into turmoil once again.

A dark horde stands sizzling in the sunlight and travels by night, burning everything in its path. The queen lies dying and a pair of amulets, holding the souls of King Rexa and his beloved wife, must be reunited. The fate of the free world is in jeopardy and the blazing sky shall herald their coming.

This book was worth reading it kept my attention throughout.  It had everything you could want in a fantasy adventure.  Romance and intrigue, it had a fast pace and there was no dull moment.  The characters all had their own unique personalities.  The author truly captivated me with this book and the romance provided was satisfying enough to my needs that it did not need any heavy sex scenes

This novel came to an enjoyable close.  When it came to the end, it made me want to buy the next book in the series Awakening Sands because I enjoyed the book so much, and because it ends in a cliff-hanger.

Revealing Rexa, begins with the search for a lost amulet.  It must be reunited with the other that it belongs with.  The two were created for a King and Queen long ago, and after they died, their souls were bound to the amulets, along with the great powers that they held.  It was meant for the succeeding Kings and Queens to wear in order to protect the land and rule it honourably.  Unfortunately, the King’s amulet got lost and hadn’t been seen since.  The queen’s has continued to pass through the generations, allowing for some protection of the people, but now that magic alone is not enough.  There are dark forces at work that want to destroy the amulets and all of those who are living in the kingdom.

This forces the royal houses to seek help from a class of people, Revealers, who wield magic and are experienced in fighting and carrying out important missions.  Sand, one of the most powerful among this class, is tasked to aid the Queen and future King in their quest.  Along with them is Miyam, a woman with her own powers, and secrets.  Together they embark on a dangerous journey that will take them across the land into places few have travelled or even seen before.  They are the only ones who may be successful before the dark forces take over.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

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

What Necessity Decrees - Carola Robert

2/5 Stars

'What Necessity Decrees' offers an astounding new theory of conscious evolution based on relationship. By defining the tensions of increasing relating-awareness as the catalyst for man's emerging conscious necessity, it explores the implications of relationship.

As it crystallizes the essence of texts like the ancient Greek myths, the bible and the Arthurian legends, it unlocks the code of human condition hidden in these scripts. Thereby re-interpreting the story of conscious beginnings, it describes what happens when the tensions and pain of this process are inappropriately 'resolved' by consecutive generations and how each new generation reflectes not only the challenge itself but its various outcomes in lineage.

Based on 12 psychological archetypes the book then explains how in-divi-duality (internally divided duality) moves further apart in every generation, thereby polarizing the next one. Until biblical references like 'the sacrifice' and 'redemption of sin' become understood as the signs of negatively resolved, conscious evolution, that call for the full realisation of relationship.

I found this a quick read. It is full of essay-like insights into relationships with some very interesting points.  The writing style is heavy on long words and not the easiest to understand, but Carola gets some of her good ideas across even though I found it a hard read rather than an easy one.

Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

Ruth - Marlene S. Lewis

3/5 Stars

From the lush Owen Stanley Ranges of Papua New Guinea to working-class inner Sydney... Ruth follows the story of its protagonist, the only daughter of John and Alice Madison, coffee plantation owners. Set in the fifties and sixties, Ruth struggles to rise above the stigma of being an unwed mother alone in a strange land. Determined not to end up on the streets, she learns to live by her wits - until circumstances take a turn for the worse. To provide a better life for her son, Stewart, she takes up work in a distant town. There, she meets Lachlan McGrath, the owner of Bryliambone station. Life on the land is good to Ruth until fate turns her world upside down. Faced with losing everything, she sets to rebuilding her husband's debt-ridden business into a thriving cotton farm.Marlene is inspired by many authors, including Patricia Shaw, Maeve Binchy and Guy de Maupassant. Ruth has elements of Lloyd Jones' Mr Pip, Ruth Park's The Harp in the South and Patricia Shaw's The Feather and the Stone. The novel will appeal to female readers interested in family relationships and cultural history.

I was happy when I won this book because I am studying this era in my History Lectures so it helped me with some of my work.

I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of twists.  The main character goes through a lot, which helps the flow of the book and helps make the bookwork.  The characters are developed nicely and also help with the stories dynamics.

Ruth is well worth a read.


