Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #10

3 Sequels I Can't Wait For In 2012

Image from: amyr_81

Hallowed

The Spook's Blood 

Once I catch up!

DOGS: Bullets and Carnage Volume 7

There's nothing out about it, but I've seen leaked scans around online so who knows.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #7

6 Favourite Characters Of 2011

Image from: amyr_81

Tom from The Wardstone Chronicles is always a favourite of mine. He's also one of the few characters who has never irritated me at all!

Trista from Wolf Blood. She's strong, courageous and underneath her hard, warrior exterior she's very caring, even if she doesn't show it very much.

Pretty much everyone from The Meek but especially Pinter. I love his expressions and how surly he can be.

Barbara from I Kill Giants. I adore her. I love how she's very tough, sarcastic but very sensitive. I don't want to ruin the story too much through. Read it.

Rosa from Arcadia Awakens. At first I wasn't sure about her, she seemed very typical angsty teenage girl with her gothy clothing (lots of black and spiky boots) but the more you get to know about her past and her family the more you come to understand and love her. You come to realise that she is very clever and very strong, even when her problems seem insurmountable.

Badou from DOGS: Bullets and Carnage. I love most of the characters but there is something special about this chilled, funny and very lucky ginger haired guy who goes crazy when he runs out of cigarettes.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #5

8 Favourite Books Of 2011

Image from: syd delicious

This list made me realise that I read a lot of books and a lot of comics, and that some how comics always seem to connect with me more powerfully than most novels. Come on writers! Up your game and entice me with stories and characters as awesome as those in my favourite graphic novels! By the way, not all of these books were published in 2011 some are a little older but I only got around to reading them this year, most are parts of a series so do have a newer instalment that came out this year.

I keep thinking about this book. I need the sequel! My life will be incomplete without it!

Loved it, some small niggles but otherwise it's amazing. I'm not very fond of the cover though.

This was published in 2009 but I didn't get to read it until this year. Either way, read The Wardstone Chronicles because they are kick ass.

We own the limited boxset of Girly that was published on demand, so I can't show you the other covers. Girly is an awesome, very strange, very silly and not for kids comic. Expect sex and sillyness and lesbians.

Another comic. I read this one online but there is a book. It doesn't update very often and has been going for a while but read it. It's one of the few webcomics out there that have a really amazing art style and equally amazingly detailed world and story.

Another comic. Read it. Do not research it because you will spoil it. Read it and if you don't love it then, I'm sorry but we can't be friends.

This is not a book about vegetarianism. This is a book about a man finding out about where the meat on his table comes from, what happens to it during it's life, death and after wards, and also what happens to the people involved. I love this book because it is well written and truthful. Nothing is dressed up to sound better or worse than it is. You are not told what to think but presented with the facts and examples so you can make up your own mind. I don't see any reason for someone not to read this book.

This is my favourite manga series. It is an 18+ because it is violent. Seriously. But it's also full of fantastic characters that I love and I also love to hate. Plus most of the characters are super attractive which makes it easy on the eye. The actions scenes are really intense but this isn't your standard boys comic. Yes there's lots of guns and explosions and swearing and gangsters and all that, but the characters all have really interesting pasts and the storyline is deep, dark and drip fed to you. I don't want this series to ever end!

Coveted Cover: The Spook's Apprentice

The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney

A few days ago I mention that I loved the old covers for The Wardstone Chronicles, so I thought I would feature them. This is what half of my copies look like and the rest have the new covers. I adore this version, I love the faux leather look and the embossed, almost glowing, writing. The books are written as the diary of the main character, Tom, and I think this makes it look more like a diary. Whereas this is what the new cover looks like:

I think it looks like a novel rather than a personal diary. It's still a great cover, still attractive and it probably is more attractive to potential readers. But the old covers will always have a special place in my heart.

Page Turners: The Spook's Sacrifice

At the moment I am reading: 

The Spook's Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney

I love The Wardstone Chronicles. It is a dark fantasy series that I started reading them back in 2005 but lost touch when I went to university. The most annoying thing for me is that since I started reading them again they've changed the covers so I can't have the gorgeous, simple, embossed looking covers, instead I have this new kind. I'm not a happy bunny as it means the books don't match but I've had to suck it up. The story inside is still as great as ever.

If you haven't tried The Wardstone Chronicles already then I recommend that you do! Check out the website to read an extract.

From the first book:

"For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from evil. Now his time is coming to an end, but who will take over? Many apprentices have tried... Some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Just one boy is left. Thomas Ward. He is the last hope. "