Category Archives: Readings

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Book of the Week – 12

This week I’m reading Hollow Pike by British author James Dawson (published in February 2012 by Orion Children’s Books). It is a 2012 debut and a YA Paranormal novel. I don’t usually read books about witches, but this one has an interesting blurb and a gorgeous cover that I couldn’t resist…

From Goodreads:

“Something wicked this way comes…

She thought she’d be safe in the country, but you can’t escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she’s being paranoid – after all who would want to murder her? She doesn’t believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn’t believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you’re alone in the woods, after dark – and a twig snaps…

Welcome to Hollow Pike – where witchcraft never sleeps.”

Visit the Hollow Pike website here. Watch the book trailer here.

What are you reading this week?

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Waiting On Wednesday – 17

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I’m waiting on The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting (Expected publication: January 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry). It is a YA Dystopian novel and the second book in The Pledge series. I was a bit surprised when I first heard about this book, because to me The Pledge was a stand-alone novel, but it seems that Kimberly Derting has more to write about Charlie, Max, and the country of Ludania…

There is no summary available yet, so I’m just going to include here the blurb for The Pledge.

From Goodreads:

“In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.”

Have you read The Pledge? Are you looking forward to its sequel?

What are you waiting on this week?

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Book of the Week – 11

This week I’m reading a vampire book again: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (first published in April 2012 by Harlequin Teen). I have never read Julie Kagawa’s other YA series The Iron Fey but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new vampire series Blood of Eden. Book 2 of this series, entitled The Eternity Cure, is scheduled to be released in May 2013. In the meantime, I suggest you check out Book 1…

From Goodreads:

“In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.”Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of “them.” The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked–and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend–a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what–and who–is worth dying for.”

Visit the Blood of Eden official website here.

What are you reading this week?

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Waiting on Wednesday – 15

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I’m waiting on The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin (Expected publication: October 23rd 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). This is book 2 in the Mara Dyer series and I CANNOT WAIT to read it! The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is undoubtedly one of my favourite YA books and I really want to know what happens next to Mara and Noah.

From Goodreads:

“The truth about Mara Dyer’s dangerous and mysterious abilities continues to unravel in this gripping sequel to the thrilling “The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.” One week after Mara walked into a police station in Miami at the close of “The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer,” she has been committed to psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe was a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. Someone from her past has discovered her strange, deeply disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But when no one believes the truth, Mara is totally helpless. The only person on her side is Noah Shaw, as sexy and handsome as he is loyal and cunning. Noah is the only person who can help Mara–as long as he doesn’t get himself killed in the process.”

Visit Michelle’s blog here.

What are you waiting on this week?

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Waiting on Wednesday – 14

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I’m waiting on Defiance by C.J. Redwine (expected publication: August 28th 2012 by Balzer + Bray). It is a YA Fantasy novel and a 2012 debut. I have been dying to read this book for a while now and August 28th is finally approaching…! Plus how gorgeous is this cover?!

 From Goodreads:

“Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan–the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.”

Visit C. J. Redwine’s blog here.

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The Writer In You Blog Hop – 3

The Writer In You is a blog hop hosted by Katie at The Fiction Diaries. In her own words, “this is a blog hop for all aspiring writers out there. It is a chance to meet other writers and share tips, writing, and experiences, all while gaining new followers for your lovely blog…” Every Saturday, Katie asks a question that we have to answer.

This week’s question is: What is your favorite classic novel and is there anything in particular you take from it that you hope to see in your own writing?

My favourite classic novel is undoubtedly Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Published in 1847, this book is considered a masterpiece of English literature. It is famous for its doomed love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, which is indeed the most passionate and fascinating love story I have ever read.

But what I find incredibly inspiring in this novel is how DARING it is. Not only does the novel have a complex narrative structure (hello multiple narrators and mise en abyme) and it depicts an amazing setting, but it also includes incredibly violent scenes, bold topics and dialogues in Yorshire dialect.

Wuthering Heights’ writing is actually so bold and original that it has often been suggested that Emily Brontë, a shy clergyman’s daughter who lived in the middle of nowhere, couldn’t possibly have written such a book. Yet she did. It’s called the power of imagination.

And I wish my books were half as daring as Wuthering Heights.

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”

For everything there is to know about Wuthering Heights, visit: http://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/index.htm

What about you? What is your favorite classic novel? Join the fun here and happy writing!

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Book of the Week – 10

This week I’m reading Book 3 of the Song of Ice and Fire series by G.R.R. Martin: A Storm of Swords. First published in 2000, this book is a whooping 1128 pages long. Right now I’m about halfway through and I just cannot put it down. I will not go into too many details about this book here for fear of spoilers, but I will include the blurb for Book 1, entitled A Game of Thrones, to make you want to dive into this amazing epic fantasy series.

From Goodreads:

“Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.”

So, have you read this series? What did you think?

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Waiting on Wednesday – 13

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I’m waiting for The Outcast Chronicles by Rowena Cory Daniells. It is a YA Fantasy trilogy which will come out this summer:

Besieged (expected publication: June 26th 2012 by Solaris)

Exile (expected publication: July 31st 2012 by Solaris)

Sanctuary (expected publication: August 28th 2012 by Solaris)

From Goodreads:

“For nearly 300 years the mystics have lived alongside the true-men, who barely tolerate them, until…

King Charald is cursed with a half-blood mystic son. Sorne is raised to be a weapon against the mystics. Desperate to win his father’s respect, Sorne steals power to trigger visions. Unaware King Charald plans their downfall, the mystics are consumed by rivalry. Although physically stronger, the males’ gifts are weaker than the females. Imoshen, the only female mystic to be raised by a brotherhood, wants to end the feud. But the males resent her power and, even within her own sisterhood Imoshen’s enemies believe she is addicted to the male gifts.

Sorne tries, but cannot win the respect of true-men. When he has a vision of half-bloods in danger he has to ask himself where his loyalty lies.

Convinced he can destroy the mystics, King Charald plans to lay siege to their island city. Will Imoshen win the trust of the mystic leaders and, if she does, will she believe the visions of a half-blood?”

What are you waiting on this week?

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Waiting on Wednesday – 12

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I’m waiting for Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan (expected publication: September 11th 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers). It is a YA Fantasy novel with a touch of gothic and it sounds awesome!

From Goodreads:

“Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?”

Does this sound great or what?

Visit Sarah’s website here.

What book are you waiting on this week?

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Book of the Week – 9

This week I am reading ReVamped by debut author Ada Adams. I don’t usually read self-published books but since this one has been published in February 2012, I have only read enthusiastic reviews about it. And since it’s a vampire book, I had to check it out…

From Goodreads:

“A simple mission turned deadly.

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.”

Visit Ada’s website here.

What are you reading this week?