Currently Reading: Interview with the Daredevil by Nicola Marsh

Read in 2012: 5/20

My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

5/5 Stars

My parents have been telling me for years that I make "bad decisions". But I never believed them. Because, you know, they're parents. And since when are parents ever right about anything?

But i'm slowly starting to wonder if maybe I was just born that way. Like poor judgement is in my DNA or something. Genetically predisposed to make crappy choices. When I was two years old I fell down an abandoned mine shaft and was stuck down there for fifty-two hours while rescuers worked around the clock to save me. Although my mom has always blamed herself for the incident, it was me who decided, in the seven lousy seconds it took her to zip up my sister's jacket - that it would be a good idea to chase the little green lizard right off the hiking trail and down a mine shaft.

And what have I learned since then? Thirteen years later? Well, judging from the slew of various emergency vehicles lining the street..... not a whole lot.

So it isn't until right now, at this very second - with the sirens blaring, the crowd of people gathering to try to steal a gossip - worthy peek, and the overall chaos of a good idea turned very bad - that I start to think my parents might just be onto something.

because then you're being handcuffed and lowered into a back seat of a squad car, you kind of have to start reconsidering the way you live your life.

Oh my god what a great book. This is the first book of Jessica's I have finished because I own it and not borrowed it.

I found myself mentally voting along but mainly voting on the ones Brooklyn wanted but not because that is what she would want but because they are the ones I would actually vote for.

I knew that Jessica would make it so Brooklyn got with Brian instead of Hunter in the end and at first I wanted her to be with Hunter and I know a lot of people would feel the same way as me but after the Hotel bathroom scene and they way Brooklyn was acting before then - like she was actually having fun for the first time in a long time - I wanted her to be with Brian and glad that she was at the end.

When Shayne dissed Brooklyn at the beginning and made Brooklyn take all the blame for the model home incident that was Shayne's idea I didn't think that she was a very good friend.

When Brooklyn and Shayne became friends again I found myself shouting at the book (which is something I do all the time) telling Brooklyn not to be friends with her and I'm glad that in the end Brooklyn realised that she made the wrong choice by getting involved with Shayne again and ditched her to declare her love to Brian.

I got the sense that Brooklyn and Mrs Moody actually like each other and enjoyed each other company. So when she died I felt sad for Brooklyn and was glad that she was given all the 'you choose the story' books.

From the start of the book you get the sense that Brooklyn and her sister Izzy hated each other (like most sisters do) but towards then end when Izzy came home for Thanks Giving I could tell that she was acting strange and wasn't sure why but when she ended up in hospital I was glad that they made up and that Izzy admitted that she isn't the perfect role model that her parent's made her out to be and that she to does make mistakes even though she tried to be a good role model.

Currently Reading: Everlasting - Alyson Noel

Read in 2012: 5/20

Sunburnt - M. D Keating

2/5 stars

An unemployed alcoholic writer, coping with the death of his father, is unwittingly drawn into a scandal of EPIC proportions, when his estranged childhood best friend, now a very successful offshore banker, disappears with BILLIONS of dollars that don’t belong to him … Follow our unlikely hero through a collage of rogue characters into a dangerous world of CORRUPTION, GREED, DRUGS, ARMS, and WAR

I don't know what to say about this book. I read it while I was off college with a Kidney infection and was happy because it didn't take to long to read which I like because it means I can read more books.

The book is in script format (first time I had seen one like that), which I found easy to follow as sometimes I forget who is speaking but I sometimes forgot where I was up to because there are no chapters. Nothing really happened in the book that kept me on edge I didn't feel a connection between the character, and me, which is what I need to keep me interested in the story. I don't think I will read this book again (but my cousin is borrowing it) but maybe one day if I don't have anything else to read (which is unlikely) I will probably read it again.

But this is my opinion and you might like it.


Currently Reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
Read in 2012: 4/20

Then They Came for Me - Maziar Bahari

2/5 Stars

When Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential election, he assured his pregnant fiancée, Paola, that he’d be back in just a few days, a week at most. Little did he know, as he kissed her good-bye, that he would spend the next three months in Iran’s most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of a man he knew only by his smell: Rosewater. 

