Book of the Week – Fear the Drowning Deep

FearTheDrowningDeep

Hello gentle reader,

Today’s the day! FEAR THE DROWNING DEEP by my extremely talented friend and critique partner Sarah Glenn Marsh is finally out! I can only recommend you pick up this fantastic  YA Historical Fantasy set in 1913 on the Isle of Man, with witches, sea monsters and a swoony romance.

The blurb:

Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.

Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.

Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return.

If you want to find out more about Sarah and her writing process for her debut, do take a look at my interview with her.

And please feel free to add the book on Goodreads and to buy it on Amazon.

What are you reading this week? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Book of the Week – The Violinist of Venice

Hello gentle reader,

Violinist of Venice

Last winter I received an ARC of The Violinist of Venice by the lovely Alyssa Palombo, but I only recently found the time to read it. This Historical novel came out last December, and it’s Alyssa’s debut.

The story takes place over 30 years in 18th Century Venice, and follows the life of Adrianna D’Amato, a gifted violinist who falls in love with her tutor – the virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. This relationship is impossible in many ways – Adrianna’s father marries her off to another man, and Vivaldi himself is a priest – but their affair will impact both their lives long after it ends.

Although I did enjoy the plot, what really kept me reading this beautifully written book was the world building: Alyssa has seamlessly recreated 18th Century Venice and her descriptions make us feel as if we’re there with Adrianna. It’s also a very interesting portrait of the upper society of the time, where women had very few choices in life and even less freedom.

I recommend this book if you love Historical fiction, Italy and strong female characters. Here is the link to Goodreads if you want to add it.

What have you been reading this week? Feel free to leave me your recommendations below!

Waiting On Wednesday – 72

Hello gentle reader,

today I’m waiting on WINTER (LUNAR CHRONICLES Book 4) by Marissa Meyer (expected publication: 10th November 2015 by Feiwel and Friends). As I mentioned on The Great Noveling Adventure blog, I loved the first three books in this NYT bestselling series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the last book! If you’ve never heard of these books, it’s a YA Sci-Fi/Fairy tale retelling series.

Winter

From Goodreads:

Here is the stunning conclusion to the national bestselling Lunar Chronicles, inspired by Snow White.

When Princess Winter was thirteen, the rumor around the Lunar court was that her glamour would soon be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. In a fit of jealousy, Levana disfigured Winter. Four years later, Winter has sworn off the use of her glamour altogether. Despite her scars, Winter’s natural beauty, her grace, and her gentleness are winning admiration from the Lunar people that no amount of mind-control could achieve.

Winter despises her stepmother, but has never dreamed of standing up to her. That is, until she realizes that she may be the only one with the power to confront the queen.

Can Cinder, Prince Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, Thorne, Princess Winter, and the palace guard Jacin find their happily ever afters? Fans will LOVE this amazing conclusion to the series.

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

Have you heard about this book? Is it on your TBR list? What are you waiting on this week?

Books recommendations – Historical Novels

Hello gentle reader,

This week I’d like to share with you a few reading recommendations. My most recent reads have been great Historical novels, which you should check out if you like this genre! (All blurbs are from Goodreads)

Here lies Arthur

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve (2007)

Gwyna is just a small girl, a mouse, when she is bound in service to Myrddin the bard – a traveller and spinner of tales. But Myrdin transfroms her – into a lady goddess, a boy warrior, and a spy. Without Gwyna, Myrddin will not be able to work the most glorious transformation of all – and turn the leader of a raggle-tagglear-band into King Arthur, the greatest hero of all time.

Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011)

Greece in the age of Heroes.

Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia.

Achilles, ‘best of all the Greeks’, is everything Patroclus is not — strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess — and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative companionship gives way to a steadfast friendship.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

Dark Aemilia

Dark Aemilia by Sally O’Reilly (2014)

The daughter of a Venetian musician, Aemilia Bassano came of age in Queen Elizabeth’s royal court. The Queen’s favorite, she develops a love of poetry and learning, maturing into a young woman known not only for her beauty but also her sharp mind and quick tongue. Aemilia becomes the mistress of Lord Hunsdon, but her position is precarious. Then she crosses paths with an impetuous playwright named William Shakespeare and begins an impassioned but ill-fated affair.

In rich, vivid detail, Sally O’Reilly breathes life into England’s first female poet, a mysterious woman nearly forgotten by history. Full of passion and devilish schemes, Dark Aemilia is a tale worthy of the Bard.

