Wahey, The Versatile Blogger Award!

Well, did I have a good day yesterday or what?! I woke up to find Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning had arrived from Amazon, I went to see the Hangover 2 which was outrageously funny, and then I came home and discovered that Rae from Best O' Books has nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you Rae!! I’m chuffed :)

Upon receiving this award I must do two things 1) admit seven random things about myself, 2) nominate five other versatile bloggers for this award.

7 random facts…here goes;

1. I have watched Armageddon at least 50 times and I cry every time without fail.
2. I am a huge fan of the twilight books but I CANNOT stand Breaking dawn….I’ve never said that out loud.
3. When I was 17 I got so consumed by The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly that my mum walked into the sitting room, turned on the TV and watched an episode of Coronation street without me noticing. She had to throw a pillow in my face to get my attention, I had no idea she was in the room with me.
4. I have seen every single episode of Friends
5. I met my boyfriend on holidays when I was 14
6. I love to cook, but I especially love creating new meals. As a result I have subjected my family to some questionable meals
7. I am offended by the word Colonel! I do not understand why it is pronounced Cur-nel but is spelt Col?! Why do we pronounce a non-existent ‘R’. I genuinely I get angry about this.

Now on to the wonderful bloggers who deserve this award!

1. BookLuvr Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy reads - I have only just stumbled upon her blog recently. While her blog focuses on Fantasy she has a very impressive archive ranging from from faeries to warlocks and dragons to zombies. 
2. Missie from The Unread Reader - Missie runs an awesome blog. She is one of the first people I started following when I started up my own blog. She is also the host of My Book Boyfriend meme which is without a doubt my favourite weekly meme!
3. next is Heather from Heather's opinion on all things book related - Another well thought out blog with great reviews. Check out her rating system, it's bound to put a smile on your face. :)
4. Sinn over at Sinnful Books - As she says herself, she reads any book under the sun. She is a wonderful writer and always gives just the right amount of detail in her reviews. I have also just noticed that she has won a Stylish Blogger Award and deservedly so!
5. And last but certainly not least Ange from Moonlight Reader - She reads a range of different genres and her reviews are short and concise. She has a talent for being able to describe her thoughts on a book in one neat, easy to read paragraph.

 So there you go! Get over to these awesome blogs and check them out, you won't be sorry! 

Review: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Blurb: Forty-two, and married for half her life, Jessie Sullivan honestly believes that she is happy. She has a lovely home, a dependable husband and an accomplished and adored teenage daughter. But when shocking news about her mother compels Jessie to visit the remote island of her childhood, Jessie finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk on the verge of taking his final vows.

Amid the seductive beauty of South Carolina salt marshes and tidal creeks, their encounters awaken an immense sexual and spiritual desire in Jessie, leaving her torn between powerful new longings and her enduring marriage. After all these years she is finally beginning to understand who she really is and where she belongs. But she has still to discover how much of her old life has a place in her new one.

Essentially this is a story of self-discovery and re-awakening. Jessie is restless in her life and struggles with the guilt of feeling responsible for her father’s death when she was just 9 years old. After getting a call informing her that her deeply religious mother has done something unthinkable, Jessie agrees to go back to the island she grew up on and was desperate to leave. She uses this opportunity to take a break from her husband Hugh and their enduring life.

Back on Egret Island she runs into Brother Thomas, known as Whit in his former life, a monk struggling with doubts and his own tragic past. They only thing that I didn’t like in this book is the instant unexplained attraction between the two. I have obviously heard of instant attraction before but in this case, they fall in love having only spoken a few words to each other and it felt a bit rushed to me. It’s a small complaint on my part. Otherwise I was completely swept away by their relationship but in the back of mind I couldn’t stop thinking about poor Hugh! It’s a novel that challenges what you consider to be morally right.

The story explores the relationships between Jessie and Hugh, Jessie and Brother Thomas, Jessie and her estranged mother, and Jessie's search for something else in her life. She must also confront the circumstances of her father's death and a tragic family secret.

It is a story of self-discovery, love, friendship, betrayal and forgiveness.  I found myself unable to put this book down and I’m giving it 5/5 stars. I loved everything about the island, the monastery, and the characters lives. Highly recommended!

Two words: Raw and Memorable

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and this weeks question is:

Q. How many books do you read in a week? And in what format do you read them, or listen to them?

It depends really. At the moment I'm reading two - three books a week because I have finished college and have no commitments. But next week I'll be starting work full time so I'd say I'll be reading one book a week for a while. I only read hard copies. I don't think I would like a Kindle or Nook. I love the feel of a real book! Although most book bloggers seem to have one?

If anyone starts following my blog today please comment and leave your link so I can return the follow. My right sidebar won't load for me lately so I can't see my new followers!