For the Bahari family, wars, coups, and revolutions are not distant concepts but intimate realities they have suffered for generations: Maziar’s father was imprisoned by the shah in the 1950s, and his sister by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Alone in his cell at Evin Prison, fearing the worst, Maziar draws strength from his memories of the courage of his father and sister in the face of torture, and hears their voices speaking to him across the years. He dreams of being with Paola in London, and imagines all that she and his rambunctious, resilient eighty-four-year-old mother must be doing to campaign for his release. During the worst of his encounters with Rosewater, he silently repeats the names of his loved ones, calling on their strength and love to protect him and praying he will be released in time for the birth of his first child. 

A riveting, heart-wrenching memoir, Then They Came for Me offers insight into the past fifty years of regime change in Iran, as well as the future of a country where the democratic impulses of the youth continually clash with a government that becomes more totalitarian with each passing day. An intimate and fascinating account of contemporary Iran, it is also the moving and wonderfully written story of one family’s extraordinary courage in the face of repression.

I  gave it 2 stars because I thought it was OK considering it wasn't something I would normally read but I gave it ago anyway. There isn't really anything else I can say about the book other than read it if you are genuinely interested in what the story is about I thought that it might give me more of an insight as to what went on.

Currently reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

Read in 2012: 4/20

Night Star - Alyson Noel

4/5 Stars

LOVE AND HEARTBREAK BELONG TOGETHER......

There are some secrets you're better off not knowing.  But once Ever Bloom is given a glimpse of what Damen is keeping from her, she has to find out more - Whatever the cost.

Their past together is not what she thinks - and only he remembers everything.  Until now, when a vengeful friend lets her in on his secret, and it may just push Ever into someone else's arm's......

Book five in THE IMMORTAL series.

Yet again - apart from the one thing I have wanted since book three - Alyson hasn't let me down. 

In Night Star I think Ever has started to act more like an adult.  Ever and Damen are still after the cure for the curse that Roman put on Damen in Blue Moon but Haven stands in her way.  The potion is to help her and Damen be together properly forever the only problem is the potion is on the shirt Roman was wearing the night he was killed and Haven has it and give it to Ever. 

The Novel starts with Damen and Ever training to fight Haven who is now a mad, crazy immortal out for revenge on Ever because she blames Ever for killing Roman when in fact Jude was the one who killed him.  Haven starts to make life miserable for Ever and they get into a fight at school where ever discovers that Haven is a lot stronger than she thought because of the immortal juice.

Not only has Ever got trouble with Haven in this book she has trouble with Damen who has been keeping secrets about her past lives from her.  Damen has been editing all the footage of Ever's past lives until she catches him doing it.  I hate the fact that when she find out he has lied to her it looks like things are over for them and that Jude will finally win Ever because her feelings for him show up in every one of her past lives and she begins to think that maybe Jude is her soul mate and not Damen.

Ever makes a wish on the night star for the strength to she needs to beat Haven and to help her decide who she should be with Damen or Jude.  Ever is not just fighting with Haven but she is fighting with herself because she can't decide who she should be with Damen or Jude.  

Towards the end Ever confronts Haven they have the final showdown but this is not the only thing she has on her mind, Haven burns the shirt that Ever wants and Haven get's killed.  Ever knowing it is too late tries to save the shirt.

I have noticed that in Night Star the imagery is immense I think this is because it is filled with action from the start.  Night Star was full of suspense and I was shouting at Ever on a number of occasions telling her that Damen was the one she was meant to be with for a while she didn't seem to hear me haha.

I actually liked book 5 more than book 4 and it has left me knowing that Ever and Damen will be together no matter what or who stands in there way.  I can't wait to see how Alyson brings this series to an end.  Hopefully Ever, Damen and I will have the happily ever after we so want hehe.

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.

The Boy with the Koi Tattoo - Rochelle H. Ragnarok

2/5 Stars

The Boy with the Koi Tattoo is the second novel in the Boys in Love Series. It starts immediately where the last book finished and now Dai Uie is wandering the streets alone when he stumbles into Kabukicho, a well known red-light district in Tokyo and is confronted with a gang of Yakuza thugs who drag him into “The Red Building” an infamous gay brothel in 2-chrome. 

Dai soon meets Shi, the beautiful and mysterious 19 year old Adonis of the place and the two form a near unbreakable bond; trapped in an inescapable fate Dai’s new love carries the weight of a dark past and deadly ambitions. 