What have you been reading this week? Any Historical novels you’d recommend? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

TBR Books Tag

Hello gentle reader,

I came across this blog hop on Sara Letourneau’s blog and I thought it could be interesting to join in the fun.

1.       How do you keep track of your TBR books?

Behold my highly-sophisticated tracking system:

–          With printed books, I keep all the books I’ve already read on my bookshelves. Therefore all the books that aren’t on there, but instead on my coffee table, bedside table and dining table? They’re my TBR books.

–          – With ebooks , I have a hand-written (!) list of my TBR books which I keep inside my Kindle cover.

2.       Is your TBR pile mostly print or ebooks?

I had to check numbers to answer this question. It turns out I have 10 TBR ebooks and 14 printed books.

3.       How do you determine which book from your TBR pile to read next?

It depends entirely on my mood. I also like to switch genres and categories, in order to avoid comparing books too much. For example I’ll read a YA Fantasy, followed by a YA Historical.

4.       What’s been on your TBR pile the longest?

The assassin's curse

It has to be The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I bought it when it came out, in 2012, but didn’t read it then. It’s rare for me to wait a long time before reading a book I bought, but for some reason I never got around to read this one.

5.       Pick a book you recently added to your TBR pile.

AGreatAndTerribleBeauty

My most recent bought-but-not-read-yet book is A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. I love Libba’s writing, so I’ll probably read it soon.

6.       Pick a book that’s on your TBR pile strictly because of its beautiful cover.

None. I don’t buy books because of their covers, but because I like the author, the blurb or because I’ve read good reviews.

7.       Pick a book on your TBR pile that you’re apprehensive about reading.

the_knife_of_never_letting_go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It’s been recommended to me numerous times, which is why I bought it, but I still need to work up the courage to read it.

8.       Pick an unpublished book on your TBR list that you’re excited for.

Half Wild

Easy: Half Wild by Sally Green (Half Bad #2). I just CAN’T WAIT.

9.       Pick a book on your TBR pile that basically everyone has read but you.

Throne of Glass- UK cover

It must be Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. The only reason I haven’t read it yet is because I’m worried I’ll read the series very quickly, then I’ll have to wait for the next books to come out…

10.   Pick a book on your TBR pile that everyone recommends to you.

The Winner's Curse

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. I own a signed hardcover copy of it, but I haven’t read it yet for fear of having too long to wait for Book 2 (are you noticing a pattern here?)

11.   Pick a book on your TBR pile that you’re dying to read.

daughter of smoke and bone

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. I own it, I want to read it, but I need the time and the right frame of mind to do it properly, so it hasn’t happened yet.

12.   How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

I’m not on Goodreads… yet. One day, I promise.

13.   Tag some people!

I’ll tag friends who are always recommending books to me : Lauren Garafalo and Jessica Rubinkowski .

What are some of the books on your TBR pile? Have you read any of the books listed above? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

2015 – Most Anticipated Books

Hello gentle reader,

Happy New Year!

In 2014 I read 41 novels, 16 novellas, 3 non-fiction books, 5 WIPs and I re-read 4 books. I’m very pleased with all the books I read last year, and I’m already looking forward to all the books I’m going to read this year!

In my Waiting On Wednesday posts, I already mentioned YA books I’m eagerly anticipating: THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT by Melissa Grey, HALF WILD by Sally Green, THE SHADOW CABINET (Shades of London #3) by Maureen Johnson, THE WICKED WILL RISE (Dorothy Must Die #2) by Danielle Paige, A WICKED THING by Rhiannon Thomas, AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir, UNDER A PAINTED SKY by Stacey Lee, A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by Victoria E. Schwab, and LAIR OF DREAMS (The Diviners #2) by Libba Bray.

Today I’d like to add four books to this list:

Magonia

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley (Expected publication: 28th April 2015 by HarperCollins)

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds…two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

The Game of Love and Death

 

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough (Expected publication: 28th April 2015 by Arthur A. Levine Books)

Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now . . . Henry and Flora.

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.

Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured — a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Expected publication: 5th May 2015 by Bloomsbury Children’s)

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

The Wrath and The Dawn

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (Expected publication: 12th May 2015 by Putnam Juvenile)

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

So tell me, which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2015? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Books recommendations – YA Historical Fiction

Hello gentle reader,

I’m a big fan of the Young Adult community Epic Reads run by the fab Margot Wood and Aubry Parks-Fried from Harper Collins. I especially like their Tea Time videos (on Youtube every Wednesday at 4:30pm EST) where they talk about YA books and YA-related news. I really recommend you watch those videos if you want to stay up-to-date with what’s happening in the world of YA books.