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books and is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!

This week's question is:

"What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked?  Which have you disliked?"

What a good question this week! The one that I like the most and was most impressed by has to be The Secret Life of Bees (written by Sue Monk Kidd). It is the most heart-warming movie I have seen in a long time. I have watched it countless times and I still cry the whole way through it! Dakota Fanning displays some outstanding acting!

The book-to-movie adaptation that I actually disliked is Never Let Me Go (written by Kazuo Ishiguro). To me the book was appealing and extremely tragic. The movie was not. I felt that the character's relationships weren't well developed in the movie. I also thought the movie was very slow and boring. I was watching it with a friend who hadn't read the book and I felt like I had to apologize for making him sit through it. While I wouldn't recommend the movie I do highly recommend the book!

Theme Thursdays - The Gargoyle

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event, hosted by Reading between Pages, that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week’s theme is

CONVERSATION

 My converstation is one bewteen the Nameless Protagonist and Marianne Engel from The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.

“Grotesques are what I do,” Marianne Engel answered. “Languages are a hobby.”

“What do you mean you ‘do’ Grotesques?”

“I carve.” She nodded towards the stunted monster in my hand. “I did that.”

“My psychiatrist likes it.”

“Which Shrink?”

“Dr. Hnatiuk.”

“He’s better than most.”

I was slightly surprised. “You know him?”

“I know most of them.”

“Tell me about your carving.”

“I became interested while watching you do it.” Her other hand was now fidgeting with her arrowhead necklace.

“I don’t carve.”

“You did.”

“No, I never have,” I insisted. “Tell me why you like carving.”

“It’s a backwards art. You end up with less than you started with.” She paused. “It’s too bad you can’t remember carving. I still have something you did.”

“What?”

“My Morgengabe.” Marianne Engel looked at me intently, as if waiting for some nonexistent memory to enter my mind. When she saw that none was coming, she shrugged and leaned back into her chair. “Jack’s my manager.”

Torment by Lauren Kate

A quick warning: If, like me, you don't like to know anything about a series before you read the first book then you might not want to read this as it does naturally contain some spoilers, being the second book in the series. Nothing major is revealed though so it's pretty safe.

Blurb: It took Lucinda an eternity to find her beloved angel, Daniel. But he waited for her. Now they are forced apart again, to protect Luce from the Outcasts – immortals who want her dead. During their separation, Luce learns about her mysterious past lives. But the more she discovers, the more she suspects that Daniel is hiding something.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t true? Is it really their destiny to be together? Or is Luce actually meant to be with someone else?

For the second time this week Lauren Kate has WOWed me. Following Fallen, Luce is moved to Shoreline, a school in California for gifted students known as Nephilim – the children of angels and humans. Left on her own Luce is forced to make new friends and she delights in a friendship with Miles, a fun, sensitive and unbelievably caring guy; Shelby, her sarcastic and rough around the edges roommate, and Dawn and Jasmine, two excitable and sweet girls. These characters had a way of sneaking into my head and I found myself thinking about them fondly when I was out and about.

At first I was a bit disappointed with Torment. With Daniel gone all the time things between him and Luce changed. Conflicts and jealousies arouse as secrets about the past were revealed.  I am a soppy romantic and I guess I just wanted to see them happy and together all the time! But obviously that wouldn’t make for an exciting story. But in Daniel’s absence we see some astonishing character development in Luce. She becomes more independent and starts to question Daniel and her past.  

This book had me frustrated and on the edge of my seat throughout (but in a good way!) I think ‘Torment’ is a very appropriate title for this story. Fingers crossed the same can be said for Passion ;)

While a few of my unanswered questions from Fallen were answered, Torment left me with many more questions. The ending was gripping and exciting and to be honest, I don’t know how I am going to wait until 23^rd June to find out what happens!  4 ½ out of 5 Stars. It loses out because I wish we had seen more of Daniel throughout the book.Other than that, I loved this book! It was an emotional rollercoaster for me.

Two Words: Heart-breaking and Consuming

“When he turned to face her, the drawn look on his face was one of absolute agony. As if Luce had just ripped his heart out.”
 

My Book Boyfriend #4

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader in which we swoon over boys in books! 

I have been eagerly awaiting this meme for the last few days. This week I have fallen head over heels in and out and back in love with Daniel Grigori from both Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate.  It has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least.

His Epic Stats:

• He's Immortal
• Golden Blond Hair
• Gray eyes that turn violet
• Smooth tanned skin
• Mysterious and Moody
• Is often topless and barefoot

"I don't think you're stupid." He closed his eyes. "I think you're the smartest person I know. And the kindest. And" - he swallowed, opening his eyes to look directly at her - "the most beautiful." 