With the emergence of the latest drug “CHi”, a destructive motorcycle gang called the “Grim Riders” led by the wild and terrifying Miki, a jealous lover, and a brewing war between the street gangs with the Yakuza thrown into the mix makes life and love difficult to grasp.

I have only rated this as 2 stars mainly because I haven't read book one so I wasn't fully gripped to it like I like to be when reading.  It is a well researched novel giving insight into a life not many people know about or understand fully.  All in all, a good read, but if you liked the first one then it’s probably the perfect book for you. 

Currently Reading: My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody

Read in 2012: 4/20

Goodreads Giveaways

For the last week and a half I have been entering goodreads giveaways and yesterday I finally won one. I won The Boy with the Koi Tattoo by Rochelle H. Ragnarok I have no idea what its about and I don't think I will read it. It is book two and I haven't read book one.

I was lucky I won because there was 5 copies available and 431 people (including me) applied it.

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel

Currently Reading: Dreamland - Alyson Noel

Books Read in 2012: 1/20

The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen

4/5 Stars

Amy is in love with Alexander Banks. In fact, she's obsessed with him. He's brooding and handsome. He hunt's vampires

He's perfect

The only problem is, Alexander doesn't exist. He's a character in a book.

But, what if he showed up one day? What if he were somehow real?

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a bit slow to start with but by the end of chapter two I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

The whole book kept me on edge, I didn't expect the things that happened. I expected Vigo to kill Alexander and take over the real Chicago. I also expected Vigo to kill Amy but instead he kidnapped her sister and attacked Amy's best friend.

As the book went on I could feel the connection between Amy and Alexander grow. I didn't want Alexander to leave and after their first kiss I knew that if he left I would have defiantly cried for Amy.

After the death of Vigo I was glad that Alexander was happy for his cousin James and also glad that Alexander decided to stay with Amy.

I would love Allison Van Diepen to release a sequel to 'The Vampire Stalker' because I was left with so many unanswered questions at the end like.

1) What happens to Amy and Alexander after James and Hannah left real Chicago for Other World Chicago?

2) What happens to James and Hannah when they get back to Other World Chicago?

3) Does Hannah replace Vigo in the Coven?

4) Does James manage to get piece between the vampires and the humans in Other World Chicago?

5) What happens to Leanda?

and finally

6) Does Chrissy become nice to her sister Amy?

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel

Read in 2012: 1/20

My Book List for 2012

This is a list of the book I want to read by New Year 2012. There isn't a lot this year because I know that there are some new ones I want to read coming out and I'm not sure when there due out I'm going to add 20, then add a few more under 'extras' for encase I have read all the books on my list which is highly doubtful.

1. The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen - Read
2. Night Star - Alyson Noel - Reading
3. Dreamland - Alyson Noel - Reading
4. Everlasting - Alyson Noel (Last in series ;( )
5. My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
6. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin (Have to read for college so will defiantly get read)
7. Karma Club - Jessica Brody
8. Whisper - Alyson Noel (Last in series)
9. Wintercraft: Legacy - Jenna Burtenshaw (Last in series)
10. Fated - Alyson Noel (Long awaited new series)
11. 52 Reasons to Hate my Father - Jessica Brody
12. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
13. Heat Rises - Richard Castle
14. The Fidelity Files - Jessica Brody
15. Love Under Cover - Jessica Brody

Extras

1. The Cockney Angel - Dilly Court
2. The Constant Heart - Dilly Court
3. Soul Seekers book 2 - Alyson Noel (if its out)
4. Unleashed - Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

The other reasons for only putting 20 down in the main list is because I will probably buy more books which I will read in-between and I am also at college and hopefully I will be in university as from September, so I don't and wont have a lot of time to read.

The Books I read in 2011

This is a list of the book are the ones I wanted to read by New Year 2011. The ones in red are the ones I have read the others are the ones I have not read.