This week they shared a fantastic chart about YA Historical Fiction and I decided to post it here, because I believe that if you write in a specific genre, you need to know (and read) what’s published in that specific genre. You can find the original list here and download it in different sizes.

Please note: there are 140 YA books on the list, most of them published after 2005, which means it’s only a small sample of what’s out there. If you print the full size image, it’s… 8 feet long!

AgeOfYA_Timeline_EpicReads

Take a look at the list and tell me: how many of these books have you read?

Feel free to leave me a comment below and to share the chart!

Book of the Week – Fallen Beauty

Hello gentle reader,

this week I’ve been reading FALLEN BEAUTY by Erika Robuck (published in March 2014 by NAL Trade). It’s a Historical novel set in 1920’s New York. I’ve had this book on my To-Be-Read list for a while, and this weekend I found out it was less than £2 on Kindle UK, so I bought it on a whim. I’m about 2/3 in now, and I’m not regretting picking it up. The writing is gorgeous and the world building is great. The dual POV gives an interesting insight into the lives of two very different women in the Jazz Age. It reminds me of The Scarlet Letter, of fairy tales and of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s definitely an intriguing read, and I recommend it.

Fallen Beauty

From Goodreads:

Upstate New York, 1928. Laura Kelley and the man she loves sneak away from their judgmental town to attend a performance of the scandalous Ziegfeld Follies. But the dark consequences of their night of daring and delight reach far into the future…

That same evening, Bohemian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her indulgent husband hold a wild party in their remote mountain estate, hoping to inspire her muse. Millay declares her wish for a new lover who will take her to unparalleled heights of passion and poetry, but for the first time, the man who responds will not bend completely to her will…

What are you reading this week? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Book of the Week – The London Scene by Virginia Woolf

Hello gentle reader,

last weekend I went to the National Portrait Gallery to visit the temporary exhibition about the Life, Art and Vision of Virginia Woolf. It’s an amazing exhibition and I really recommend it if you find yourself in London before 26 October 2014. I find there’s nothing quite as inspiring as seeing a great writer’s personal notes, letters and photographs. It gives us a ‘behind the scenes’ look at their life, struggles and inspiration.

VirginiaWoolf

Following my visit to the National Portrait Gallery, I decided to read one of Virginia Woolf’s works. I chose The London Scene, and again, I recommend it if you’re interested in London and beautiful writing.

The London Scene

From Goodreads:

Virginia Woolf was already an accomplished novelist and critic when she was commissioned by the British edition of Good Housekeeping to write a series entitled “Six Articles on London Life.” Originally published bimonthly, beginning in December 1931, five of the essays were eventually collected and published in 1981. The sixth essay, “Portrait of a Londoner,” had been missing from Woolf’s oeuvre until it was rediscovered at the University of Sussex in 2004.

A walking tour of Woolf’s beloved hometown, The London Scene begins at the London Docks and follows Woolf as she visits several iconic sites throughout the city, including the Oxford Street shopping strip, John Keats’s house on Hampstead Heath, Thomas Carlyle’s house in Chelsea, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament.

These six essential essays capture Woolf at her best, exploring modern consciousness through the prism of 1930s London while simultaneously painting an intimate, touching portrait of this sprawling metropolis and its fascinating inhabitants.

It’s a very short read (about 100 pages), yet incredibly powerful. Virginia Woolf managed to capture the essence of London in these essays, showing both what the city was like in the 1930s and what makes it utterly timeless. If you love London as I do, or if you dream of going there one day, then I strongly suggest you read The London Scene. You won’t regret it.

What have you been reading this week? Have you read any of Virginia Woolf’s books? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Waiting On Wednesday – 56

Hello gentle reader,

today I’m waiting on STRAY by Elissa Sussman (expected publication: 7th October 2014 by Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins. It’s a YA Fantasy pitched as “an original fairy tale, a cross between The Handmaid’s Tale and Wicked, with a dash of Grimm and Disney thrown in”. Needless to say, I’m intrigued…

Stray

From Goodreads:

Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.

When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.

But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.

After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?

STRAY is the first in a collection of intertwined stories, all set in a world where magic is a curse that only women bear and society is dictated by a strict doctrine called The Path.

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

Have you heard about this book? Is it on your TBR list? What are you waiting on this week?