" I have to go," he said at last, getting to his feet. "I shouldn't even be here, but I cannot keep myself away from you. I worry about you in every waking moment. I love you, Luce. So much it hurts."

I’m not gonna lie, I had the MOST fun ever looking up models to find my Daniel! It was too hard to choose one…which is why I chose two! I had to have one that included a body shot!

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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along.

Here's how to play:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

This Week my teaser is from Torment by Lauren Kate

He was smoking a cigarette, humming to himself like he didn't have a care in the world. Except that he was covered entirely in blood and gore. His hair was matted to his forehead, his arms were scratched and brusied. His t-shirt was wet and stained with sweat, and his jeans were splattered too. He looked filthy and disgusting, as though he'd just emerged from battle. Only, there was no one else around - no bodies, no anything. Just Him.

He winked at her.

(The character's name is actually mentioned in this paragraph but I took it out to avoid spoiling the story for people who are reading Fallen at the moment!) 

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Synopsis: Instant. Intense. Weirdly familiar… The moment Luce looks at Daniel she knows she has never felt like this before. Except she can’t shake the feeling that she has…and with him – a boy she doesn’t remember ever setting eyes on.

Will her attempt to find out why enlighten her – or destroy her?

I LOVED this book. So much so that I literally ran from my house the minute I finished it to go and buy Torment which is currently winking at me from my desk. I’m very excited to get started.

Fallen follows Luce, a girl with a troubled past, on her first day at Sword & Cross, a reform school for troubled, young criminals. As she struggles to adapt to her new surroundings and come to terms with her past, she meets two very different guys; Cam, sweet and charismatic, and Daniel, mysterious and silent. Both Babes ;) Luce soon finds herself in a strange love triangle with them both.

The paranormal aspect of the story is very well portrayed. The reform school is situated next to a large cemetery which gives a creepy element to the story. On top of that Luce battles with her visions of Shadows which have haunted her most of her life. And then there is Daniel and his mysterious behavior...?

"He felt her touch as though it were burning through his shirt, her hand laid gently on his shoulder, causing him to gasp. They had not yet touched in this life, and the first contact always left him breathless" Page 5

Fallen is a story of forbidden and timeless love and is so terribly romantic and tragic! I love the relationship between Daniel and Luce. The exciting ending left Luce (and me) with many unanswered questions of which I cannot wait to find out the answers to. The minute this is posted I’ll be starting Torment!

I definitely recommend this book! 5/5

Describe in two words: Dark and Romantic

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books and is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!

This week's question is:

"If you were given the chance to spend one day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and what would that place be?"

My Answer: Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts!

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee

This weeks question: Can you tell us FIVE quirky habits or things about you? We all have them...

1. I get obsessively attached to books. After I finish an amazing book I carry it around for the day while i'm at home and just gaze lovingly at it...

2. I have watched the most recent Harry Potter 7 trailer at least 50 times

3. I felt physically sick with excitement going to see the last HP movie!

4. I am unable to hang up my clothes. I just can't bring myself to do it.

5. My favourite food is sour jelly worms..nom

If you follow me from the meme, leave your link so I can follow back!

My Book Boyfriend #3

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader in which we swoon over boys in books!

This week My Book Boyfriend is from Rescue by Anita Shreve which I have just finished reading.

Stats: Peter Webster, 22 years old, just your average guy, lives in a small town in Vermont, works as a paramedic, dreams of buying a piece of land and settling down, hard working, caring and honest.

He was her family now. He and the Bump.

"This is stupid ," she said. "I never do this. I'm just so happy." She bent her head to his chest, as if embarrassed by emotion. He wrapped her in his arms. "I never thought this would happen to me," she said. "Not like this. I don't deserve you Webster."

"Are you shitting me?" he whispered into her ear. "I'm the one who can't believe his luck. You roll your car precisely on my stretch of road, and I just happen to be in service? What are the odds that the love of my life would do that?"

"He wants to go to her. He's used to caring for a person who's sobbing. It happens to him at least once a week. But he can't go to this particular person."

Rescue by Anita Shreve

The car crash should have killed her.

But rookie paramedic Peter Webster takes the emergency call, and helps the young woman, Sheila Arsenault, to survive. After the accident, she haunts his thoughts, despite his misgivings about getting involved with a patient. Soon he is embroiled in an intense love affair and in Sheila’s troubled life.

Eighteen years later, Sheila is long gone and Peter is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone. But Rowan is veering dangerously off course, and for the first time in their quiet life together, Peter fears for her future. He seeks out the only person who may be able to help her, although Sheila’s return is sure to unleash all the questions he has been carefully keeping at bay: why would a mother leave her family? How did the marriage of two people deeply in love unravel?