1. Dark Flame - Alyson Noel
2. Blackwatch - Jenna Burtenshaw
3. A Breath of Fresh Air - Erica James
4. Radiance - Alyson Noel
5. Shimmer - Alyson Noel
6. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
7. Heat Wave - Richard Castle
8. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
9. Night Star - Alyson Noel - Reading
10. Everlasting - Alyson Noel
11. My Life Undecided - Jessica Brody
12. The Cockney Angel - Dilly Court
13. Damaged - Cathy Glass
14. The Fidelity Files - Jessica Brody
15. Love Under Cover - Jessica Brody

Other books I have read this year that I didn't put on the list.

1. The Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
2. The Worst Witch Strikes again - Jill Murphy
3. A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch - Jill Murphy
4. The Worst Witch at Sea - Jill Murphy
5. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
6. Specially Sarah - Mary Hoffman

My Interview with Alyson Noel

I had the pleasure to be able to interview #1 NYT Best-selling author Alyson Noel about her novels.

1. Where are you from?
Orange County, CA

2. When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing poems and short stories in high school to help me cope with my difficult adolescence. Several years later, I was working as a New York City based flight attendant, travelling the world and writing my debut novel, Faking 19, during long weather delays and boring layovers—basically whenever and wherever I could find a free moment to spare! Shortly after 9-11, I decided to get serious about my writing and focus on it full time. Two and a half years later I made my first sell to St. Martin’s Press, and I’ve been writing for them ever since.

3. Did you always want to be an author?
Well first I wanted to be a mermaid, and then a princess, but the day I finished my first Judy Blume book I knew I wanted to be a writer. I was always an avid reader, starting with “Green Eggs and Ham”, and progressing through “Charlotte’s Web”, and all the Little House on the Prairie books. But it was “Are you there God? It’s me Margaret, and Deenie”, that felt like they were written just for me, and my friends, and all the things we were going through. Those books made me realize how a story could be a transcendent experience.

4. How long each day/week do you dedicate to writing?
I write from about 10AM – 7PM with small breaks in between, and I keep to this routine pretty much every day, including weekends and holidays. Mostly because I have pretty tight deadlines, and writing everyday helps me to stay in character.

5. What do you do when you’re not writing?
Even after spending way too many years as a flight attendant, my number one hobby is still travel. My travel size shampoo bottles are always filled up and ready to go on a moment’s notice. I also enjoy reading, going to movies, the beach, visiting with friends, art museums, fancy dinners with my husband . . . the usual things!

6. In your spare time what do you like to read?
I’ve been so busy reading books for research that I haven’t had a lot of time for recreational reading, but a few that I did manage to sneak in this year were: “Cryer’s Cross” by Lisa McMannn, “Where She Went” by Gayle Forman, “Room” by Emma Donoghue, and “Heart Shaped Box” by Joe Hill, “The Hunt” by Andrew Fukuda (in stores in May 2012), and “Please Ignore Vera Dietz” by AS King—all great reads

7. What are you reading at the moment?
Right now I’m reading a book on shamanism—more research for my new Soul Seekers series!

8. If you could work with any author, who would it be and why?
There are so many authors I admire for so many reasons, but for me, writing is a solitary endeavor, I don’t think I could actually work with anyone else.

9. When you were younger who was your favourite author?
I learned to read with “Horton Hatches the Egg” by Dr. Seuss, and I still own the original! I even wrote my name on the inside cover, (though the S is backwards). “Charlotte’s Web” is the first book that ever made me cry (I mean, I was sobbing!), and I think I’ve read “Deenie” at least 15 times (and I kept the original copy of that one as well)! Later, in high school, when I read JD Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye”, it confirmed that I wanted to write. I had a tough adolescence and Holden’s struggles and feeling of isolation made me feel less alone in dealing with mine.

10. I assume, since you released The Immortal Series you have received a lot of tulips from your readers. Are they your favourite flowers if not do you have a favourite?
I love red tulips and I’m always so amazed by the kindness and generosity of my readers! And while tulips are definitely among my favourites, I also love orchids, peonies, lilies, roses, hydrangeas . . .

11. If you got asked to turn the Immortal Series into a Movie or T.V. Show which novel would you?
I’d be thrilled to see any of the books come to life on TV or the big screen! And I’m excited to share that the dramatic rights have been optioned to Summit Entertainment in a 10-book deal for the Immortals series and its spinoff, the Riley Bloom series!

