TGIF: Best I've Read So Far

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Best I've Read So Far: We're half way through the year (crazy how time flies!), which top 3 books are the best you've read so far this year?

I've read 40 books so far this year so narrowing it down to my three favourites was very difficult, mostly because I couldn't remember which ones I'd read so had to check my Goodreads reading challenge widget.

I decided to cheat a little bit and I've done my top three books that I picked and my top three books that I've had to review.

Top Three Books I've Reviewed So Far This Year:

The Emerald Atlas: Review

Ranger's Apprentice The Ruins of Gorlan: Review

The Demon's Watch: Review

Top Three Books I've Chosen To Read This Year So Far:

Habibi

A Game of Thrones

Friends With Boys

From The Review Pile: Starcrossed

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From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

This arrived yesterday. I haven't looked into it much but it sounds a little...run of the mill? Gods seem to be the new big thing in YA. We've had vampires, we've had werewolves, we've had angels, now it's time for gods and goddesses. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm cool with trends and if it's what people want then it's what they want. It only irks me a little because whenever there's a trend there are some books that are right on the money and some that are way off base. I hope that Starcrossed is right on the money. I've seen a lot of really positive reviews for it but I've also seen some that completely run it into the ground until it's nothing but dust.

So, it should be interesting.

From Goodreads:

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is--now it's getting harder. She's having nightmares of a desperate desert journey, visions of three women weeping tears of blood. And why is she possessed by the sudden, unstoppable urge to kill the handsome new boy in school, Lucas Delos?
A love written in the stars . . .
A feud started in ancient Greece . . .
A curse not even the gods can break.

Page Turners: The Kissing Game

I am currently (still) reading:

The Kissing Game by Aidan Chambers

Yep, still reading it.

Short stories and I have an odd relationship. As a kid one of my favourite books was Skin by Roald Dahl that was a collection of his short stories, they were so weird and surreal but I adored them and I can remember two of them to this day. But other short stories have failed to really grip me. I can only remember one other, which was read to me during one of my first ever university lectures. I don't remember it very well or who it was by, just that it really annoyed me because it didn't make any sense and it was left without a conclusion of any kind. 

But I've also written short stories and flash fiction, so I understand how it's created and why it is the way it is. But I've never truly loved it, and I sometimes feel like I'm missing something.

So, short stories and I don't always get along, but I'm always willing to keep trying and I thought The Kissing Game sounded really good from the blurb.

So far I haven't really been gripped. I've really enjoyed one story so far, the rest I'm not too bothered about. But I will be reviewing it so I won't spoil anything right now. It is a good book, the stories are good and the writing is good, but it hasn't blown me away yet.

From Goodreads:

United under the banner of flash fiction, this is a collection of stories, or little 'cells', complete in themselves but connected by the overarching themes of betrayal and revenge. All featuring teenagers and often with an unexpected twist, these frighteningly realistic stories will take you to the very edge and beyond.

Sunday Catch Up

As you may have noticed, there's been less weekly updates. This is because I'm working on a project that I'm hoping to do on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays! So most of my week has been spent on my usual work but also on this project, which I'm not telling you about just yet because I'm a big meany.

Today my parents came to visit! My mum texted me the other night to ask if they could pop down and of course I said yes. Every so often they like to come down to see me and we go out for lunch, have coffee and just generally chat. They enjoy the change of scene and we also enjoy simply seeing each other.

This I love about seeing my parents:

We go out for lunch

We walk around town or along the beach

We then go somewhere different for coffee and maybe ice cream

We talk about what my sisters are up to, what other family members are up to, what I'm doing right now etc

They bring me new plants

They bring me food, often treats like chocolate and biscuits, this time they also bought weird instant curry things

My mum often includes odd little things, this time it was lots of pairs of socks and a half finished knitted blanket she thought I might like to complete

My mum always says hello to the gerbils and rats, even though she doesn't really like rats because their tails creep her out

They often pop in to say hello to my fiancé's grandma even though they don't have to, which is really kind. It's also pretty funny because my mum is deaf and my fiancé's grandma has Alzheimer's.

I especially love my parents because when I say things like "I'd really like to *insert activity here* one day" they don't just laugh at me. In fact they usually ask me how I would do such a thing, if you can make any money out of it and tell me that I might as well give it a go.

So, my fireplace now has two lovely green plants sitting on the hearth and the cupboard is stocked with yummy things! Hope everyone had as nice a weekend as I did!

Something For The Weekend

Something To Do

Big hair and kerchiefs, gorgeous. A Dolly inspired hairstyle.

I love friendship bracelets, always have, and I want to make them again. If you want to try to make some too, here's a great tutorial.

Something To Read

100 things to do instead of procrastinating on the internet! My issue isn't actually so much the internet but my incessant wandering around the house because I know I should be doing work but I'm not sure what to do with it, but this is still useful.

How to feng-shui your home, or 'why Gala Darling bought goldfish'.

A Girl and Her Room: Portraits of Teenage Girl's Inner Worlds Through Their Bedroom Interiors.

From The Review Pile: Long Reach

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From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

Long Reach by Peter Cocks

Well, aside from the authors unfortunate surname that makes me snicker like the immature child I am, this looks pretty awesome.

Walker launched a new range of YA fiction last year and the first of the range is Long Reach. Overall it's got great reviews (averaging 3.95 stars out of 5 on Goodreads!) so it sounds like it's going to be good. I'm not particularly into thrillers and the blurb didn't really grab me but I am sure that there are loads of people who would adore it and it's great to see new YA fiction ranges as well as books that move in a different direction to what I normally see. So, hopefully it lives up to the hype!

From Goodreads:

17-year-old Eddie Savage is shocked to learn that the body of his brother Steve has just been washed up in the Thames. But he soon discovers something even more disturbing - that Steve had actually been working undercover for the police and was probably murdered in the line of duty.

Page Turners: The Kissing Game

The Kissing Game by Aidan Chambers

I don't read short stories very much, I'm not really sure why, I just don't, so I was really intrigued by this book when it dropped through my letterbox a few months ago. I ditched reading The Pledge to read this instead. I don't like the first story very much, it's a modern take on Cinderella and so far I don't feel like I know the character, Ursula, at all and find it all a bit hard to believe. 

From Goodreads:

United under the banner of flash fiction, this is a collection of stories, or little 'cells', complete in themselves but connected by the overarching themes of betrayal and revenge. All featuring teenagers and often with an unexpected twist, these frighteningly realistic stories will take you to the very edge and beyond.