The story is set in a small town called Hartstone, a town where everyone knows each other. Webster works as an EMT and one night on duty he meets Shelia, a drunk driver who has totaled her car on the side on the 42.

I instantly loved Webster; he’s straight as an arrow, lived in Hartsone all his life, and has no dreams to move away to a bigger city. He falls blindly in love with Shelia, who isn’t a particularly likeable character.  I found it hard to stay interested in the characters lives as they weren’t well developed or explored. Shelia drinks too much but we never really find out why.  I would like to have found out more about Shelia, about why she drinks, more about her past, and the reasons why their love affair blossomed in the first place. Why did Webster fall for this stranger?

I enjoyed reading about Webster’s life before and after Shelia left. He is an extremely likeable guy. He is a hard worker, he loves Shelia, and he adores his daughter.  The relationship between him and Rowan seems real but again, it’s not well developed. We never really get to understand why Rowan is acting out.

Overall it was a nice read, it has romance, it certainly has some exciting, fast paced scenes and I would recommend reading this book purely for Webster :) Rating: 3/5

Two Words: Interesting but Weak

 

Theme Thursdays #2 [Women Relationships]

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event, hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

 This weeks theme is an interesting one.

WOMEN RELATIONSHIPS

Relation that one can have with a women like Mother, Aunt, Grandmother, Sister, Girlfriend etc

I have chosen Lily (the daughter) and Elizabeth (her mother) from Fire Along the Sky by Sara Donati 

“No,” Lily said impatiently/ “Did you know about them?”

“I know of no connection between them,” Elizabeth said, more slowly. “Jennet is recently widowed, and she 

hasn’t seen Luke in such a long time. I don’t think it’s likely…”

She let her voice trail away because Lily was looking at her with one eyebrow raised, as she herself looked at her children when they worked too hard to make a reason out of fancy.

My Book Boyfriend #2

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, where we swoon over the boys in our books.

This week my book boyfriend is from a book which I have read countless times and am currently re-reading on the sly! Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella.

Stats: Jack Harper, American, Brown hair, Dark eyes, the CEO of a million dollar company, incredibly rich.

“I don’t want to go.” His dark eyes are almost opaque. “But I have to.” He takes my hand, and I cling onto his, trying to prolong contact for as long as possible.

“So…I’ll…I’ll see you.” I can barely talk properly.

“I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.”

I just can’t choose a picture for this one. I have spent the last hour scouring the web to try and find the perfect picture but none of them are right. My Jack is too perfect. Perhaps a younger George Clooney? Or a slightly more masculine Noah Wyle? (I grew up watching ER on Sunday nights with my mum)If anyone else has read this book and can find an appropriate picture I’d be delighted to see it!

I am throwing in the synopsis from www.sophiekinsella.co.uk because I think everyone should read this book! So if you want to know more, read on;

Emma is sitting on a turbulent plane. She’s always been a v. nervous flyer. She really thinks that this could be her last moment. So, naturally enough, she starts telling the man sitting next to her – quite a dishy American, but she’s too frightened to notice -all her innermost secrets. How she scans the backs of intellectual books and pretends she’s read them. How she does her hair up like Princess Leia in her bedroom. How she’s not sure if she has a G-spot, and whether her boyfriend could find it anyway. How she feels like a fraud at work – everyone uses the word ‘operational’ all the time but she hasn’t a clue what it means. How the coffee at work is horrible. How she once threw a troublesome client file in the bin. If ever there was a bare soul, it’s hers.

She survives the flight, of course, and the next morning the famous founding boss of the whole mega corporation she works for is coming for a look at the UK branch. As he walks around, Emma looks up and realises…

It’s the man from the plane.

What will he do with her secrets? He knows them all – but she doesn’t know a single one of his. Or… does she?

Books to Movies Challenge

I have decided to take part in my very first challenge! It's hosted by Two Bibliomaniacs and it's called the Books to Movies Challenge. It starts on the 1^st June and ends on 31^st December. The rules are very simple. I’ll read a book and watch the movie. That shouldn’t be too hard for me!  There are 4 levels of participation to choose from.

Straight to Video – Read 2 books and view the film adaptations.

Limited Release – Read 4 books and view the film adaptations.

Blockbuster – Read 6 books and view the film adaptations.

Oscar Buzz – Read 8 books and view the film adaptations.

I have high hopes for Oscar Buzz so wish me luck! If you want to join the challenge just click on Two Bibliomaniacs above. I will be picking the books/movies during the week and will keep you updated with my progress. 

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along.

Here's how to play:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

“The Woman’s face was pale, with bruises ripening beneath her eyes. She had a mouth that might be French, like her name.”

Rescue by Anita Shreve