12. What inspired you to write your novel and Immortals and Riley Bloom?
A few years ago, I went through a period of intense grief where I lost three people I loved in five horrible months, and then almost lost my husband to leukemia and it felt like my entire world was crashing down (he’s in full remission now). Going through those tough times got me thinking a lot about life and death, mortality and immortality, the soul’s journey, and how we can still feel a bond with our loved ones even long after they’re gone, and since I’ve always been interested in all things paranormal, I started doing a lot of research on reincarnation, near-death experiences, etc., and Ever and Damen’s story was born from there.

I had so much fun writing Riley’s character in Evermore that she ended up getting a much bigger part than I’d planned. She just kept showing up—usually in some crazy costume and wig—and I kept allowing it because she was great to have around. So when my publisher approached me to write an Immortals spin-off series featuring Riley, I jumped at the chance, and I’m so glad I did because writing her series has been an absolute blast!

13. How do you come up with your story ideas?
Most of my stories are based on personal experience—I steal from my own life all the time, and my motto is: If it didn’t kill me, I will find a way to write about it!

14. Are you planning on writing anymore after Soul Seekers?
Definitely! I have folders filled with story ideas I can’t wait to get to!

15. Can you tell us anything about Soul Seekers?
Of course! Here’s the blurb:
#1 NYT Bestselling author Alyson Noël paints a magical new landscape in the first book of The Soul Seekers series—a spirit world between the living and dead where fate and passion collide.

At the centre of it all is Daire Santos, a 16-year-old girl whose life has taken a bizarre turn— animals follow her, crows mock her, glowing people appear out of nowhere—and the disturbing visions are getting worse. Sent to stay with her grandmother in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico, it is there that Daire learns of her true calling as a Soul Seeker—one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Now she must embrace her fate and find out if Dace, the boy in her dreams, is her one true love...or if he is allied with the enemy she is destined to destroy.

Every six months brings a new Soul Seekers novel: look for Echo, Mystic, and Horizon in 2012/13. Foreign rights have already been sold to the UK, Germany, France, Greece, & Brazil—with many more to come!

16. You have wrote a lot of books which is your favourite and why?
The book I’m working on at the moment is usually my favourite. I just recently finished Fated, the first book in my new Soul Seekers series, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone when it’s released on May 22, 2012!

17. If you could do it over again, is there anything you would change in your last book?
No. Everlasting is the ending I’d always envisioned for Damen and Ever—I wouldn’t change a thing!

18. In the Immortal Series, who is your favourite character and why?
Ever is definitely my favourite. It may sound corny, but I really enjoyed watching her transform from the grief-stricken, insecure, young girl she was in Evermore, to the strong and confident young woman ready to confront her destiny she became in Everlasting!

19. When writing about something you don’t know about where do you get your information from?
The research was, and continues to be, one of the best parts of the writing process! It’s the perfect excuse to study the subjects I’ve always been interested in. So anytime I’m lying on the couch reading a book about psychic phenomenon, or watching a documentary on near death experiences, I can honestly say, “Don’t bother me, I’m working!” 

I’ve read a ton of books on ghosts, psychics, near death experiences, past lives, auras, chakras, crystals, reincarnation—you name it! But aside from all the book reading, Internet searching, and documentary watching, I also took a three-day psychic development seminar with world famous medium and best-selling author, James Van Praagh, and it was absolutely fascinating! He had us engaging in all sorts of meditations and psychic exercises, and I must say the results really exceeded my expectations—I was blown away! I also underwent several sessions of past-life hypnosis, which turned out to be completely fascinating!

20. For you what is the easiest part of the book to write?
The dedication and acknowledgement pages.

21. And the hardest?
Everything in between the dedication and acknowledgement pages!

22. How do you choose the names for your books and characters?
I love names, especially unusual ones, and I collect them in a little something I like to call “My Unusual Names File” (I’m big on keeping files!). So every time I hear a new one, I add it to the collection, then when I start a new book, I search through the list and pick and choose among them.

23. Have you ever gotten rid of a character or changed a character in a book before publishing and then regretted it?
No.

24. You have wrote novels and series which do you prefer?
I wrote 7 stand-alone novels prior to The Immortals series, and as much as I enjoyed them, at the moment, I’m hooked writing series!

25. Why did you change to writing series instead of novels and will you go back to writing novels?
When I first wrote Evermore I was so focused on telling that particular story that I didn’t see it as the start of a series until I reached the end and realized it was really just the beginning of a much bigger journey. And while I would definitely like to write more stand-alones someday, for the moment, I’m keeping busy with The Soul Seekers series.

26. What advice would you give to someone who “ran out of creativity” while writing?
To take a short break, get outside, visit with friends, go to the mall and people watch . . . and then get back to it. I believe it all comes down to what I like to call B.I.C. (“Butt in Chair”) it’s really the only way to get from the beginning to The End. Because the truth is, the story idea is always the most exciting part. Writing the beginning of the story is fun too, but then, somewhere around the middle, it becomes, well, not-so fun. And that’s usually about the time when a shiny, newer idea starts to beckon and so you start to chase that. . .

But, if you want to be a writer, you have to learn to ignore that new idea in favour of the one you’ve already started—(though make sure to write it down in your Idea Folder—you have one of those, right?—so you can revisit it later). Finishing a novel is a huge accomplishment, one that many would be writers never get around to. I know, it took me 15 years to finish my first book!

27. What do you do when you get writers block?
I refuse to believe in it. If I believe in it, then I might experience it, and I just don’t have time for that. Though, when I do find myself “stuck” I usually go back and do more research into my world, my characters, their motivation, etc, and it always spawns the next sentence. Always. Never fails!

28. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you so much for your kind words and support! I truly have the best readers and I couldn’t do it without YOU!

Thank you for the interview, Annamarie!

I would like to thank Alyson Noel for taking time out of her very busy schedule to answer my questions I really appreciate it.

To find out more about Alyson click on the links provided.

MorganVille Vampires

I went shopping today with the family and convinced mum into going to The Works while in town and I bought myself books 4-9 of the Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine. I wanted books 1-3 aswell but they only had book 2 and 10. I spoke to the guy in store and he said that book 1 and 3 will be in on January 1st when book 11 comes into there store so I am going to save a tenner and when they come out I'm going to get books 1,2,3,10 and 11 and another book in the 3 for £5.

My only problem now is finding some where to put them and finding time to read them haha but if there as good as everyone else says then I will defiantly find time to read them maybe I'll start reading them in June when I finish college haha.

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel
Currently Reading: The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen
Books Read in 2011: 12/10

No Time To Read :(

I'm so tired of not having the time to read more books like I used to. Since joining the access course in September I have read 2 proper books and 4 of 6 Worst Witch books, I would have read 5/6 proper books by now if I wasn't at college. I also have that many books that it is hard to decide what I wanna read next plus there are that many books out there that I wanna read and I don't yet have lol.

Anyway I'm reading Night Star by Alyson Noel at the minute still but its taking forever to read, I think it has something to with the fact that I know its almost over and I'm not ready to say bye to Ever and Damon yet lol.

I plan on finishing Night Star and Everlasting before I go back to college on January 3rd because Dreamland by Alyson Noel (Riley Bloom Series) comes on January 5th then I can read dreamland and then maybe the Twilight saga or reread the first two Wintercraft books before Wintercraft: Legacy by Jenna Burtenshaw comes out on May 10th or maybe even both lol but I cant see me having time to read both as my college work load is just going to get worst when I go back and I have to read Pride and Prejudice during the Easter Holidays haha.

I also have about 10 books that I need to review yet so the first few months of 2012 will be mega busy for me.

I'm think I'm going to have go through all my books and sort them into three piles. Pile one) Books I want to read as soon as possible. Pile two) Books I wanna read when I'm done with Pile one and Pile Three) Books for if I have nothing else to read and for someone who is buying books all the time it will be impossible for me to run out of books and if I do I can just read my mums or my cousins haha or buy some more.

Plus I also decided to start reading The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen so far not impressed I really hope it gets better.

Currently Reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel
Currently Reading: The Vampire Stalker - Allison Van Diepen
Books Read in 2011: 12/10

2011 Goodreads Challenge Met

I have finally met my goodreads challenge haha. Hopefully next year I will read more than 10 books. I am currently planning what I want to read next year and will post the final list on new years day.

Currently reading: Night Star - Alyson Noel

Books Read in 2011: 10/10